Krzysztof Wlodarczyk put to rest any controversy that may have existed from his first fight with Francisco Palacios with a decisive decision victory to retain his WBC cruiserweight title, so what's next for the champion?
For one, a step up in competition. Wlodarczyk has been undefeated since a loss in 2007 and has enjoyed 10 victories in that span but still remains relatively unknown to the casual fan.
His general anonymity can largely be chalked up to a lack of "big name" opponents that would attract the kind of audience that makes the casual fan sit up and take notice. Here are the opponents at cruiserweight that we would love to see Wlodarczyk take on in a perfect world to prove himself and gain more notoriety.
Antonio Tarver
Tarver may be getting a bit long in the tooth, but he's still one of the biggest names in the cruiserweight division.
A longtime light heavyweight, Tarver recently made a move down to the cruiserweight division and immediately made waves, finishing Danny Green in the ninth round and fighting Lateef Kayode to a draw.
Tarver has definitely lost a step but he's given some of the best in the division trouble and has more name recognition than just about anybody thanks to his battles with Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins and Glen Johnson.
A win over Tarver would not only be a good test for Wlodarczyk, it would make him a bigger draw.
Marco Huck
Everybody loves a champion vs. champion fight and this is one that would pit the WBC champion, Wlodarczyk, against the longtime WBO champion.
Huck has been as dominant a champion as Wlodarczyk so this would provide an intriguing matchup between two boxers that have enjoyed long title reigns. Huck would hold the advantage in power, he hold five knockout victories in the last three years, but Wlodarczyk holds the advantage in speed.
Huck would provide the greatest challenge of Wlodarczyk's career; he's big enough that he recently vied for Alexander Povetkin's WBA heavyweight title although he was unsuccessful.
If Wlodarczyk could find a way to beat Huck, he would have a very strong claim that he is the No. 1 cruserweight in the world.
Lateef Kayode
Kayode may not have the best name recognition, but this fight could be marketed well as he is undefeated and a fast-rising prospect in the division.
Kayode's 18-0-1 record is marked with a draw against the aforementioned Antonio Tarver, but he easily handled Tarver in the early rounds before fading late against the aging veteran. Kayode should learn from his lesson and would make a great challenger to Wlodarczyk for his WBC cruiserweight championship.
A win over the hard-charging Kayode would give Wlodarczyk a huge boost in popularity and set himself up for a bigger showdown down the road.
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