What was the last great boxing trilogy you enjoyed? Maybe it was the epic Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales trilogy. Maybe it was the truly thrilling Arturo Gatti-Micky Ward wars. Maybe it was the 32 rounds of spellbinding action Riddick Bowe-Evander Holyfield gave us. This coming year, 2019, we might, if we’re lucky, get to see the next great boxing trilogy – or trilogies.
Here are the fights that could realistically be made next year: Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II and III, Gennady Golovkin-Canelo Alvarez III, and Carl Frampton-Leo Santa Cruz III.
What a fistic calendar that lot would provide. Heavyweights Fury and Wilder, having fought one modern day classic (some would perhaps say all-time classic) seem destined to go at it again, and if, as many suspect, the rematch proves to be another close affair, without a KO win one way or the other, the two could certainly fight a third time. Fans, we could have ourselves the next great world heavyweight title fight trilogy. With the respective styles of these two gelling so well on December 1, chances are we could get a great deal of further action from Fury and Wilder.
Middleweights GGG and Canelo simply have to do it again. Fight-one, like Fury-Wilder, was a thrilling but controversial draw, while fight-two was an even better fight. The decider has to happen and if like Canelo, GGG signs up with DAZN, the third rumble should be relatively easy to make. Who wins a third fight between these two? Aside from craving that return (and then maybe a third fight) between Wilder and Fury, this fight is the most demanded rematch in the world of boxing today.
Featherweights Santa Cruz and Frampton owe one another, and we fans feel they will do the honorable thing and give us their deciding fight sooner rather than later. We saw Frampton (winner of fight-one) and Santa Cruz (who gained revenge in the return) give their all in two classics in 2016 and 2017, and the rubber-match is now overdue. If both men are still on top come the first quarter of 2019, it absolutely should happen then.
Imagine what a sensational boxing year it really would be if we got to see all three of these possible (even likely) trilogies take place.