Every bout in boxing’s professional ranks brings one pugilist a little bit closer to the title while throwing their foe further away from this ultimate goal.
Biggest Upcoming Boxing Bouts:
- Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou - March 8, 2024
- Yokasta Valle vs Seniesa Estrada - March 29, 2024
- Arsen Goulamirian vs Gilberto Ramirez - March 30, 2024
- Keith Thurman vs Tim Tszyu - March 30, 2024
- Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia - April 20, 2024
- Canelo Alvarez vs TBC - May 4, 2024
- Naoya Inoue vs Luis Nery - May 6, 2024
- Vasyl Lomachenko vs George Kambosos Jr - May 12, 2024
- Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury - May 18, 2024
Of course, most of the focus from fans goes to those at the very pinnacle of the sport, contending for or attempting to keep their world titles; to kick off 2024, we’ve got a whole host of these bouts.
Being boxing, the full calendar is yet to be set as the result of each of these early fights will change the prospective matches later in the year. So, here are the biggest boxing events with set dates for 2024.
March 8, 2024 (Kingdom Arena, Saudi Arabia)
One of the most stacked boxing events set for 2024 will soon be upon us, with Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry Promotions teaming up to roll around in even more cash from Saudi Arabia.
Anthony Joshua (27-3) versus Francis Ngannou (0-1) headlines the event in name. Joshua needs the win to continue his rebuild towards title contention, while former UFC champion Ngannou is lined up to make his PFL MMA debut next.
That this fight is even happening showcases the missed opportunities of the heavyweight division while Deontay Wilder and Joshua held all of the belts, and only exists because of Tyson Fury’s delay tactics to rumble with Oleksandr Usyk.
In any case, we’ve got two big hitters and at least one who should be seeing the fight as an absolute must-win. Joshua is, naturally, the heavy favourite at -400 and -161 to win within the rounds in the boxing odds.
Elsewhere on the card, we have former WBO World heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (34-3) taking on the surging 6’6’’ Chinese fighter Zhilei Zhang (26-1-1).
Parker, still only 32-years-old, comes into the bout having easily out-boxed Wilder – who’s always struggled against those who can move their feet – to now battle for the WBO Interim title.
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Zhang defied the odds not once but twice to end the then-undefeated Joe Joyce’s world title hopes last year. The massive underdog won by TKO in six rounds first, but then knocked out “Juggernaut” in three rounds in September.
Perhaps the best matchup on the card, however, sees Rey Vargas (36-1) and Nick Ball (19-0) rumble for the WBC World featherweight strap.
The Mexican pugilist has been the centrepiece of some truly world-class scraps across the divisions, defeating Azat Hovhannisyan and Tomoki Kameda in super bantamweight in 2018 and 2019, and then Mark Magsayo as a featherweight in 2022.
Last year, however, Vargas lost by unanimous decision when stepping up to try for the vacant WBC World super featherweight crown, falling short against O’Shaquie Foster.
For British boxer Nick Ball, Vargas marks his first world title shot, having fought for the WBC Silver featherweight strap in each of his last five fights.
March 29, 2024 (Desert Diamond Arena, USA)
For this Top Rank event, the four major world titles go on the line in the women’s minimum weight division.
Bringing with her the IBF and WBO World minimum weight straps, Yokasta Valle (30-2) of Costa Rica looks to extend her 17-fight winning streak, flying particularly high after masterfully picking apart Anabel Ortiz in November last year.
Opposing Valle is an undefeated American, Seniesa Estrada (25-0). Standing 5’2’’, Estrada boasts an impressive 36 percent knockout rate and continues to impress more and more with each fight.
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After a quiet 2022 that followed a superb 2021, in which she defeated Anabel Ortiz and Tenkai Tsunami, the Californian brushed aside Tina Rupprecht to add the WBC World title to her collection; she then defended her titles in a tough scrap with Leonela Paola Yudica in July.
Also on the card in Arizona will be Oscar Valdez (31-2) against Liam Wilson (13-2), who jostle for rankings in the super featherweight division, and Raymond Muratalla (19-0) will aim to move a touch closer to lightweight title contention.
March 30, 2024 (YouTube Theater, USA)
Not a whole lot has been confirmed about this card from Golden Boy Promotions, but we know that the headline fight is one to watch.
WBA Super World cruiserweight champion Arsen Goulamirian (27-0) will face his toughest challenge yet in his first fight outside of France since 2015, coming to California to let Gilberto Ramirez (45-1) have a shot at his crown.
The Mexican southpaw fell short of the light heavyweight world title back in November 2022, losing to the acclaimed Dimitrii Bivol, but made his comeback by handily beating Joe Smith Jr on points afterwards.
Now, Ramirez jumps up in weight to offer Goulamirian a true test of might.
March 30, 2024 (T-Mobile Arena, USA)
Four excellent matchups make up the main card of this Nevada-based fight night, with a total of three world titles on the line. Perhaps the most intriguing, however, is the fight without a belt going.
