The highly anticipated welterweight title fight between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford has yet to be finalized, but if/when it happens, will the winner be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world? If Spence or Crawford fail to impress, Canelo Alvarez and Tyson Fury will have something to say.

On Saturday in London, middleweight Chris Eubank Jr. and welterweight Conor Benn square off in a 160-pound rematch of their fathers' split draw in a rematch of Chris Eubank's ninth-round TKO victory over Nigel Benn in 1990. Is this one of those rare cases where the children outperform their fathers in combat?

Tyson Fury has called out several opponents since his proposed fight with fellow heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk to unify all four major world titles for the first time in history, but will the fight with Usyk take place?

Mike Coppinger, Nick Parkinson, Ben Baby, and Michael Rothstein answer these and other questions as they attempt to determine what is real and what is not.

Whether it's true or not, the winner of Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford will be the best P4P fighter in the world.
Real, baby. This isn't really debatable. Crawford is my current pound-for-pound champion. Crawford was the former undisputed junior welterweight champion, and he has continued to impress since moving up to the 147-pound division. However, many people believe that the level of his competition has been lacking during his reign as welterweight champion.

Spence, likewise, has a legitimate claim to be one of boxing's best pound-for-pound fighters. He is the owner of three of the four major welterweight belts. Despite a car accident and resulting injuries that jeopardized his career, Spence has been impressive in big wins against former champions Shawn Porter, Yordenis Ugas, and Keith Thurman.

So it stands to reason that a Spence-Crawford fight would solidify the winner as the pound-for-pound king. Others, such as Canelo Alvarez and Tyson Fury, obviously have a legitimate stake in the claim. Since losing to Dmitry Bivol in a failed attempt to win another light heavyweight title, Alvarez's stock has dipped slightly. Although Tyson Fury is the lineal heavyweight champion and holds the WBC title, Oleksandr Usyk has a better career resume (at cruiserweight and heavyweight) and has performed well in the sport's highest weight class.

Spence and Crawford will have to settle things in what will be one of the most anticipated fights of the century. That is, of course, assuming it ever occurs.

Tyson Fury will face Oleksandr Usyk in 2023, whether it is true or not.

Coppinger: It's true. Even in a sport that consistently fails to deliver marquee matchups, it would be a major surprise if Fury and Usyk did not meet for the undisputed heavyweight championship next year.

Following Usyk's convincing victory over Anthony Joshua in their rematch in August, both the Ukrainian and Fury expressed interest in facing off again. Due to injuries sustained during the Joshua fight, Usyk stated that he would not be available until next year, whereas Fury stated that he would fight in December regardless.

Despite on-again, off-again retirement claims, the Gypsy King's insistence on competing again in 2022 sparked talks with Joshua for a Dec. 3 fight. There has been a media circus. Then, on Monday, Fury announced that he was moving on to a fight with journeyman Manuel Charr after a self-imposed deadline passed without contracts being signed.

Naturally, Fury reversed his position later in the week, saying he would give more time to complete a deal. Even if Fury and Joshua reach an agreement, the champion will likely face Usyk in the first half of 2023, if not later in the year.

Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, are they better than their parents?

Parkinson: Certainly not. While another Benn-Eubank fight is exciting in its own right and allows those of a certain age to reminisce about one of boxing's most entertaining rivalries, it is not on the same level as their fathers' fights in 1990 and 1993.

Neither Chris Jr. nor Conor are better fighters than their fathers.

When Conor and Chris Jr. meet in a catchweight bout at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday, it will be for family pride rather than a world title, in an extension of the Nigel Benn-Chris Eubank rivalry that captivated British sports fans in the 1990s.

Their earnings may be more than three times those of their fathers, but their rivalry and achievements are not on the same scale.

