Right here’s a thought experiment for boxing followers who love an excellent “what if?” Identical to the infinite debate in regards to the Path Blazers passing on Michael Jordan for Sam Bowie in basketball, boxing typically accepts outcomes as remaining. Let’s problem that mindset. Listed below are 5 what-if situations from 2019 onward that would have reshaped the boxing world, whereas evaluating them to see respectable motion pictures.
What If #1: Teofimo Lopez by no means misplaced to George Kambosos Jr., and Vasiliy Lomachenko fought Devin Haney in 2019? Think about Struggle Membership meets Sliding Doorways. On this state of affairs, the important thing choice was two-fold: Kambosos’ upset win over Lopez and the dearth of a pre-pandemic struggle between Haney and Lomachenko. Image Lomachenko battling Haney in 2019. No matter who wins, the logical subsequent step could be a conflict with Lopez. Erase Kambosos’ victory over Lopez, and immediately, light-weight boxing has a transparent path for epic showdowns. Haney’s extended sequence with Kambosos wouldn’t have occurred, and we would have seen Haney vs. Lomachenko sooner or Lopez at their peaks. Possibly Shakur Stevenson or Gervonta Davis? As a substitute, the division stays tangled in rematch clauses and star egos, akin to Ocean’s 11 with too many actors refusing to share the highlight.
What If #2: Anthony Joshua didn’t lose to Andy Ruiz Jr. and fought Deontay Wilder as an alternative? That is The Departed – a single pivotal motion adjustments every thing. If Joshua had prevented defeat by Ruiz in 2019, he’d be gearing up for a serious showdown with Deontay Wilder. Wilder had simply come off a dramatic knockout of Dominic Breazeale and a draw with Tyson Fury, whereas Joshua, regardless of some shaky performances, was nonetheless the following massive factor. Ruiz’s surprising win made Joshua beatable. If Joshua had received towards Ruiz, even narrowly, he and Wilder would have been on a collision course. As a substitute, Wilder confronted Luis Ortiz, misplaced twice to Fury, and Joshua dropped two fights to Usyk. The heavyweight division shifted from must-see to “What occurred to those guys?” with Usyk and Fury rising as the highest guys of the period, not Joshua and Wilder.
What If #3: Canelo Alvarez fought David Benavidez? Suppose The Godfather Half III of boxing what-ifs. One thing individuals bear in mind, however possibly not fondly. Canelo’s profession will attain legendary standing identical to The Godfather, though the struggle towards Benavidez would possibly function the ending of Godfather Half III to his profession. A bout between these two might need solidified Alvarez’s legacy as not simply one of the best of his period however probably the best Mexican boxer ever. Now, plainly ship has sailed. Canelo, like an getting older rock star on a reunion tour, is content material combating whoever he chooses. Benavidez, in the meantime, stays a promising expertise with no main take a look at. His losses of the WBC tremendous middleweight belt, as soon as as a result of scale and as soon as resulting from a drug take a look at (a leisure drug), might have paved the way in which for this struggle. As a substitute, we’re left speculating about what might have been, feeling more and more detached as time passes, very like the anticipation of Lennox Lewis vs. Riddick Bowe – nice on paper however finally by no means occurring within the professionals. The one distinction, we bought Lewis-Bowe within the Olympics, we by no means noticed Alvarez-Benavidez earlier than.
What If 3b: Canelo Alvarez Will get Praised for Not Preventing David Benavidez?
Right here’s a wild thought: What if the world really praised Alvarez for not combating Benavidez as a savvy enterprise transfer? Give it some thought. Floyd Mayweather bought every kind of affection for stringing out the Manny Pacquiao struggle, dragging it by a half-decade of will-they-won’t-they drama, after which cashing in for a file payday. It wasn’t simply boxing ability; it was a masterclass in enterprise. Mayweather knew precisely learn how to squeeze each final drop from the struggle, enjoying chess whereas the remainder of the game was caught on checkers.
Now, Canelo? He will get slightly little bit of that reward, however not fairly to the identical extent. Certain, he’s bought his loyal followers and a fats paycheck each time he steps within the ring, however he’s not getting the identical “genius businessman” narrative that Floyd had. May or not it’s that Mayweather was the pioneer in dragging out fights simply as social media was blowing up, giving him that excellent storm of hype? (Aspect notice: bear in mind when Floyd was plugging that “Pictures App” throughout the Andre Berto post-fight presser, labeling it ‘the anti-bullying app’? That was peak Cash Mayweather.)
With Canelo, it’s totally different. As a substitute of a collective pat on the again for milking the clock on a Benavidez showdown, there’s this sense of bitter indifference.
That is boxing’s model of Warmth – two elite skills at their peak, circling one another like De Niro and Pacino at Kate Mantilini’s, but the struggle nonetheless hasn’t occurred. Terence Crawford and Jaron Ennis in the identical ring could be a welterweight fan’s dream. However as thrilling because the matchup sounds, it’s caught within the traditional boxing limbo of “possibly subsequent 12 months” and infinite negotiations, and even worse – no talks in any respect.
On paper, it is a blockbuster. Crawford’s a seasoned 36, a pound-for-pound king, whereas Ennis is the rising 27-year-old star, hungry for his defining second. However that age hole makes it really feel slightly too good to be true, like watching Pacino and De Niro in The Irishman – you simply want it occurred a couple of years earlier. Ennis hasn’t actually fought anybody with Crawford’s stage of expertise, and that’s in all probability what’s protecting this struggle from getting made. , the entire “he’s bought to show himself first” argument we at all times hear in boxing.
Nonetheless, it is a kind of matchups you possibly can’t assist however think about. Followers are already salivating over it, the identical manner they get enthusiastic about Vergil Ortiz vs. Ennis. Crawford vs. Ennis has that “now or by no means” vitality. If it simply occurred, it might outline the following period of welterweight boxing. However for now, we’re caught ready, hoping it doesn’t flip into one other struggle that fizzles – making us say ‘what-if.’
What If #5: Kenshiro Teraji didn’t get knocked out? For the hardcore followers, that is the Kaiser Soze of what-ifs. Teraji, a junior flyweight champion with 12 title defenses, was knocked out by Masamichi Yabuki in 2021. Though he avenged the loss in model, that knockout might have had extra important repercussions. With out that defeat, Teraji might need been in line for high-profile fights towards Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez or Juan Francisco Estrada (sure, he’d transfer previous his ultimate weight lessons, however it would nonetheless be talked about). As a substitute, it’s like The Traditional Suspects ending – leaving us craving extra particulars and questioning how Teraji’s unbeaten standing might need affected potential matchups, similar to a struggle with Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.
