We could be in for a special final quarter as far as this year’s remaining boxing schedule goes. There will be additional fights to come before 2022 is over and done with, yet right now, there are around six potential classics that range from mega-fight on down.
Which fight or fights from this bunch are YOU most looking forward to?:
Oleksandr Usyk Vs. Anthony Joshua II – August 20th
Andy Ruiz Vs. Luis Ortiz – September 4th
Claressa Shields Vs. Savannah Marshall – September 10th
Gennady Golovkin Vs. Canelo Alvarez III – September 17th
Joe Joyce Vs. Joseph Parker – September 24th
Conor Benn Vs. Chris Eubank Junior – October 8th
You have to agree this is quite a schedule, and to repeat, additional big fights are almost certain to be made before the year is done. So which of the above six fights excites, intrigues and pumps you up? And which of this dozen will you be paying to see? This Saturday’s massive rematch between Usyk and Joshua is an obvious can’t-miss fight. Who doesn’t want to see whether it will be repeat or revenge here?
It’s been a pretty slow year thus far as far as the heavyweight division is concerned, with just the Tyson Fury-Dillian Whyte fight from April being big. But we now have Usyk-AJ II, and then the Ruiz-Ortiz clash, and then Parker-Joyce – with both of these fights seemingly guaranteed slugfests. Can Ruiz get back to the top, or will old man Ortiz remind us all again why so many people look at him as the bogeyman of the division? Parker and Joyce have a touch of bad blood and both men are vowing to take the other out. We could get a lively September in the heavyweight ranks. And the two winners from these fights will be looking at far bigger things.
Is women’s boxing not your thing? Maybe it should be, and will be, on September 10, when the long-awaited grudge-fight between Shields and Marshall finally happens. Now, we are talking bad blood with this one! The trash-talk has been fun and now the two ladies need to back up the hype by giving us a great fight. Who wins this one? Might it be that for all her experience and class, Shields has allowed amateur nemesis Marshall to get under her skin?
GGG-Canelo III – what happens here? How much has 40 year old Golovkin got left? Will Canelo try TOO hard to get the KO he seems almost obsessed with getting? Has GGG gotten under Canelo’s skin? Fans seem pretty much split here, with half genuinely looking forward to the trilogy finale, and others feeling it will be the Canelo show and nothing much else. But might we get a surprise on September 17?
Benn and Eubank Jr have a history, in that their dads have a history, and the family name will be on the line in October. Is Benn just too small for Eubank, who has operated as high as super-middleweight, or will Eubank be too weight-drained on the night having made 157 (and not allowed to go back up past 162)?
If you could watch just one of the above half-dozen fights, which one would it be? Or maybe you have deep pockets and you plan on buying the lot!
