Despite a famine of exciting fights last year, there is a bountiful feast of match ups that have the potential to get boxing enthusiasts excited. Here are my top six possible fights for this year. These match ups ignore the boundaries erected by promoters, managers, and networks - let the future contain some hope. With Oscar De La Hoya and Bob Arum talking, many previous boundaries can be broken. If whatever plan Al Haymon has concocted over the past year comes to fruition we may see his large roster of fighters finally become active.
I will get the most obvious done away with first. Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been a nasty cold that boxing hasn't been able to shake off since these two skyrocketed to the top of pound for pound lists. We take our medicine, in this case a generous dose of reality, but the symptoms return after each of their fights. In a fight between these once in a generation fighters I pick Pacquiao to be the victor. The last time Mayweather fought a fast south paw was Victor Ortiz. Ortiz mentally imploded in the fourth round but before that he was landing some decent shots, and the fight might have turned out to be more interesting had Ortiz not launched that headbutt. Pacquiao is faster than Ortiz and is an overall higher level of fighter. Mayweather hasn't faced that speed in a long time. If Mayweather starts off going backwards Pacquiao will launch barrage after barrage on his arms and shoulders, and outwork him to win on points. If he tries to take it to Pacquiao, Mayweather will enter a war that he won't make it out of. His shaky legs won't handle Pacquiao’s angles and the fight will appear similar to the second Pacquiao-Bradley fight.
My second choice of a fight is Gennady Golovkin versus David Lemieux. In this match up of middleweight destroyers one of them is going to end up out cold. Both have stopped tough guy Gabriel Rosado and a host of other contenders. Golovkin is the one favored to win, mostly based off of his superior boxing, but if there is someone who is going to beat him at 160 pounds then it is going to be Lemieux. Anyone with his kind of power has a chance against anybody, but Golovkin has similar if not greater power at his disposal. If Golovkin disposes of Lemieux, then his best chance at fighting tougher opponents would be to give up a size advantage against Carl Froch, Bernard Hopkins, or Sergey Kovalev.
A clash between Olympic star Vasyl Lomachenko and the destructive force that is Nicholas Walters is my third choice. Lomachenko recovered from his disappointing loss to Orlando Salido, a veteran that has a habit of mauling up and coming fighters, by beating fellow prospect Gary Russell Jr this year. Walters burst onto the big stage by first destroying Vic Darchinyan, and then knocking out former pound for pound star Nonito Donaire in brutal fashion. I see the first few rounds going to Lomachenko before Walters drops him with one of his short upper cuts. After that, I believe Walter's heart and fighting spirit will be too much for the gold medalist who lacks the will to win a toe-to-toe war with the “Axe Man.” Lomachenko possesses the skill and conditioning to make it through the last few rounds but the knockdowns give Walters a decision victory.
My fourth choice involves two possible fights for Danny Garcia. If he stays at junior welterweight, then the best possible fight would be against Terence Crawford, who cleaned out lightweight and is looking to move up. This would be an exciting back and forth fight fought at mid-range. Garcia would look to land his big left hook and Crawford would try to control the fight with his jab and footwork. I pick Crawford's technical skills to pull him through in addition to the fact that Garcia would be drained from staying at 140lb. Should Garcia move to welterweight, a match-up with Keith Thurman would be phenomenal. Thurman might have put on a lackluster performance last we saw him but Garcia hasn't impressed in his last few either. I think Thurman is a faster and stronger fighter than Garcia but those deficits haven’t stopped the Philadelphia native yet. An important appeal to this fight is the chance to see Garcia's dad's face, a character despised by nearly the entire boxing community, as he sees his son hit the canvas.
When it comes to primal, brutal violence few men can deliver as well as Marcos Maidana and Ruslan Provodnikov. Both are coming off losses to men who used their legs, so now it is time for them to face a man who will willingly stand and trade. Once again this would pit trainers Robert Garcia and Freddie Roach against each other, but beyond encouragement, they should have little impact on this kind of fight. Provodnikov is the slightly fresher fighter, and probably hits a little harder, but Maidana has an edge in experience and boxing. I imagine Maidana getting dropped early, only to use his trademark recuperative skills to take the fight to Provodnikov. From then on I have no idea who would win, besides the fact that both of these men would die in the ring rather than put on a bad show. This fight will certainly end within the distance, most likely due to an accumulation of damage to one of the fighters.
The final fight on my wish list could determine the successor to the Klitchkos. In my opinion the two best young heavyweights are Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. Both of them are giants with heavy hands. Wider has faced weaker competition but that will change in his coming bout with Stiverne, in which I predict a victory for the “Bronze Bomber.” Wilder is a less controlled boxer, but he possesses an explosiveness that the sluggish Fury lacks. Neither man has had their chins properly tested, and their mental game is also in question. One of my favorite heavyweight prospects, David Price, looked to be in a similar direction, but his glass chin was revealed by Tony Thompson in a massive upset (and again in the rematch). Since both Wilder and Fury are so untested it is hard to tell what a fight between them would be like. I believe Wilder would be the aggressor with Fury trying to counter him between his wild punches.
