The Top Priority for Boxing's Biggest Stars in the Rest of 2016
Professional boxing is a business. And in business, no great success is achieved without an agenda. Making the right fights, at the right time, can have a tremendous impact on a fighter's continued marketability and overall legacy.
A champion who is perceived as ducking a top contender in favor of cherry-picking a softer fight is going to see his stock take a hit, even if he's as popular as Canelo Alvarez. Emerging superstars like Terence Crawford need to make the right fights to keep their momentum on the rise.
Professional boxers have every right to do whatever they think is best for their careers. But more often than not, that's going to mean giving the fans what they want.
Andre Ward: Stay Active and Fight Sergey Kovalev
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Andre Ward is unquestionably among the most talented pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. But fans can be forgiven if they might have forgotten this.
Ward cleaned out the super middleweight division between 2009 and 2012 with one of the great runs of the past decade. But since then, he's been woefully inactive, and an entire new generation of boxing stars has emerged.
One of the biggest new stars of the past few years has been Sergey Kovalev, at light heavyweight. With no truly intriguing opponents at 168 pounds, the only thing left for Ward is to move up and go after the undefeated Russian monster.
Later this month, Ward will face Sullivan Barrera. Barrera is a legitimate contender, so Ward cannot look past him.
But if he wants to regain the status he enjoyed a few years ago, Ward needs to take care of business against Barrera and then stay locked in on a showdown with Kovalev.
Tyson Fury: Defend the Title Against a Top Contender
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Tyson Fury shocked the boxing world last November when he beat Wladimir Klitschko, the man who had ruled the heavyweight division for a generation. The fight between Fury and Klitschko was so bad as to be nearly unwatchable, but Fury definitely deserved the victory, so he does deserve credit for truly being the heavyweight champion of the world.
But because Klitschko turned in such a passive and uninspired performance, it's hard not to view the bout as a case of Klitschko giving the belts away, rather than as Fury taking them.
Fury is the man at heavyweight now. But the division is in a state of extreme flux right now, so to maintain the perception that Fury is truly the best, he's going to need to win again against a top contender in 2016.
If he can win with some excitement, it would be even the better.
Roman Gonzalez: Unify Belts or Win One in a New Division
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I'll be honest. No matter who Roman Gonzalez fights next, I'll be tuning in to watch it. The undefeated, three-division champion is the sport's most dynamic fighter.
But if it was up to me, his next fight would be against only one of two opponents: Juan Francisco Estrada or Naoya Inoue.
Gonzalez already beat Estrada by unanimous decision, back in November 2012. But that was at light flyweight, a tough cut for Estrada to make. And Estrada has developed into an elite fighter at 112 pounds since then, collecting the WBO and WBA belts, so he deserves a second crack at Gonzalez.
But the real intriguing choice for Gonzalez would be WBO super flyweight champion Inoue, a true phenom, who was a two-division world champion eight fights into his career, at just 21.
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Terence Crawford: Make a Fight with Adrien Broner
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Since his breakout year in 2014, WBO super lightweight champion Terence Crawford has made a habit out of beating good fighters in one-sided fights. Doing that on a consistent basis makes a boxer a true star.
So it's become an event every time Crawford enters the ring to compete. But in a weight class with as much talent as 140 pounds, Crawford should never lack for compelling matchups.
My own preference would be to see him fight WBC champion Viktor Postol. With Postol's length and technical ability, he's the one fighter in the division who might be able to give Crawford a tough night.
But for Crawford's development as a box-office attraction, the fight that would really help him move the needle would be an unification bout with WBA champion Adrien Broner.
After getting pounded by Marcos Maidana in 2013 and simply out-hustled by Shawn Porter last year, Broner is no longer viewed as the future of the sport. But he remains a brash, larger-than-life personality who knows how to sell a fight.
At this point, Crawford is viewed as a superstar by serious fans. To develop into a crossover star with the casuals, he needs only to get more eyeballs on his fights. A shot with Broner would provide that.
Sergey Kovalev: Get Ready for Andre Ward
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Sergey Kovalev has been one of boxing's true breakout stars over the past two years. The WBO, IBF and WBA light heavyweight champion has dominated some of the top fighters in his division. The Ring currently ranks him No. 2 on its pound-for-pound list.
He's reached the point now where he can potentially carve out a true, all-time legacy within his weight class. But to do that, he needs to face another legitimate pound-for-pound star.
The best available option is former super middleweight champion Andre Ward. Kovalev has crushed some good fighters in his recent run. But Ward is a great fighter.
In January, Kovalev's promoter, Kathy Duva, told RingTV that a deal was in place for Kovalev to face Ward on pay-per-view in November. It's the fight Ward needs to bring his career back to the spotlight, and it's the fight Kovalev needs to take his career to the next level.
It should be a bout of historic importance, helping to define both men's legacies.
Gennady Golovkin: Collect Belts and Keep Chasing Canelo
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Undefeated WBA and IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin has been the most avoided fighter of the past five years. Even as he was clearly the top contender to the lineal middleweight crown, he was ducked by first Sergio Martinez and then Miguel Cotto.
Now it's starting to feel like GGG is being dodged by Saul Alvarez. Rather than facing the man everybody wants to see the current lineal middleweight champion fight, Canelo has opted instead for the twice-knocked-out welterweight, Amir Khan, in his next bout.
The best strategy for Golovkin at this point is to take care of business in his mandatory defense against Dominic Wade, which will continue to build demand for a showdown with Alvarez.
But if that fight still can't be made for this year, Golovkin's next best option is to face WBO champion Billy Joe Saunders of England, in order to collect the last remaining alphabet-soup belt aside from Canelo's WBC strap.
Saul Alvarez: Fight Gennady Golovkin as a True Middleweight
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With Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired and Manny Pacquiao's career winding down, an argument could be made that Saul Alvarez is the biggest remaining draw in the sport. Last November, he captured the lineal middleweight title from future Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto.
A defense of that title against Gennady Golovkin is the biggest fight that could be made in boxing right now.
But instead of making that fight in the first part of 2016, Canelo has opted instead to face welterweight Amir Khan. And just as when Alvarez faced Cotto, the middleweight title will be contested for at a catchweight of 155 pounds.
There's the potential for this to be a good fight, but it's still hard to get excited about it. At this point, any middleweight title that isn't defended against GGG ceases to hold any true legitimacy.
In order for Canelo to remain the sport's biggest draw, he needs to fight Golovkin. At this point, he's running the risk of appearing to duck the WBA and IBF champ.
And Canelo needs to make that fight for the full middleweight limit of 160 pounds. Unlike Cotto, Alvarez is more than big enough to fight as a true middleweight.
Manny Pacquiao: Sell a Pay-Per-View That Fans Want to Watch
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There was a time when a Manny Pacquiao pay-per-view was a can't-miss event for any boxing fan. The Filipino superstar has provided some of the most exciting boxing moments of this century.
But none of those great Pacquiao memories took place during his first two fights with Timothy Bradley. So it will be hard for even the most hardcore fans to generate enthusiasm for a third tilt.
Pacquiao's ability to sell this fight could also be compromised by the controversial remarks he made to Filipino television, stating that people in same-sex relationships were "worse than animals." It's already cost him his Nike sponsorship, and there could be a marked decline in the number of Hollywood figures who traditionally flock to his fights.
To succeed as a star at the pay-per-view level requires a crossover appeal beyond the regular boxing fanbase. An element of Pacquiao's ability to do this has been the perception that he's a "nice guy."
That "nice guy" image has now taken a major hit.
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