Fights Boxing Fans Desperately Want to See in 2016
In 2015, boxing fans finally got to see the fight they had been waiting years for, when Floyd Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao by decision on May 2. In the year ahead, boxing fans will be clamoring for matchups featuring new stars, such as Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, Sergey Kovalev and Terence Crawford.
It's not as if fans will simply forget about Mayweather and Pacquiao. There are compelling fights out there for them, if they are interested in making them.
But 2016 will be about the dawn of a new era. And young stars like Kell Brook, Vasyl Lomachenko and Errol Spence Jr. will be anxious to stake their own claims. There should be plenty to look forward to next year.
10. Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux
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I almost hesitate to include this fight, since there's a limited demand among boxing fans to see Guillermo Rigondeaux return to action anytime soon. Even for somebody like me, a big fan of technical displays and defensive brilliance in the ring, it's tough to keep promoting Rigo after his latest sleep-inducing performance on the Miguel Cotto-Saul Alvarez undercard.
The Compubox stats given out during the broadcast credited Rigondeaux with landing just 72 punches over the course of 10 rounds. To me, it felt like he was almost trying not to be exciting, to make some kind of perverse point.
Still, there is unquestionably a segment of boxing fans who would eagerly tune in for Rigondeaux vs. WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko. Like Rigondeaux, Lomachenko is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. This would be a showdown of the two greatest amateur boxers of this century and two of the best of all time.
Lomachenko has the all-around boxing ability to potentially cut off the ring on Rigondeaux and use his size advantage. For Rigondeaux, it would be the ultimate challenge for his defensive wizardly.
For fans who have been frustrated by Rigondeaux's lack of action, Lomachenko would offer them the possibility of seeing the Cuban star finally get roughed up.
9. Francisco Vargas vs. Nicholas Walters
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These are two of the most exciting fighters in the world below 135 pounds. Francisco Vargas' Round 9 KO of Takashi Miura to claim the WBC featherweight title on September 12 should be the 2015 Fight of the Year. Vargas rocked Miura badly in Round 1, then weathered a brutal storm from Miura and was fighting with one eye nearly swollen shut when he rallied to knock out the champ.
Nicholas Walters is a former world champion at featherweight and recorded dominant stoppages of Vic Darchinyan and Nonito Donaire in 2014. He's 26-0, with 21 KOs.
Walters has to get past hard-punching Jason Sosa on December 19. But if he takes care of business in that fight, he's going to want to go after a belt at 130 in 2016. A showdown with the newly crowned Vargas is a bout boxing fans would make sure they didn't miss.
8. Kell Brook vs. Amir Khan
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In truth, there are a lot of great potential matchups for both Amir Khan and Kell Brook. With an undefeated record and the IBF welterweight belt, Brook has a bull's eye on his back. He's arguably the top dog in one of the sport's glamour divisions.
Khan has a well-established reputation and has long been viewed as a potential opponent for both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.
But with the British boxing scene coming off from a brilliant 2015, I can think of nothing more exciting for U.K. fans than this clash between two of their most talented stars.
Style wise, Khan's speed and Brook's rugged athleticism should make for a volatile mix.
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7. Roman Gonzalez vs. Naoya Inoue
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In 2015, flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez finally started to get the respect he deserves in the United States, appearing twice on HBO as the undercard attraction to middleweight destroyer Gennady Golovkin.
Perhaps even more importantly, the undefeated three-division champion is ending the year viewed by many observers as the sport's top pound-for-pound star. The Ring Magazine has him ranked No. 1, and I agree with it.
In 2014, Naoya Inoue of Japan emerged as a true boxing phenom. At just 21 and in only his sixth professional fight, he beat a tough veteran champion in Adrian Hernandez to capture the WBC light flyweight title.
At the end of 2014, Inoue jumped all the way to 115 pounds and destroyed longtime WBO champion Omar Narvaez. Narvaez's only previous loss had been by decision to Nonito Donaire.
With only eight pro fights, Inoue already has a strong claim that he belongs in the pound-for-pound top 10.
It's inevitable that Gonzalez will move up to 115 pounds and pursue a fourth world title in 2016. Hopefully he'll do it against Inoue. It would be a true superfight.
6. Keith Thurman vs. Errol Spence Jr.
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These are the top two undefeated Americans in the welterweight division. Both Keith Thurman and Errol Spence Jr. have shown intelligent, highly technical prowess and exciting, explosive power.
A 2012 Olympian, Spence is in pretty much the same place Thurman was a two years ago. He's been absolutely dominant against respectable, C-level opposition. He's looked the way you would expect a potential superstar to look against solid journeymen and fringe contenders.
In January 2015, Thurman beat Robert Guerrero by more dominant scores than Floyd Mayweather did. He stopped former world champion Luis Collazo in July.
