One fight which is set to take place in 2022 is the eagerly-anticipated matchup between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall for the undisputed women's middleweight title.
Shields laces up the gloves once again on February 5th against Ema Kozin in Cardiff, Wales, in what's expected to be a tune-up fight ahead of a clash with Marshall later this year.
Speaking to Vegas Insider, Shields' promoter Dmitriy Salita is anticipating Marshall to be ringside for the Kozin fight and believes the contest is one that belongs on pay-per-view.
“I’m sure Savannah is going to be ringside, so I'm sure Claressa will want to send a statement to her and to the British boxing fans to let them know that she is the GWOAT and that she’s coming with mean intentions to avenge her only loss in her boxing life. Boxing needs super fights to make it mainstream," Salita said.
"Shields v Marshall belongs on pay-per-view. They are both elite fighters at their peak. I would really compare it to Sugar Ray Leonard v Tommy Hearns.
"Sugar Ray was an Olympic Gold Medalist, a young flamboyant superstar. And Hearns was this mean, underachiever as an amateur, trying to make his way in the pros. So a lot of the stories between Sugar Ray and Hearn, and Claressa and Savannah, align in some ways.
Salita continued to make comparisons between Shields and Marshall, and two of the four middleweight kings.
"Media has been very positive towards Claressa, she’s been on television, she’s an Olympic Gold Medalist - and Savannah has not.
"Savannah has some personality similarities with Hearns and similar build build; she is tall, skinny and long, so I feel there's a comparison there.
"Both of these champions, Claressa and Savannah, want to put it all on the line and make it as exciting and as memorable as that great welterweight clash."
Shields and Marshall have met once before in the amateur ranks in 2012, on that occasion it was Marshall who came out on top and it is still the only loss on the American's record as both a professional and amateur.