New Year's Resolutions for Boxing's Top Stars

As 2014 prepares to slip into the dustbin of history, boxing fans look back upon a year that was less than spectacular. While there were plenty of great moments to enjoy, it failed to match the historical and dramatic highs of 2012 and 2013.

It's important to practice optimism, and there are plenty of reasons to expect boxing to rise dramatically in the year ahead. A number of the sport's biggest stars are well-positioned for superfights if only they can get them made.

If even half the fighters on this list fulfill the resolutions I am giving for them here, the year ahead should be an exciting one for boxing.

For Terence Crawford: A Superfight at 140 Pounds

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Undefeated WBO lightweight champion Terence Crawford emerged as a bright new star in 2014. By capturing the belt from Ricky Burns in Scotland and defending it twice, with a stoppage of Yuriorkis Gamboa and a shutout unanimous decision of Raymundo Beltran, Crawford made a strong case for himself as the 2014 Fighter of the Year.

In many cases, I'd like to see an emerging star like Crawford unify some belts. But I think it's unlikely to happen at lightweight and that fights with other lightweight belt-holders aren't the best fights unavailable for Crawford anyway.

I also think Crawford looks set to outgrow the weight class. When I interviewed him before the Gamboa fight in June, he told me he thought that would be his last time at 135 pounds. He stuck around to face Beltran, which was a class move considering that Beltran really deserved to win his draw with Burns last year and by rights should have entered 2014 as the WBO champ.

But Crawford's future as a star is going to be at 140 pounds and up. I would love to see him against any number of top fighters at junior welterweight, such as Danny Garcia, Ruslan Provodnikov, Chris Algieri or Adrien Broner.  

For Marcos Maidana: To Get Back into the Win Column

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Marcos Maidana's all-action style has always made him popular with the fans. When he trounced undefeated but cocky Adrien Broner in December 2013, it pushed the Argentine brawler's stock through the roof.

As a result of the win over Broner, Maidana got his ticket in the Floyd Mayweather sweepstakes. Last May, he redeemed that ticket in a surprisingly competitive and close battle against the pound-for-pound king, losing by majority decision.

The fight was close enough to warrant a rematch, though the second time around, in September, Mayweather prevailed with much more ease.

Maidana spent the year as a combatant in two of the biggest fights. Even with the losses, that propelled his career to new heights.

With so many stars packed into the welterweight division, Maidana's next bout should be a tough one. To remain high in the rankings, this time Maidana will need to win.

For Danny Garcia: A Meaningful Fight

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Danny Garcia entered 2014 as a very hot fighter. He was the lineal, WBC and WBA champion at light welterweight and had won a convincing unanimous decision over Lucas Matthysse in September 2013. Matthysse had been viewed as his biggest threat at 140 pounds.

In March of this year, Garcia went to Puerto Rico to take on tough challenger Mauricio Herrera. It was supposed to be a triumphant tour for Garcia, as he visited the island where both his parents were born.

Instead, Garcia was lucky to escape with a majority decision over Herrera. Still, Herrera is a legitimate contender and seriously underrated, so Garcia's struggle against him was hardly an indictment of the young champion's talent.

But in August, Garcia returned to action against unranked lightweight Rod Salka. This was probably the single most ridiculous matchup in a year filled with mismatches. Garcia won by Round 2 knockout, but rather than impressing fans, the manner of his victory only underscored the inappropriate nature of the fight.

Salka was such an absurd opponent that the WBC and WBA refused to sanction Garcia's fight against him as a title fight. For once, alphabet-soup organizations occupied the moral high ground.

When a fighter is the lineal champion and holds two belts in a division, he has a certain obligation to defend against credible opponents, especially if he is only going to fight twice within the year.

Garcia is the kind of young star who encourages boxing fans to fork out money for premium cable channels like Showtime. But nobody is subscribing to Showtime to watch mismatches like Garcia vs. Salka.

I have to think Garcia will be back in action against a credible opponent sometime in early 2015. He'll either face a major challenger at 140 or jump up and face a fellow star at welterweight.  

For Sergey Kovalev: To Unify Light Heavyweight

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With his shutout unanimous-decision victory over Bernard Hopkins last October, Russian Sergey Kovalev proved that he's a shrewd, skilled boxer in addition to being one of the sport's most dangerous punchers. The victory also gave him three of four alphabet-soup titles.

That makes him tantalizingly close to being a true undisputed champion. And that's a status that is all too rare in today's sport.

In most cases, the landscape isn't set up to make pursuing undisputed status realistic or even worthwhile.

But that's not the current situation at 175 pounds. While Kovalev holds three of four belts, Adonis Stevenson is the lineal champion and the belt-holder for the WBC. And few fights in the sport make more sense than Kovalev vs. Stevenson for all the belts.

Of course, Kovalev can't make this one happen on his own. Stevenson has to be willing to make the fight, and so far he has been hesitant to do so.

But if Kovalev can manage to knock out Stevenson's fellow Quebec resident, Jean Pascal, the pressure will be on "Superman" to face "Krusher" Kovalev.

For Andre Ward: A Return to Action

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Few people would disagree over Andre Ward's talent. Pound-for-pound, the super middleweight is one of the best fighters on the planet. He's built a resume that proves it, beating a murderers' row of world champions.

But at 30, Ward is in real danger of wasting the best years of his career inactive. Since stopping light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson in September 2012, he has fought just once, in November 2013 against Edwin Rodriguez. It's now been over a year since he fought last.

