Staten Island Advance

Who's Up?

Marcus Browne (23-0, 16 KOs) put himself on the map with last month's unanimous decision victory over Badou Jack (22-2-3, 13 KOs) for the WBA's interim light heavyweight belt and the WBC Silver title.

The 28-year-old Clifton native became Staten Island's first-ever world champion, and can now pivot in a number of different directions in advance of his next big match.

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Staten Island Advance

Past Ties

Browne has openly voiced who he wants next, but numerous title-holders with prior obligations in the ring will likely be off limits for some time.

However, there are a number of fighters, some with past ties to Browne, who make sense for an upcoming bout..

Nothing is ever a sure thing in the boxing world, and promoters (and money!) often get in the way of scheduling bouts, but stay tuned and keep scrolling to check out seven potential matches for the former U.S. Olympian.

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Staten Island Advance

Close to Home

Browne made no secret of who he has his sights on for his next bout, and he happens to be trained by a man who is quite literally close to home.

"I'm from Staten Island, Teddy (Atlas) is from Staten Island. He thinks he has the best light heavyweight?" barked Browne in his post-fight interview after defeating Jack. "Gary Stark (Browne's trainer) has the best light heavyweight. Gvozdyk, let's go."

Island-native Teddy Atlas happens to train Oleksandr Gvozdyk (16-0, 13 KOs), the current WBC light heavyweight world champ.

Oddly enough, Browne trains out of Atlas' Cops & Kids boxing gym in Park Hill.

The 31-year-old Ukranian defeated Adonis Stevenson for the belt in December, and competed in the 2012 Olympic Games, where he came away with a bronze medal.

Browne competed in the Olympics that same year, though he did not medal.

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Not So Fast

Unfortunately for Browne, who supplanted Jack as the No. 1 WBC contender, this fight may take a while to come to fruition.

Despite the fact that Browne was initially named the mandatory challenger for Gvozdyk, a later ruling announced that Gvozdyk was approved for an optional title defense in March.

Atlas and Gvozdyk opted to fight Doudou Ngumbu (38-8, 14 KOs) on March 30 in Philadelphia -- which means any potential fight with Browne likely wouldn't take place until late 2019, or 2020.

Ironically, Browne turned down a world title eliminator fight with Gvozdyk in 2017, opting instead to further his push for a WBO title.

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Returning the Favor

While Browne was heard calling out his next potential opponent, one of his prior foes was taking the same approach.

"I've wanted the rematch for three years," said Radivoje "Hot Rod" Kalajdzic (24-1, 17 KOs), who suffered his only career defeat via a controversial split decision at the hands of MB in 2016.

"I'm sure Browne would be happy fighting some run-of-the-mill, faded contender and avoid me, but it's time to do it again," added Kalajdzic.

The pair met at Barclay's Center, where the 27-year-old Bosnian allegedly slipped and fell, though Browne was credited with a crucial knockdown.

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Anytime, Anywhere?

"Anytime, anywhere, I'll fight him in his backyard," taunted Kalajdzic earlier this week. "He can't beat me. He didn't the first time and he won't on the second try."

Nevertheless, a fight with Kalajdzic would seemingly be a step backward for Browne coming off a fight with a relative household name like Jack.

Though a smart play by Hot Rod, it is unlikely that MB would take this fight.

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WBA

Browne, the WBA interim title holder, could stay the course and pursue the WBA world championship light heavyweight belt, currently donned by Dmitry Bivol (15-0, 11 KOs).

The 28-year-old Russian has held the belt since 2017, but a pending title defense against Joe Smith in March once again pushes the timeline back for MB.

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Bivol

Both Bivol and Browne were lined up to fight WBO champion Sergey Kovalev last year, though both bouts fell through for different reasons.

Bivol was no longer a challenger after Kovalev lost his title to Eleider Alvarez, though he regained the belt last week, and Browne was dismissed by Kovalev following a pair of 2018 arrests stemming from domestic violence charges.

It may make more sense for both Browne and Bivol to prefer a fight with Kovalev, though the latter would likely opt for a bout with Bivol given his past history with Browne and his title standing.

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Staten Island Advance

The Best To Never Do It?

If a fight with Bivol were not to materialize, No. 1 WBA contender Sullivan Barrera (22-2, 14 KOs) could make for a solid fallback option.

The 36-year-old Cuban suffered his only two defeats to Bivol and future Hall-of-Famer Andre Ward, and has no choice but to wait around for Bivol's next fight in March.

"[Barrera] might be the best veteran fighter out there never to win a title," wrote DailyNews.com.

In the meantime, both Browne and Barrera could cement themselves as top options for Bivol's next title defense with a win over the other.

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IBF

If Browne were to go another route, he could opt to vie for the IBF title.

Currently owned by Artur Beterbiev (13-0, 13 KOs), the 33-year-old Russian was ordered by the IBF to defend his belt against Browne last March.

At the time, MB was the No. 3 IBF contender, but fell out of the rankings when he chose to instead challenge Kovalev in the WBO ranks.

Beterbiev, known for his powerful hands, would make for an interesting opponent and challenging bout for Browne between two rising stars in the sport -- though MB's lack of action in the IBF ranks makes him somewhat of a longshot to get a title chance anytime soon.

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Crush the Krusher

"Gonna crush the Krusher," Browne told the Advance last year prior to the cancelled bout against Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev.

Unfortunately, those plans never came to fruition, and Kovalev (33-3-1, 28 KOs) has since lost and regained his WBO belt.

Kovalev has fought Browne's replacement, Eleider Alvarez, twice (last July, and Feb. 2) -- splitting the contests en route to losing and regaining his belt.

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Full Circle?

Further complicating things for a match with the 35-year-old Russian is the slew of contenders, including Bivol, who have emerged as viable contenders.

However, if a fight with Bivol isn't in the cards, Browne could easily slide in as an opponent for Kovalev...that is, if Krusher's camp can overcome concerns regarding Browne's troublesome legal history.

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Stepping Stone

Not everyone can fight Kovalev, and naturally there will be a number of fighters on the outside looking in who are left seeking alternate opponents.

One of those fighters may be 27-year-old Anthony Yarde (17-0, 16 KOs).

Yarde emerged as the No. 1 WBO contender for Kovalev's belt, supplanting Browne, who chose to pursue the WBA belt instead.

Instead of waiting around for Kovalev to recover from his most recent action last week, the UK native could choose to take on a fight with a rising name like Browne in order to boost his own brand and further establish himself.

The fight, though not ideal in terms of title opportunities, could serve as a strong bout between two relatively young fighters in search of a title bout...and potentially set the victor up for that title shot in his next fight.