Thread: Ten Great Fights That Should Happen in 2010

by James Slater - 2009 is almost over, and overall it was a good 12 months for boxing. However, as many great fights as were made in 2009, many potential match-ups sadly went unsigned. In this year-end article, I list ten fights that I'd love to see made in the coming 12 months.

From a purely selfish standpoint, the following (randomly listed) are the ten rumbles I want to see in 2010. See if you agree!

1: Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Junior. An obvious choice, and hopefully a super-fight that will still go ahead despite the mess the hugely sought after fight is currently in. This one would be massive in terms of hype and it's highly likely the action would match the pre-fight stuff. If the welterweight mega-match doesn't happen, our sport will have severe problems living it down..

2: David Haye-Vitali or Wladimir Klitschko. Another obvious choice (imagine the flak I'd get if I left it off the list as a result!), loudmouth WBA champ Haye against either of the two giants would really be a highlight for the boxing fixtures of 2010. Is "The Hayemaker" as good as he says he is? Are the two brothers ready to be taken, their time of dominance over? Will the fight(s) end with a violent KO? These questions and others will be answered if Haye gets it on with one or both of the two "Doctors."

3: Paul Williams-Kelly Pavlik. One that got away from us in 2009, this hugely intriguing middleweight clash could, and hopefully will, happen in 2010. Hagler-Hearns, originally set for 1982, took three years to make, and maybe Pavlik-Williams will also prove to have been a fight that took a long time coming. Sure to be a real war with possibly multiple knockdowns, this match-up would thrill millions!

4: Chris Arreola-David Tua. A number of fans and experts have called for this fight long before me, and I agree how it would be a heavyweight slugfest that would dominate the heavyweight calendar as far as thrills in 2010. Not as significant as a Klitschko-Haye title fight, a battle between the two bangers who love to rumble would be a greater fight in all likelihood. Is it going too far to suggest Arreloa-Tua could be a modern day version of Foreman-Lyle? There's only one way to find out!

5: Amir Khan-Kevin Mitchell. An all-British super-fight that would be far, far better than a Khan-Ricky Hatton showdown. Mitchell, a fighter capable of slugging and - as we saw in his highly impressive points win over Breidis Prescott - boxing masterfully, could well be Britain's next boxing star. A fight between he and the also peaking Khan, at either 135 or 140 (probably the latter) could decide which lower weight warrior from the UK goes on to dominate for the years to come. Would we see a chess match or would we see a savage tear-up? Fingers crossed we find out.

6: Manny Pacquiao-Edwin Valero. Apologies for listing two Pacquiao fights, but as a backup plan to the possibly dead-in-the-water Mayweather fight, Pac-Man Vs. the lethal and unbeaten Venezuelan banger is almost as mouth-watering a prospect. Valero has been calling for the fight for a while now, and as big as he is, a move up to 140 would be realistic. With no way this fight could either go the distance or be in any way less than thrilling, who wouldn't want to see it - even if it had to take place in Texas or even outside the U.S?

7: Yuriorkis Gamboa-Juan Manuel Lopez. These two primed and peaking warriors are set to share their second card in January, when they meet Rogers Mtagwa and Steve Luevano, respectively, and if they both win the plan is for them to meet later in the year. Hopefully, neither guy will lose on Jan. 23rd, because this potential showdown has "classic" written all over it. Both guys are fast, skilled and they can both hit like hell. What's not to like?

8: Kendall Holt-Ricardo Torres III. These two light-welterweights gave us two great and highly controversial battles, the first in 2007, the second in 2008. Tied up at 1-1 as they are, Torres and Holt should actually have met again by now, as we know. Hopefully they will rumble in a decider in 2010. Very evenly matched and each having plenty to moan about due to the way they lost to the other, neither "Mochuelo" nor "Rated R" will feel satisfied until they've fought their rubber-match. Neither will the fans!

9: Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley. Again, an incredibly high quality back up plan of a fight in case the Mayweather-Pac-Man fight doesn't come off. I know there's not much chance of this match-up taking place, as "Sugar" has been asking for it, to no avail, for a long time - but this is a wish list, after all! Both guys are incredibly fast and highly skilled and they have a healthy dislike for one another. Both men are possible candidates for the 00's fighter of the decade (another article all by itself, that) and it would be fitting if they met in the first year of a new decade. Another fight with "classic" scrawled all over it!

10: Wladimir Klitschko-Vitali Klitschko. Talk about another fight that has next to no chance of happening! But who wouldn't want to watch this if it did ever happen? And who wouldn't be talking about it and having an opinion on it? A Klitschko-Klitschko showdown would almost certainly capture the imagination of millions the world over. In the past, the two brothers have spoken about this fight and how it could happen. Sure, it's highly likely both giants were messing with us, but who knows for sure? As to who'd win - I'd call this "dream fight" a pick 'em affair!

Originally Posted by maniclion

Whatever happened with that Mike Tyson v Kimbo thing did it ever happen or was it rumors? If it hasn't happened I'd love to see that....

Mike Tyson moves more like Redd Foxx in his Sanford and Sons days than the vicious knockout artist we all knew and loved. He's built like him too: