CANELO ALVAREZ VS GENNADY GOLOVKIN 2. Not to belabor the obvious, but there?s no reason for the rematch not to happen this year. The first fight was our Fight- of- the Year runner-up and a second bout between these two pound-for-pound entrants, is a practically no-brainer.
Though the verdict was a very anti-climactic split draw, both fighters feel they did enough to win the nod and there?s no better way to settle that disagreement than in a rematch.
Plus, at this stage in their respective careers, they need to fight each other one more time.
Golovkin (37-0,33KOs) is no spring chicken at 35 and there?s nothing more that he wants than a career-defining victory over a legitimate boxing superstar to cap off a glorious career.
For Canelo (49-1, 34 KOs) , he needs this rematch because a lot of fans and boxing pundits thought Golovkin deserved the victory. If he doesn?t fight Golovkin again before the latter retires, his legacy will forever be questioned.
MIKEY GARCIA VS. VASYL LOMACHENKO. Last year, these two were photographed posing together and mutually discussing a possible match-up in the future. They even supposedly ironed out potential weight issues as they agreed to meet up in a catch-weight.
Lomachenko (10-1, 8KOs) of course, went on to defeat Guillermo Rigondeaux and turned one of the most anticipated match-ups of the year into a one-sided affair. That dominant showing also highlighted how big Loma was for Rigo, lending credence to the suggestion that he should move up in weight instead of fighting opponents smaller than him.
Of course, Garcia (37-0, 30KOs) the reigning lightweight kingpin would only be too happy to oblige him if he comes up in weight.
DEONTAY WILDER VS. ANTHONY JOSHUA. It can?t get any better than two undefeated heavyweight behemoths clashing in a unification bout for all the titles.
Wilder (39-0, 38KOs) the reigning WBC champion looked frightening when he destroyed Bermane Stiverne last November while Joshua (20-0, 20KOs) who holds the IBF, WBA and WBO diadems was impressive stopping Carlos Takam in October.
But first, Joshua has to get past Joseph Parker whom he will be fighting this March, while Wilder has to defeat Luis Ortiz also in the same month.
MANNY PACQUIAO VS. JEFF HORN 2. The clock is ticking on Senator Pacquiao?s storied boxing career. His first fight against Horn, a loss via unanimous decision was his only fight in 2017. Though that verdict was clearly a travesty, still, signs of the inevitable erosion of skills brought about by time were clearly apparent.
Gone were the rapid combinations that kept coming one after the other. The speed was still there , along with the power, but Manny fights in spurts now.
And that?s fine actually. That?s more than other people are capable of doing at age 39, but what?s important here is not only the age factor but the inactivity.
