Boxers Currently Scheduled for the Biggest Fights of Their Careers
It could be argued that the most important fight in any boxer's career is the next one. If a fighter keeps winning, his career moves forward. Unfairly or not, a single loss can erase multiple years of steady momentum.
But certain fights do hold special significance. A heavyweight title challenge like the one Bryant Jennings will make against Wladimir Klitschko in April is the culmination of years of effort. Win or lose, it's a life-changing event.
Keith Thurman's fight with multiple-division champion Robert Guerrero in March has the potential to elevate One Time's career to the next level. Lamont Peterson and James Kirkland have the chance to reignite their stalled careers when they face Danny Garcia and Saul Alvarez.
Even this early in the year, there are critical fights on the schedule for a number of boxers.
8. Ruslan Provodnikov vs. Lucas Matthysse
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On January 26, Steve Kim reported on BoxingScene.com that this fight still isn't official but quotes Provodnikov's promoter, Artie Pelullo, as "optimistic" that the fight will be made. For what it's worth, BoxRec has it posted as scheduled.
It could be argued that Provodnikov has had fights this big before. His March 2013 loss to Timothy Bradley was the best fight of that year, and despite losing, Provodnikov nearly stopped Bradley in three different rounds and established himself as one of the sport's most dangerous offensive fighters.
Provodnikov's TKO destruction of Mike Alvarado later that year confirmed his reputation and made him a world champion. But after his contested split-decision loss to Chris Algieri in June 2014, Provodnikov seemed to fall off the map in the United States.
He finished last year by knocking out the very faded Jose Luis Castillo in Russia.
But a fight between Provodnikov and Lucas Matthysse puts the Siberian Rocky right back in the spotlight. Provodnikov vs. Matthysse will be one of the year's most anticipated fights, and it's impossible to imagine it won't be one of the best.
This should be a war that adds to both men's legends.
7. Andrzej Fonfara vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
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Andrzej Fonfara challenged Adonis Stevenson for the light heavyweight title last year, but I'd argue that his April date with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has the potential to be even bigger for his career. Against Stevenson, Fonfara took a feared knockout artist the distance in an entertaining and relatively competitive fight.
Against Chavez, Fonfara will have the opportunity to knock off one of the sport's biggest names. I'm actually pretty surprised that Chavez's team made this fight. Chavez struggled in his two fights with Bryan Vera.
Fonfara is bigger than Vera, a better boxer and a much more powerful puncher. I won't consider it an upset if Fonfara wins this fight.
It should be exciting. It's one of the bouts I'm most looking forward to for this spring.
6. Lamont Peterson vs. Danny Garcia
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Lamont Peterson has been in some very big fights in his career. But I'd argue that given the status of his career at this point, he's never had one bigger than the showdown he's got coming up with Danny Garcia this April.
A few years ago, Peterson was one of the sport's best stories. He was a homeless child in Washington D.C. who was saved by the boxing gym, as detailed by Sportsmail.
But a failed PED test in 2012 and a Round 3 TKO loss to Lucas Matthysse in 2013 sent his career into a tailspin. He's still a nominal world champion at 140 pounds, holding the IBF belt. There's no question that he still deserves to be rated one of the better light welterweights in the world, but a good performance against Garcia is critical to staying relevant.
The fight is actually taking place at a catchweight of 143 pounds, so no belts are on the line. But in the talent-loaded welterweight neighborhood, a win here ultimately means more than an alphabet-soup belt.
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5. Adrien Broner vs. John Molina
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John Molina might not be the best fighter Adrien Broner has faced, but he's definitely the most dangerous one Broner's seen since getting battered by Marcos Maidana in December 2013. Molina dropped the ferocious Lucas Matthysse twice last March in one of 2014's best fights.
Broner and Molina's common opponent is Antonio DeMarco. Broner's Round 8 TKO of DeMarco in November 2012 was perhaps his best win. Two months prior to that, DeMarco blitzed Molina to knock him out in Round 1.
