Listen up boxing fans!
Back by popular demand, Round By Round Boxing is bringing back the 12 Days of Boxing Edits. A few of the fights on our 2015 list came to fruition and hopefully even more get made in 2016.
Starting on Friday, December 25, RBRBoxing (on our website and Instagram) will post one fight that our staff has voted on that they want to see next year. In essence, it’s our 12 Days of Christmas wish list!
All the photo edits will be done by @Lorin.Elise, @KeystoneBox, @LiamBradyMedia and @FightGauge.
We want to hear all of the matchups you want to see next year so leave a comment below. Bookmark this page and check back each day for our new entry starting on Christmas Day!
12. Sergey Kovalev
vs.
Adonis Stevenson
Kicking off our 12 Days of Boxing for 2016 is a Light Heavyweight unification matchup that made our wish list last year as well, Sergey Kovalev vs. Adonis Stevenson.
Kovalev scored solid victories over Jean Pascal and Nadjib Mohammedi in 2015 while Stevenson earned uninspiring wins over Sakio Bika and Tommy Karpency.
Both men claim the fight will happen in 2016, so let’s hope this doesn’t land on next year’s wish list as well.
Photo edit by Liam Brady
11. Tyson Fury
vs.
Deontay Wilder
Coming in at No. 11 on RBRBoxing’s 12 Days of Boxing wish list for 2016 is a Heavyweight unification clash between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.
Two of the biggest personalities of the division also happen to hold most of the belts, including the lineal title which Fury claimed by defeating Wladimir Klitschko.
Wilder went 3-0 in 2015, including winning the WBC title over Bermane Stiverne to start the year.
If this fight goes down in 2016, who wins?
Photo edit by Liam Brady
10. Keith Thurman
vs.
Errol Spence
Keith Thurman vs. Errol Spence lands at No. 10 on RBRBoxing’s 12 Days of Boxing wish list for 2016.
Both men are undefeated, had impressive showings in 2015 and also exchanged some not-so-friendly words regarding a potential scrap. Some folks–including Thurman–have said that Spence is too young, but the young gun from Texas has stated that he is ready for the top-tier opponents of the Welterweight division, and that includes Thurman.
If a bout between Thurman and Shawn Porter falls through, we definitely would be on board with a Thurman vs. Spence fight.
If “One Time” and “The Truth” tangle in 2016, who wins?
Photo edit by Keystone Boxing
9. James DeGale
vs.
Badou Jack
Coming in at No. 9 on RBRBoxing’s 12 Days of Boxing wish list for 2016 is James DeGale vs. Badou Jack.
Although there are other lucrative–and probably easier–matchups out there for each man, Jack has already said this fight will happen next year “for sure” (per Sky Sports).
DeGale called out Jack after his most recent victory over Lucian Bute and according to the Daily Mail a clash between the champions could happen in April.
On paper, this is definitely one of the most exciting matchups that could happen in the Super Middleweight division.
If this unification bout happens in early 2016, who wins?
Photo edit by Fight Gauge
8. Terence Crawford
vs.
Viktor Postol
Terence Crawford vs. Viktor Postol comes in at No. 8 on RBRBoxing’s 12 Days of Boxing wish list for 2016.
While many people picked Postol to fall at the hands of Lucas Matthysse earlier this year, the fact is that the undefeated Ukrainian solidified his status as one of the best 140-pound fighters in the world by stopping “The Machine” and picking up the coveted green belt in the process.
Crawford followed up his monstrous 2014 with two solid victories over Thomas Dulorme and Dierry Jean and is now looking for a big matchup in 2016 after a potential scrap versus Manny Pacquiao in April has fallen by the wayside.
Both champions fight under the Top Rank banner so a title unification bout can easily be made unless Bob Arum wants to “let it simmer” like he’s done with other fights in the past.
If the WBO title holder Crawford and the WBC title holder Postol meet in 2016, who wins?
Photo edit by Keystone Boxing
7. Guillermo Rigondeaux
vs.
Vasyl Lomachenko
On the sixth day of Christmas the boxing Gods sent to me… four gold medals, two amateur legends, one Ukrainian and one Cuban.
Not exactly how the song goes, but with all the amateur accolades you could ever ask for (and some solid victories at the pro level) Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. Vasyl Lomachenko lands at No.7 on RBRBoxing’s 12 Days of Boxing wish list for 2016.
Both camps were in talks for the matchup to take place in 2015, but for whatever reason (Bob Arum says it’s mostly Rigondeaux’s promoter Caribe Promotions getting in the way), both sides could not come to an agreement.
