Boxing's Major Questions For 2016

Looking ahead...

And so here we are with a new year and a fresh start. Truth be told, the new year should be a promising time. This pertains to the sport of boxing as much as it does to anything else. So, after a wild and overwhelming 2015 - I still can't put it into perspective - let's hope the following questions are answered in 2016.

Will Wladimir Klitschko Win Back The Heavyweight Title? Frankly, I wasn't overly surprised that Tyson Fury dethroned the long time champ late last year. Fury has been under-rated for a while. What's more, he seemed to have gotten inside Klitschko's head. Now, though, a rematch is in order. Will Klitschko rise to the occassion? Will he learn to employ movement and return to a more aggressive form?

Will PBC Prove The Naysayers Wrong? Aside from Mayweather-Pacquiao, the most massive event of the past year was the return of boxing to (more or less) free television in a major format. Some people have been disappointed in Al Haymon's Premiere Boxing Champions series, though. Meanwhile, others appear to have been outright hoping for the series to fail outright - which is silly. Although the PBC has shown some strong matchups, it hasn't shown nearly enough. Viewers need to be given a reason - a real reason - to keep tuning in if this endeavor is to be more than a marginal success story.

Will Canelo Fight GGG? I hate to say this, but nothing is certain when it comes to boxing and that includes a Canelo-Golovkin superfight. Truth be told, there's a lot of money invested in Canelo and some serious players will not be happy if he loses - as most people feel he would - to the feared GGG. Here's hoping boxing politics doesn't ruin what could be a major event for the sport.

Will A New Welterweight King Emerge? Bradley. Thurman. Brook. Porter. Khan. Yup, there's some major players out there waiting - we hope - to take the mantle left by Floyd Mayweather. With Manny Pacquiao's career winding down, it's time for the true heir to the welterweight throne to step forward. Since there's no heir apparent, someone is going to have to fight to emerge as the division's top dog, if not its undisputed champion. Hopefully, boxing politics won't spoil this, either.