Ranking the 10 Best Rivalries in Boxing Today

Boxing is a rivalry sport.

Iconic figures, Hall of Famers, all-time greats, most all of them had one guy that you had to mention whenever talking about their careers.

For Muhammad Ali it was Joe Frazier.

For Sugar Ray Robinson it was Jake LaMotta, among a few others. 

These names are inextricably linked to their better-known and in many cases, more accomplished foes.

Here, we rank the 10 best rivalries currently in the sweet science.

Some are legitimate rivalries, some are simmering rivalries and some are logical fits we're just hoping get off the ground.

As always, feel free to add your own in the comments section.

Let's get to it!

10. Roman Gonzalez vs. Naoya Inoue

Ken Ishii/Getty Images

This one might not technically be a rivalry yet, but it’s almost certain to develop into one before long.

Roman Gonzalez and Naoya Inoue are the two most exciting and dynamic fighters in boxing’s lower weight divisions. It’s a shame that they don’t get more credit and exposure, but a fight and rivalry between the two could be the breakthrough moment that puts each on the mainstream map.

Gonzalez has won all 41 of his fights, demonstrating freakish power for a smaller man by knocking out 35 of his opponents. The Nicaraguan captured a world title in a third weight division with a December TKO victory over Akira Yaegashi.

Inoue might even be more impressive.

The 21-year-old Japanese prodigy won his second world championship in as many weight divisions this year with a second-round blowout of longtime champion Omar Narvaez. His world title wins over Narvaez and Adrian Hernandez look even more impressive given he ended 2014 with just eight professional fights, seven ending inside the distance.

Gonzalez expressed an interest in pursuing a title in a fourth weight division in December, targeting the winner of Narvaez-Inoue.

Whoa boy!

Gonzalez vs. Inoue would be something.

It’s a natural rivalry between a pair of undefeated world champions fighting around the same neighborhood.

Let’s hope it happens without delay.

9. Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. Leo Santa Cruz

Ken Ishii/Getty Images

Guillermo Rigondeaux desperately wanted to fight Leo Santa Cruz. So much so that he offered to do so just two weeks after his last fight and on short notice.

The two engaged in a notable war of words, per Lem Satterfield of The Ring Magazine, while Santa Cruz was still looking for an opponent for his title defense on the Stiverne-Wilder undercard.

“I would love to fight Leo Santa Cruz on Jan. 17,” Rigondeaux said, “but he is scared to fight me.”

Santa Cruz, who has fought a pair of extremely low-level opponents his last time out, unforgivable given the loaded nature of the 122-pound division, was quick to respond.

"

I read that [Rigondeaux] thinks that fighters are running away from him and that he said that he thought that I was scared to fight him. But I want to prove that I’m not scared to fight nobody. I’m here to fight the best and if he is the best, then why not fight him? Like I’ve said, he has a hard style and everything

"

That’s not the first time Santa Cruz has expressed interest in facing Rigo, but the timing was curious, as the Cuban unified champion pointed out.

“He knows I am fighting Dec. 31, so he thought he would get away with calling me out,” Rigondeaux said. “I am a professional at the top of my game and I am always ready to fight. Lets do it, Leo Santa Cruz."

That’s bold.

It didn’t work, but it’s bold.

Rigondeaux scored a Round 11 stoppage victory over Japanese challenger Hisashi Amagasa on New Year's Eve, just a bit more than two weeks before he was willing to step in with the Mexican dynamo.

Santa Cruz is likely to face former featherweight champion Abner Mares next, and, hopefully, a Rigo fight will come shortly after.

That said, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

8. Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury

Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury already appear on something of a collision course, and Wilder has only owned a heavyweight strap for a little over a week. Given the size, punching power and personalities of the two fighters, this one has the potential to be the next great heavyweight boxing rivalry.

Maybe we’re jumping the gun, just a tad, but you can certainly understand, given the total lack of drama that has surrounded the big boys neighborhood over the better part of the last decade.

Fury is a well-known trash talker. He’s loud, vulgar and his ability to bring the level of conversation down to the least-common denominator is matched only by his supreme confidence in his abilities.

He’s already taken to calling out Wilder, per Edward Chaykovsky of Boxingscene.com, having this to say to the new champion:

"

Just like to say congrats to [Deontay Wilder] on becoming new WBC champ! If we fight you wont last six rounds, I wasn't impressed at all! Let's go? I Honestly think [Deontay Wilder] will avoid the furious one and fight some bums instead of keeping the heavyweight buzz going. Let's set it on fire?? I'll rip your heart out and feed it to you chump! [Deontay Wilder] I'll bring you to a dog fight! Where it comes down to will and heart

"

All things considered, and given Fury’s past, this was relatively tame stuff.

Wilder is known for his talking abilities too, unleashing quite a few zingers at Bermane Stiverne before taking his title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with a brutal, one-sided performance.

With reports already surfacing that talks have opened for a Wilder-Fury fight, boxing fans could be in for a treat and a new heavyweight rivalry.

7. Amir Khan vs. Kell Brook

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Geography matters.

