Many highly anticipated bouts never materialize at all and that's a shame. Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe and Michael Moorer were all heavyweight champions during the same era, yet none of them ever faced off as professionals (Lewis topped Bowe as an amateur). Next time someone questions Evander Holyfield's historical significance, consider that the Real Deal totaled an amazing nine bouts against the above four. In fact, if it wasn't for Holyfield's desire to always face the best - a rare quality in fighters these days - there would have been almost no meaningful heavyweight fights over the past decade . . . but that's a subject for another day.

Today's task is to boil all of the great match-ups that could be made among today's active fighters down to the top ten. Not an easy task. Plus, here are some ground rules to make the job even more difficult:

1. No rematches. Sure Jones-Hopkins II, De La Hoya-Trinidad II, De La Hoya-Mosley II, Trinidad-Vargas II and Morales-Barrera II should - and hopefully will - happen, but not on this list.

2. No fighter can appear on the list twice. So you have to choose between Jones, Hopkins and Mosley as possible opponents for Trinidad.

3. Fighter must be active . . . as in not in prison. Sorry Ike Ibeabuchi.

That's it. Just three simple rules. While each and every fight fan will come up with a different list (which they are encouraged to share with their fellow fans), here's one fight fan's list - in descending weight order - of the ten bouts that must be made:

1. Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson
Others on Lewis wish list: Wladimir Klitschko
Others on Tyson wish list: David Tua

2. Evander Holyfield vs. Roy Jones Jr.
Others on Holyfield wish list: Retirement
Others on Jones wish list: Darius Michalczewski, Felix Trinidad, Juan Carlos Gomez

3. Bernard Hopkins vs. Felix Trinidad
Others on Hopkins wish list: Fernando Vargas
Others on Trinidad wish list: Roy Jones Jr., Shane Mosley

4. Oscar De La Hoya vs. Fernando Vargas
Others on De La Hoya wish list: Andrew Lewis, Vernon Forrest
Others on Vargas wish list: Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Ike Quartey

5. Shane Mosley vs. Andrew Lewis
Others on Mosley wish list: Felix Trinidad, Fernando Vargas, Vernon Forrest
Others on Lewis: Oscar De La Hoya, Vernon Forrest

6. Kostya Tszyu vs. Zab Judah
Others on Tszyu wish list: Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya
Others on Judah wish list: Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya

7. Floyd Mayweather vs. Naseem Hamed
Others on Mayweather wish list: Kostya Tszyu, Zab Judah, Acelino Freitas
Others on Hamed wish list: Acelino Freitas, Erik Morales

8. Erik Morales vs. Johnny Tapia
Others on Morales wish list: Naseem Hamed, Acelino Freitas
Others on Tapia wish list: Marco Antonio Barrera, Naseem Hamed

9. Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Paulie Ayala
Others on Barrera wish list: Johnny Tapia
Others on Ayala wish list: Mark Johnson

10. Ricardo Lopez vs. Mark Johnson
Others on Lopez wish list: Eric Morel
Others on Johnson wish list: Eric Morel, Tim Austin, Paulie Ayala

Up next: Fearless predictions for each of the above dream fights!