The 10 best fights to make at cruiserweight

With the cruiserweight division heating up, we have a look at the ten finest fights to be made at 200 kilos…

1 Jai Opetaia vs Lawrence Okolie

Most will say these are the highest two cruiserweights on the earth proper now, so one of the best ways to slender it down to at least one could be for them to combat. Opetaia, as proven towards Mairis Briedis, is a superb boxer, whereas Okolie could be the most important puncher within the division.

2 Lawrence Okolie vs Richard Riakporhe

Two unbeaten Londoners with punch energy in abundance, an enormous home conflict between Okolie and Riakporhe within the nation’s capital could be explosive to say the least.

3 Jai Opetaia vs Chris Billam-Smith

Seemingly on the horizon within the close to future, Opetaia’s supervisor, Dean Lonergan, was sitting ringside when Billam-Smith defeated Isaac Chamberlain final weekend and seems curious about making this combat for his champion.

4 Jai Opetaia vs Mairis Briedis II

Given he travelled to Australia to defend his title, Briedis most likely deserves a rematch with Opetaia in some unspecified time in the future, notably in gentle of the shut nature of their first combat, in addition to his stable reign as champion.

5 Ilunga Makabu vs Yuniel Dorticos

Makabu, the WBC belt-holder, and Dorticos, the previous IBF belt-holder, are a few veteran cruiserweights who’ve paid their dues and fought a who’s who of the division. It’s solely proper they meet in some unspecified time in the future.

6 Richard Riakporhe vs Chris Billam Smith II

These two first met in 2019, with Riakporhe taking a cut up division after 10 rounds. They’ve since then come on leaps and bounds, nevertheless, and with each now on the fringes of world-class it might be nice to see them combat for a second time.

7 Sergey Kovalev vs Aleksei Papin

Now at cruiserweight following an extended and profitable profession as a light-heavyweight, Kovalev might do worse than combat countryman Aleksei Papin if in want of a big check at his new weight.

8 Krzysztof Głowacki vs Mateusz Masternak

With 86 professional fights between them, it’s a shock Polish cruiserweights Głowacki and Masternak have by no means earlier than met within the ring. Nevertheless, with each males within the last phases of their respective careers, there’s nonetheless time – simply – to vary that.

9 Thabiso Mchunu vs Badou Jack

Mchunu’s good latest kind got here to an finish earlier this 12 months when Ilunga Makabu beat him for a second time, whereas Jack, now 38, finds himself at the moment competing at cruiserweight following intervals at light-heavyweight and super-middleweight.

10 Jack Massey vs Isaac Chamberlain

If Chamberlain is searching for a manner again after final weekend’s punisher with Billam-Smith, he might intention for a combat towards Jack Massey, somebody who, at 20-1, has responded properly from an in depth determination loss towards Richard Riakporhe in 2019.