Title Unification Fights That Should Be Made Immediately

Once upon a time in boxing, being called a world champion meant you had a legitimate claim to being the best fighter in the world at your weight. If there was any disagreement about that fact, it ultimately had to be settled in the ring.

Obviously, dangerous contenders were still ducked at times. But a sort of clarity reigned. The man who had the belt had beaten the guy who beat the guy who beat the guy.

Today's world-title picture has no more clarity than a bunch of random letters floating in a bowl of alphabet soup.

In a sane world, all of these fights would happen this year. A couple of them actually would have happened last year.

In fact, the No. 1 entry on this list should have happened years ago.

6. Wladimir Klitschko vs. Deontay Wilder

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Deontay Wilder captured the WBC heavyweight belt from Bermane Stiverne in January, and Wladimir Klitschko is preparing to defend his assorted collection of heavyweight hardware against Bryant Jennings in Madison Square Garden in April. So it's natural to speculate about a potential heavyweight unification bout for later this year.

I am always in favor of having unified and ultimately undisputed champions in a weight class. So I would have no trouble getting excited for this fight.

However, I think it's unlikely to take place this year. Wilder is probably not ready for Klitschko and could stand to make a couple of defenses before stepping up and challenging for the real world title.

I'd really like to see Wilder fight fellow skyscraper Tyson Fury. The winner of that would definitely deserve true No. 1 contender status for Klitschko's lineal claim to the throne.

But in the unlikely event that Jennings pulls off the upset against Klitschko, the demand for a Jennings-Wilder unification bout would be enormous. Interest in the heavyweight division would be higher than it has been in a generation, and it would be a shame if the two young Americans didn't meet before the end of 2015.

5. Roman Gonzalez vs. Juan Francisco Estrada

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Roman Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada fought in 2012 at light flyweight. Gonzalez won by unanimous decision, but it was one of the more competitive fights the undefeated, three-division champion has had.

Estrada followed that fight by climbing to flyweight and beating tough, veteran champion Brian Viloria to capture the WBO and WBA belts. Estrada's resume over the past two years has been one of the most impressive in the sport.

He followed the win over Viloria by beating previously unbeaten Milan Melindo. Last year, he beat Richie Mepranum in April, stopped Giovani Segura in September, then finished 2014 by beating undefeated Joebert Alvarez in December.

The big fight most fans are anxious to see for Gonzalez at this point is against Japanese phenom Naoya Inoue. They share a promoter, so that fight seems inevitable. But BoxingScene.com's Elisinio Castillo reported in January that the fight is unlikely before the end of the year.  

In the meantime, a rematch between Gonzalez and Estrada makes perfect sense now that Gonzalez has captured the WBC and lineal belt at 112 pounds.

4. Nicholas Walters vs. Vasyl Lomachenko

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Few potential fights would generate more enthusiasm among the hardcore fans than a unification fight between WBA featherweight champion Nicholas Walters and WBO belt holder Vasyl Lomachenko. Although he has fought just three times as a professional, Lomachenko has already captured the imagination of the fans.

The undefeated Walters is perhaps the most dangerous puncher in the sport below lightweight. Last year, the Axe Man stopped a pair of future Hall of Famers in Nonito Donaire and Vic Darchinyan.

The entire featherweight division is actually ripe for a unification tournament. WBC champion Jhonny Gonzalez and IBF champ Evgeny Gradovich could both use their own big fights.

In a sane world, the winner of Lomachenko and Walters would meet the winner of Gonzalez and Gradovich to establish the undisputed king at 126 pounds.

3. Miguel Cotto vs. Gennady Golovkin

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When Miguel Cotto beat Sergio Martinez last June by TKO it made him the lineal middleweight champion and the first four-division champion ever from Puerto Rico. Cotto has long been one of boxing's most popular and respected stars, so this was one of the feel-good stories of the year.

But lineal titles become seriously devalued when they aren't defended against the true No. 1 contender. And there is no doubt who that is at 160 pounds. Undefeated WBA belt holder Gennady Golovkin has knocked out 18 straight opponents.

He's the hottest fighter in the sport and deserves a shot at Cotto. If Cotto opts instead to defend that belt against anybody else, let alone Floyd Mayweather as a catchweight, it ceases to have any true relevancy.

The middleweight limit is 160 pounds. Gennady Golovkin is unquestionably the man at that weight. If Cotto doesn't want to fight GGG at 160, he should openly renounce his claim to the crown there.

2. Sergey Kovalev vs. Adonis Stevenson

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At the end of 2013, this fight seemed destined to happen soon. Sergey Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson both emerged during that year as exciting stars. For the year, they both went went 4-0 with four knockouts and collected world titles at 175 pounds.

On November 30, 2013, they ended the year fighting on the same HBO card in Montreal. Going into 2014, Kovalev vs. Stevenson was one of the most hotly anticipated fights.

Instead, Stevenson jumped to Showtime, presumably to pursue a unification fight with Bernard Hopkins. Hopkins jumped back to HBO and faced Kovalev last November. Kovalev won, allowing him to end the year with three of the four belts at 175 pounds. 

Kovalev fights Jean Pascal in March in Stevenson's hometown of Montreal. It's not safe to simply pencil Kovalev in with another win against Pascal, who is a former world champion. But he's certainly a heavy favorite. 

If Kovalev takes care of business in Montreal against Pascal, Stevenson has no choice but to make the unification fight. If he doesn't, he'll be viewed as ducking, even in his own hometown.

1. Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather

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I almost didn't even want to include this one simply because I'm so sick of writing about it and hearing about it. 

Between 2009 and 2012, this fight would have featured the sport's two top stars, still at the top of their games. Now, it would merely feature the two biggest names trying to cash in for one last monster payday after they've run out of anybody else marketable to fight. 

But it's still the potential fight that is getting the most attention and not just from boxing fans, but from the entire sports media. 

So that certainly means it should be made. Floyd Mayweather has the WBA and WBC welterweight title, and Manny Pacquiao is the WBO champ. So let's unify those three belts already. 

Maybe this will finally be the year it happens. But I'm not holding my breath.