Amir Khan and Kell Brook are two of the United Kingdom’s best fighters, the former a former unified junior welterweight champion and the latter a current welterweight titlist, and their rivalry has come together quite naturally.

A bout between the two has been discussed for some time, though Khan’s recent targets have been Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, and it seems like a logical fit for Wembley Stadium sometime this year.

Ever since Carl Froch and George Groves packed 80,000-or-so people into the iconic venue last year, it’s been something all British fighters aspire to for themselves.

Khan and Brook have clearly developed something of a distaste for each other during their paths up the boxing ranks.

Brook, of Sheffield, has long demanded a showdown with Khan, of Bolton, but was rebuffed in many of his previous attempts.

After capturing the IBF Welterweight Championship from previously undefeated American Shawn Porter in August, the Sheffield native once again took the opportunity to call out and take a little shot at his potential future foe, on Sky Sports, per The Independent:

"

The fact is, he [Khan] is going to get it…

The British public want to see it. He will probably start saying something else now, that I need to win another world title. But believe me, Queen Khan is getting it. He's been putting things on Twitter, bless him, putting 'best of luck', but I know he doesn't like me.

"

Khan, who was in full-blast pursuit of Mayweather at that point, expressed an interest in the fight, particularly if it could land at Wembley.

“Kell thought I would say no to that fight but I am agreeing to it. I will take the fight with both hands. I am a young fighter and I want to give the British fans what they want and come on, let's get it on.”

Indeed.

Settle this score and crown a new king of British boxing.

6. Brandon Rios vs. Mike Alvarado

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Yes, it's over.

Yes, the third fight was an anticlimactic destruction.

But, out of respect for their first two contests, Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado absolutely belong on this and any other lists of the top rivalries in the sport.

One of the most interesting wrinkles of their rivalry, especially considering two of their three contests looked like in-ring demolition derbies, is that the two men are actually quite good friends outside the ring. 

Not really sure how that one works, but Rios and Alvarado were highly cordial during the lead into their fight on Saturday night, frequently smiling, embracing and mugging it up for the cameras. 

And then Rios went into the 1stBank Center in a suburb of Denver and laid a good-old-fashioned beatdown on poor Alvarado, who looked like a shell of the man who gave him hell in the first fight and then won the second with improved technical skill. 

Arturo Gatti vs. Mickey Ward this was not—but what is?—but it's unfair of us to expect that every time a pair of sluggers renews acquaintances in the ring.

Either way, Rios and Alvarado gave it their all in three contests, taking and dishing out tremendous punishment along the way. 

You can't take anything away from Rios. It's not his fault the rivalry ended with a whimper and not a bang. He did all he could, and he put the decisive stamp on the feud that was missing. 

5. Miguel Cotto vs. Canelo Alvarez

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

It’s almost like the Miguel Cotto-Canelo Alvarez fight not happening has turned this into a bigger rivalry.

The Puerto Rican legend and middleweight champion was widely expected to take on the Mexican sensation in a lucrative pay-per-view showdown in May, but negotiations fell apart after Cotto allowed a series of Golden Boy Promotions-imposed deadlines for finalizing the contracts to pass.

Speculation is that Cotto ran out the clock on a Canelo fight in order to position himself for a rematch with pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, should negotiations for a fight with Manny Pacquiao not bear fruit.

Canelo, in the days prior to the fight falling apart, got impatient at the slow pace of negotiations, stoking the fires of national and familial rivalry in order to force Cotto’s hand, per Lem Satterfield:

"

If he doesn’t take this fight, he will pass down in history unlike anybody else if he were to duck a fighter who defeated his brother.

A Puerto Rican never ducked a Mexican fighter. Nor did a Mexican ever duck a Puerto Rican fighter. This is a classic fight for the fans

"

Nobody, other than Canelo, is saying Cotto is a ducker. The Puerto Rican has taken on all comers and never backs down from a fight. That said, you can certainly understand the cinnamon-haired former champion’s angst on the subject.

The fight was a natural sell, rekindling one of boxing's classic national rivalries, and it was the definition of a 50-50 contest where either guy could realistically win. 

And the fans wanted it. They certainly still do.

There are still so many moving parts with this situation, depending on who Mayweather ends up fighting, that we could be back here before long. This is a natural rivalry, and it will be very surprising to not see it settled in the ring before all is said and done.

4. Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Why doesn’t this rank any higher?

Here’s a clue:

We’re tired of it.

Mayweather and Pacquiao have literally had enough words written on their ridiculous, on-and-off negotiations to wrap around this planet a few times over. And it’s going to keep happening until they either fight or one or both steps away from the ring for good.

There’s something about boxing fans that makes us hopelessly optimistic. When news of renewed negotiations broke near the end of 2014, despite the years of fruitless talks, even a few that seemed hopeful, most of us bought it.

After eight years of public discussions of purse splits, drug testing and all sorts of other machinations about the business workings of the sport—the dark underbelly stuff—maybe it’ll really happen this time was a popular refrain.

But, like a bad relationship, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao seems destined to disappoint us yet again.

Crazy isn’t it?

