5 Classic Fights in 2015 That Need to Be Seen Again in the Near Future

They say styles make fights, and sometimes in boxing you get two competitors who mesh together perfectly to give the viewers a classic.

This year we have already been lucky to witness some outstanding bouts, and we're only just into the month of June.

So, with that in mind, we picked out five clashes from 2015 that we need to see happen again.

Rematches are easy to make, provided both parties are keen and the fans want to see it another time.

While the promoters may want to see Floyd Mayweather Jr. square off against Manny Pacquiao again, that money-spinning clash did not make our shortlist (and not just because of the latter's shoulder injury).

If you can think of any fights not selected among the quintet here, let us know in the comments section.

James DeGale vs. Andre Dirrell

Few expected James DeGale vs. Andre Dirrell to be an entertaining affair in Boston on May 23.

Yet the pair had come close to blows at the weigh-in, and it did not take long for the sparks to fly when the first bell sounded at the Agganis Arena.

DeGale suffered a cut over his right eye in the second round, though that wasn't the main talking point.

In the same round, the British fighter caught Dirrell with a big left hand that knocked him down to the canvas. The American hit the floor again soon after, with the bell arriving just in the nick of time.

However, the man from Michigan showed tremendous resilience to battle back.

With DeGale looking to box on the back foot while protecting a lead in the second half, Dirrell came on strong to close the gap.

In the end, though, he had left himself with too much to do. DeGale claimed the vacant IBF super middleweight crown via unanimous decision (though how one judge scored it 117-109 is a mystery).

A second showdown between the pair would be intriguing, with it most likely to happen in DeGale's back garden in London.

Kevin Mitchell vs. Jorge Linares

Kevin Mitchell suffered disappointment in his third attempt to become a world champion at the O2 Arena on May 30, losing to Jorge Linares in heartbreaking circumstances.

The Londoner had twice before missed out on the WBO version of the lightweight belt, losing previously to Michael Katsidis and Ricky Burns.

For his latest bid, he came up against WBC titleholder Linares, a big-hitting Venezuelan now based in Japan.

Mitchell knew it was never going to be an easy task, yet he gave it his all throughout.

In the fifth he scored a knockdown, but as the fight wore on, Linares began to get mark him up. A cut above his left eye became badly swollen to the point that it looked like he was hiding golf balls next to his forehead.

Linares poured on the pressure in the closing stages of the 10th, with referee Victor Loughlin deciding the challenger, his face now a bloody mess, was in no fit state to take any further punishment.

With three seconds to go in the round, Mitchell's dream had been dashed.

It later emerged that he had been ahead on two of the three scorecards, and the cut had been judged to be caused by a clash of heads.

Mitchell is hoping to get another crack at the champion, telling Sky Sports News HQ: “I’ve spoke to Eddie Hearn and my trainer Tony Sims, my manager, and he said there’s a good chance that we’ll get it back on."

Andy Lee vs. Peter Quillin

Andy Lee and Peter Quillin fought out an absorbing split draw at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on April 11.

The bout was initially supposed to be a defence of Lee's WBO middleweight title, only for his opponent to come in over the 160-pound limit at the weigh-in.

Even though he wasn't in danger of losing the belt, Lee was in danger of suffering a first defeat since 2012 when Quillin knocked him down twice.

A right hand sent him to the canvas in the closing stages of the first round, and he was perhaps fortunate there was not a lot of time left to go before the bell sounded.

He was down again in the third, although on that occasion he complained that Quillin had stepped on his foot.

There was no doubting the next knockdown, though it was Quillin who was the one falling to the floor. A swift right sent Kid Chocolate tumbling for the first time in his professional career.

In the end the judges found it impossible to split the pair. Each fighter got the nod from one of the three judges, with the other making it a 113-113 tie.

Lee, per Bryan Armen Graham of the Guardian, would be willing to meet Quillin again: "If I fight Peter Quillin next, so be it. But the fight should be in Ireland. He’s got an Irish last name, so he might find some ancestors there."

Frank Buglioni vs. Lee Markham

You may not have seen the meeting between Frank Buglioni and Lee Markham earlier this year; if not, watch the highlights above.

Those who did view their fight at Wembley Arena in London on May 9—including those watching on BoxNation—will understand why the pair still need to settle their differences in the ring.

The 10-rounder saw Buglioni's WBO European super middleweight title on the line, though pride was also up for grabs.

The duo had come up against each other in their amateur careers, so the rivalry stretched back some way.

Their first clash in the pro ranks was a domestic classic, with Boxing News' report of the fight saying: "Buglioni tried to use his longer arms and sharper boxing skills to keep Markham at bay, but Markham’s constant pressure and close in work using the uppercuts and body shots were eye-catching."

The three judges found it hard to split them—one gave it 96-94 to Buglioni, while another had it by the same score in favour of Markham.

The last of the trio of the officials in action scored it 95-95, which means it finished as a split draw.

They are, thankfully, due to do it all again on July 24 at the same venue, though that meeting may now be in doubt. Declan Warrington of the Daily Mail reported Buglioni could instead to face WBA champion Fedor Chudinov.

Sergey Kovalev vs. Jean Pascal

There was no doubting the result when Sergey Kovalev took on Jean Pascal at the Bell Centre in Montreal on March 14.

Kovalev maintained his unbeaten record with an eighth-round stoppage of the home favourite, moving to 27-0-1 with an 11th win on the spin.

However, the Russian light heavyweight—holder of the IBF, WBA and WBO titles—did not have it all his own way against Pascal.

The Canadian, a former WBC champion at the limit, decided to fight fire with fire, standing in front of Krusher and looking to match him in terms of power punches.

His tactics made for an entertaining fight, though also the odd moment of pain. Kovalev dropped Pascal in the third round and then stopped him in the eighth, though he was not too happy at the referee's decision.

Per Dan Rafael of ESPN (h/t BoxRec), the beaten challenger said in the aftermath:

"

That was a tough fight for both of us, and I don't know why the referee just stopped the fight. It's not hockey.

I was in the fight from the first round. I'm sure that I gave him his toughest fight.

We should do it again. We should have a rematch.

"

Both men are scheduled to meet different opponents next: Kovalev faces Nadjib Mohammedi on July 25, while Pascal goes up against Yunieski Gonzalez on the same night.

Yet there is no reason why the pair could not go head-to-head again before the year is out.