By Bob Smith: What if there were no “Cold War” between Top Rank and Golden Boy and the best fighters in each division would fight? This is one fan’s wish list for fights to happen during the next 12 months or so, division by division, along with my take on who would win.
Heavyweight: Fury vs. Wilder – two very big and tall heavyweights, each with moderate boxing skill, though Fury has better technique and Wilder better power. If Fury can apply his boxing skills to negate Wilder’s power he should be able to win a straightforward UD. But, that is a big IF. Honorable mention: Klitschko vs. any worthy opponent before he turns 40. I’d have to favor Klitscko in this one, as I don’t see a worthy opponent on the horizon.
Cruiserweight: sorry, don’t follow cruiserweight division.
Light heavyweight: Obviously, Kovalev vs. Stevenson. I’d favor Kovalev because he has nearly the same power as Stevenson, but far better endurance and boxing skill. Honorable mention: Bernard Hopkins vs. Kovalev or Stevenson or Pascal. I’d favor Hopkins over Stevenson or Pascal, but think that at this point Kovalev is the best in the division.
Super middleweight: Froch vs. Chavez Jr. – this would actually be one of my overall favorite future fights, and thankfully, this one actually has a realistic chance of happening. I just think though Chavez. Jr. has a better chin and is a much better body puncher, Froch has the mental strength and endurance and will bully Chavez Jr. into a decision, without knocking him down once. Honorable mention: Ward vs. Chavez Jr. Obviously, Ward will win, but will it be a KO? It would be interesting to see if he could get one, though I don’t think he can – to me it is much more likely that he gets a UD in an ugly mostly inside/toe to toe fight.
Middleweight: Golovkin vs Cotto – Would Cotto last 10 rounds against Golovkin? It is doubtful – he would probably have a TKO/KO between rounds 6-10, and it would look a lot like the Rosado vs. Golovkin fight in my opinion – Golovkin is just too big and strong for him. So, though the outcome is not in doubt, it would place Golovkin atop the middleweight division where he belongs. Honorable mention: Golovkin vs. Quillin – Golovkin will be far more dominant against Quillin, and to be frank, I don’t think Quillin can hurt Golovkin, and he will be walked down and KO’d before 6 rounds ends.
Junior Middleweight: Canelo vs. Kirkland – this also is an exciting fight that will likely happen – I just don’t see Canelo dominating Kirkland as he did Angulo, and he may be in trouble for some of the fight – he will have to use his skill to outwit Kirkland as Molina did, in a brawl he might lose. Honorable mention: Carlos Molina vs. Austin Trout – yes, it is a fight for purists rather than a slugfest, but I would like to see who wins the chess match between them. Note that Canelo vs. Cotto is not included here because they are not fighting in different divisions, and the same is true for Ward vs. Golovkin – both are great fights, but I’m going with division by division only.
Welterweight: (what else?) Pacquiao vs. Mayweather – I would have to favor Mayweather as always, as I think the time when Pacquaio had a good chance to beat Mayweather has past. However, the welterweight division is in my opinion the richest with great fighters in boxing now. Honorable mention(s) Porter vs. Thurman – Porter vs. Brook is good, but Porter vs. Thurman is way better – to be frank I’m pretty ignorant about both fighters, it is tough to find uploads of their fights, but based on what I know I would favor Porter. Guerrero vs. Khan – another great fight, and at this point, I would have to favor Khan, as I don’t think Guerrero can handle his speed, and Guerrero seems to have lost his confidence and swag since the Mayweather humiliation, but still it is a great fight, for perhaps Guerrero will make it a war, and then who knows?
Other welterweight match ups: Maidana vs. Bradley – is a much better fight than six months ago or a year ago, as Maidana has greatly improved under Robert Garcia, I see Maidana as potentially beating Bradley, really it is a toss up to me at this point. And lets not forget the crafty and exciting veterans Marquez, Malinaggi, Judah, Berto, who have the potential to earn upset victories against higher ranked fighters on any given night.
Junior Welterweight: Matthyse vs. Broner – this would be Matthyse all the way, and will perhaps Broner learn his lesson then? Probably not, after all, it is Broner we are talking about. Honorable mention: Provodnikov vs. Matthyse – for me, this is all Provodnikov, who simply has too much power and too much aggression for Matthyse, who is actually and underrated boxer.
Lightweight: sorry pretty ignorant about this division, other than Terence Crawford vs. worthy opponent.
Super featherweight: Mikey Garcia vs. Takashi Uchiyama, who I have heard a lot of good things about. I”m not familiar enough with either of them to comment, but think it would be a good fight.
Featherweight: a surprisingly rich division; Donaire vs. Gonzalez – I’d have to favor Donaire in this contest because of the higher class of competition he has faced, his quickness, and power. Honorable mention: Gradovich vs. Lomachenko – again, not an expert here, but it looks like a good fight. Another honorable mention: Abner Mares. vs. any of the above four fighters.
Super Bantamweight: Rigondeaux vs. Santa Cruz – this is one of my top half dozen dream fights of the next 24 months, and though I would of course favor Rigondeaux, I think Santa Cruz will give him more problems than any fighter in the division. Honorable mention: Frampton vs. one of the reigning world champions.
Unfortunately, for bantamweight and under. I’m completely ignorant.
So, these are fights to look forward to in a dream world. Which fights will realistically happen over the next 12 months? Fury vs. Wilder seems realistic; Froch vs. Chavez. Jr. would be a great fight and has a pretty good chance of happening; Canelo vs. Kirkland is being scheduled I believe; Guerrero vs. Khan is realistic; I’m not sure about anything under light welterweight though.
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