Predictions for the Biggest Boxing Fights in December

Unfortunately the boxing calendar of 2014 hasn't lived up to the high bar that was set by the schedule of fights that took place in 2013, especially during the fall and early part of winter.

From September through the week before Christmas last year there was a solid to great card on major TV every single week; this year the lineup has been a little more spread out and hasn't had the same concentration of stars involved.

Saying all that, however, doesn't mean that there aren't a few nice fights and cards to look forward to because 2014 should actually close out fairly strong with some big names on the schedule and a few titles up for grabs.

Make sure to set your DVR for these upcoming fights!

Devon Alexander vs. Amir Khan

Eric Jamison/Associated Press

What's At Stake: Possible match against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

If Mayweather doesn't want to make a match with fellow superstar Manny Pacquiao or the politics of boxing won't allow him to and then he'll be in a bit of a bind in terms of picking his next opponent.

Those same political problems would prevent a fight against Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez—Mayweather destroyed JMM in a 2009 fight—who are widely regarded as the top welterweights after Mayweather and Pacquiao.

The sixth guy on ESPN's ranking for the welterweight division is Marcos Maidana who Mayweather has defeated twice in his last two fights, so obviously Maidana isn't an option without any interest or demand for a third match.

If all those fights are DOA before they're even negotiated, then facing the winner of a big match between Amir Khan and Devon Alexander would make sense. Both guys have some name value and are ranked inside the top 10 of their division by multiple sites.

The only other matchup that makes sense would be Keith Thurman—which I would prefer—but his handlers might not think he's ready for that level which is understandable.

Thurman also has a fight this month against Leonard Bundu, but like most of the opponents on his resume Bundu isn't a well-known name that will get Thurman the attention it will take to earn a fight with Mayweather.

Thurman has the skill to compete and personality to sell, but my guess is that he'll need to step up in competition for a few fights before entertaining the idea of taking a match with the best boxer alive.

If Khan wins this fight against Alexander, he'll put himself at the top of the list for potential Mayweather opponents assuming that the barriers aren't broken down to make a fight with Pacquiao. Mayweather would likely destroy Khan, but at least Khan brings some box-office power if the fight happens in England.

I do think Khan will beat Alexander mostly due to his large advantages with hand speed and footwork.

Prediction: Amir Khan UD 116-112

Matt Korobov vs. Andy Lee

What's At Stake: WBO middleweight title vacated by Peter Quillin

Quick reminder: Quillin vacated this belt when he refused to fight Matt Korobov in a match that would have taken place in November.

Along with the belt the winner of this fight would also likely be in the running for a match against middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin to unify titles; a big check and a major opportunity awaits one of them.

Golovkin might get to fight the winner of Canelo Alvarez vs. Miguel Cotto as the mandatory challenger for the belt held by Cotto—assuming that the fight happens—but that match wouldn't happen until the fall, with Alvarez and Cotto rumored to meet in May (via Ryan Songalia of Ring TV) , so Golovkin will need a summer opponent after his February match.

Bringing two titles to a potential match could make fighting Golovkin more attractive to either Cotto or Canelo, so scheduling a unification match against either Korobov or Andy Lee would make a lot of sense.

Prediction: Korobov UD 116-111 with one knockdown

Timothy Bradley vs. Diego Chaves

Eric Jamison/Associated Press

What's At Stake: Timothy Bradley can't afford back-to-back losses.

Bradley is currently ranked as the fourth-best fighter pound for pound by ESPN, so suffering a second straight loss would be devastating. No one likely blames him or holds against him his first loss since it was at the hands of the great Manny Pacquiao, but losing to Diego Chaves would be damaging to his reputation.

Chaves is a quality fighter, but a top-five pound-for-pound boxer can't lose to a guy who isn't even ranked inside his own division, especially since it would be a second straight defeat.

Not only would a loss possibly knock him off the top-10 pound-for-pound list, but it could also take him out of the running for bigger fights in 2015.

Shouldn't be a problem though for Bradley who is way more skilled and athletic than Chaves. If Bradley controls the style and makes it a boxing match instead of a brawl like he did against Ruslan Provodnikov, then he should win easily.

Prediction: Bradley UD 118-110

Jean Pascal vs. Roberto Bolonti

What's At Stake: Jean Pascal will get a title match against Sergey Kovalev with a victory (via Dan Rafael of ESPN.com).

Other than getting a shot at lineal champion and fellow countryman Adonis Stevenson, this is the biggest possible match Pascal could make. When I say bigger I mean that in terms of the money that could be made on a mega-fight in Canada between its two biggest stars in boxing.

Of course making a fight with the timid Stevenson has proven difficult for both Pascal and Kovalev, so it makes sense to fight each other instead just like Kovalev did with his win over Bernard Hopkins.

Certainly in terms of prestige and future opportunities, a fight with Kovalev is more meaningful since three belts will be on the line compared to only one in a fight with Stevenson.

Kovalev faced a similar situation to what Pascal is facing now when he signed a contract to fight Hopkins with the stipulation that he had to defeat his next opponent Blake Caparello for the match to become official.

I don't expect Pascal to stop Roberto Bolonti in the second round like Kovalev did against Caparello, but I also don't expect him to be challenged or for the match to go a full 12 rounds either.

Prediction: Pascal Round 9 TKO

David Lemieux vs. Gabriel Rosado

What's At Stake: Big fights down the line for rising star David Lemieux

There won't be any gold up for grabs when Lemieux and Gabriel Rosado step into the ring this month, but if Lemieux is impressive in victory, it may earn him a title shot in the near future.

Lemieux only signed a one-fight deal with Golden Boy Promotions, so his options will be wide-open after this fight against Rosado. If he's impressive enough and proves to have some drawing power outside of Canada, then he could be an attractive option to many top guys such as Canelo Alvarez or Gennady Golovkin.

Being given a big stage as a proving ground without the strings of a long-term promotional deal is pretty ideal, so hopefully Lemieux makes the most of this opportunity.

Rosado on the other hand just needs a win since he hasn't been victorious in over two years. Of course considering the extremely tough list of opponents he's taken on his 0-3-1 mark over his last four fights, this shouldn't be as embarrassing as you would think initially.

Regardless of what's at stake this is a must-watch fight for boxing fans because both guys fight an attractively aggressive style, and Lemieux is a knockout artist with 30 stoppages out of his 32 career wins.

Prediction: Lemieux by eighth-round KO

Follow me on Twitter for more opinion on boxing and live scoring of big fights: @sackedbybmac