5 Possible Fights to Headline Boxing's USA vs UK Event

5 Possible Fights to Headline Boxing’s USA vs UK Event

• Turki Alalshikh wants to organize another 5 vs 5 event but, this time, in a show that pits British boxers against Americans.
• We’ve put together five possible fights that could feature at such an event.
• The obvious headliner is Deontay Wilder against Anthony Joshua in what is sure to be a heavyweight classic.

The Riyadh Season has caused a huge shift in the world of combat sports. Boxing, through the years, has been deprived of fights pitting the best against the best, which naturally allowed the UFC to close the gap in space as Dana White and company consistently put out champion versus top contender fight cards. But now, Turki Alalshikh, the powerful man behind boxing’s resurrection, is in control of the pieces to make the fights that fans want to see.

Alalshikh is responsible for putting together Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou, as well as this month’s huge heavyweight bout for undisputed status between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. Probably one of Alashikh’s most impressive feats since entering boxing is to get Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren to co-promote an event on June 1 named “5 v 5”, which stands for five Matchroom boxers facing five Queensberry boxers.

His Excellency is now teasing another “5 v 5” event, but this time with a United States versus United Kingdom card. So, without further adieu, let’s play matchmaker with five fights that could feature.

Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder

Two of the biggest punchers in the sport would bring chaos

This fight has been dangled in front of us for several years now. It has not lined up for many reasons, but with Alalshikh writing the checks, there’s never been a better time for the Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder fight to happen. Joshua is flying high with a four-fight win streak and is hot off his vicious knockout win over former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou.

Wilder’s stock hasn’t been this low in years as he was outclassed by Joseph Parker back in December in another Riyadh event, could claw his way back into contention with a dominant performance next month over Zhilei Zhang. We would quickly forget about the “Bronze Bomber” having a lull in his career if he landed one of his thunderous right hands on Zhang to notch his 43rd career knockout. A fight between Joshua and Wilder would be massive, and an excellent headliner for the themed event.

Terence Crawford vs Billy Joe Saunders

This match-up would be a great test for both fighters

Terence Crawford is finally getting his due in the public eye after his masterful performance against Errol Spence Jr. last summer. The Nebraska native has an impressive record of 40-0 and is one of the most skilled boxers in history. Although his talent is unquestioned, his popularity could get a major boost, but that is being taken care of now that he has aligned with Alalshikh, who put Crawford as the headliner against WBA champion Israil Madrimov to be the first Riyadh run card to break into the American market on August 3 in Los Angeles.

If Crawford gets past Madrimov, another great way to become more relevant and grow his brand would be to face the tough middleweight Billy Joe Saunders in a fight that would be a natural climb in weight for Crawford, who has shouted his thirst for a fight against Canelo Alvarez at super-middleweight. Saunders hasn’t fought in three years since his loss to Canelo, but the British fighter could be enticed to return against a formidable challenger and a large payday.

Gervonta Davis vs Conor Benn

A huge fight for both men to showcase their skills

Two young guns that have flirted with fighting each other already are America’s Gervonta Davis and the UK’s Conor Benn. Promoter extraordinaire Eddie Hearn was pushing for the fight as Davis brings a large following to his fights, and it would be a great opportunity for Benn to test himself against one of the most dangerous boxers in the sport.

While there is a gap in skill and high-level experience between the two fighters, with the backing of the Saudi Arabian funding in place, “Tank” would not blink twice at the opportunity to pull in his largest purse to date. Benn looked strong in his last win over Pete Dobson in February, and Davis is scheduled to fight Frank Martin next month, so the timing of a fall fight lines up well.

Fabio Wardley vs Michael Hunter

Two rising heavyweights could put on a war

Alalshikh loves a good heavyweight knock, and pitting the UK’s Fabio Wardley, an ascending undefeated heavyweight, against the US’s Michael Hunter, who has only lost to Usyk, would be a great fight. This could be a star-making fight for Wardley if the fight were to take place in a large UK venue like the O2 Arena or Wembley Stadium.

Another reason that factors into this fight possibly coming about is that Wardley has fought for Alalshikh in the past, and Hunter, also, has fought in Saudi Arabia. Both men combined have 30 knockouts on their record, and as with many fights that his excellency organizes, these guys will show up in tip-top shape to put on a fireworks show.

Mike Tyson vs Lennox Lewis

Put your boxing purist ideology to the side for a second …

While Turki Alalshikh has shown no signs of getting involved with fights that aren’t the best facing best, he is also a boxing enthusiast through and through and has shown great respect to Mike Tyson, having him in and around his events, so why not put on the rematch that would bring a lot of eyeballs if no other fight is available. 2002 was the first time Tyson and Lennox Lewis shared the ring. Lewis, who is one of the greatest boxing heavyweights of all-time, was in his prime and dominated a distracted Tyson to the result of an eighth-round knockout.

This time around, Tyson, who has been consistently training over the past few years and in the lead up to this summer’s fight versus Jake Paul, could play the card that he is a much better fighter than Lewis at this stage of the game. If Lewis were looking to make an enormous payday, fight in his home country and shut up Tyson for good, then this could be a real possibility, but for now, it’s just a pipe dream match.