Things are about to heat up in a big way for the sport as we head through April and into May
By Brent Brookhouse
• 2 min read
2023 was a fantastic year for boxing, with nearly every major fight fans have called for actually getting made. The biggest of those fights that did not come together was a battle between WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and IBF, WBA and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
While that fight didn't come together for 2023, it is set as the current highlight of the 2024 boxing calendar. Fury and Usyk will battle in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 18 with all four heavyweight world titles on the line. The fight was originally set for Feb. 17, but Fury suffered a cut in sparring just weeks out from the fight that forced the bout to be delayed. It wouldn't be the only anticipated fight to hit a snag.
April has already seen a big clash 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 shot to pull off the win after months of bizarre behavior. Instead, Garcia dropped Haney three times and took a majority decision, though he didn't win the title as he'd not even attempted to make weight.
In the next big fight on the calendar, undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez is set for his first fight of 2024 when he battles fellow Mexican star Jaime Munguia over Cinco de Mayo weekend. Alvarez, 33, was last seen scoring a decisive win over Jermell Charlo in September. Hopes for him to face former WBC titleholder David Benavidez quickly went away when Munguia entered the fray. Munguia is undefeated at 43-0 and coming off a TKO of John Ryder in January.
Another major showdown is set for the summer in Saudi Arabia as an undisputed light heavyweight champion will be crowned. Unified titleholder Artur Beterbiev will take on WBA champ Dmitry Bivol on June 1 with all four titles at stake.
Two other high-profile summer bouts will capture the attention of different crowds. 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 on 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 on that fight are still to be revealed, including whether it will somehow be sanctioned as a professional bout or held as an exhibition.
Note: This will be updated constantly with changes and additions.
2024 upcoming boxing schedule
| Date | Location | Main event | Weightclass/title | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 27 | Fresno, California | Jose Ramirez vs. Rances Barthelemy | Junior welterweights | DAZN |
| May 4 | Las Vegas | Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (c) vs. Jaime Munguia | Undisputed super middleweight titles | Prime Video, DAZN |
| May 4 | Osaka, Japan | Emmanuel Rodriguez (c) vs. Ryosuke Nishida | IBF bantamweight title | TBA |
| May 6 | Tokyo | Naoya Inoue (c) vs. Luis Nery | Undisputed super bantamweight titles | ESPN |
| May 11 | Cardiff | Jessica McCaskill (c) vs. Lauren Price | WBA women's welterweight title | Peaco*ck |
| May 12 | Perth, Australia | Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. George Kambosos | Vacant IBF lightweight title | ESPN |
| May 18 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Tyson Fury (c) vs. Oleksandr Usyk (c) | Undisputed heavyweight titles | PPV |
| May 18 | San Diego | Emanuel Navarrete vs. Denys Berinchyk | Vacant WBO lightweight title | ESPN |
| May 25 | Leeds, England | Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall | Junior welterweight | ESPN+ |
| June 1 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Artur Beterbiev (c) vs. Dmitry Bivol (c) | Undisputed light heavyweight titles | PPV |
| June 1 | Inglewood, California | Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal | Light heavyweights | PPV |
| June 15 | Manati, Puerto Rico | Subriel Matias (c) vs. Liam Paro | IBF junior welterweight title | TBA |
| June 29 | Miami | Teofimo Lopez (c) vs. Steve Claggett | WBO junior welterweight title | ESPN |
| June 29 | Glendale, Arizona | Juan Francisco Estrada (c) vs. Jesse Rodriguez | WBC junior bantamweight title | DAZN |
| July 20 | Arlington, Texas | Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul | Heavyweights | Netflix |
| Aug. 3 | Los Angeles | Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov | Junior middleweights | TBD |
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