Five boxing fights we want to see in 2022

2021 is entering the final rounds, but 2022 is already warming up with exciting fights on the horizon.

Thanks to a mix of big fights finally happening and an influx of new fans to partake in the sweet science, boxing can only get bigger in 2022. These are the five fights that’ll make it happen.

5. Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano II

Charlo and Castano fought to a spirited draw in one of 2020's best fights, leaving their business unsettled and delaying the crowning of an undisputed junior middleweight champion.

Their February rematch is all but set to happen, and the stakes are just as high. The eventual winner will become the undisputed champion in one of the sport’s deepest divisions, making them impossible to ignore when making pound-for-pound lists.

Boxing fans couldn’t ask for a better start to the 2022 calendar.

4. Vasyl Lomachenko vs. George Kambosos

When Kambosos shockingly handed Teofimo Lopez his first loss and became the main man at lightweight, many expected Lomachenko to be at the front of the line for his first defense.

Lomachenko has looked nothing short of spectacular in his two fights since losing his belts to Lopez in 2020. If Kambosos is not just a one-hit wonder, as most major upset winners are, this could be a sensational bout.

Pitting boxing’s biggest Cinderella story against its most revered tacticians is a fascinating narrative that might produce a good scrap.

3. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs. Naoya Inoue

If “Godzilla vs. Kong” taught us anything in 2021, it’s that the only way to beat one monster is to send another one right at them.

That would certainly be the story behind two of boxing’s best bruisers in the lighter weight classes clashing for Inoue’s bantamweight title some time in 2022.

With bantamweight devoid of meaningful competition for Inoue, having Sor Rungvisai make the small move up the scales would give fight fans a war of attrition that can’t be missed. Inoue and Sor Rungvisai would batter each other for the duration of their bout, and it’d be a beauty to watch.

2. Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk

The boxing world was set ablaze when news broke out that Fury and then champion Anthony Joshua neared a deal to crown the heavyweight division’s first undisputed champion in over 20 years, only for politics and circumstances to tank it.

While we did get two excellent nights in boxing in Fury’s victory over Deontay Wilder and Usyk’s dismantling of Joshua, it also has left us with a forgone conclusion: Fury and Usyk must fight.

Stylistically, this one would be hard on the eyes due to the tactical styles of both, but this would be a huge fight for historical circumstances.

1. Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford

Recapturing the top spot from last year’s list only underscores how big Spence vs. Crawford has become.

Matters intensified after Crawford blitzed Shawn Porter last November. Now free from his promotional commitments to Top Rank, the path to a Spence fight is clearer than ever.

With Spence having no other avenue to pursue that is more lucrative than a fight with Crawford, now is as good a time as any for these generational rivals to finally clash and crown themselves as boxing’s pound-for-pound king.