The trilogy should be completed in 2022.
7:44 AM
We wish for the marquee fights that can make boxing the focal point of the sports world, if only for a day, and the kind of fights that were in short supply in 2021.
A global super fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua would have fit the bill last year. Fans were treated to an instant classic in the trilogy battle between Fury and Wilder because the arbitrator stood in the way.
The sport failed to deliver many of the obvious matches that would bring the sport to prominence. In two very entertaining fights, we saw how well-stocked the super middleweight titles were, as evidenced by the four titles claimed by Canelo. The biggest commercially appealing fight on the table for boxing's top star, a third meeting between Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin, did not happen in another year.
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6 p.m. Joe Smith Jr. vs Callum Johnson is undercard.
10 p.m. Joe Smith Jr. will defend his WBO light-weight title against Callum Johnson.
Usyk and Joshua will fight again in 2022, but the end result is that we still don't have an unquestioned king of the division. The long-awaited title fight between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford might be moving closer to reality after Crawford's Top Rank contract expired.
There is hope that we will finally see some of the stars in the lightweight division fight each other, rather than just trading barbs on social media.
Boxing has a chance in the future to right the wrongs and bring fans the matches they deserve. I want to see seven fights this year.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are competing.
One of the biggest fights in the future would be a fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.
The first bout between Usyk and Joshua in August made it clear that the fight of the century was no longer between the two. Usyk looked to be on the verge of stopping Joshua in Round 12.
Even if it wasn't the fight we envisioned, the stage was set for an undisputed title in 2022, even if it wasn't the fight we wanted.
There are still obstacles. Usyk owes Joshua a second chance after Usyk was ordered to defend his title against Dillian Whyte. The deal should be easy to piece together if both Usyk and Fury win.
There is one fight left on his deal with Top Rank. Usyk is a promotional free agent. There's always the chance of step- aside deals for Joshua and Whyte, which would allow the fight to go ahead in the spring.
This fight would be spectacular, not only because of the title, but because of the kind of star Fury has grown into. It's a fascinating fight in the ring. For good reason, but Usyk's boxing skills and footwork make him an elite heavyweight, even though he is the favorite.
The confidence level is in 2022.
There are alternate fights: Usyk vs. Wilder.
The match up between Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez was 3.
Since they last fought in September, Gennadiy Golovkin has been looking for a third fight with Canelo.
Enough is enough. It's time to end it all. Golovkin turns 40 in April and is past his best years. The same things were said about Juan Manuel Marquez before the third fight, and he delivered a great fight. They fought again, and this time JMM knocked out the man.
It can be argued that GGG won more rounds after the split draw and majority decision win for Alvarez. It's possible that Golovkin has the right style to give Alvarez a tough test, especially with the fight at 168 pounds.
This is the top moneymaker on the list, no matter what we think about competitiveness. Both of their fights generated over one million pay-per-view buys and over 20 million gates. This is for legacy, because the win over Golovkin isn't convincing yet.
It's either now or never with Golovkin's age.
It happens in 2022.
The alternate fights are Artur Beterbiev and GGG.
Errol Spence Jr. is facing off against Terence Crawford.
A potential fight between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford is easier in 2022.
We're entering the theater of absurdity when it comes to the possibility of this match up, a fight that could have happened years ago. The fight isn't just relevant, it's bigger than ever.
The likelihood of the bout happening is greater than ever before. The main impediment was boxing politics, with both Crawford and Spence aligned with Top Rank. "Bud" is a promotional free agent, so that should no longer be a problem.
There was a possibility of either man winning the contest. There's one less big money opportunity at 147 pounds with the all-time great retired.
After surgery to repair a detached retina, Spence is back on the comeback trail. The winner of the fight with Yordenis Ugas will emerge with three titles. Crawford is coming off a career-best performance with a 10th-round knockout of Shawn Porter.
Hopefully, the ring will be shared by Crawford and Spence late in the year.
It happens in 2022.
Crawford vs. Josh Taylor is one of the alternate fights.
Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are competing.
After two crushing defeats to Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder needs a big win and a fight against Anthony Joshua would put him back into the title picture.
It would be must-watch TV even without a title on the line because of the talks that have been going on for years. Two big punchers, two of the biggest names in boxing, and two fighters looking to fight their way back to the top.
There would be a lot at stake. Each man's chances of a future title shot would be affected by another defeat. This would be a firefight with desperation in the air.
Can Joshua regain confidence in his chin? What has happened to the man after he was knocked out in two of the three fights?
Hopefully we can find out while this is still viable.
It happens in 2022.
There are alternate fights between Joshua and Whyte.
George Kambosos Jr. is in a fight.
George Kambosos Jr., left, pulled a big upset by defeating Teofimo Lopez to become the undisputed lightweight champion.
Kambosos is in the driver's seat of the hottest division in boxing after his upset of Teofimo Lopez. There are many intriguing bouts that include Kambosos, but one with Haney is the most appealing.
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Kambosos is listed as the 140-pound champion by the World Boxing Council, which is different from the "franchise" belt previously held by Lopez and Lomachenko. That's a new layer of intrigue to the fight. In his last fight in 2021, Haney won two of his three bouts, including a win over Joseph Diaz Jr.
Was Kambosos' performance against Lopez a bad one? The American said he's willing to travel to Australia to fight Kambosos if the fight was in his home country.
It happens in 2022.
Kambosos vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko is one of the alternate fights.
Ryan and Gervonta are friends.
A fight against Gervonta Davis would be a must-see since Ryan Garcia hasn't fought in a year.
Jake Paul is more popular with younger fans who are more likely to watch him.
Both Davis and Garcia have huge followings on social media, particularly Davis, who has more than 8 million followers. There is reason to believe that this fight will happen.
We all know that the tank can't beat me, but mayweather knows that. I'm too fast and I have to be much more precise.
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RYAN GARCIA posted on December 6, 2021.
The talks between "Tank" Davis and "King" Ryu were in the early part of the 21st century. Davis moved on to Mario Barrios after a fight with him.
After Davis struggled with Cruz in the beginning of the year, he was critiqued and called for the fight to happen next. This fight makes sense because of the fact that Garcia is recovered from wrist surgery. It's easy to forget, but the most recent fight was an impressive seventh-round knockout victory.
Golden Boy might want to matchGarcia with an easier opponent first, but after that, it's time to finalize a bout with Davis before it loses its appeal.
It happens in 2022.
There are alternate fights between Cruz and Davis.
David Benavidez is facing Jermall Charlo.
Jermall Charlo and David Benavidez could be a great match up of power punchers.
What's not to like about this match up? The trash talk between the boxers has often gone into the absurd, like when Charlo said he wouldn't fight Benavidez until he turned 25 and was vaccine against COVID-19).
The two punchers would mix it up with so much at stake in the ring. Both fighters are on the short list for a fight with Alvarez. A win for either against the other would certainly do that, since it would make someone earn a fight against him now that he has all the belts.
The 160 pound man has never been tested. He's big for the middleweight division even after winning his first title at 154 pounds, and he's interested in moving up to a third weight class.
Benavidez is even more uncertain. He's been stripped of his 168-pound title twice due to problems making weight and a positive test for cocaine, but when he's fighting he's a joy to watch. He punches in bunches and never stops. He's set to fight David Lemieux in the spring, but after that he'd like to fight Charlo.
It happens in 2022.
Benavidez vs Plant is one of the alternate fights.
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