2017 was by far one of the best years in boxing we’ve seen in the last 20 years. But as great as boxing was in 2017, 2018 could be even better if these fights happen.
We saw Floyd Mayweather Jr. come out of retirement to knockout UFC superstar Conor McGregor. We saw the two best middleweights in the world Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez fight to a controversial draw, and we saw pound for pound king Andre Ward knockout Sergey Kovalev and what would be Ward’s final fight.
On top of all of that we saw the best heavyweight title fight in over 20 years when Anthony Joshua knockout Wladimir Klitschko in the 11th round back in April.
So with boxing getting back into the mainstream, 2018 can raise the popularity of boxing even more if certain fights happen.
Here are five fights we want to see in 2018.
Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder
For the first time in years, there’s excitement in the heavyweight division, and the reason for it is because of undefeated WBA and IBF champion Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs) and undefeated WBC champion Deontay Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs).
Wilder wants this fight to happen, and he let Joshua know.
A fight between two undefeated heavyweight champions is a rarity and if this fight is made, it will be the most anticipated fight in 2018. One of the things that could potentially prevent this fight from happening is location. Would it be held in Joshua’s home country, the United Kingdom, or in the USA? If we’re lucky, we’ll see this fight in the second half of 2018.
Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez, Pt. 2
Unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) and Canelo Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) fought to an entertaining but disputed draw in September.
The good thing is the rematch is close to being signed for Cinco de Mayo weekend and we’ll finally find out who the best middleweight in the world is.
Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence
Two of the fastest rising stars in boxing are Terence Crawford (32-0, 23 KOs) and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence (22-0, 19 KOs). Both of these fighters are willing to fight anybody and they both have the potential to be the face of boxing for years to come.
Crawford just moved up to welterweight so a fight between these two in late 2018 is possible if promotional and network issues don’t get in the way.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs anybody
Floyd Mayweather Jr. (50-0, 27 KOs) ended his 23-month retirement in August to knockout UFC star Conor McGregor. The fight generated over four million Pay Per View buys proving once again that Pretty Boy Floyd is still by far the biggest name in combat sports.
After the McGregor fight, he’s said he’s retired but we’ve heard him say that numerous times before. If he decides to come out of retirement again it will be the most watched fight in 2018 regardless of who the opponent is.
Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Mikey Garcia
WBO junior lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (10-1, 8 KOs) and WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia (37-0, 30 KOs) are on everybody’s top 10 pound-for-pound list.
Who do you fans want to see me fight? If not listed, reply with opponent.
— Hi-Tech Lomachenko (@VasylLomachenko) December 23, 2017
They’re both coming off the most impressive wins of their careers and seemed destined for a showdown. Garcia is scheduled to fight Sergey Lipinets in February for the IBF junior welterweight championship, but a fight between Lomachenko and Garcia could happen later in the year if they can agree on which weight to fight at.
