Will Ryan Garcia win a world title? What's the state of the 175-pound division? More

The light heavyweight division has been dominated by two fighters the past few years, Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. After two fights between them, the score is 1-1, so it makes sense to complete the trilogy. However, the WBC ordered Bivol to fight interim champion David Benavidez, a decision that prompted Bivol to relinquish that belt while he finishes his rivalry with Beterbiev. So, what's the state of the 175-pound division? Will Benavidez get his shot at the undisputed championship?

There is also a boxing card in Times Square in New York on May 2, headlined by three great fights. Ryan Garcia takes on Rolando "Rolly" Romero in a welterweight main event. Former undisputed junior welterweight champion Devin Haney moves up in weight to take on former unified champion Jose Ramirez. And WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez faces interim champion Arnold Barboza Jr. Even with all those great names on the card, could there have been better matchups? Garcia is headlining the event but has never won, or fought, for a major world title. Can he win one?

Many good, young boxers are climbing the rankings in search of a world title opportunity, but who's the best among them that hasn't won a championship?

Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has two good options for his next title defense. He could fight interim WBO titlist Joseph Parker or IBF champion Daniel Dubois, whom Usyk already beat by KO in August 2023. Which matchup makes the best fight?

Andreas Hale and Nick Parkinson share their thoughts on these topics.

What's the state of the light heavyweight division after Dmitry Bivol was stripped?

Stuck in neutral.

You have to feel bad for Benavidez. He did everything in his power to land a fight with Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight and that didn't pan out. Once it was clear that Canelo wasn't interested in the fight, "The Mexican Monster" moved up to light heavyweight and defeated Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell to earn the opportunity to face the winner of the Beterbiev vs. Bivol rematch. But that fight isn't happening for Benevidez anytime soon after Bivol decided to vacate the title to pursue a trilogy fight with Beterbiev rather than face Benavidez. It just isn't a good look for a top-heavy division when the optics suggest that nobody wants to fight Benavidez.

While a rubber match between Bivol and Beterbiev is a great fight, it's time to mix things up and allow the deserving Benavidez to face the best in the division. Locking him out of these opportunities by ignoring that he rightfully earned a fight with Bivol doesn't bode well for the health of the division. What is Benavidez supposed to do while Bivol and Beterbiev figure it out? He could fight Callum Smith or Joshua Buatsi next, but that feels like a waste of his time. The light heavyweight division is grounding a fighter with huge star potential from taking flight. Bivol and Beterbiev can have their third fight at any time, so let's see what Benavidez is made of so the rest of the division can move along. -- Hale

What better matchup would you like to see between the fighters on the May 2 card in Times Square?

With former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury currently in retirement, Lopez and Garcia are arguably boxing's biggest mouths, and a matchup between them would guarantee an entertaining buildup and bumper pay-per-view sales.

But they face different opponents in New York -- and then could be farther apart. Garcia faces Romero in the main event, with Lopez defending his WBO junior welterweight belt against Barboza on the same unique card. The narrative is that if Garcia and Haney both win, they will meet in an October rematch in Saudi Arabia. But many fight fans would prefer to see Lopez vs. Garcia for a world title instead. It would have been a bigger fight than what is scheduled for them on May 2.

Lopez vs. Garcia has the potential to attract interest from beyond the sport's hardcore following. Boxing needs events to bring in new viewers, and that is one of the biggest available fights to be made.

Both, particularly Garcia, have huge social media followings: Garcia has 12.1 million Instagram followers compared to Lopez's 993,0000. It's East Coast (Lopez is from New York) vs. West Coast (Garcia is from California).

Lopez recently slapped Barboza during a news conference to promote their fight, and when asked what he would have done if Lopez did the same to him, Garcia replied: "I would have tried to kill him."

They will inevitably face each other -- it's a bit of a shame it's not in Times Square on what will be such a memorable occasion. -- Parkinson

Will Ryan Garcia ever win a world title?

Yes.

Garcia has had an interesting career, to put it mildly. While he is far more known for his antics outside the ring, he is one of the few fighters with what I like to call an "Oscar De La Hoya mentality," where he wants to fight the biggest and best opponents available. Obviously, it didn't work out against Gervonta "Tank" Davis, and the jury is still out on how Garcia would have fared in the decision win -- later changed to a no contest -- against Haney had he not blown past the weight and failed a drug test. But Garcia is only 26 and still improving. His athletic ability is impossible to overlook, and that devastating left hook is one of the nastiest punches in boxing.

He will likely have massive rematch with Haney should the rivals win their respective fights May 2. But even if he falls short against Haney, Garcia will likely find a world title fight against someone not ranked as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Few expect unified champion Jaron "Boots" Ennis to hang around long at 147 pounds, although he might extend his tour for a big-money fight with Garcia. But if Ennis departs, Garcia should be favored against any of the current 147-pounders. Garcia is eventually going to get his hands on a world title; it's just a matter of time. -- Hale

Would you rather see Oleksandr Usyk vs. Joseph Parker or vs. Daniel Dubois?

Dubois brings a higher knockout threat and better pay-per-view sales potential than Parker, as well as being a rival world champion. For those reasons, Dubois is a more attractive fight for Usyk in June.

Fighting Dubois gives Usyk the opportunity to become undisputed heavyweight champion again -- the owner of all four world titles. The Ukrainian had to relinquish the IBF belt last year to make a rematch with Tyson Fury but could win it back in a rematch with Dubois.

Although Usyk won their August 2023 encounter decisively by Round 9 KO, Dubois complained he should have been scored a knockdown earlier in the fight. Instead, Dubois was ruled to have thrown a low blow in Round 5 and Usyk was allowed plenty of time to recover, which he did and then proceeded to knock out Dubois. That was Usyk's second heavyweight title defense, and he has said he plans on having another two fights before he joins Fury in retirement.

Dubois quickly revived his career after the Usyk loss, stopping Anthony Joshua in a first defense of the IBF belt in a career-best display in September. But he had to withdraw from a scheduled fight against Parker in February due to illness.

Parker is in good form, with decision wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang recently, but he contains opponents rather than overwhelming them, and he is set to miss out on fighting Usyk next.

Dubois started aggressively against Usyk in their fight and then looked sensational in disposing of Joshua last year. It's not just the title the Londoner holds that makes him the best fighter for Usyk next. -- Parkinson

The best fighter in boxing that hasn't yet won a world title is...

Andy Cruz.

I was tempted to go with the undefeated super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco, but it's hard to look past the amateur accolades of Cruz and what the young lightweight has demonstrated in his brief professional career. Pacheco has some defensive deficiencies -- namely, stopping the left hook -- that he will need to correct. Cruz, 29, was remarkably decorated in the amateur ranks with a 140-9 record, including four wins over current WBO lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis.

Cruz's Cuban style has also translated well in the pro ranks with good footwork, an active jab with quick reflexes and excellent range control. He's wasting little time moving up the lightweight ranks, and a collision with Davis seems likely. He hasn't had the opportunity to test himself against the top half of the division, but a rumored fight with Hironori Mishiro in an IBF title eliminator could get him closer to a world title fight. -- Hale