Box talk

Despite negotiations between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk falling through, the boxing world still has so much to look forward to this year.

Former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua returns to the ring this weekend as he takes on Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena in London. Joshua’s last fight was back in August when he fought Usyk for a second time – Joshua lost by a split decision.

Joshua’s opponent, Franklin, boasts a remarkable record of 21 wins and a single defeat. In the lead-up to the fight, Joshua has remained a heavy favourite and a lot of pressure has been placed on his shoulders. During fight week, Joshua said: “I will retire if I lose.”

It’s safe to say that this is a must-win fight for AJ if he wants to try and climb back into championship fights.

Anthony Joshua at a press conference ahead of his upcoming fight (Image: Getty Images)

The biggest rivalry of the modern boxing era will finally settle its score in April as Gervonta Davis faces Ryan Garcia. The fight will take place at the historic T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The T-Mobile Arena is home to some of the greatest grudge matches of all time such as the Canelo Alvarez v Gennady Golovkin (GGG) rematch, and Floyd Mayweather v Connor McGregor.

This upcoming fight between Davis and Garcia is one of the most anticipated fights of the year. The pair have been in a war of words for a long time now but now both fighters will put their undefeated records on the line to find out who is better.

After defeating GGG in their trilogy fight last September, Canelo is set to return to the ring this May. The Mexican superstar will be defending his undisputed super-middleweight title against mandatory challenger John Ryder.

The fight is taking place in Mexico. This will be the first time in 11 and a half years since Canelo has fought in his own backyard. The four-weight division champion steps into the ring for the 63rd time in a wonderful career as he approaches 18 years as a professional boxer.

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez posing with his championship belts (Image: Getty Images)

The showdown between the current lightweight king, Devin Haney, and the former lightweight king, Vasiliy Lomachenko will take place at the end of May. Haney has singlehandedly dominated the lightweight division; he holds an unblemished record of 29 wins with 15 knockouts.

Lomachenko will be Haney’s toughest test yet. The former champion is not to be taken lightly as he holds an impressive record of 17 wins and two defeats. The Ukrainian is a two-time Olympic gold medallist with a staggering amateur record of 396 wins and one loss, he has also won world titles across three different weight divisions.

The illustrious MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, will host this spectacle. The MGM has had the privilege of hosting some of boxing’s most iconic fights: Mayweather vs Alvarez, Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya vs Mayweather, De La Hoya vs Pacquiao, and the famous Evander Holyfield vs Mike Tyson rematch.

Devin Haney after retaining his lightweight titles against George Kambosos Jr. (Image: Getty Images)

This year promises to be action-packed in the sport of boxing and while there may be disappointed fans because of the lack of action in the heavyweight division, the boxing world must always remember that anything could happen.