By Isaac Brodie: I wrote an article discussing the merits of a match up between Sergio Martinez and Manny Pacquiao. A lot of the criticism it received was based on the size difference. I don’t disagree with that point. Manny is significantly smaller so would be at an immediate disadvantage.
My point was that at this point the Pac-Man will need to do something drastic to get back into striking range of the pound for pound title.
This then got me thinking, if we we’re to ignore boxing politics, what would be the best match ups to be made? I’ve tried to come up with a list of truly even match-ups, not just match-ups that could be made out to look even in the hype.
1. Amir Khan Vs. Timothy Bradley
Khan has received a massive amount of attention lately, with a probable match up with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the works. However, a fight with Money is being treated as the holy grail of the welterweight division, which has led many, myself included, to question how deserving Khan really is. Short answer, he’s not. That’s not to say it wouldn’t be an interesting one-sided decision. The Brit has good boxing skills and great speed.
The best match-up that could be made for someone of Khan’s level would be Tim Bradley (Provided he gets past Marquez, or even if he doesn’t, and provided the promotional issues that have plagued the sport for years miraculously disappear). Both have slick boxing skill. Khan is better offensively, while Bradley actually has defense. And neither has power to stop the other. This would be an exciting, genuine boxing match, and a real display of skill.
But this then leads to the question: Why would Khan then not take a fight with the Golden Boy equivalent Devon Alexander.
Get to the back of the line Khan.
2. Gennady Golovkin Vs. Peter Quillin
The latest puncher in the game has boxing journalists acting like fan-boys and boxing fans (like me) acting like journalists. I’m already sold on Golovkin after the way he shut down his first major opponent. But in fairness Macklin was his first major opponent. All this hype has built up without the Kazakh really being tested. So before we get too carried away we should wait and see how he develops.
A good way of gauging this champion would be to match him up against fellow untested middleweight champion Peter Quillin. Thus hitting two birds with one stone. Both are well hyped and well supported. Both have perfect records. Gennady would still be the favorite due to his amateur background and a slightly better résumé, but as far as their performance in the pros there is not a lot separating them. So why not?
3. Adonis Stevenson vs. Sergey Kovalev
Another match-up of heavy hitters, both now champions. This could possibly be the most exciting match up on my list. These fighters are more proven at the highest level than the aforementioned middleweights, but both have only just reached the top of their weight class. These two match up perfectly as devastating punchers. Stevenson has shown weakness in his loss to journeyman Darnell Boone, though he subsequently avenged this loss via 6th round TKO. Kovalev has never shown this kind of weakness but has never faced a puncher on the level of Stevenson. And the same can be said for Stevenson.
What makes this fight even the most exciting is the combination of Stevenson’s increasingly apparent slick movement and boxing skills and the fact that this fight not only could but likely will happen.
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