Boxing 2022: the biggest fights that could still happen this year - including Josh Warrington v Leigh Wood

2022 has seen some enthralling fights so far including Canelo Alvarez versus Dmitry Bivol, Katie Taylor versus Amanda Serrano, and Leigh Wood against Michael Conlan.

In the next couple of months there is the highly anticipated rematch of Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua, plus we finally get to see the trilogy bout between Canelo and Gennady Golovkin.

There are also plenty of rumours surrounding some huge fights that could take place this year. In light of this, here are the contests boxing fans must demand before the year is out:

Errol Spence Jnr v Terence Crawford

Fight fans across the globe have been screaming for this encounter for years. It is a fight of a generation.

Two unbeaten welterweights collide in a bid to become the undisputed champion of the 147-pound division.

Spence has a record of 28-0-0 and holds the WBC, WBA, and IBF belts while the former 140-pound undisputed champion Crawford has a record 0f 38-0-0 and currently defends the WBA belt.

Crawford is coming off a fantastic victory over Shawn Porter, winning by stoppage in the tenth round. Spence defeated Yordenis Ugas earlier this year, adding the WBA belt to his collection.

All roads now lead to this mega-fight. Both men find regularly find themselves in the pound-for-pound top ten rankings, making this potential encounter incredibly compelling for fight fans.

Negotiations are taking place currently, so let’s hope another generational fight does not slip through our fingers because of boxing politics.

Gervonta Davis v Ryan Garcia

There aren’t many other fights that would create the buzz that these pair would.

A ferocious puncher in Tank Davis against the lightning-fast hands of Garcia. Both have been highly vocal in demanding this contest from their promoters, with December a possible date.

Garcia’s hype was realised when he defeated former Olympic champion, Luke Campbell, in 2021 by a brutal body shot. The 23-year-old faced his own mental struggles after the fight, derailing the momentum behind his career.

His latest victory was impressive, brushing aside Javier Fortuna a few weeks ago, starting the demand for this fight once again.

Tank is undefeated in 27 bouts; his most noteworthy victory came through a vicious uppercut to the jaw of the highly acclaimed Leo Santa-Cruz.

The two fighters are calling for it, but the real challenge will be finding an agreement between the two separate broadcasters in DAZN and Showtime. Once again, boxing fans may have to be patient before seeing this fight officially announced.

Sunny Edwards v Julia Cesar Martinez

A fight that actually looks close to completion is Sunny Edwards against Julia Cesar Martinez. The style matchup is the perfect boxer versus puncher scenario.

Edwards currently holds the IBF flyweight belt while his potential foe is the WBC champion. This contest has an intriguing backstory. The Mexican fought the Briton’s brother Charlie in 2019, but the fight was called a no-contest because of a brutal late blow landed by Martinez.

Edwards oozes class with his slick boxing style - this was recognised on the world stage when he defeated long-standing champion Moruti Mthalane.

It may not garner the same attention that the other fights on the lists do, but it does carry huge intrigue as a 50/50 flyweight clash.

Jack Catterall v Joshua Taylor 2

The first contest between the pair was meant to be a straightforward win for Taylor, but it was anything but easy. A dramatic fight that ended with the Scotsman winning on points, a decision that was met with fury.

Catterall put in a career-best performance against the undisputed 140-pound champion, dropping him in the eighth round. Both fighters are adamant they won the first affair and talks for a rematch have already begun.

Taylor will come into the sequel as the favourite again because of his phenomenal resume, including victories over Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez.

The rivalry between the pair has turned nasty, with numerous Twitter spats since their first fight in March. It would be brilliant to see the two of them settle their score once again.

Josh Warrington v Leigh Wood

A stunning domestic fight that would be for the IBF and WBA regular featherweight world titles.

Leeds versus Nottingham. Both sets of fans would create a cacophony of noise, wherever this fight would be held.

Wood is on the run of his career – dominating Xu Can and then knocking out Michael Conlan in the final round of one of the most dramatic fights in recent times. Warrington was on the same path until he met Mauricio Lara.

The unknown Mexican seized his opportunity and knocked out the Leeds man. Since then, Warrington has picked up the IBF belt after dominating Kiko Martinez earlier this year.

Both men would be supremely confident of victory and their styles combined would produce a domestic classic.

There are other options for the pair, but none would quote create the potential atmosphere we would see here.