I am an advocate for undisputed with the belief that each weight class should have only 1 champion like many other fans and hence this list is going to be influenced based on that.
Beterbiev – Bivol:- So Light heavyweight has been able to garner some attention after a very long time thanks to guys like Beterbiev and Bivol. Bivol beating Canelo which came as a surprise for many including myself considering the run Canelo was on, never saw that result coming but Bivol showed there are weight classes in boxing for a reason. With him holding the WBA belt, there is only one fight that needs to be made, the guy who is the boogeyman at light heavyweight, the baddest man on the planet and the most destructive puncher in the world in Beterbiev. Beterbiev holds the WBC, IBF and WBO belts and is the only world champion in the sport with a 100% KO ratio. Beterbiev-Bivol would be billed as a puncher against the boxer. But then you hear talks like WBC forcing Beterbiev to fight his mandatory in Callum Smith which is comical. Also then there are talks of Canelo who would mess things up by him fighting Bivol next which is again laughable. Let for once keep all the egos and business aside from all promoters and fighters and put some brains in all sanctioning bodies for them to order Bivol- Beterbiev for an undisputed.
Usky – Fury:- This looks close to being done with the announcement imminent and the venue being the only obstruction based on what’s being reported. At least that’s some good news and if this gets made, we have to credit both fighters Usyk and Fury for getting the negotiations done and fighting for undisputed.
Spence – Crawford:- This drama continues. We are in the year 2023 and this fight still hasn’t been made and we still don’t know who the best is at 147. There were high hopes when Crawford left Top Rank and became his own promoter that this fight would be made. With Spence beating Ugas in his last fight and adding WBA belts to his collection of IBF and WBC. Talks started to then have the undisputed fight against the WBO champ Crawford last year. Even the negotiations had started but then suddenly it all came to an end with both parties blaming each other for ridiculous demands. The fact that the welterweight division has been kept on hold just because of these 2 guys goes to show the state the sport is in. Fans have been begging for this fight to be made for such a long time. The reason being clear is that it’s such a close fight to call with both fan bases not quite sure how this fight plays out unless you see them in the ring. Not only have they not fought each other, but they also have not even fought the 2nd and 3rd ranked guys in Boots and Ortiz. They have kept this division on hold. With Crawford fighting meaningless opponents and continuing to do so with his last opponent being Avanesyan and Spence moving up at 154 to fight Thurman without unifying all the belts at 147 makes no sense. Spence-Crawford is doing its best to eclipse the Mayweather-Pacquiao drama. For once they should take a step back and think of what their legacies would look like down the line if they end up not fighting each other. This fight would be on top of every fan’s wishlist and I just hope this happens at last in 2023.
Haney – Loma:- With Haney became undisputed by beating Kambosos and then defending against Kambosos. It’s time for Haney to fight the best and toughest names in the division and prove that he deserves to be undisputed. Fans have the right to the question Does Haney deserves to be undisputed? The fact that the following names Loma, Haney, Shakur, Tank and Ryan haven’t fought each other, This fight is a must that needs to be made and get the division going with the winner of this fight can then think of taking on the winner of Tank-Ryan.
Tank – Ryan:- This is just a fan-favourite fight. It’s not for any undisputed belt but still might be the biggest PPV of 2023 eclipsing all the fights mentioned here in terms of numbers. It’s that kind of fight which would bring a lot of attention to the sport, exactly what is needed and has been missing from the sport for a while. Hope this gets announced very soon. This is the need of the hour for boxing fans and I have talked about this in detail in my following blog in case you want to give it a read Tank vs Ryan – Need of the Hour for Boxing fans.
Wilder – Joshua:- Well this was a fight at one point which would have done huge PPV numbers and would have decided who the heavyweight king 👑 was. They both were undefeated at one point and would have been an electric fight but boxing gods had other plans. Joshua losing to Usyk twice and Wilder losing to Fury have brought Wilder and Joshua to the similar stage of their career. Now they both would be fighting to prove who the 3rd best heavyweight is. With both fighters being KO artists, this fight would still be electric and a spectacle with not going beyond 6 rounds in my opinion and ending in vicious KO. This fight would bring back those glory days of heavyweight boxing and what they were famous for “The KO’s”.
Let me know your thoughts on which fights must happen in 2023 and do you agree with my list?
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