LAST week we looked ahead to the probable big name match ups that will take place in the UFC in 2020 and the fun of that is that most of the stars and best fighters are underneath the same banner. This means that you are unlikely to miss out on the most wanted match ups within a weightclass short of some ridiculous bad luck—though Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov have now been booked to face each other four times and failed to fight once.
But because the UFC is one brand and events have to go on regardless of injuries, a lot of MMA’s big moves through a year come as surprises from last minute replacements. In boxing, there are numerous big players with fighters under contract—Golden Boy, Matchroom, PBC, Top Rank. Consequently many of the most desired fights require these promoters to come to terms, and that can get a bit sticky if they are already happily making money.
But there is little fun to be had focusing on mandatory challengers, and the big fight of the early part of the year has already been signed and sealed: the rematch between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury is set for Feburary 22nd. The first fight in December 2018 was a great scrap, though many felt Wilder didn’t do enough to justify the draw that came out on the cards.
The @Tyson_Fury and @BronzeBomber rematch is for more than just a belt, it’s for a place in history. #WilderFury2 pic.twitter.com/jDoD8VsK1Q
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) January 1, 2020
In the time since that fight, however, Fury has arsed around fighting regional talent, while Wilder smoked Dominic Breazeale in one round and then took a rematch with the incredibly tricky and powerful Cuban, Luis Ortiz—stopping him in the seventh. Wilder brings his WBC heavyweight title to the table, while Fury brings his invisible—but still somewhat respected—lineal title.
The intriguing part of the bout is that while Fury spent much of the first fight giving Wilder a boxing lesson, he was still caught and hurt a couple of times. Wilder’s bizarre style of fighting seems to come down to comfort with his opponent, and the two men he has fought twice as a professional—Luis Ortiz and Bermaine Stiverne—both met their end much quicker in their second attempt.
What fans want from the Fury Wilder fight is the same thing they wanted two years ago: one less heavyweight champion and an obvious opponent for Anthony Joshua. Joshua has lost and reclaimed his belts since then, but with the way Andy Ruiz Jr. half-arsed their rematch it seems Joshua is without an obvious rival once again. Hopefully the scare with Ruiz has worked out to the fans’ benefit and Joshua and his management will pull the trigger on a unification fight with the Fury – Wilder victor in the summer or autumn.
Another compelling trinity of match ups exists at the top end of the welterweight division. Boxing fans have been clamouring for Terence “Bud” Crawford versus Errol Spence for ages now, but Spence flipped his car and was thrown through the windscreen in October, seeming to place another obstacle in the way of the unification fight. It was later revealed that Spence managed to escape the disastrous wreck without serious injury, so the Crawford fight is only as unlikely as it was already.
Yet the resurgence of Manny Pacquiao has brought an interesting potential opponent for both Crawford and Spence as they dance around each other. Pacquiao was considered to be winding down, particularly after a rough fight against Jeff Horn and a slow victory over Adrien Broner, but in July of 2019 the 40-year-old turned back the clock against the very well regarded Keith Thurman, pinching Thurman’s WBA title in the process. Obviously, most would favour Spence or Crawford against Pacquiao, but Pacman rose to the occasion against Thurman in a manner that no one could have expected so there is always the hope that he can rekindle the magic for one more big fight.
Short of that elusive heavyweight unification match, the biggest box office draw this year is likely to be Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. Not a week goes by without a story coming out about how Alvarez is enjoying his money. Mexico’s superstar has just scratched the surface of his three hundred and fifty million dollar DAZN deal, having fought three times out of his contracted eleven. His most recent bout was an off-the-wall decision to jump up to light heavyweight, where he knocked out Sergey Kovalev, took the WBO light heavyweight title, then promptly vacated it and said he probably wasn’t fighting there again.
So blessed to be entering my 4th decade in boxing. 2020 is going to be pic.twitter.com/iQc3Tt1MaD
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) January 3, 2020
Where three years ago it seemed like there was nothing for Canelo except the Gennady Golovkin fight, he now seems able to do whatever he wishes—reigning as the WBA and WBC middleweight (160 pounds) champion, as well as the WBA super middleweight champion (168 pounds). Obviously with Golovkin holding the IBF middleweight belt, many fans could see a third fight between them being necessary but it seems like Canelo has moved past that.
The WBO middleweight champion, Demetrius Andrade—an awkward southpaw boxer-puncher—would make a compelling match up for Canelo and snag him an extra belt. Though Ryota Murata and Jermall Charlo seem more likely fights first, as they have the “other” belt in the WBA and WBC divisions respectively. At super middleweight the gigantic Brit, Callum Smith has the WBA super title to Canelo’s regular title.
Ultimately these belts are a gimmick, but Smith makes a compelling match up for Canelo if only for the freakish staredown visuals: Smith is six foot three with an almost eighty inch reach to Canelo’s five foot seven frame and seventy inch reach. Add to that all the other champions at super middleweight: Billy Joe Saunders, David Benavidez and Caleb Plant, and Canelo isn’t short of prospective opponents outside of the expected mandatory challengers. But at this point belts are good, but fulfilling his contractual obligations to DAZN matters more.
And that is just a few of the more attractive unification fights. Aside from that sort of blue sky thinking, you are almost guaranteed a great year from the ultra-active pound-for-pound greats Vasyl Lomachenko and Naoya Inoue. The enormously talented Mikey Garcia is promising more appearances after managing just a single showing annually for the last two years and not fighting since March 2019. Meanwhile, World Boxing Super Series—which provided two cracking tournaments at bantamweight and super lightweight over the course of 2019—has teased the idea of a heavyweight tournament in 2020 to cash in on the rebirth of that division.
And if you want to get an eye on young talent, don’t forget that amateur boxing’s most prestigious tournament is coming up at the Tokyo Olympiad. The 2020 schedule is looking a little sparse of big fights so far, but by the time spring rolls around we should have plenty to be excited for in the world of boxing.
