Fights in 2022 You Don’t Want to Miss
We’ve already been treated to some epic encounters in the ring this year, and there are more unmissable fights on the near horizon.
This past weekend alone has seen some great action as Ryan Garcia made a triumphant return to the ring after a 15-month layoff, winning a one-sided match against Ghana’s Emmanuel Tagoe; Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin celebrated his 40th birthday in style, knocking out Japan’s Ryota Murata after a slow start in Tokyo, so let’s check out some other exciting fights from the year so far, and look ahead at some upcoming events you don’t want to miss.
2022 – Highlights so far
We’re only in April, but 2022 is looking like a vintage year for boxing. Kell Brook and Amir Khan finally got it on – Brook ended the argument with a decisive TKO in round 6. Josh Warrington reclaimed his IBF featherweight title in devastating fashion with a 7th-round KO over Kiko Martinez. Both Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall won their respective bouts, and now look set to face one another. Leigh Wood upset Michael Conlan with a brutal 12th-round KO to retain his WBA featherweight title. And Josh Taylor won a hugely contentious split decision over Jack Catterall for the undisputed light-welterweight title.
Now, let’s see what we have in store for the rest of the year…
Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano, 30th April
This one is for all the marbles. A fight between the two has been on the cards for some time, and it’s fitting that it should take place at the iconic Madison Square Garden. Taylor hasn’t stopped winning but hasn’t looked quite as sharp as she did in recent fights. At 35 and 33 respectively, both could be approaching the latter part of their careers, so this is about legacy as much as anything else. Expect a stirring bout with vocal support (Taylor is Irish and Serrano Puerta Rican – both sets of fans should come out in force).
Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte, 23rd April
Wembley Stadium is the venue for this highly-anticipated heavyweight clash. After back-to-back knockout victories over Deontay Wilder, many expect Fury to make light work of Whyte, he can box, hit hard, and has an iron chin. But the “Bodysnatcher” has the hunger, the chin, and the work rate to make the fight competitive – several top boxing bookmakers have decent odds on both fighters. Whyte has also been denied a shot of the title many times and may feel that his time has come.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs, 7th May
Canelo, the top pound-for-pounder in the world right now, and the biggest box office star was hoping to move to cruiserweight to face Ilunga Makabu, after his quickfire unification of the super-middleweight division. Boxing politics being what it is, Makabu was forced into a mandatory defence, so Alvarez set his sights on WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. Canelo has been up this high in weight before, winning with a fearsome knockout of Russian juggernaut Sergei Kovalev, and will go into this a heavy favourite. But Bivol can bang and has 11 KO victories on his perfect 19-0 record, so shouldn’t be written off. Canelo will have the Mexican support in his corner too, as the fight takes place on Cinco De Mayo.
Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk 2, TBC
AJ lost his title against Ukrainian Usyk, who comprehensively out-boxed him over 12 rounds. The rematch was meant to take place last month, but Usyk returned to Ukraine to support the defence of the country. Now, the fight has been tentatively scheduled for June. Joshua will have to improve and use his size and weight to impose on his smaller opponent. Many experts believe he will need a knockout, such are Usyk’s boxing skills. But if AJ can refocus, apply the pressure, and take some risks to get his big shots unloaded, he’ll be right back in Fury’s sights.
Errol Spence vs Terence Crawford, TBC
This is a super fight waiting to happen. In fact, it really should have happened three years ago, but boxing politics being what they are, we’ve had to wait. But should Spence defeat Ugas, as he is predicted to do, 2022 could be the year for a welterweight showdown between the two Americans. And it’ll be a tough one to call – both are heralded as leading lights of their generation across all divisions. But ‘Bud’ Crawford has been out of the ring since November 2021, so he may choose to fit someone else. Let’s just hope this mouth-watering bout won’t go the same way as Pacquiao / Mayweather.
Heavyweight wait?
We’re going into the world of pure speculation here, but the time has come for a heavyweight showdown for all the marbles. At present, Oleksandr Usyk holds three belts and Fury one. Anthony Joshua has a chance to reclaim his titles from Usyk, and Fury is defending his against Whyte. Let’s assume that Fury beats Whyte – it’ll be fascinating to see him fight a quick, but small, a boxer like Usyk, although many believe he’ll walk through the skillful Ukrainian. And a bout with AJ would settle the Twitter beef between the two once and for all. Of course, this is assuming Whyte doesn’t upset the apple cart!
So, plenty of action to look forward to this year in boxing. The next few months look mouth-watering, with some potential classics on the way.