By: Hans Themistode
2018 was a year to remember for boxing fans. There were memorable matches from start to finish. Gone are the days of the best not fighting the best. That no longer exist.
Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter locked horns for the vacant WBC Welterweight title in a bout that saw Porter prevail. Canelo and GGG jumped back into the ring with one another and gave the fans another classic. One that crowned Canelo as the new unified Middleweight champion. Jarrett Hurd managed to narrowly defeat Erislandy Lara and assert himself as the best at Jr Middleweight.
How can anyone forget Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury giving us all a fight to remember when they battled to a split draw?
In short, 2019 has a hard act to follow. There are a ton of matches that fans still want to see. I can give you a list of about 100 fights that would make the fans salivate but let’s make the list a bit shorter. Here is the top five fights fans want to see for 2019.
Mikey Garcia vs Vasyl Lomachenko
Mikey Garcia (39-0, 30 KOs) and Vasyl Lomachenko (12-1, 9 KOs) are pound-for-pound stalwarts. They also just happen to campaign at the same division which makes their clash inevitable.
First things first however. Mikey has a monumental fight ahead of him when he moves up in weight this March to take on Welterweight boogieman Errol Spence Jr. Win or lose Mikey is expected to come back down to the Lightweight division.
Both Mikey and Lomachenko need each other. They are head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. A debate is often created when discussing who would win this matchup. It’s time to end that conversation by settling it in the ring.
Canelo Alvarez vs Daniel Jacobs
Although Canelo Alvarez’s (51-1-2, 35 KOs) last bout was contested at Super Middleweight when he defeated WBA regular champion Rocky Fielding. Many believe his next bout will be at Middleweight where he is both the WBA and WBC champion. The list of challengers at the division are aplenty.
None however, are more deserving than current IBF champion Daniel Jacobs (35-2, 29 KOs).
Danny has proven to be not just a great fighter but an elite one. Wins over Peter Quillin and Sergiy Derevyanchenko cemented that thought. This is a fight that fans want to see. Canelo has never backed away from a challenge so fans might just get their wish and see these two share a ring with one another in 2019.
GGG vs Jermall Charlo
Coming off two fights against Canelo Alvarez, (with the latter resulting in his first defeat) Gennady Golovkin needs to fight a fresh opponent. Not to say that his bouts against Canelo were not highly entertaining because they were but the fans want to see the former Middleweight unified champion in the ring with another dangerous foe.
In steps Jermall Charlo (28-0, 21 KOs).
The aforementioned Charlo has proven to not only be a deadly fighter but he is also must see television. The belief of many is that Charlo is the best Middleweight but he just has not fought the elite in order to prove it. Charlo has been clamoring for a fight with the former unified Middleweight champion.
The WBC has already mandated that these two must face each other. Luckily for the fans it seems that this fight could happen this calendar year.
Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury
With all due respect to Jarrell Miller, Luis Ortiz, Dillian Whyte and every other Heavyweight contender but unified champion Anthony Joshua (22-0, 21 KOs), Deontay Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs) and Tyson Fury (27-0, 19 KOs) are head and shoulders above the rest.
Both Wilder and Fury engaged in a fight of the year candidate this past December which resulted in a split decision draw. They will be looking to run back their classic contest but a matchup with Joshua is possible as well. No matter who is matched with up with who these three need to face each other this year. A possible round robin involving all three will leave fight fans rejoicing.
Errol Spence Jr vs Terence Crawford
The Welterweight division is by far the deepest in all of boxing. Serious contenders can be found at every turn. Errol Spence Jr (24-0, 21 KOs) however, had established himself above the rest. An eleven fight knockout streak has earned him the moniker “The Truth”. Becoming the undisputed champion is a matter of when not if.
At least that was the thought before pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford (34-0, 25 KOs) officially moved up to the division.
Crawford has looked terrific in his new weight class. In June of 2018 he easily dispatched of Jeff Horn while picking up his WBO Welterweight title as well. He then followed that up with a 12th round knockout of former undefeated contender Jose Benavidez Jr. Both Crawford and Spence are the best at the division.
A matchup between these two would represent this generation’s version of Sugar Ray Leonard vs Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler vs Tommy Hearns, Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao and so on. Bottomline this bout would be one for the ages. These two will undoubtedly square off one day. Let’s just hope it’ll be this year.
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