By – Justin Jones & Brian Jones: You may recall our previous plea to Push Boxing Forward back in 2021 in which we called for the boxing powers that be to put their agendas aside and make the fights the boxing fans wanted.
While a couple of the matchups we outlined came to fruition, the vast majority never materialized and are still in play today. Our position then and now remains the same, “the best vs the best equals success”.
Honestly speaking, we were worried about the long-term survival of the sport we have adored for 75 years combined, but thankfully, boxing’s buzz has slightly intensified over the last couple of years in a way that we could not have imagined. It is still quite shocking when you think about the fact that it has been social media influencers and elite foreign investors that have shaken up the sport and brought about much-needed change. Things have been altered financially, competitively, systemically, and programmatically, and to us, it is what boxing has been missing.
The days of fights not being made because of “promotional sides of the street”, network beefs, and record protection are seemingly over. And for those reasons, we have outlined four divisional tournaments that we believe will captivate the boxing world.
We are proposing that these tourneys – official or unofficial – take place over the next 18 to 24 months and feature several of boxing’s glamour divisions, including Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, Junior Welterweight, and Lightweight. We arrived at these four divisions after establishing a clear criteria based upon fighter rankings within the divisions (e.g., pound-for-pound status), world champions, star power (e.g., pay-per-view draw, live gate data, viewership statistics, etc.), hall of fame candidacy, and strength of the actual matchups.
Without further ado, please take a moment to read through our tournaments, analysis, and predictions and let us know what you think in the comments and on social media:
#1 Light Heavyweight (175 Pounds) – The light heavyweight division right now in our opinion is boxing’s hottest division. No other division features three pound-for-pound elites – Dmitrii Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs), Artur Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs), and newcomer David Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs).
Wildcard: The wildcard in the division would be the sport’s biggest star – Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs). If he decided to rejoin the 175 lbs. ranks then it would alter our tournament for sure. We would bring Callum Smith (31-2, 22 KOs) into the fold and expand it to a six-man tourney. With Canelo tied up until September, the likelihood of him being able to compete is severely diminished, so we’ll just go with a final four for now:
Semifinals
- #1 Bivol vs #4 David Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs)
- # 2 Beterbiev vs 3 Benavidez
Justin’s Picks: Bivol by Unanimous Decision (UD). Bivol is better in every area except for maybe power. Bivol’s toolbox and championship pedigree will be too complex for the still green Morrell to solve. The only way Morrell could win in my opinion is by knockout and if Beterbiev could not do it in 24 rounds I do not see Morrell doing so.
Benavidez by majority decision. I’m going with the upset in this one as I see father time nipping at Beterviev’s heels. Benavidez is in his prime, locked in, looks really comfy at 175. His combination punching, work rate, and youth will wear down Beterbiev and allow him eek out a highly contested and brutal victory over the future 1st ballot hall of famer.
Final: Bivol by UD. This matchup has me super excited due to their contrasting styles and where they are in their careers. I believe Bivol’s ability to fight in any way – probably only second to Terence “Bud” Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) – gives him a slight advantage over the bull-like style Benavidez brings to the ring. Benavidez will push Bivol to his limits, but Bivol’s footwork and ring generalship enable him to stay undisputed.
Brian’s Picks: Bivol by UD over Morrell. Though Morrell will be heavily motivated to prove to the world that he is the new king of the division, Bivol’s skills and experience will lead him to a decision victory. Beterbiev stops Benavidez by late technical knockout (TKO) in a possible fight of the year (FOTY) candidate.
Final: Bivol outpoints Beterbiev for the split decision victory. Beterbiev will start faster in this fight and land a shot in the early rounds that stuns Bivol, but as we have seen before, Bivol will weather the storm and be victorious in the trilogy match.
#2 Lightweight (135 Pounds) – The lightweight division is another star-studded glamour division in boxing which features one of boxing’s biggest pay-per-view stars in Gervonta “Tank” Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs), and fellow pound-for-pound and arch nemesis Shakur Stevenson (23-0, 11 KOs). We’ve been waiting for the top guys to mix it up for a few years, and there is no better time than the present to see who the king of the hill is.
Wildcard: If Vasyl Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) were to retire or maintain his inactivity, then William Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) would step into the fourth seed unless Lamont Roach’s (25-1-2, 10 KOs) continues campaigning at 135. If so, we’d have a fourth seed “fight in” bout to determine the tournament’s fourth seed.
Semifinals
- #1 T. Davis vs #4 K. Davis (13-0, 9 KOs)
- # 2 Stevenson vs #3 Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs)
Justin’s Picks: Tank by late TKO. Keyshawn is a rising star with tons of potential, but it is too soon to throw him in there with Tank, he needs a little more seasoning. Stevenson by UD. Lomachenko looked good in his last outing, but his inactivity and age are huge concerns for me. I know Stevenson has not been as dominant as expected lately, but I think a fight of this magnitude will bring out the best in him.
Finals: Stevenson by split decision. This will be a highly contested bout between two of the most talented and well-known boxers of this generation. Both guys will be on their A-game, but Stevenson’s defense and speed will be the difference in a razor-thin victory.
