Boxing: 5 Fights That Could Ease the Pain of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao

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All anyone wants to see in the boxing world is Floyd Mayweather Jr face-off with Manny Pacquiao, seemingly to find out who really is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

With all of the let downs, excuses and rumors to why the mega-fight has yet to take place, boxing fans have been becoming more and more agitated and now need to look else where to give them their quality boxing fix.

Here are five fights I think could help boxing fans forget about Mayweather vs. Pacquiao—maybe if only for a moment.

1. Andre Berto vs. Manny Pacquiao

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Andre Berto vs Manny Pacquiao has the makings of an exciting fight and would draw a decent pay-per-view audience.

Going of the prediction that Pacquiao will defeat Juan Manuel Marquez and Floyd Mayweather Jr taking care of Victor Ortiz, a Berto, Pacquiao fight would be the most logical fight to happen next in the welterweight division.

With Berto coming off his first defeat at the hands of Victor Ortiz this past April, Berto should be a hungry fighter with a chip on his shoulder. With Berto having everything to prove, I think he would engage in a slug fest with Pacquiao—something most fighters shun away from.

With both the fighters possessing good power—Berto has 21 KO's in 27 fights and Pacquiao has 38 KO's in 58 fights—a knockout winner is almost guaranteed, which wouldn't be said about a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight due to Mayweather's superb, yet sometimes dull defensive boxing style.

2. Carl Froch vs Andre Ward

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With the Super Six Classic coming to a close, Carl Froch (28-1, 20 KO's) and Andre Ward (24-0, 13 KO's), are set up to square-off with each other to decide the champion of the tournament and unite the WBA and WBC Super Middleweight crowns.

The fight would pit a slugger, Froch against a strategical boxer, Ward. It would be interesting to see which fighter will enforce their style of fighting on the other, making one fighting out off their comfort zone the underdog of the fight.

The fight will have some flashes of excitement for the casual boxing fan and it's moment's of strategical boxing that any dedicated boxing fan can appreciate. In all it will be a match that will be a win-win situation for any level of fan who tunes in to the fight.

3. Sergio Martinez vs. Felix Sturm

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A Middleweight showdown between Sergio Martinez (47-2-2, 26 KO's) and Felix Sturm (35-2-1, 15 KO's) would be a down right battle.

A fight between the two best Middleweights in boxing should be a good draw fan-wise putting Martinez—one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world—up against the top contender in the Middleweight division.

With having a fight with a very formidable opponent in Matthew Macklin on June 25th, the winner of that fight should be put up against Martinez hopefully by the end of this year.

4. Wladimir Klitschko vs. David Haye

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The only fight on the list that is actually signed on to happen is the match-up between longtime Heavyweight powerhouse Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO's) and the best Heavyweight not named Klitschko, David Haye (25-1, 23 KO's) that's taking place on July 2nd in Germany.

After having an almost seven year reigning without a loss, Klitschko is going into a fight in which there is a decent shot that he could lose.

With he quality in the Heavyweight division diminishing over the years, Haye is the only real threat to beat any Klitschko, and with the Heavyweight division being so down as of late, a big audience should tune-in to possibly see one of the most dominant fighters of the last decade go down in defeat.

5. Timothy Bradley vs. Amir Khan

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Pitting the current WBC and WBO Jr. Welterweight champion, Timothy Bradley (28-0 with one no-contest, 11 KO's) against the current WBA Jr. Welterweight title holder, Amir Kahn (25-1, 17 KO's) would be a big event for the boxing community.

In a Jr. Middleweight unification fight between two of the best fighters boxing has to offer, a chess game of who can insert their style into the fight would ensue.

Kahn is known more for his power more than anything else, opposed to Bradley who is known for his high boxing IQ—usually out boxing his opponents despite a disadvantage in KO power. Bradley's knack to trash talk before during and after fights can also get to Kahn—as it has many of fighters—possibly giving Bradley the mental advantage in the fight.

To get this fight rolling, Kahn will have to take care of a resurgent Zab Judah on July 23rd in Las Vegas,NV. If Kahn goes out and takes care of business as he should, then the Bradley vs. Kahn fight should be all but set in stone.