But Molina is not necessarily an easy matchup for Broner. He's a rugged, busy fighter with good power. He's also more experienced now and not likely to get caught quick again like he did against DeMarco.
I'm favoring Broner to win this fight based on talent. But if Molina can make him uncomfortable and drag him into the deep waters, an upset is not at all out of the question.
If he wins, Broner should be positioned for a title shot at light welterweight. If he loses, his career will take a serious step backward.
4. Christian Hammer vs. Tyson Fury
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Christian Hammer has to be viewed as a definite underdog when he faces undefeated heavyweight contender Tyson Fury on February 28. But the bout gives Hammer the chance to rewrite the heavyweight rankings and launch himself into the top 10.
Hammer, 6'2", is giving up about a half foot in height against Fury, 6'9", but he's a thick, powerfully built fighter with a decent amateur background. Hammer lost his first professional fight and twice more in 2010 against contender Mariusz Wach and tough journeyman Taras Bidenko.
Hammer's fights with Wach and Bidenko took place ridiculously early in his career. With more careful handling, he could easily be an undefeated contender. More recently, he's beaten Kevin Johnson and Leif Larson.
If Hammer beats Fury, it will be one of the top candidates for 2015 Upset of the Year. But even if he loses as expected, the fight will raise Hammer's profile on the international scene. There's money to be made in boxing as a familiar name who fights contenders and up-and-comers.
3. James Kirkland vs. Saul Alvarez
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At his best, James Kirkland is one of the most dangerous and exciting fighters in the sport. He's lost just once in his career and won 28 of 32 by knockout.
But a combination of legal problems and injuries has seriously hampered his career and kept him from reaching the potential many projected for him. Now 30 and inactive since December 2013, the window could be in danger of closing for Kirkland's hopes for true stardom in the sport.
That's why his fight with Saul Alvarez in May is so huge for him. This is Kirkland's chance to upset one of the sport's biggest stars and position himself for more major paydays.
Kirkland is a much bigger question mark now than he would have been in 2012, when he was originally slated to fight Canelo. Meanwhile, Canelo has continued to improve.
2. Keith Thurman vs. Robert Guerrero
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Keith Thurman has been one of the hottest rising stars in the sport in recent years. He's undefeated with 21 KOs in 24 fights. He's demonstrated fight-ending power and enough boxing savvy to adjust to opponents mid-fight.
Against fellow young contenders and respectable journeymen Thurman has looked outstanding. It's a measure of how good he's been that he was criticized for his most recent performance, against fellow unbeaten Leonard Bundu, when he merely won by decision, 120-107 on all three cards.
But Robert Guerrero represents a big step up for Thurman. Guerrero has won world titles in multiple divisions and is a tough, well-rounded veteran. He'll almost certainly show Thurman some wrinkles that One Time has never seen.
This is the type of fight young would-be stars have to win to push themselves to the top.
1. Bryant Jennings vs. Wladimir Klitschko
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Bryant Jennings is something of a natural as a boxer. He was 24 by the time he even took up the sport.
With less than 20 amateur fights, he reached the finals of the 2009 National Golden Gloves. Although not a large heavyweight by any means, his reach is a freakish 84".
In the five years he's been a professional, Jennings has gone 19-0 with 10 knockouts. I've been particularly impressed by the way he has improved as his level of competition has gotten steeper. In his last two fights, he handed Artur Szpilka and Mike Perez their first professional losses.
But Jennings is taking a huge jump in competition this April, when he will challenge heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. Dr. Steelhammer was an Olympic gold medalist and has reigned as champion for over a decade.
It's a huge stretch to imagine Jennings winning this fight, but if he does, his life will be transformed. When Deontay Wilder simply won a minor piece of the world title from Bermane Stiverne in January, boxing fans rejoiced to see the belt return to the United States.
If Jennings can manage to capture the true heavyweight title, he will become something like a mainstream sports star. His eventual unification bout with Wilder will be the biggest heavyweight fight of this century.
That's one heck of an "if," of course. But stranger things have happened in the sport's long history.
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