6 Best Superfights We Need to See in Boxing
It's one of the signature elements of the fight game.
Because bouts are not scheduled in the linear, predictable fashion as games in the NFL, NBA, NHL or other league-based sports, it leaves boxing fans to pine for matchups—whether of the run-of-the-mill or dream-fight varieties.
And because the B/R combat team is a big-thinking outfit by nature, we got together to ponder the fights that'll transcend those made to satisfy mandatory obligations for a generic alphabet organization and instead be the ones that qualify as a lead item on SportsCenter.
We looked at fights involving proven stars, fights that will decide who runs a particular weight class and fights between young guns hoping to climb to the next pound-for-pound level.
It's a perilous landscape to navigate, as Anthony Joshua's defeat on Saturday at Wembley Stadium proves, so we'll cross our fingers and hope some of them get made.
In the meantime, take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the comments.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol
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We're inside of three weeks.
The 175-pound summit meeting between fellow champions Artur Beterbiev (IBF/WBC/WBO) and Dmitry Bivol (WBA) is set for Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 12.
It's a fascinating matchup pitting a slugger who's stopped every man with whom he's shared a ring against a sublimely skilled boxer who's routinely pitched shutouts against a series of mandatory contenders and rose to the occasion against a rising Canelo Alvarez.
But you'll forgive us if we hold our breath through the homestretch.
After all, the wait for the long-awaited showdown was extended for another four months after the original June 1 date was scrubbed when Beterbiev suffered a knee injury in training, leaving Bivol to spend the night beating substitute foe Malik Zinad into a sixth-round TKO.
It was Bivol's first finish since 2018 after nine straight decisions and makes us even more sure that the Beterbiev fight will be worth the delay.
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk II
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We'll include this one because, again, it's boxing.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Fury pitched a classic when they met on May 18 in Saudi Arabia, and there's no reason to believe we won't see a similar 12 rounds (or fewer) of drama when they re-engage at the same venue on December 21.
Outweighed by nearly 40 pounds, Usyk was being battered to the body through the first two-thirds of the springtime fight before a stirring rally saw him drop the bigger man in the ninth and surge to a three-point decision on one scorecard and a one-pointer on another.
Still, we're including this on the "fights we hope to see" list because we won't be sure the rematch will happen until Fury and his latest nemesis are in the ring touching gloves four days before Christmas.
Because both guys are north of age 35 and have had previous fights scuttled by injuries, it's a fingers-crossed situation for everyone for the next three months.
But if it happens...wow!
Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford
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OK, we'll transition here from a pair of fights that are signed and sealed but not yet delivered to one that's been talked about plenty, but with no practical steps to actually get it done.
Undisputed or not, Canelo Alvarez is correctly regarded as the man at 168 pounds until proved otherwise, and because he's beaten everyone who's still spending the bulk of their time there, it's natural that he'd be open to suggestion for new challenges.
Enter Terence Crawford.
Like Alvarez, Crawford has proved superior to competition in multiple weight classes, winning titles at 135, 140 and 147 pounds before most recently climbing to 154 to defeat Israil Madrimov to add the WBO strap to an already-crowded trophy room.
The smaller man has suggested Alvarez is his "chasing greatness" foil of choice, and it's clearly the biggest fight to be made involving two big pound-for-pound-caliber names.
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Naoya Inoue vs. Jesse Rodriguez
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It's the pet project of the B/R combat team: Make a fight between Naoya Inoue and Jesse Rodriguez.
It's the "Monster" against "Bam." It's the king of the 122-pounders against the king of the 115-pounders. It's the fight that could get the boxing world to shift its focus to the lighter side of the weight spectrum.
And it's a fight that's simply got to happen.
Inoue has risen toward the top of nearly every worthwhile pound-for-pound list with a 28-fight win streak that's earned him title belts in four weight classes from 108 to 122. Meanwhile, Rodriguez is perhaps the brightest young star in the sport thanks to his own 20-fight run that's provided straps at 112 and 115.
They've each got their own contenders to deal with in their own weight classes, but if either man is looking for a truly transcendent bout and a further chance to define their careers against another elite fight, then this is the one to make.
Gervonta Davis vs. Shakur Stevenson
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Only a fool would argue that Shakur Stevenson isn't a talented fighter. He's got fast hands, quick feet a sneaky punch and a high-end ring IQ.
But even though he's won titles in three weight classes and gone unbeaten and untied through six championship bouts at 126, 130 and 135 pounds, he's most often found at the tail end of pound-for-pound lists or among those also receiving votes.
A career-defining bout would change that.
And Gervonta Davis is that career-defining opponent.
The Maryland-born "Tank" has carved a similarly successful path through the ranks at 130, 135 and 140 pounds and just happens to campaign full-time these days in the same weight class (lightweight) as his would-be rival from New Jersey.
Davis experienced the pay-per-view spotlight and came out on top with a seventh-round blowout of Ryan Garcia in one of 2023's biggest bouts.
And one of his trainers, Kenny Ellis, doesn't seem to think a Stevenson bout will end in anything other than another win.
"Tank is faster. Tank is faster. He's bigger. He's stronger. He's smarter," he told the Cigar Talk podcast. "(Stevenson) ain't got nothing on Tank. if it goes 12 rounds, I'm walking away from boxing."
David Benavidez vs. David Morrell
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We'll call this the "Couldn't Get Canelo Alvarez to Agree to a Fight" consolation bowl.
Both David Benavidez and David Morrell were unbeaten fighters who occupied space near the top of the 168-pound rankings. And they had something else in common, too.
Neither could entice the cinnamon-haired Mexican superstar into a championship fight.
Benavidez was a two-time champion at 168 and spent time as Alvarez's mandatory challenger there before finally climbing the ladder to 175, where he defeated Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June to become the WBC's interim champion in the weight class.
Morrell, meanwhile, was a second-tier titleholder at 168 with nine KOs in 10 wins before he, too, decided to take his talents to light heavyweight for a 12-round defeat of Radivoje Kalajdzic on the Crawford-Madrimov undercard last month in Los Angeles.
Though it's a good bet either could find a way to shed seven pounds if Alvarez finally decided to make a fight-seeking call, it's a far better idea that they focus their eyes on bigger things—in this case, one another—while continuing to build stock in new surroundings.
Morrell, if comments made after the Kalajdzic win are indicative, is good with the idea.
"I want Benavidez. Everybody knows it's him," he said. "I want to show everyone I'm the best at 175. Everyone says he's the bogeyman, but I'm here."
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