Five Fights I’d Like To See In 2021

Here come that yearly fights I’d like to see piece that I must be honest with you all becomes a list of fights that never get made for 2021.

Boxing has a habit of making the fights we want to see never make the light of day. Whenever it is the business of boxing, sanctioning bodies, money, and various other politics, every time these lists are made, it just comes off as fantasy booking, much like when I was riding a flying unicorn over the rainbow. That, too, was stopped abruptly by the morning alarm bell.

Compound that problem with these lists of fights we want to see in 2021 is the pandemic wiped out a chance for a  live gate to make some of the dream matchups behind fans even remotely possible. Anyone expecting to see Anthony Joshua take on Tyson Fury in a “bubble environment” must have a bankroll that can afford to happen (and needs to contact us at Big Fight Weekend). So I make this list with the idea that these fights ALL need to be behind fans even to be remotely possible to take place.

So here is the list of five fights that I’d like to see happen in 2021, and hopefully, these come to light.

Here is the list of #boxing fights in 2021 I want to see:

1. Good ones

Wish I had a longer list for you all #tuesdayvibe

— Marquis Johns (@weaksauceradio) December 29, 2020

1.  Tyson Fury versus Deontay Wilder

This is your number one Marquis? Seriously?

Yes.

It’s my number one, and I hope it happens for the simple reason, we’d get a slew of a definite number of answers from two of the biggest trash talkers in the sport. Yes, Fury looked to have beaten Wilder in the first two fights. Yes, I know Fury has talked about moving on to hopefully taking on Anthony Joshua. Yes, I know the third fight is the law of diminishing returns, and no, I  don’t believe in any of the stupid glove theories or any other nonsense that Fury cheated.

But I still believe in Wilder’s right hand and the three seconds that he ends the fight still if he lands it. I would like to see a rematch for the WBC title he held for five years before losing to Fury last February.

2. Edgar Berlanga versus a live body.

Edgar Berlanga has been in 16 fights for 16 knockouts and 16 rounds total. It is the textbook definition of “get in and get out.”

The names those wins have in common the names of the favorable opposition he has blown out is a who’s who of who this. No, seriously, Gyorgy Varju, Cesar Nunez, Eric Moon, Aaron Garcia, and Ulises Sierra are names you’ll only see probably together in this story outside of Berlanga’s Boxrec.

As a Top 10 guy now ranked by a few sanctioning bodies, I’d like to see him at least in some serious step-up competition. They keep floating the name of Gabe Rosado out there for him, and I’d rather sit in rush hour traffic than that. The fight I’d rather see for him is Steve Nelson, which I think makes more sense as a whole.

3. Josh Taylor taking on Jose Ramirez for the undisputed crown at 140.

Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez are set to take on each other at some point for all the titles at junior welterweight once they figure out how Ramirez’s mandatory against Jack Catterall. We all knew of the mandatory bouts that would delay this fight, but the pandemic has pushed it out even longer. Once that fight is out of the way, we get one of the more anticipated fights on everyone’s list from 2020 to come to fruition.

4. Jean Pascal in a rematch against Badou Jack.

One of the best fights of 2019 that I could attend ringside made everyone’s Top Ten list that year was the slugfest between Jean Pascal winning a close split decision against Badou Jack. While the State Farm Arena in Atlanta thought Jack won and let Jimmy Lennon Jr. know about it once he said “and still…”, this fight was one that could’ve gone either way and was an absolute treat. They were n talks before the pandemic to get this one ran back, and hopefully, that leads to this one back in the ring in 2021.

5.Errol Spence taking on Manny Pacquiao

But what about Terence Crawford-Spence?  I’m legit over the idea of that fight happening as we have written and countless others about that fight. If it happens, great, but the return of Pacquiao into the ring off his victory against Keith Thurman is what I’d like to see next and at least has a shot of happening.

Spence coming off his win against Danny Garcia to retain the WBC and IBF titles at welterweight realistically has two ways. Move up in weight r stay around for Pacquiao.  Pacquiao is the name everyone at 147 wants to get in the ring with, and if I’m in the camp, if it isn’t a rematch with Thurman, Spence is the next man up.