Turki Alalshikh has five fights he would love to see in 2025 and it would make for a huge year in the sport.
It was a sensational 2024 for the sport with some of the biggest and best fights being made across all divisions including two instalments of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk and Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol.
An instrumental figure in making the fights happen has been Saudi boxing chief Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, who has handed the sport significant financial backing.
Politics have been put to one side, promoters working together and the biggest and best fights are being made globally.
Riyadh Season, a Saudi entertainment festival period, has been the destination for many of the fights, which have also landed at Wembley in the UK and the BMO Stadium in the US.
It promises to be a big year for the sport and Alalshikh is set to spearhead a campaign for more huge events.
The first huge card of the year lands on February 22 headlined by Beterbiev and Bivol’s rematch and also features Daniel Dubois and Shakur Stevenson.
And Alalshikh wants to continue the momentum this year, and has named five fights he’d love to see before 2025 has come to a close.
“I want to see Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn, I want to see of course Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua, he said on Froch On Fighting.
“I want to see Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford, and I also want to see Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia the rematch.
“For Oleksandr Usyk he will wait for the card of February. He has said he wants to fight one or two fights more, and I would like to see the Dubois rematch.”
Eubank Jr and Benn are currently in negotiations over a showdown, but a breakthrough has yet to be made over the potential event which would likely be held in the UK.
The pair were due to meet in October 2022 but the fight was cancelled after Benn failed a drugs test, but the rivalry has been huge ever since.
Haney and Garcia have naturally been thrust together since their meeting in 2024 saw the latter dispatch of the champion.
But he too failed a drugs test and naturally it has led to widespread calls for the pair to do battle again.
The heavyweight conundrum remains a key part of the sport, with Dubois calling out Usyk by clambering in the ring after his rematch win over Fury.
‘Dyanmite’ himself was unlucky against Usyk after a controversial low blow marred the event, but he was eventually stopped in 2023 although he wants revenge.
But the main event in 2025 could well be a huge clash between Joshua and Fury, two British heavyweights whose rivalry has captured the imagination for several years.
The pair both will need a rebuild after respective defeats, but could generate huge paydays with the fight likely to have huge commercial interest.
And talkSPORT host Spencer Oliver believes the pair should fight, with an opportunity to get themselves back in the world title mix.
Listen I think the winner of Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua puts himself back in the world title mix,” Oliver said on the latest episode of talkBOXING.
“I do believe that fight happens next, and the winner of that could get an opportunity.
“Let’s say Oleksandr Usyk is now out of the picture if he sails off into the sunset or beats Daniel Dubois.
“You are asking, ‘is Daniel Dubois the next man to take the baton as the heavyweight king?’
The winner of Joshua vs Fury will have a great shot against Daniel Dubois.
“Just because he knocked AJ out, you can’t say that will go again. And you can’t write Fury off after his losses to Usyk.
“He could still very much be the second best heavyweight in the world right now.”