No matter how good a fighter is people will forget about him if he's not in the ring. Ward has been vocal about wanting to fight undefeated middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin. GGG would no doubt give Ward a potential pay-per-view date.

But Golovkin doesn't seem quite ready to quit 160. In the meantime, Ward needs to return to the ring. Both Dirrell brothers, Anthony and Andre, would be credible opponents.  

For Gennady Golovkin: To Extend His KO Streak

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It's frankly a bit tough to write a New Year's resolution for Gennady Golovkin. The most avoided fighter in the sport faces limited opportunities.

In a just world, GGG would have fought Sergio Martinez for the lineal middleweight title last year. But the business realities of the sport made it so Miguel Cotto got that shot despite not even being a champion at light middleweight at the time.

The business realities also mean that Cotto will defend against Saul Alvarez this spring rather than Golovkin.

Still, Golovkin is the hottest rising fighter in the sport. Ideally, he'd face a major opponent next year in a true superfight.

But he's knocked out 18 straight opponents, and if he extends that streak in 2015 against another four or five ranked opponents, his push to the top of the sport will continue.

For Miguel Cotto: A Successful Defense Against Canelo Alvarez

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Miguel Cotto's stunning TKO victory over middleweight champion Sergio Martinez last June was easily my favorite boxing story of 2014. Nevertheless, the win says more about Martinez's decline than it does about Cotto's resurgence.

Martinez was 39 coming into that fight and had undergone multiple surgeries in recent years. He'd appeared to be a shadow of himself in his last fight prior to the defense against Cotto, when he was very lucky to escape with a decision in Argentina against Martin Murray in April 2013.

Still, Cotto deserves credit for a flawless performance against Martinez. And the victory made him the first four-division world champion ever from boxing-rich Puerto Rico.

If Cotto is now going to reign as the lineal middleweight champion, his obvious No. 1 contender should be undefeated WBA champion Gennady Golovkin. But I don't see Freddie Roach letting Cotto anywhere near GGG.

Instead, it seems almost certain that Cotto will fight rising star Saul Alvarez. This fight will draw huge numbers and have important historical value, so I am fine with Cotto passing on Golovkin for this.

It could end up being the biggest fight of 2015. It's also a fight Cotto has a chance to win.

For Saul Alvarez: To Win the MW Title and Defend Against Gennady Golovkin

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Saul Alvarez has been a professional fighter since he was 15. Now 24, he's already fought 46 times, with his last three performances featured on pay-per-view. Canelo is clearly among the biggest boxing stars on the planet.

A former champion at 154 pounds, Alvarez looks set to jump up to full middleweight and face WBC and lineal middleweight champion Miguel Cotto in the first half of 2015. This Mexico-Puerto Rico matchup is one that fans have been eyeing for years.

Now that Cotto has starched Sergio Martinez to capture a fourth world title, Cotto-Alvarez has the potential to be the biggest fight of 2015.

A victory will hardly be guaranteed for Canelo heading into this one, but I'd make Alvarez the favorite based on youth and size. If he can manage to win, I am hopeful that Alvarez will face Gennady Golovkin.

So far Alvarez has been willing to make tough fights, even if he doesn't need to from the perspective of the box office. He has the kind of brash, youthful confidence that should welcome a monstrous challenger like Golovkin.   

For Wladimir Klitschko: To Fight in the United States

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I'm not one of those American boxing fans who resents the Klitschko brothers simply for the crime of not being American fighters. Although it's undeniable that they have fought in a degraded era, they have also dominated that era.

When considering the two as potential all-time matchups for other heavyweight greats, I'm inclined to pick the gigantic, skilled Klitschkos against many of the legends.

Older brother Vitali retired last year, leaving just Wladimir to carry on the family banner. And although U.S. fans have rarely given the Klitschkos the respect they deserve, there is a good chance that Wladimir will finally defend his titles in the United States this year.

It's looking very promising for Klitschko to come to the U.S. to face undefeated American contender Bryant Jennings in April. In a rational world, the winner of that fight would face the winner of WBC champion Bermane Stiverne and Deontay Wilder in a unification bout next fall.

For Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather: To Make 'The Fight' Happen

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It's truly sad that this fight never happened between 2009 and 2011. But it's even sadder that we're still talking about it in 2014.

Regardless, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao remain the two biggest stars in the sport, and they still haven't fought. So as 2014 ends, no other resolution makes sense for these two.

That doesn't mean I have much hope for this fight taking place. I don't believe Mayweather will do business with Bob Arum, and Pacquiao's contract with Top Rank means he can't do business without Arum.

In the end, expect to see Arum use Pacquiao for another Macau-based card featuring Zou Shiming. A likely opponent is Jessie Vargas.

I wouldn't rule out a fifth bout with Juan Manuel Marquez next year either. Pacquiao would love to avenge his knockout loss, and Marquez covets Pacquiao's WBO welterweight belt, which would make him Mexico's first five-division champion. 

Mayweather will probably face Amir Khan. It won't sell well in the United States, but numbers in the U.K. will make up some of the difference. And don't be surprised if Mayweather fights a rematch against the winner of Saul Alvarez and Miguel Cotto in the fall in order to pursue a lineal world title at middleweight. 

They probably won't fight each other, but Mayweather and Pacquiao will continue to be the two biggest earners in the sport.