If the promoters and networks can come together then last year's disappointment can be eclipsed by a new year of great fights. Fighters and promoters need to put the fans first, the money will come after they put on some spectacular shows. We have young talented fighters that need to face each other, or else the whole point of rankings is rendered useless. Fights shouldn't be predetermined to the point that one fighter's only hope is divine intervention.
I will get the most obvious done away with first. Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been a nasty cold that boxing hasn't been able to shake off since these two skyrocketed to the top of pound for pound lists. We take our medicine, in this case a generous dose of reality, but the symptoms return after each of their fights. In a fight between these once in a generation fighters I pick Pacquiao to be the victor. The last time Mayweather fought a fast south paw was Victor Ortiz. Ortiz mentally imploded in the fourth round but before that he was landing some decent shots, and the fight might have turned out to be more interesting had Ortiz not launched that headbutt. Pacquiao is faster than Ortiz and is an overall higher level of fighter. Mayweather hasn't faced that speed in a long time. If Mayweather starts off going backwards Pacquiao will launch barrage after barrage on his arms and shoulders, and outwork him to win on points. If he tries to take it to Pacquiao, Mayweather will enter a war that he won't make it out of. His shaky legs won't handle Pacquiao’s angles and the fight will appear similar to the second Pacquiao-Bradley fight.
My second choice of a fight is Gennady Golovkin versus David Lemieux. In this match up of middleweight destroyers one of them is going to end up out cold. Both have stopped tough guy Gabriel Rosado and a host of other contenders. Golovkin is the one favored to win, mostly based off of his superior boxing, but if there is someone who is going to beat him at 160 pounds then it is going to be Lemieux. Anyone with his kind of power has a chance against anybody, but Golovkin has similar if not greater power at his disposal. If Golovkin disposes of Lemieux, then his best chance at fighting tougher opponents would be to give up a size advantage against Carl Froch, Bernard Hopkins, or Sergey Kovalev.
A clash between Olympic star Vasyl Lomachenko and the destructive force that is Nicholas Walters is my third choice. Lomachenko recovered from his disappointing loss to Orlando Salido, a veteran that has a habit of mauling up and coming fighters, by beating fellow prospect Gary Russell Jr this year. Walters burst onto the big stage by first destroying Vic Darchinyan, and then knocking out former pound for pound star Nonito Donaire in brutal fashion. I see the first few rounds going to Lomachenko before Walters drops him with one of his short upper cuts. After that, I believe Walter's heart and fighting spirit will be too much for the gold medalist who lacks the will to win a toe-to-toe war with the “Axe Man.” Lomachenko possesses the skill and conditioning to make it through the last few rounds but the knockdowns give Walters a decision victory.
My fourth choice involves two possible fights for Danny Garcia. If he stays at junior welterweight, then the best possible fight would be against Terence Crawford, who cleaned out lightweight and is looking to move up. This would be an exciting back and forth fight fought at mid-range. Garcia would look to land his big left hook and Crawford would try to control the fight with his jab and footwork. I pick Crawford's technical skills to pull him through in addition to the fact that Garcia would be drained from staying at 140lb. Should Garcia move to welterweight, a match-up with Keith Thurman would be phenomenal. Thurman might have put on a lackluster performance last we saw him but Garcia hasn't impressed in his last few either. I think Thurman is a faster and stronger fighter than Garcia but those deficits haven’t stopped the Philadelphia native yet. An important appeal to this fight is the chance to see Garcia's dad's face, a character despised by nearly the entire boxing community, as he sees his son hit the canvas.
When it comes to primal, brutal violence few men can deliver as well as Marcos Maidana and Ruslan Provodnikov. Both are coming off losses to men who used their legs, so now it is time for them to face a man who will willingly stand and trade. Once again this would pit trainers Robert Garcia and Freddie Roach against each other, but beyond encouragement, they should have little impact on this kind of fight. Provodnikov is the slightly fresher fighter, and probably hits a little harder, but Maidana has an edge in experience and boxing. I imagine Maidana getting dropped early, only to use his trademark recuperative skills to take the fight to Provodnikov. From then on I have no idea who would win, besides the fact that both of these men would die in the ring rather than put on a bad show. This fight will certainly end within the distance, most likely due to an accumulation of damage to one of the fighters.
The final fight on my wish list could determine the successor to the Klitchkos. In my opinion the two best young heavyweights are Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. Both of them are giants with heavy hands. Wider has faced weaker competition but that will change in his coming bout with Stiverne, in which I predict a victory for the “Bronze Bomber.” Wilder is a less controlled boxer, but he possesses an explosiveness that the sluggish Fury lacks. Neither man has had their chins properly tested, and their mental game is also in question. One of my favorite heavyweight prospects, David Price, looked to be in a similar direction, but his glass chin was revealed by Tony Thompson in a massive upset (and again in the rematch). Since both Wilder and Fury are so untested it is hard to tell what a fight between them would be like. I believe Wilder would be the aggressor with Fury trying to counter him between his wild punches.
If the promoters and networks can come together then last year's disappointment can be eclipsed by a new year of great fights. Fighters and promoters need to put the fans first, the money will come after they put on some spectacular shows. We have young talented fighters that need to face each other, or else the whole point of rankings is rendered useless. Fights shouldn't be predetermined to the point that one fighter's only hope is divine intervention.