Opetaia-Zurdo, Fundora-Murtazaliev and more - unification bouts we need to see

Independent

a day ago

For many boxers, simply having one belt is not enough. Thanks to the machinations of sanctioning bodies, multiple world champions can co-exist in a weight class – but both fighters and fans alike love to see titleholders converge in unification bouts.
Two belts are always better than one, whilst boxers that claim champion status with two sanctioning bodies also boast bragging rights over their rivals.
Some champions even manage to negotiate the politics of the sport to combine all four major belts to become undisputed at their weight, a dream shared by many fighters over the decades.
Unification bouts constantly capture the attention, but these five champion-versus-champion fights could produce blockbuster nights.
Jai Opetaia - Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez
The cruiserweight division, perhaps unfairly, has largely been seen as a stepping stone weight, with fighters learning their trade before assaulting boxing's most-glamorous class, heavyweight.
Only three fighters have ever reigned as undisputed champion at 200lbs, Evander Holyfield, O'Neil Bell, and Oleksandr Usyk.
Holyfield instantly moved up to heavyweight; Usyk defended his titles once before following in the footsteps of his predecessor.
Unified champions are also quite rare, with current WBO and WBA champ Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez just the sixth example in the four-belt era, after Murat Gassiev (WBA, IBF), Denis Lebedev (WBA, IBF), Oleksandr Usyk (Undisputed), David Haye (WBA, WBC, WBO), and Jean-Marc Mormeck (WBA, WBC).
Both Ramirez and IBF belt holder Jai Opetaia have not been shy about discussing a unification bout. Last November, Ramirez became the first man to unify two titles in the division since Usyk after beating then-WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith.
Opetaia successfully defended his IBF crown earlier in June, whilst Ramirez is in action at the end of the month against challenger Yuniel Dorticos.
If the Mexican navigates his first defence of his unified status, a bout with Opetaia could – and should – be on the cards for later this year.
Both fighters appear keen on the prospect, but it remains to be seen whether we will see a cruiserweight with three straps by the end of 2025.
Janibek Alimkhanuly - Carlos Adames
Kazakh Janibek Alimkhanuly is another two-belt champion, holding the IBF and WBO titles at middleweight. Owning half of the belts in the division, Alimkhanuly is the man to beat, especially for WBC champion Carlos Adames.
That is because the Dominican refuses to face stablemate Erislandy Lara, who holds the WBA crown at 160lbs. Whilst Adames has ruled out a bout with Lara, he wants to fight Alimkhanuly.
The two have exchanged barbs for some time, with Alimkhanuly petitioning Turki Alalshikh to organise a bout between the pair for the undercard of Canelo-Crawford later this year.
Reports suggest that negotiations have taken place between both champions' camps, implying that we could see a unification bout at middleweight sooner rather than later.
Nick Ball - Rafael Espinoza
Conversation around Nick Ball has focused on a potential bout with undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue for some time, but it appears both fighters are happy to keep that fight on the back burner.
WBA champion at featherweight, Ball looks set to face a different super bantamweight in his next fight, with a defence against Australian Sam Goodman scheduled for a Riyadh Season card in August.
Inoue himself seems content to bide his time before moving up to featherweight, the Japanese fighter instead waiting for his compatriot Junto Nakatani to step up to super bantamweight for an all-Japan fight.
That is a view shared by Ball, who has suggested that while he waits for Inoue to join the featherweight ranks, he will look to add more belts to his collection. The Liverpudlian could have potentially been a two-belt champion, missing out on the WBC crown after a controversial draw with Rey Vargas in 2024.
Current WBC champion Stephen Fulton will move up to face the organisation's super-featherweight titleholder O'Shaquie Foster in August, nixing a bout with Ball.
Having previously spoken about liking a fight with Fulton, diminutive scouser Ball has also discussed fighting WBO champion Rafael Espinoza.
Aside from being a unification bout, the difference in height would add a certain level of intrigue to the fight. Ball stands at around 5' 2', whilst the lanky Espinoza has been measured at 6' 1', despite both operating at 126lbs.
The difference in styles – and wingspans – would throw up a very interesting bout.
Sebastian Fundora - Bakhram Murtazaliev
Sebastian Fundora became a unified champion in his first full world title shot, defeating Tim Tszyu by split decision to take the WBO and WBC belts at super welterweight. After making a defence against Chardale Booker in March, Fundora faces Tszyu in a rematch this July.
It was after Fundora's victory over Booker that IBF champ Bakhram Murtazaliev announced his desire to face the American, but it would only unify two belts.
That is because Fundora vacated the WBO's title, deciding to honour a rematch clause with Tszyu, rather than face mandatory Xander Zayas. Murtazaliev has been dormant since defeating Tszyu himself in October, with the California-based fighter waiting for a unification shot.
With the future of Terence Crawford, holder of the WBA belt and the interim WBO title, uncertain at super welterweight, the winner of a potential Fundora-Murtazaliev bout would be well placed to establish themselves as top dog of the 154lbs division.
Oscar Collazo - Pedro Taduran
There are still big fights to be made in boxing's lightest division. Oscar Collazo reigns as champion of both the WBA and WBO, with the IBF belt held by Pedro Maduran, and Melvin Jerusalem in possession of the WBC strap.
Puerto Rican Collazo and Filipino Taduran are both 28-years-old and arguably in the primes, making a unification bout a tasty prospect.
Collazo defeated the division's other champion, Jerusalem, in 2023, taking the Filipino's WBO strap.
Jerusalem has done well to bounce back and earn the WBC belt, but a rematch with undisputed status on the line has a better ring to it than a unification bout.
As such, rather than see Collazo and Jerusalem run it back, it would be interesting to see who comes out on top of a potential bout between the Puerto Rican and Taduran.