But Guerrero and Collazo are both past their prime. Fans want to see Thurman against another young lion. They also want to see Spence against another true contender.
I'm not exactly hopeful that this fight will happen in 2016. But fans will rejoice if it does.
5. Andre Ward vs. Sergey Kovalev
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Andre Ward is arguably the best pound-for-pound talent in the boxing. The fact that he has barely fought in the past few years has been a big loss for the sport.
While Ward has been inactive, light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev has emerged as one of the sport's biggest new stars. He has demonstrated smart, patient boxing ability and scary punching power.
There's really nothing left for Andre Ward to accomplish in the super middleweight division. His future is clearly at light heavyweight, which is currently one of the hottest weight classes in the sport.
At the end of October, ESPN's Dan Rafael reported that Ward's recent three-fight deal with HBO is designed to build to a showdown with Kovalev. Barring unforeseen circumstances, this is one fight on this list that fans should get to see.
4. Sergey Kovalev vs. Adonis Stevenson
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In a perfect boxing world, Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev would have already fought. Both men emerged as exciting stars in 2013, winning world titles at light heavyweight and putting together identical records of 4-0 with four KOs.
But the fight has yet to happen. In the meantime, Kovalev developed into a superstar in 2014, unifying the WBA and IBF belts with his WBO strap by winning a shutout unanimous decision over the legendary Bernard Hopkins.
In 2015, Kovalev recorded an exciting stoppage of former champion Jean Pascal and blew out the completely over-matched Nadjib Mohammedi in just three rounds.
Stevenson has remained impressive over the past two years, although the only really high-quality foe he's defeated in that time was Andrzej Fonfara. There's no doubt that Kovalev has overshadowed him.
Kovalev has to defeat Jean Pascal in a rematch before this fight can happen and at some point should have a contractual obligation to face Andre Ward. But between Pascal and Ward, perhaps he'll have the time to squeeze in a true unification bout with Stevenson.
3. Manny Pacquiao vs. Terence Crawford
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To my mind, if Manny Pacquiao fights anybody other than Terence Crawford when he returns to action next spring, it will be a disappointment. I don't care that Pacquiao went 1-1 versus Timothy Bradley. The first fight was a terrible decision and Pac dominated the second one.
I've also got no interest in seeing a second version of Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather. I don't buy that Pacquiao's so-called injured shoulder had anything to do with Mayweather turning in a one-sided decision.
Pacquiao couldn't get anywhere near close enough to Mayweather to let his punches go. The fact that nobody watching had any idea Pacquiao's shoulder was even injured during the fight proves that it wasn't a factor.
But I'd be genuinely excited to see Pacquiao come back for a fight against Crawford. This is the kind of fight that boxing thrives on. Pacquiao was one of the biggest boxing stars of the past decade and Crawford promises to be one of the biggest in the decade ahead.
It's not a safe fight for either man. Crawford had real difficulty with Yuriorkis Gamboa's speed in June 2014, before making some mid-fight adjustments. Pacquiao has similar speed to Gamboa but a lot more power.
It would be a dangerous proposition for Pacquiao, as well. Crawford is a smart ring general, with a substantial reach advantage.
Both fighters are with Top Rank, so this is a fight that should be able to happen.
2. Floyd Mayweather vs. Gennady Golovkin
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I absolutely do not believe this fight will happen. Floyd Mayweather is officially retired, and while I do suspect he'll come back to take a run at 50-0 at some point, I doubt he'll take a risk as substantial as facing Gennady Golovkin.
Still, out of all the potential matchups for Mayweather, this is the one that boxing fans would find the most exciting. For Mayweather's diehard supporters, defeating a dangerous middleweight like GGG would heavily solidify his resume against the other all-time stars.
For the legions of fans who hate Mayweather, a fight with Golovkin would give them real hope that the longtime star might finally get the beating they've longed to see him receive.
Again, I don't expect it to happen. I don't even fault Mayweather for not making this fight.
But if I'm wrong, and it does happen, it's going to be huge.
1. Saul Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin
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Saul Alvarez versus Gennady Golovkin is going to be the 2016 version of what Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao was during the first half of this decade. It's the biggest potential matchup in the sport and the one that the fans will endlessly speculate on and debate over.
And it will probably be a lot harder to make then it should be.
Which is a shame, because this fight has the kind of potential for excitement that Mayweather vs. Pacuqiao never had. Alvarez is one of the few fighters below light heavyweight who might actually have a chance to beat GGG.
Alvarez has good head and upper-body movement, which should allow him to stay in the pocket with Golovkin and possibly inflict the heavier damage over the course of the fight. I would be inclined to pick Golovkin in this fight, but I'd need to think it over a lot more before going on record.
One other thing worth mentioning about this fight: Golden Boy needs to forget about any stupid catchweight posturing. This needs to be a true middleweight fight. Canelo has the height and athletic frame to handle a move to 160 just fine.
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