Brian’s Picks: Tank by knockout (KO) over Keyshawn. Although Tank’s last fight against Roach left much to be desired, I still see him winning this fight via late stoppage. Keyshawn’s size and repertoire lead him to success in the early rounds, but that success will be short-lived after being caught with a devasting KO blow from Tank in the later rounds. Stevenson defeats Lomachenko by decision in a fight that I would have predicted Lomachenko would win if this was a few years back.
Final: Tank by TKO over Stevenson. This is another clear FOTY candidate, and it lives up to the hype. Tank struggles to hit Stevenson in the early rounds, but he eventually cuts off the ring and finds his mark, stopping him late with a ferocious flurry.
#3 Junior Welterweight (140 Pounds) – There are a ton of characters with big personalities at 140, some existing bad blood, and top-tier talent that makes things very interesting. Some might argue that the trash talk at the press conferences and social media banter would be more entertaining than some of the fights themselves and we agree.
Semifinals
- #1 Teófimó López (21-1, 13 KOs) vs #4 Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs)
- # 2 Richardson Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) vs #3 Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs)
Justin’s Picks: López by UD. I do not feel that López is as big of a puncher as we once thought, especially as he climbs the divisions, but he still has enough pop and explosiveness to get the job done. He will have to watch for Ryan Garcia’s left hook, but I think he can outbox Ryan and beat him to the punch. Devin Haney by UD. Many fighters don’t bounce back after a punishing beat down like Haney suffered versus Garcia, but I think Haney will learn from it and be sharper in the ring moving forward. He will utilize his jab and speed to neutralize Hitchins.
Final: Haney by UD. I see Haney becoming a unified champion once again with a dominant performance over López. His speed and movement will frustrate López and lead him to an 8-4 type performance.
Brian’s Picks: López by decision. The build-up to the fight will gain much interest, I’m sure, and hopefully, the action inside the ring matches that energy. López will potshot from the outside and use his movement to stay clear of Garcia’s deadly left hook, leading him to a unanimous decision. Hitchins upsets Haney by decision. Two words: hunger and confidence. Hitchins will be hungry to prove that he is the man at 140, while we will see if Haney has regained his confidence after his dramatic loss to Garcia.
Final: This fight would only make sense to take place in NY – the energy would be amazing. López will have to deal with some big shots and constant pressure, but his experience and forgotten power secure him a 7-5 UD.
#4 Heavyweight – Boxing’s biggest – pun intended – and most important division is closing out a mini-golden era with the likes of Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs), Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs), and Deontay Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) all past their primes and either entering retirement or on the verge of it which creates opportunity for the next crop of heavyweights. The division boasts the #1 pound-for-pound king in Oleksandr Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) and a few up-and-comers who have a chance to battle it out to decide who will be the division’s top guy in the future.
Semifinals
- #1 Usyk vs #4 Agit Kabayel (26-0, 18 KOs)
- # 2 Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) vs #3 Joseph Parker (36-3, 24 KOs)
Justin’s Picks: Usyk by UD. Usyk is not prime Usyk, but it’s still darn close. His strength of schedule has been incredible, and he continues to amaze me with each performance. Kabayel has solid skills, a good motor, and always comes to fight, but the pound-for-pound king will come out victorious and do so in a dominant fashion. Parker by split decision. Parker and Dubois are two of the most improved boxers in my opinion. I envision Dubois catching and dropping Parker within the first four rounds, then losing steam, allowing Parker to utilize his movement and jab to turn the momentum and secure a close victory to become a world champion again.
Final: Usyk by UD. The only person who can beat Usyk is Father Time. I think this will be his final fight, putting a stamp on an illustrious and perfect career that will land him in the Boxing Hall of Fame as a unanimous 1st ballot selection. Parker will be game, but the southpaw will use his angles and multi-level accurate punching to keep Parker at bay and behind on the cards over 12 rounds.
Brian’s Picks: Usyk by late stoppage. Kabayel looked great against Zhilel Zhang (27-3-1, 22 KOs), but unfortunately for him, Usyk is not Zhang. The undisputed champion will prove to be too much for the rising heavyweight and end this fight by TKO in the later rounds. Dubois by KO. Parker has looked great in his past few fights, and this one will look the same until it doesn’t. I see Parker being up on the cards early but getting caught around the 7th round and unable to beat the count.
Final: Dubois by TKO. In this rematch, I’m going with Dubois to stop Usyk late, handing him his first loss and claiming the undisputed heavyweight crown.
Once again, our call is to the fighters and the decision makers to keep the big fights, competitive cards, raucous arenas, multi-platform user experiences, high-quality productions coming. The fans and boxing community want you to “Make Boxing Great Again”.
Boxing deserves it. No turning back now.
Past Articles:
https://www.boxingnews24.com/2017/09/hot-takes-procon-%E2%97%8F-procon-canelo-vs-golovkin-jones-bros-react/
https://www.boxingnews24.com/2021/01/pro-con-lopez-davis-garcia-and-haney-will-make-lightweight-boxings-glamour-division-in-2021-jones-bros-debate/
Social Media – @jusjones29
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
This is an exciting proposal for bringing more excitement to boxing! Here’s a breakdown
Last Updated on 03/19/2025
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