Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury the biggest super fight to be made along with Terence Crawford vs Canelo

08/22/2024 06:48 AM

There are several seismic showdowns that could be made in boxing today.

The sport finds itself in the best position it has been in for the last 20 years thanks to Saudi Arabia entering the boxing sphere.

Throughout the modern era, the biggest criticism levelled at boxing is that the biggest fights often never happen or take place past their sell-by dates.

There are countless examples of huge bouts that didn’t come to fruition for one reason or another in recent years.

Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder, Miguel Cotto vs Ricky Hatton, and Floyd Mayweather vs Kostya Tszyu are among the many much-anticipated clashes to be cast into the boxing graveyard of the 21st century.

But when Turki Alalshikh, a committed boxing fan with vast resources, entered the fold the big fights started rolling in.

Over the past 12 months, the Saudi boxing chief has helped fund an undisputed heavyweight title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, an unprecedented Queensberry-Matchroom 5 vs 5 tournament, and a mouthwatering all-heavyweight bill topped by Joshua.

Meanwhile, there is still plenty more to come including Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol’s long-awaited four-belt shootout in October.

With all of that in mind, talkSPORT.com has compiled a list of the biggest fights to be made in boxing right now.

These aren’t necessarily the most significant contests, rather they are the ones that will generate the most money.

So as much as hardcore boxing fans are clambering to see Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani, it isn’t a fight that will make it onto this list, purely because it is unlikely to be a massive pay-per-view success outside of Japan.

By contrast, these five fights will undoubtedly draw massive attention from around the world.

Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury

Even after both men fell to defeat against Usyk, Joshua vs Fury is still the biggest fight in British boxing, which is a testament to the magnitude of the event.

The massive domestic dust-up has fallen by the wayside on several occasions but fans are finally on the cusp of seeing the heavyweight titans collide.

If Joshua can beat Daniel Dubois on September 21 and Fury can avenge his loss to Usyk three months later, then HE Alalshikh insists Joshua vs Fury will happen next.

Eddie Hearn, the Matchroom boxing chairman, has admitted it is the biggest fight to make.

“We have to keep delivering the very best product,” he told Sky Sports. We need to do that fight. It's easier to make if Fury beats Usyk, because then if Joshua has beaten Daniel Dubois you've got the unification fight because Joshua will hold the IBF belt. There is no bigger fight in the world still than Fury and AJ."

Gervonta Davis vs Vasyl Lomachenko

This was undoubtedly a more exciting fight when Ukrainian slickster Lomachenko was at his peak five years ago, but given how long it has taken to get the fight over the line, that usually transfers well on the PPV scale.

For years, a loud section of boxing fans have insisted Loma’s style is Davis’ kryptonite but the only way to find out whether that is true is to get the intriguing clash signed, sealed and delivered.

Earlier this year, the pair were in negotiations to face each other but talks came to an abrupt halt when Lomachenko insisted he wouldn’t be competing again until 2025.

Canelo Alvarez vs David Benavidez

Boxing fans are desperate to see Canelo duke it out with Benavidez in the squared circle yet the former pound-for-pound king has shown little urgency in getting the fight on.

Canelo has made it clear that he won’t box Benavidez unless he receives a staggering $200m offer – a hefty sum that far exceeds his biggest payday.

Growing tired of waiting to box Canelo at super-middleweight, Benavidez recently moved up to light-heavyweight and is now next in line to box the winner of Beterbiev vs Bivol after beating Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the WBC ‘interim’ trinket in June.

Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia II

Davis and Ryan Garcia‘s inaugural encounter reportedly sold more than 1.2m PPV buys and amassed more than $100m in revenue.

A rematch would likely garner similar figures, especially if the controversial rehydration clause in Garcia’s contract is removed for the rematch.

At present, Garcia is banned from boxing by The New York State Athletic Commission until April 20, 2025 for a failed drugs test in his most recent outing against Devin Haney, but once that is cleared the biggest fight he can come back to a second shot at Davis.

Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford

It might not be as exciting a prospect as Canelo vs Benavidez but there is no doubting that a fight between the Mexican superstar and Crawford taps into the casual audience better.

Alalshikh once had the fight at the top of his boxing wishlist and was pushing hard for it.

However, a breakdown in communication between Canelo and the Saudis has left it in doubt.