Boxing in 2022: Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia, Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr. among the major struggles to be fought

When the pandemic-induced programming limits began to fade in 2021, the sport of boxing was one of the best years of recent memory.

Not only was a coherent set of big fights scheduled, they mostly exceeded expectations. From the heavyweight and welterweight matches, to the audiovisual level, to the fact that history has been made in many indisputable histories. champion, boxing has been hot for the past 12 months.

It’s natural to enter the new year with a new list of essential matches. Let’s take a look at the top five lists of this writer’s wishes for 2022.

Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest news from the world of martial arts from the top two in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including what will come on the way to boxing in 2022 and beyond.

1. Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia

Choose Your Poison Teofimo Lopez Jr., Devin Haney, George Kambosos Jr. and the most exciting match in a star-studded lightweight division under former United champion Vasiliy Lomachenko. While light weights face off against each other, boxing will be in a healthy place by 2022. But the fight to win the 135 pounds that offers the most excitement in the ring can be a multi-division champion and pay off. -per-view star against undefeated Garcia Davis, who brings many social media followers to every fight. Not only are their styles with an effective punch against Davis and Garcia with the dreadful speed of his hand at the aggressive pursuit, they are both going to be eliminated throughout the fight. It’s rare for two young stars backed by rival promoters in modern boxing to face Davis at 27 and Garcia at just 23 years old. ring, moreover. This would lead to the fact that gunmen can land big first and are the kind of fights that create boxing fans for a lifetime.

2. Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence Jr.

Given their age (34-year-old Crawford, 31-year-old Spence) and the multiple injuries that have endangered Spence’s career in recent years (from a horrific car accident to surgery on a free retina), more and more critics are considering Quantity. the main window of this super-fight is already closed. The eternal opportunity for this list for many years, the unfortunate politics of boxing and the distribution of the network have prevented fans from seeing the essential match between the two big weights of all time. But leaving Crawford out of his Top Rank promotion deal to a free agency has given him some hope that 2022 could be the year. Both fighters are ranked among the top five per pound and both can do anything as scientific boxers or power punchers. Spence, the IBF and WBC champion, will first have to put on his belts to open the year against WBA champion Yordenis Ugas. Crawford would also have to sign with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions, who represent Spence, to fight. Better late than never, this is a historically deep welterweight bout that has long been a must-have and this generation’s version of Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns.

3. Canelo Alvarez against light weight level

Take your chance to choose the pound king from the current 175-pound world title trio, but each would be a must-see match as Alvarez continues to consolidate his great eternal legacy. For the first time in the history of boxing, the four belts have just merged into the middleweight division, and there is good reason to believe that the lightweight division will be the site of Alvarez’s next conquest. Let’s not forget, Alvarez won the 175-pound WBC title in 2019 before leaving the title that knocked out Sergey Kovalev. Although Alvarez’s coach / coach Eddy Reynoso prefers an even bolder move to climb the cruiser to catch his belt against Ilunga Makabu, the lightweight move is more realistic given Alvarez’s size. This is not to say that collecting 175-pound titles will be an easy task. Joe Smith Jr. Being as limited as the WBO champion brings a lot of power. WBA champion Dmitry Bivol, meanwhile, is an elite boxer with a strong amateur pedigree. And then there’s Artur Beterbiev, the WBC and IBF champion, who can do anything as a boxer or hitter, but he seems to be slowing down a bit at the age of 36, despite a 17-0 record with 17 playoffs. Alvarez’s resume is already untouchable from the standpoint of being a waiting Hall of Fame, but tackling a dangerous challenge behind all the lightweight belts would establish him more than being the most ardent elite fighter after Floyd. Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao era.

4. Josh Taylor vs. Teofimo Lopez Jr.

It seems that Lopez’s days may be behind him in 135 when he lost to Cambosos, the new lightweight champion. Lopez can do vital fights in light weight against any young star or a rematch against Lomachenko, the former P4P king. But at 24, despite the chaos of his personal life over the past year, it already seemed like Lopez’s body had grown out of division. If he were to move up to 140 pounds, he could look forward to the opportunity in immediate history as an unprofitable and unified major welterweight Josh Taylor. It’s a fight that promises the perfect mix of drama and high-level skill, and it’s also easy to do as a promoter that both fighters share in the Top Rank. Yeah Al that sounds pretty crap to me, Looks like BT aint for me either. But he and his brave father / coach of the same name have been brave in pursuing and conquering great challenges in his short career.

5. Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano

It’s been a long time since a women’s boxing match has had so much momentum and uncertainty behind who would come out. And while these two superstars are expected to win Taylor’s undisputed lightweight title in 2022, let’s not forget on paper what that match really is. Serrano, who won seven weights between 118 and 140 pounds, is the most decorated champion in the history of women’s boxing. Taylor, meanwhile, is recognized as the best female boxer at the moment, from a P4P perspective. When it comes to betting, and both of them are still in their physical age, it wouldn’t be a hyperbole to call it the biggest fight women’s boxing has ever seen. He also has the potential to be a tremendous playwright considering his aggressive style, as Taylor rarely takes a step back and Serrano has been known to carry his power with him at every stop on the scale. If there was a fight to premiere the much-needed change in the women’s three-minute rounds, it would be this super-fight.

Honorable mentions: Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk / Anthony Joshua II winner, Naoya Inoue vs Nonito Donaire II, Canelo Alvarez vs David Benavidez, Shakur Stevenson vs Oscar Valdez, Stephen Fulton Jr. vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev