From Lennox Lewis-Wladimir Klitschko, Prince Naseem Hamed-Juan Manuel Marquez, Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Kostya Tszyu, Mike Tyson-George Foreman, to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez-David Benavidez, the list goes on and on.

Here are seven of the modern era's biggest fights that were deemed makeable but for different reasons failed to materialize. Some are gone forever but, cross your fingers, others might yet make it over the line.

7. Sergey Kovalev vs. Adonis Stevenson

Russia’s Sergey Kovalev was one of the best fighters between 2013 and 2015, a period in which he became a unified light heavyweight champion after a 12-round unanimous decision win over Bernard Hopkins. Adonis Stevenson, on the other hand, held the lineal title and the WBC belt at the time.

The duo, for a time, were unstoppable at 175 pounds and a bout between them seemed guaranteed to produce fireworks. However, according to reports, Stevenson opted to team up with Al Haymon’s stable at Showtime.

6. Sergio Martinez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin

Former unified middleweight titleholder Gennadiy “GGG'' Golovkin was on top of his game when a possible clash with Argentine Sergio Martinez was proposed in 2013-14. While Golovkin held the IBF and WBA belts, Martinez was the WBC champ and regarded as the true king.

Golovkin might have proved too tough for Martinez at the time considering the latter’s age but it would nonetheless have proved a fascinating encounter. However, when Martinez, ravaged by injuries, was beaten by Miguel Cotto it all but ended his career.

5. Roman Gonzalez vs. Naoya Inoue

Gonzalez and Inoue both dominated the junior bantamweight division at different times and they both held world titles at 115 pounds.

While Gonzalez is still competing at junior bantamweight and has defeated the likes of Juan Francisco Estrada, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, and Carlos Cuadras, Inoue moved on to bantamweight after three successful years in the division.

Inoue is currently campaigning at junior featherweight and has gone on to become an undisputed champion at 122 pounds but a battle with Gonzalez might always be the one that got away.

4. Terence Crawford vs Jaron “Boots” Ennis

Terence “Bud” Crawford became a three-division champion when he snatched the WBO welterweight title from Australia’s Jeff Horn in June 2018. Prior to achieving that feat, the Nebraska-born fighter had won world championships at lightweight and junior welterweight.

Crawford became undisputed at junior welterweight when he dispatched the then-undefeated Julius Indongo in three rounds in August 2017. He moved up to 147 pounds and ensured he left as an undisputed champion when he earned a ninth-round stoppage win over Errol Spence Jr. one year ago.

During this period of dominance, Crawford was called out by the best young fighter in the division - Jaron “Boots” Ennis - but the calls were never really considered.

At the time, Crawford quite understandably preferred an undisputed challenge with Spence Jr with their contract stipulating a rematch. After Bud’s emphatic win, the sequel ultimately didn’t occur, so Crawford moved up to chase titles at 154. 

Though he defeated Israil Madrimov, a move back down to 147 is not out of the question - this one, therefore, could still happen down the line.

3. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs David Benavidez

The much-anticipated fight between the two best super middleweights has been on the radar for a couple of years but serious negotiations are yet to commence.

Canelo has been accused of ducking Benavidez, particularly after demanding a monstrous purse to face his closest challenger. The Mexican superstar has faced a who’s who of quality opposition yet his recent foes haven’t been deemed as genuine threats.

It is yet to be seen if Alvarez - set to face Edgar Berlanga on September 14 - will reconsider his stance and agree to the super fight in 2025.

2. Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Vasyl Lomachenko

One of the most talked-about fights at lightweight, Gervonta “Tank” Davis was ready to slug it out with Vasyl Lomachenko for the unified WBA and IBF championship with November the reported date.

However, Lomachenko decided against returning to the ring this year - citing his family as the reason. Few can argue that he hasn’t earned some time off.

We all hope that a fight between these two can be arranged in 2025.

1. Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder

Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua were the leading heavyweights in the world from 2017 to 2019 when they were both undefeated and at the peak of their careers. Joshua held the WBO, IBF and WBA belts, Wilder was the WBC champion, and the duo could (and should) have created one of the most anticipated bouts in heavyweight history.

After leaving it too long, Joshua was stopped by Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019, days after Wilder had announced that he’d signed to fight Tyson Fury in a rematch with options on a third encounter. 

The “Bronze Bomber” has won just one fight since then, knocking out Robert Helenius, and those losses to Fury (twice) were eventually followed by defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang - and surely spell the end of his career.

Not so long ago, however, Joshua vs Wilder would have been the hottest ticket in the sport. 

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” back in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at bernardneequaye@gmail.com.