Both fighters have stated that they want the fight, and Arum told USA Today in October that he would “die to do that fight.”
So, before the Bob Father croaks, make the fight, please!
If the two Olympic legends face off at 126 pounds (where Lomachenko resides as WBO champion), who wins?
Photo edit by Lorin Elise
6. Roman Gonzalez
vs.
Juan Francisco Estrada
Dropping in at No. 6 on RBRBoxing’s 12 Days of Boxing wish list for 2016 is a fight that we wished for last year as well, a rematch between Roman Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada.
“Chocolatito” and “El Gallo” battled it out in 2012, but with little fanfare in the United States, that fight flew under the radar.
Since then, both fighters have gone undefeated and have had tons of success. Estrada defeated Brian Viloria in 2013 to capture the WBA Super World Flyweight title and the WBO World Flyweight title, while Gonzalez won the WBC World Flyweight title in 2014 with a victory over Akira Yaegashi.
Gonzalez and Estrada are the top two ranked 112-pound fighters in the world (per TBRB and The Ring rankings) and the rematch would undoubtedly be a bigger spectacle.
If Gonzalez and Estrada battle it out in 2016, who wins?
Photo edit by Lorin Elise
5. Gary Russell Jr.
vs.
Leo Santa Cruz
Dropping in at No. 5 on RBRBoxing’s 12 Days of Boxing wish list for 2016 is a highly anticipated bout and certainly one of the top PBC fights that can be made; WBC Featherweight champion, Gary Russell Jr. vs. Leo Santa Cruz.
After suffering his first loss at the hands of Vasyl Lomachenko in 2014, Russell Jr. made an emphatic return in 2015 with a fourth-round TKO stoppage of Jhonny Gonzalez to win the WBC title.
Santa Cruz had been ridiculed for facing lower-tier opposition, but with his victory over Abner Mares in 2015, Santa Cruz proved that he belongs in the conversation of the best Featherweight fighters in the world.
Who wins Russell Jr. vs. Santa Cruz?
Photo edit by Keystone Boxing
4. Keith Thurman
vs.
Shawn Porter
Coming in at No. 4 is matchup between “One Time” and “Showtime.”
2015 was a big year for both Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter. Thurman won Premier Boxing Champions’ Fighter of the Year based on his victories over Robert Guerrero and Luis Collazo.
Porter, who many people argued should have won the PBC award, went 2-0 in 2015 as well with his biggest victory coming over Adrien Broner.
A Thurman vs. Porter matchup was rumored to be set for December of last year, but that fell through for undisclosed reasons.
The fight seems like a no brainer for 2016–but strange things happen in boxing when a can’t-miss fight is on the table.
Who wins Thurman vs. Porter if it happens in 2016?
Photo edit by Lorin Elise
3. Sergey Kovalev
vs.
Andre Ward
We’re down to the last few fights on RBRBoxing’s 12 Days of Boxing wish list for 2016.
Coming in at No. 3 is another matchup involving “The Krusher” Sergey Kovalev, this time against the former WBC, WBA, lineal and The Ring magazine Super Middleweight champion, Andre Ward.
Ward recently signed a three-fight deal with HBO, which is supposed to culminate in a mega fight with most dangerous man at 175 pounds.
Ward is setting out an ambitious path for himself in 2016, but if this fight happens, the winner could emerge as the pound-for-pound king of boxing.
Who wins Kovalev vs. Ward at 175 pounds?
Photo edit by Keystone Boxing
2. Kell Brook
vs.
Amir Khan
Coming in at No. 2 on RBRBoxing’s 12 Days of Boxing wish list for 2016 is high profile UK showdown between undefeated IBF Welterweight champion Kell Brook and Amir Khan.
Brook dominated his opposition in 2015 and has been vocal about trying to land a fight with Khan.
Khan had another frustrating year in 2015, fighting only one time in a tougher-than-expected victory over Chris Algieri.
Khan was once again looked over for a fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2015 and most recently Manny Pacquiao, so a fight against Brook is definitely the highest profile fight available to him.
If this fight can finally happen in 2016, who wins?
Photo edit by Liam Brady
1. Canelo Alvarez
vs.
Gennady Golovkin
Coming at No. 1 on RBRBoxing‘s 12 Days of Boxing wish list for 2016 is a “Mexican Style” Middleweight unification bout between WBC and lineal Middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and IBF, IBO and WBA Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.
Both men staked their claim as two of boxing’s best in 2015 with marquee victories.
Both sides have agreed to interim bouts with a potential clash taking place in September.
If Canelo vs. GGG happens in 2016, who wins?
Photo edit by Liam Brady
