BoxRec

Lomachenko - Ideally he'll face the Berchelt/Miura winner, which should be an easy fight to make because they're all Top Rank guys, or at least have fought on Top Rank cards recently. But Loma will probably want to fight again before then, so maybe Corrales? Or Salido if they can pay him enough to change his mind about a rematch?

Gvozdyk - Should just keep stepping up the competition. Maybe Pascal, Cleverly, or Joe Smith? I'd mention Alvarez, but he's probably sitting on his never-ending WBC mandatory status.

Usyk - Hopefully Briedis or Bellew. Maybe Gassiev.

jujigatame wrote:Lomachenko - Ideally he'll face the Berchelt/Miura winner, which should be an easy fight to make because they're all Top Rank guys, or at least have fought on Top Rank cards recently. But Loma will probably want to fight again before then, so maybe Corrales? Or Salido if they can pay him enough to change his mind about a rematch?

Gvozdyk - Should just keep stepping up the competition. Maybe Pascal, Cleverly, or Joe Smith? I'd mention Alvarez, but he's probably sitting on his never-ending WBC mandatory status.

Usyk - Hopefully Briedis or Bellew. Maybe Gassiev.

Lomachenko will be avoided by other belt-holders at 130 - they will be waiting him to move up at 135. So, Mikey Garcia would be the best possible opponent, and only competitive one.
I prefer to see Gvozdyk face Beterbiev, but I am not sure this is a realistic story, because of promoter's politics. Both Pascal and Cleverly are rather shot fighters, Smith would be a solid opponent. I feel Gvozdyk is mature to fight Ward-Kovalev winner this year, but, again, doubt it will happen.
Usyk should fight Briedis and/or Gassiev, and after that move up and chase Joshua and Wilder.

A Russian invasion probably

Lomachenko - Hopefully rematch with Salido

Usyk - Hopefully unification with Briedis/Gassiev/Lebedev

Gvozdyk - Hopefully some sort of eliminator for a World title to get mandatory status for one of the 4 belts.

Salido 2 or Garcia would be appealing fights.

The Ukrainians need to step up

Lomachenko - Salido 2, Jezreel Corrales, Gervonta Davis, or the Miura-Berchelt winner

Gvozdyk - Beterbiev, Kovalev, Ward, Stevenson...anybody at the top of the division. He's ready to face the divisions best based on what I saw last night.

Usyk - Same as Gvozdyk. The best the division has to offer. There's no shortage of interesting opponents out there for Usyk.

By the way. I just wanted to say this because I find it amusing.

Maybe it's just me but on Usyk's Boxrec profile page his picture makes him kinda look like a character from the video game Punch Out. Then aside from that last night his corner at one point was giving him the following advice "Close, Close...Pressure, Pressure...Broken, Broken"....which sounds like the kind of advice that a fighter would receive on Punch Out as well

gilgamesh wrote:By the way. I just wanted to say this because I find it amusing.

Maybe it's just me but on Usyk's Boxrec profile page his picture makes him kinda look like a character from the video game Punch Out. Then aside from that last night his corner at one point was giving him the following advice "Close, Close...Pressure, Pressure...Broken, Broken"....which sounds like the kind of advice that a fighter would receive on Punch Out as well

I noticed both as well

punchoutsb wrote:

gilgamesh wrote:By the way. I just wanted to say this because I find it amusing.

Maybe it's just me but on Usyk's Boxrec profile page his picture makes him kinda look like a character from the video game Punch Out. Then aside from that last night his corner at one point was giving him the following advice "Close, Close...Pressure, Pressure...Broken, Broken"....which sounds like the kind of advice that a fighter would receive on Punch Out as well

I noticed both as well

Makes sense that you would given your screenname

I really don't want to see Lomachenko move up to 135 right now. He's not even big for 130 (I'm sure he could still make 126 if he wanted to) and there are still plenty of good opponents for him there.

jujigatame wrote:I really don't want to see Lomachenko move up to 135 right now. He's not even big for 130 (I'm sure he could still make 126 if he wanted to) and there are still plenty of good opponents for him there.

I agree with this 100%. His bone structure is really small, he has some of the narrowest shoulders I've ever seen. I really think he could make 126 pretty comfortably.

Yea, I think the only reason he moved up to 130 in the first place is because there was no way he was getting near Santa Cruz, Frampton, or Mares.

Was thinking this myself.

For me, Usyk doesn't need to waste time with any other contenders, straight in with Breidis for me, I can't see a reason to put it off.

For Gvodzyk, it depends on what route he's going down, but I think a Joe Smith Jnr fight for the chance at a title would be nice, be surprised if it were possible, but...

Loma should, for me, stay at super featherweight and face either Salido or Corrales. But what I see happening, which I wouldn't dissuade him to do, is to fight Terry Flanagan to set up the Loma/Garcia fight, assuming in my little dreamland that Garcia beats Linares.