Strange bedfellows: sparring partners that make you raise an eyebrow.

That is, pairings that are surprising due to gaps in weight class or class, period (not due to one boxer failing to provide a reasonable facsimile of the A-side partner's upcoming opponent, which really isn't the point of sparring) - or, for the opposite reason, that is, very close proximity in quality and campaigning in the same range of poundage and not dissimilar in their rankings...meaning there is a high probability of them clashing 'for real'.

Now, this isn't the right place to mention something like Pacquiao & Provodnikov (yes, Pacquiao is much greater than Provodnikov but the gap is from 'merely world class' to 'ATG', which is less of a leap than would be, say, Pacquiao sparring with Edgar "Trashy" Riovalle) or Mayweather & Corley/Judah (yes, they're both way past their primes and no they're nothing like Manny stylistically but they are fast-handed southpaws operating still at or near the fringes of world class - and both hard working gym rats known for giving solid work in sparring, making them suitable enough...)

I'll give some current salient examples to start us off:

• Kell Brook & John Ryder

Brook is a career welterweight. Granted, he is a particularly big, strong career welter and has often fought above the limit (eleven times, in fact - ten contests that you'd call, effectively, "light middleweight" and one at middleweight versus Darren Gethin, where both were scheduled to come in at welter but missed the mark by a whopping 8 and 9½lbs respectively) - but Ryder is a career middleweight. A particularly big, strong career middleweight at that. Apparently they had some hard and highly physical spars - nothing spiteful between them, just both doing their jobs and putting in effort - which have been described as grueling and in which Brook purportedly walked through some of the absolute best Ryder can dish out and slugged with him on even terms. Regardless of whether you think Ryder is oversold in terms of his KO artist prowess, this should help put to rest any lingering concerns regarding Brook's chin.

• Ruslan Provodnikov & Vito Gasparyan

Provodnikov is a light welterweight, despite having fought his two most famous opponents (Bradley & Castillo) at 147lbs. He is built like a tank and ox-strong, yes, but he is also only 5'6" and not exactly blessed in the reach department. Gasparyan is a 5'10" light middleweight, a big one.

• Billie Joe Saunders & Gary O'Sullivan

They fought once already with a fairly decisive outcome, but that doesn't mean a rematch it outside the realm of possibility - especially with O'Sullivan continuing to improve since the loss to Saunders and greatly raising his visibility. In fact he may be on the cusp of actually outpacing Saunders to a world title shot, if Chris Eubank Jr. signs the contract for his proposed first defense. So for the rivals to now be friends (hardly uncommon in the sport) and spar mates - Saunders used O'Sullivan (and Nick Blackwell, another of his conquests) to prep for Blandamura and possibly Eubank Jr. as well, and has intimated he would help get Spike ready for CEJ - seems a bit counter-intuitive when their paths could indeed once again cross professionally, and with the stakes much higher than before. :think

• Scott Quigg & Zhanat Zhakianov

Quigg is the WBA "regular" super bantamweight titlist (co-reigning alongside interim champ Oscar Escandon and "super" champ Guillermo Rigondeaux) Zhakianov is the WBA #5 bantamweight. Not a conflict on the surface, until you delve into Zhakianov's habit of vacillating between 118lb and 122lbs over the years, and the fact that he is highly unlikely to get a crack at either Jamie McDonnell or Tomoki Kameda, whichever holds the WBA (& WBO) bantamweight title come May 10th. He may set his sights on a more realistic path to a title a division north - and he fits the pattern Eddie Hearn seems to have typecast for Quigg's opposition (ranked high but unheralded) especially when you look at the WBA 122lb rankings and realize Quigg would need to choose from a rogue's gallery of tough SOB's were he to pull from any of the current top few. Zhakianov climbing up and within a couple of matches breaking into the WBA super bantam top 5 (buoyed from his already high ranking down at bantam) is hardly an implausible scenario - and that would instantly make him all but a lock for an eventual Quigg defense.

• Sakio Bika & Mark Flanagan

Bika is a career 168lber, though he is about to challenge for the lineal and WBC 175lb championship. That may be why he is choosing a big man for sparring - but the big man in question is the Australian 200lb champion. Flanagan did start his pro career at the very weight at which Bika is about to contend, but make no mistake: they are two solid divisions removed. Bika is perfectly average sized for super middle, always was, and Flanagan is every bit the natural Cruiser. Not to mention, here in the upper reaches, "two divisions removed" is a LOT more significant than at the other end, where a mere seven pounds distinguish straw and fly. We are talking a 32lb differential on the scales.