When the highly anticipated fight between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko fell through, fans were reminded of other potentially great fights that suffered the same fate.
From Lennox Lewis-Wladimir Klitschko, Prince Naseem Hamed-Juan Manuel Marquez, Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Kostya Tszyu, Mike Tyson-George Foreman, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-David Benavidez, the list goes on.
Here are seven of the biggest fights of the contemporary era that were considered possible but, for various reasons, never happened. Some of them are gone forever, but fingers crossed, others may still make it to the finish line.
- Sergey Kovalev vs. Adonis Stevenson
Russian Sergey Kovalev was one of the best fighters from 2013 to 2015, during which time he became the unified featherlight heavyweight champion after a unanimous decision in 12 rounds over Bernard Hopkins. On the other hand, Adonis Stevenson held the lineal title and the WBC belt at that time.
The duo were unstoppable at 175 pounds for a time, and a fight between the two seemed guaranteed to generate fireworks, but Stevenson reportedly decided to work with Al Haymon’s Showtime stable.
- Sergio Martinez fights Gennady Golovkin
Former middleweight titleholder Gennady “GGG” Golovkin was in his prime when he was offered a fight with Argentine Sergio Martinez in the 2013–14 season. While Golovkin held the IBF and WBA belts, Martinez was the WBC champion and considered the true king.
Golovkin may have been too much for Martinez at the time, given his age, but it would have been a fascinating encounter nonetheless. However, when Martinez, ravaged by injuries, was defeated by Miguel Cotto, it almost ended his career.
- Roman Gonzalez vs. Naoya Inoue
Gonzalez and Inoue have dominated the junior bantamweight division at various times and both were world champions at 115 pounds.
While Gonzalez still fights in the junior bantamweight division and has defeated the likes of Juan Francisco Estrada, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Carlos Cuadras, Inoue moved up to bantamweight after three successful years in that weight class.
Inoue currently fights in the junior featherweight division and is the undisputed 122-pound champion, but a fight with Gonzalez could always end in a fiasco.
- Terence Crawford vs. Jaron “Boots” Ennis
Terence “Bud” Crawford became a three-division champion when he took the WBO welterweight title from Australian Jeff Horn in June 2018. Before that feat, the Nebraska native held the lightweight and junior welterweight world titles.
Crawford became the undisputed junior welterweight champion by knocking out then-unbeaten Julius Indongo in three rounds in August 2017. He moved up to 147 pounds and secured the title of undisputed champion when he defeated Errol Spence Jr. by ninth-round knockout last year.
During this period of dominance, Crawford was challenged by the best juvenile fighter in the division – Jaron “Boots” Ennis – but his decisions were never taken into account.
At the time, Crawford understandably preferred a no-contest challenge to Spence Jr., as their contract stipulated a rematch. After Bud’s decisive victory, the sequel ultimately fell through, so Crawford moved up to fight for the titles at 154.
Even though he defeated Israil Madrjmov, a drop to 147 is not out of the question – it could still happen in the future.
- Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. David Benavidez
The highly anticipated fight between two of the world’s top super middleweight contenders has been on the radar for a few years now, but grave negotiations have yet to begin.
Canelo has been accused of avoiding Benavidez, especially after he demanded a monstrous fee to face his closest rival. The Mexican superstar has faced a number of high-profile opponents, but his recent opponents have not been considered a real threat.
It is not yet known whether Alvarez, who is scheduled to face Edgar Berlanga on September 14, will change his mind and agree to a superfight in 2025.
- Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Vasyl Lomachenko
One of the most talked about lightweight fights, Gervonta “Tank” Davis was ready to fight Vasyl Lomachenko for the unified WBA and IBF championship. It was reported that it would take place in November.
However, Lomachenko has decided not to return to the ring this year – citing his family as the reason. Few can deny that he has not earned some time off.
We hope that the fight between them will take place in 2025.
- Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder
Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua were the top heavyweights in the world from 2017 to 2019, when both were undefeated and in the prime of their careers. Joshua held the WBO, IBF, and WBA titles, Wilder was the WBC champion, and the duo could (and should) have put together one of the most anticipated fights in heavyweight history.
After being sidelined for far too long, Joshua was stopped by Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019, days after Wilder announced he had signed a rematch with Tyson Fury with the possibility of a third fight.
Since then, the Bronze Bomber has only won one fight, knocking out Robert Helenius, and after losses to Fury (twice) came losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, which will surely spell the end of his career.
Not long ago, however, a Joshua-Wilder fight would have been the hottest event in sports.
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