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Here’s our boxing wish list of bouts we absolutely need to see this year

By Matthew Saljanin

Deontay Wilder (L) lands a left hand against Tyson Fury .(Photo by Philip Pacheco/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Deontay Wilder (L) lands a left hand against Tyson Fury .(Photo by Philip Pacheco/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) /
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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 10: Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine celebrates victory over Tony Bellew of England after the WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF & Ring Magazine World Cruiserweight Title Fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tony Bellew at Manchester Arena on November 10, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 10: Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine celebrates victory over Tony Bellew of England after the WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF & Ring Magazine World Cruiserweight Title Fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tony Bellew at Manchester Arena on November 10, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

Oleksandr Usyk vs Luis Ortiz

The consensus fighter of the year in 2018, the undisputed cruiserweight champion, an olympic gold medalist and a top 4 fighter in the world pound for pound, one might ask what is left for Oleksandr Usyk to do in the sport? The answer seems clear, move up to the heavyweight division.

Usyk is unquestionably the best cruiserweight since Evander Holyfield, and many fans have been debating that fantasy matchup since Usyk won the World Boxing Super Series tournament. While it may be an unpopular position to take, there is at least an argument to be made for Usyk being the superior cruiserweight between the two.

However, when it comes to all-time rankings, Usyk is nowhere near Holyfield at the moment, and that is because Holyfield had incredible success at the heavyweight ranks after being a dominate cruiserweight champion.

The heavyweight division is as good as it has been in a long time. The Klitschko brothers are no longer controlling the division, and the three heavyweight champions all can beat each-other (I am including Fury, because although he does not own a belt, he is the lineal champion). There are also a handful of fighters outside of the top three who can beat any of the champions with the right game plan, one of which is Luis Ortiz.

Ortiz and Wilder fought in a fight of the year candidate last year, and Ortiz came just short, nearly stopping the WBC champion in the 7th round. Wilder would go on to knockout Ortiz in the 10th, but was quite literally seconds away from getting stopped.

If Usyk could move up to heavyweight and beat someone of Ortiz’s caliber, it would put the other fighters in the division on notice. Ortiz has shown that he is champion-caliber, and defeating him would put Usyk in the top 5 of the division, while Wilder, Fury and Joshua would be in no rush to fight him.

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