We look at five potential mouth-watering match-ups fight fans would love to see in the next 12 months.
MIGUEL COTTO v SAUL ALVAREZ
Puerto Rican Cotto puts the 'War' into Warrior and has managed to rejuvenate his career following a battering at the hands of Pacquiao.
By contrast the seemingly indestructible and hitherto untested Alvarez is on an irresistible upward curve having taken ownership of the WBC strap.
Yet the 21-year-old from Mexico would be in line for 'megafight' status should he fight and overcome Cotto, who still carries an air of fragility.
Not a match likely to be made in the first half of the year, but if Alvarez impresses in his next defence a unification with the WBA champ would be a mouth-watering prospect.
ANDRE WARD v LUCIAN BUTE
Ward impressed all-comers when beating Carl Froch in the final of the super-middleweight 'Super Six' tournament, while accomplished Canadian WBA champion Bute was forced to watch from the sidelines.
The American can now consider himself a top-five pound-for-pounder but will need to clean up the division if he is to challenge the likes of Mayweather and Pacquiao for that mythical title.
A clash between this pair would settle any lingering dispute over who is the best 12-stone fighter in the world today.
AMIR KHAN v LAMONT PETERSON
Khan's controversial defeat to Peterson in Washington at the tail-end of 2011 came amid much finger-pointing, but did not obscure two plain facts: that it was a fine fight, and that Khan had no-one to blame for the close call but himself.
The verdict was surely a correct one. Petersen thoroughly deserved his prize and is under no obligation to give Khan an immediate re-match despite the Briton's brouhaha.
However, a second fight on the west coast would allow Petersen the opportunity to bank the most greenbacks, and, if Khan does not learn from his second career defeat, the chance to underline his rise to the top.
TYSON FURY v DAVID PRICE
Hugely-hyped Fury has started to make a name for himself by surviving wild slugfests on terrestrial television.
The time has come for a real test of his credentials, and the perfect domestic dust-up would be with Liverpool puncher Price.
Frank Maloney has no doubt that he has another Lennox Lewis on his hands in former Olympic medallist Price - the question is whether Fury's handlers dare take the risk despite calling out every 'name' in the division.
If Price beats John McDermott in a British title eliminator in January, there is little reason why the fight cannot take place.
RICKY BURNS v KEVIN MITCHELL
Another potentially huge domestic clash with 'The Mighty Hammer' coveting Burns' WBO lightweight title that he once fought for.
Londoner Mitchell is still trying to bury the ghost of that stoppage loss to Michael Katsidis, the man Burns subsequently defeated to win the belt after moving up a division.
Mitchell is reportedly back in the ring in February, which - personal problems aside - should tee him up for a shot at Burns later in the year.
For his part, the ever-improving and likeable Scot is set to make his first defence of the title in March.