English rivals Benn and Eubank fought twice for the world middleweight and super middleweight titles, and their feud lasted long after their contentious split draw in 1993 and Eubank's ninth-round stoppage victory three years before. Due to the drama of their fights and their acrimonious rivalry, their fights were huge crossover events that drew the interest of the casual fan, people who would not normally watch boxing. Meanwhile, Conor versus Chris Jr. arose unexpectedly, without any provocation or trash talk, simply due to a lack of options for both parties at the time.

Their children will never achieve what their fathers did.

Chris and Nigel both won world titles at two weight classes; Conor and Chris have yet to win a major world title. Both are talented and could win a world title in 2023, but Chris Sr. won 17 of 24 title fights (two draws), whereas Nigel won 11 of 16 world title fights (with one draw). Conor (21-0, 14 KOs), 26, has yet to fight for a world title, while Chris Jr. (33-2, 23 KOs), 33, was defeated by George Groves by decision in his only fight for a belt in 2018.

Some of those fights were also more intense than Saturday's Benn-Eubank clash. Eubank-Benn II, for example, drew a 16.5 million free-to-air television audience and 42,000 fans at Old Trafford, home of English Premier League club Manchester United. In their home market of the United Kingdom, Chris Eubank Jr.-Conor Benn is unlikely to break the 1.8 million pay-per-view record set by Anthony Joshua versus Joseph Parker in 2018.

Benn-Eubank I and II were also part of a thrilling period in the sport. They both had big fights against Michael Watson, Steve Collins, Thulani "Sugar Boy" Malinga, Gerald McClellan, and a young Joe Calzaghe for Benn and a young Joe Calzaghe for Eubank. Eubank Jr.-Conor is an independent event.

However, some things have grown in size, such as the purses the sons will earn. When Benn defended his WBO middleweight world title for the second time at the NEC in Birmingham in November 1990, he and Eubank split a purse of 250,000 pounds. As their rivalry grew, Benn and Eubank each received a million pounds for the rematch three years later.

Conor and Chris Jr. are reportedly earning 3.5 million pounds each, with a 125,000-pound fine for exceeding the weight limit of 157 pounds.

Even if the Chris Jr.-Conor fight isn't as big as when their fathers fought all those years ago, it's still a must-see.

Whether it's true or not, Vasiliy Lomachenko will compete for a 135-pound title next year.

Coppinger: It's true. Lomachenko was scheduled to face George Kambosos for all four belts in June 2022, but opted to stay in war-torn Ukraine. Devin Haney went on to defeat Kambosos to become the undisputed lightweight champion, and they will meet again on Oct. 15 on ESPN and ESPN+.

Haney should win easily once more, putting him on track to face Lomachenko in the first quarter of 2023. After all, Lomachenko returns to the ring on Oct. 29 against Jamaine Ortiz, a fight the former pound-for-pound king should easily win.

For some time, Haney has lobbied for a fight with Lomachenko, and with both boxers now signed with Top Rank, there's a clear path to a deal. Top Rank will have a difficult time reaching a financial agreement with each side, but it's an excellent matchup that would generate a lot of interest.

Bob Arum appears eager to deliver for Lomachenko, one of his long-term stars, and what better way than to give him the opportunity to become an undisputed champion? Lomachanko has only fought twice since his loss to Teofimo Lopez, with dominant victories over Richard Commey and Masayoshi Nakatani.

Sebastian Fundora will win a world title at 154 pounds, whether he believes it or not.

Rothstein: Well, he already has, at least temporarily. In April, the 24-year-old stopped Erickson Lubin in an impressive performance to win the interim WBC title. While he returns to the ring in October for his first defense of the belt, the real test will come when he gets the opportunity to face undisputed champion Jermell Charlo, whenever that happens. Hopefully, this will happen in 2023.

Fundora's height and reach make him a matchup nightmare for anyone at 6-foot-5. Furthermore, his punches are extremely powerful. Fundora is a good fighter – one of the best young fighters in the sport, regardless of division – and a non-interim world title is definitely in his future. I'll go one step further as well. He'll be a multi-division world champion by the end.