By Adam Hayes: The year is rapidly coming to an end. While that means it is time to start preparing for holiday parties, it also is a great time to look ahead to some exciting sporting events happening next year. Boxing fans were treated to a long list of great matches in 2016, and there are already several fights lined up for next year to get everyone excited. These are the five most anticipated boxing matches of 2017. Boxing schedule:
Gennady Golovkin vs Danny Jacobs
Gennady Golovkin may be the best boxer in the world right now, but he fails to get the attention he deserves from boxing fans. Golovkin will put his perfect 36-0 record and three middleweight titles on the line when he face Daniel Jacobs on March 18. Jacobs is coming off an impressive 7th round TKO of Sergio Mora in his last fight. While he immediately called out Gennady Golovkin after the win against Mora, Danny Jacobs may regret his actions in March.
Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko
Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko have been attempting to set up a fight since September, but they finally agreed for a match on April 29. Joshua will be putting the IBF heavyweight title he won in a second round knockout of Charles Martin on the line in April. The WBA and IBO heavyweight titles vacated by Tyson Fury will also be awarded to the winner of this highly anticipated fight. Klitschko was one of the most dominating boxers of all-time before losing to Fury in 2015, so it will be interesting to see how he responds from the long layoff at the age of 40.
James DeGale vs Badou Jack
Boxing fans only have to wait a few more weeks to witness the first huge match of 2017. James DeGale and Badou Jack are the two best super-middleweight boxers in the world, and they will finally get the chance to step in the ring together on January 14 in Brooklyn. The super-middleweight weight class does not get much attention from casual boxing fans, but that will not stop DeGale and Jack on delivering one of the most exciting matches of 2017.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor
It will be hard to imagine this storyline going away anytime soon. The two had words for each other after McGregor dominated UFC 205 in New York. Conor knows Floyd would never fight in the UFC, so the only way this dream matchup happens is in the boxing ring. It is very fun to play hypotheticals, and this seem to gained a little steam when McGregor got his boxing license in California, but Dana White was quick to discredit the whole idea. The UFC President said “It’s fun to talk about this fight and what might happen, but what commission would let that fight happen? Really, think about that.” At the end of the day, money talks, so let’s see if this fight starts to get legs and potentially happen in 2017.
Carl Frampton vs Leo Santa Cruz
After fighting in one of the best matches of 2016, Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz will get the chance to put on another impressive show on January 28. Santa Cruz will look to avenge the only loss of his career and get back the WBA featherweight title he lost to Frampton in July. If Carl Frampton can leave Las Vegas with another win over Leo Santa Cruz, then he will secure his spot as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers right now.
Keith Thurman vs Danny Garcia
An intense battle between two undefeated welterweights is set to take place on March 4 when Keith Thurman fights Danny Garcia. Both boxers have defeated nearly every top contender in the welterweight division, so it was only a matter of time before they unified their titles. A win in this high-profile match is destined to get one of these exciting boxers the mainstream attention they have deserved for a long time.