Lucas Jones
2023 was a fantastic year for boxing, with almost every big fight that fans have been asking for actually being held. The biggest of these fights that didn’t happen was a battle between WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and IBF, WBA and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk to crown the era’s first undisputed heavyweight champion. of the four belts.
Although this fight will not take place in 2023, it is set to be the current highlight of the 2024 boxing calendar. Fury and Usyk will fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 18, holding all four world heavyweight titles. in Game. The fight was originally scheduled for February 17, but Fury suffered a cut in sparring just weeks before the fight, which forced the fight to be postponed. It wouldn’t be the only fight expected to hit an obstacle.
April has already seen a huge showdown between young junior welterweight stars Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia, with Haney putting his WBC championship on the line. Garcia had been acting erratically and many believed he had no chance of achieving victory after months of bizarre behavior. Instead, Garcia dropped Haney three times and took the majority decision, although he didn’t win the title because he didn’t even try to make weight.
In the next big fight on the calendar, undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez is set for his first fight in 2024 when he faces fellow Mexican star Jaime Munguia on Cinco de Mayo weekend. Alvarez, 33, was last seen scoring a decisive victory over Jermell Charlo in September. Hopes of him facing former WBC titleholder David Benavidez quickly disappeared when Munguia entered the fray. Munguia is undefeated at 43-0 and following a TKO over John Ryder in January.
Another big showdown is set for the summer in Saudi Arabia when an undisputed light heavyweight champion will be crowned. Unified title holder Artur Beterbiev will face WBA champion Dmitry Bivol on June 1 with all four titles on the line.
Two other high-profile summer fights will catch the attention of different audiences. Former UFC stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal will meet in the boxing ring on June 1, a spiritual successor to their ceremonial BMF championship fight at UFC 244 in 2019. In one of the strangest yet most intriguing fights in the boxing calendar, former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will return to the boxing ring at age 58 against social media star-turned-boxer Jake Paul, 27, on Netflix. More details about this fight are yet to be revealed, including whether it will be in any way sanctioned as a professional fight or held as an exhibition.
Note: This will be constantly updated with changes and additions.
Upcoming 2024 Boxing Schedule
| April 27th | Fresno, California | José Ramirez x Rances Barthelemy | Junior welterweights | DAZN |
| may 4th | Las Vegas | Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (c) x Jaime Munguia | Undisputed super middleweight titles | Prime Video, DAZN |
| may 4th | Osaka, Japan | Emmanuel Rodriguez (c) x Ryosuke Nishida | IBF bantamweight title | TBD |
| May 6 | Tokyo | Naoya Inoue (c) x Luis Nery | Undisputed super bantamweight titles | ESPN |
| may 11 | Cardiff | Jessica McCaskill (c) x Lauren Price | WBA women’s welterweight title | Peacock |
| may 12 | Perth, Australia | Vasiliy Lomachenko vs George Kambosos | Vacant IBF lightweight title | ESPN |
| May 18 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Tyson Fury (c) x Oleksandr Usyk (c) | Undisputed heavyweight titles | PPV |
| May 18 | San Diego | Emanuel Navarrete x Denys Berinchyk | Vacant WBO lightweight title | ESPN |
| may 25th | Leeds, England | Josh Taylor x Jack Catterall | Junior welterweight | ESPN+ |
| June 1st | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Artur Beterbiev (c) x Dmitry Bivol (c) | Undisputed light heavyweight titles | PPV |
| June 1st | Inglewood, California | Nate Diaz x Jorge Masvidal | Light heavyweights | PPV |
| 15th of June | Manati, Puerto Rico | Subriel Matias (c) x Liam Paro | IBF junior welterweight title | TBD |
| June 29 | Miami | Teofimo Lopez (c) x Steve Claggett | WBO junior welterweight title | ESPN |
| June 29 | Glendale, Arizona | Juan Francisco Estrada (c) x Jesse Rodríguez | WBC junior bantamweight title | DAZN |
| July 20th | Arlington, Texas | Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul | Heavyweights | Netflix |
| August 3 | Los Angeles | Terence Crawford x Israil Madrimov | Junior middleweights | TBD |