The two most iconic pound-for-pound fighters of their era. Each man easily the most significant challenger for the other—at least in legacy terms—and it can’t get done.

Blame whoever you want.

If you’re a Mayweather fan that’ll be Pacquiao and Bob Arum.

If you’re a Pacquiao fan that’ll be Mayweather.

If you’re reasonable, well, don’t let me color your opinions, but this time it’s Mayweather, even if it hasn’t always been his fault. Fans don't care how many PPV's Pacquiao sells, they just want you to fight him.

Either way, both men are dangerously close to ending their careers with the dreaded asterisk on their legacy, indicating they were great but didn’t face the biggest challenge of their era.

Shame.

3. Sergey Kovalev vs. Adonis Stevenson

Al Bello/Getty Images

Sergey Kovalev is not the lineal light heavyweight champion, but he is the legitimate champion.

Call him the people’s champion.

Adonis Stevenson is the lineal champion but hasn’t acted like one, avoiding high-profile fights with Kovalev, Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal in favor of someone named Dmitry Sukhotsky.

The Kovalev-Stevenson rivalry has been simmering since both fought on the same HBO card in separate fights in November 2013. Both men won by spectacular knockout, but in post-fight comments, Stevenson appeared reluctant about facing the Russian Krusher.

HBO felt a deal was in place to televise the bout late in 2014, but Stevenson eventually threw cold water on that plan, signing with Al Haymon and jumping ship to Showtime.

Kovalev seemed the odd-man out in the 175-pound mix, with Stevenson presumed to be zeroing in on a showdown with ageless wonder and unified champion Bernard Hopkins.

The Krusher’s anger boiled over in post-fight comments after knocking out Cedric Agnew in Atlantic City, New Jersey, calling Stevenson (NSFW) a “piece of s--t.”

But it was Kovalev who would have the last laugh.

Stevenson blew his chances at a Hopkins fight, watching the Alien shuffle over to HBO and lose a dominant decision to Kovalev, who now owns three-fourths of the light heavyweight crown. Making matters worse, a fight with Pascal, a huge event in Montreal, also fell through.

Pascal will face Kovalev in March.

Why is this a rivalry?

It seems to be pretty one-sided.

Kovalev, in this view is the legitimate champion at his weight, but he can become undisputed with a win over Stevenson.

That fight seems to have some legs once again, presuming Pascal doesn’t upset the apple cart.

2. Wladimir Klitschko vs. Shannon Briggs

Shannon Briggs might just be a little crazy.

Or desperate.

The 43-year-old, who was the last American to capture a share of the heavyweight crown before Wilder accomplished the feat earlier in January, has literally been stalking Wladimir Klitschko around the globe.

At the gym for training?

Briggs is there to taunt.

At a restaurant for a meal?

Briggs is there to eat his food.

In the middle of the waters off Hollywood, Florida, balance training on a paddle board?

Briggs is there with his boat to knock you off and leave you in the water.

Talk about taking the word trolling to a whole different level. Is it ridiculous? You better believe it, but it seems to be having its desired effect.

The boisterous Briggs has done a great job at livening up the uber-talented but sometimes mechanical champion.

Briggs has desperately been trying, through his shenanigans, to goad Klitschko, the recognized heavyweight kingpin, into a title match. The idea seemed ludicrous when this whole process started, but Klitschko’s most recent comments indicate it’s an actual possibility.

Klitschko will defend his undisputed crown against Bryant Jennings in April at Madison Square Garden, and then Briggs could wind up learning the old adage, be careful what you wish for:

“Shannon Briggs has stepped over the line in terms of good taste. I want to punish him for his cheekiness and really want to fight him,” Klitschko told German magazine Sport Bild (h/t Boxingscene.com).

Welp, Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs might wind up with his fight after all, and that should put a brutal end to a hilarious rivalry.

1. Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez

Al Bello/Getty Images

Manny Pacquiao’s rivalry with Juan Manuel Marquez has continued chugging since their first fight ended in a controversial draw in 2004.

In the opening round of that fight, a recently burst on the scene Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times and appeared well on his way to blitzing him out of there in spectacular and impressive fashion.

Not to be.

Marquez got his bearings, rallying to outbox Pacquiao over the majority of the next 11 rounds to secure a draw that many felt should’ve been a win. In retrospect, that controversy and closeness of the fight set the tone for the better than a decade of rivalry that would follow.

Pacquiao took two close decisions from Marquez in the ensuing years—both were close and could have legitimately been scored either way—before being stunningly knocked out cold in their fourth bout in late 2012.

A fifth fight has been discussed ever since, but Marquez, who wants to capture a welterweight title and become the first Mexican five-division champion, has expressed little interest. You can understand why he’d want the last picture of the rivalry being Pacquiao’s face buried in the mat, unconscious.

It was, for him at least, the perfect cap to a rivalry that constantly saw him on the wrong end of close fights.

But that’s the beauty of it.

The previous 36 rounds of action were so close that you could legitimately score all but a handful of them for either man. That’s what makes a great rivalry, and it’s why that Pacquiao-Marquez remains the standard in boxing rivalries—perhaps, of all time.