Big fights including the likes of David Haye v Tony Bellew, Danny Garcia v Keith Thurman, Anthony Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko and Canelo Alvarez v Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. have already made it across the line and are set to take place in the first half of the boxing calendar.
As speculation mounts as to which contests will join those mentioned, WBN looks at some of the most sought after clashes that will hopefully come to fruition in the latter part of 2017.
10. Terence Crawford v Manny Pacquiao:
Talk of a date being set aside in November, potentially for Pacquiao’s farewell fight has been bandied about, as Crawford is expected to move up to welterweight after his next bout.
9. Mikey Garcia v Jorge Linares:
The World Boxing Council have already set the wheels in motion for the fight to be ordered upon the completion on Linares v Crolla 2 next month, provided the Venezuelan comes through the rematch unscathed.
8. Vasyl Lomachenko v Guillermo Rigondeaux:
Lomachenko seems to be moving towards the lightweight limit as Rigondeaux remains at super-bantamweight where he’s by far and away the best fighter in the division. Hopefully, the contest could be made at a catchweight of around 126-127 pounds before the Ukrainian once again heads up in weight.
7. Manny Pacquiao v Conor McGregor:
Should talks between McGregor and Floyd Mayweather ultimately break down, a fight with Pacquiao is the next logical move for the two-weight UFC king.
6. Gennady Golovkin v James DeGale:
Many may believe Golovkin v DeGale shouldn’t be so high on the list, but as the boxing world screams out for ‘GGG’ to be tested, the Briton remains the number one at 168 pounds and would do just that should they eventually meet.
5. Anthony Joshua v Deontay Wilder:
THE biggest fight at heavyweight, without a shadow of a doubt, will be all the more sought after should Joshua impress sufficiently against Wladimir Klitschko in April.
4. Andre Ward v Sergey Kovalev II:
The first fight caused such controversy and has led to rumors Ward could retire. Being the current WBN P4P #1, Ward needs to capitalize on his success and prove to the world the first Kovalev win was no fluke.
3. Floyd Mayweather v Manny Pacquiao II:
A mass amount of fans, mainly on the Pacquiao side of the fence, see it an unfinished business. Mayweather is sure to return at some point, whilst Pacquiao still has a big point to prove against his arch-nemesis.
2. Gennady Golovkin v Canelo Alvarez:
Could be the biggest fight of the year should Golden Boy and K2 finally put pen to paper on a deal, which would see the best middleweight in the world crowned and fully open up the division once the dust settles.
1. Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor:
Taking huge column inches in the boxing press daily, seeing how the best UFC fighter does against the best boxer of a generation has a large quantity of appeal, which is mainly why the pair are being linked to a cross-codes bout worth at least $200m dollars.
*Other bouts considered for the list were Amir Khan v Kell Brook, Anthony Joshua v David Haye, Roman Gonzalez v Naoya Inoue and Leo Santa Cruz v Vasyl Lomachenko