Keith Thurman (30-1) was once one of the headline acts in a welterweight division teeming with world-class champions, but injuries greatly held him back, and then Manny Pacquiao ousted him in 2019 to take his WBA belt.
Since then, Thurman has fought once, beating Mario Barrios by quite some margin in 2022, and now the 35-year-old stares down the undefeated Tim Tszyu (24-0), who demolished Brian Mendoza on points in October 2023 – his third fight of the year.
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Tszyu will enter the ring as the heavy, heavy favourite while Thurman sits at +560 in the betting lines.
Filling out this stacked card is Rolando Romero (15-1) taking on Isaac Cruz (25-2-1) with the WBA World super lightweight belt on the line, Erislandy Lara (29-3-3) being favoured to beat Michael Zerafa (31-4) to retain his WBA World middleweight belt, and Sebastian Fundora facing Serhii Bohachuk for the vacant WBA World super welterweight crown.
April 20, 2024 (Barclays Center, USA)
The super lightweight division has burst into life over the last few years, with a tremendous amount of the momentum being owed to well-timed rumbles between the most talented fighters in the division.
Devin Haney (31-0) against Ryan Garcia (24-1) looks to be another masterclass in matchmaking, and well-earned by both American pugilists.
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Garcia was on a great run, beating Luke Campbell by TKO, Emmanuel Tagoe by a huge margin, and then Javier Fortuna in six rounds, but Gervonta Davis got a huge knockout in the seventh to halt Garcia in his tracks.
Since, Garcia has been able to right the ship with an eighth-round knockout of Oscar Duarte Jurado in December last year. Haney stepped up to super lightweight in December, beating Regis Prograis to get the WBC World title.
It’s being billed as a grudge match between Garcia and Haney, but most importantly, the winner would stake a huge claim to get into or remain in the rankings of the top ten pound-for-pound boxers.
May 4, 2024 (Las Vegas, USA)
Each year, Canelo Álvarez stages a fight around the Cinco de Mayo celebrations of his native Mexico.
Notorious for picking his opponents late or soon after they’ve fought for maximum advantage, he’s yet to pick his opponent for this year’s May bout.
Many names are being thrown around, with the likes of Edgar Berlanga and Jamie Munguia thought to be the frontrunners for the fight set to be staged in Las Vegas.
Whoever the undisputed super middleweight king decides to fight next, it assuredly deserves a place among the biggest boxing matches of 2024.
May 6, 2024 (Tokyo Dome, Japan)
The pound-for-pound king returns to the ring swiftly after his last outing and will be fighting once again in his homeland, Japan.
Naoya Inoue (26-0), the undisputed world super bantamweight champion, battled both Stephen Fulton and Marlon Tapales in 2023 to collect all of the belts in this division – having just become the undisputed bantamweight champion.
“The Monster,” as he’s rightly nicknamed, beat both world-class fighters within the rounds at the Ariake Arena, and now, he’ll face Luis Nery (35-1) to defend those titles.
The Mexican also fought twice in 2023, beating Hovhannisyan and Frolian Saludar, but more importantly, this will be his first crack at winning back the world titles he lost to Brandon Figueroa by knockout in May 2021.
May 12, 2024 (RAC Arena, Australia)
In an incredibly crowded lightweight division, two world-class boxers meet in Perth for a rare shot at a vacant world title.
The IBF World lightweight crown is up for grabs, and Vasyl Lomachenko (17-3) will travel to the homeland of George Kambosos Jr (21-2) to scrap for the belt.
Both have come out of tough fights with losses in recent times. Lomachenko’s two legitimate losses came against Teofimo Lopez in October 2020 and Devin Haney most recently in May of last year – both by fairly close UD calls.
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Kambosos Jr also owes his last loss to Haney – and the one before that. Both took place in Australia, and both saw the American walk away with a unanimous decision victory. Since, he’s defeated Maxi Hughes by mixed decision.
With Haney having moved up, the IBF, WBA, and WBO World titles remain up for grabs, with Shakur Stevenson having already laid claim to the WBC World strap. The winner of this fight will surely hunt for the others.
May 18, 2024 (Kingdom Arena, Saudi Arabia)
For the very first time, four world heavyweight titles will go to one boxer to crown the first undisputed king of the division since Lennox Lewis at the turn of the millennium.
That boxer will either be Oleksandr Usyk (21-0) or Tyson Fury (34-0-1). The fight was supposed to take place on February 17, but Fury suffered a cut in sparring and so opted to postpone the event.
Fury brings the WBC World title, having set it aside in his troublingly tricky split decision win over debutant Ngannou in October, during which the “Gypsy King” was sent to the canvas in the third round.
Usyk stepped up from being the undisputed world cruiserweight champion in 2019, getting two tune-up fights under his belt before beating Anthony Joshua by decision twice to take and retain the Brit’s three world heavyweight titles.
Usyk then sent Daniel Dubois packing in nine rounds to retain the titles while awaiting Fury’s signature. The Ukrainian has now been out of action since August last year due to the Fury negotiations going awry.
Also on the card is a competitive clash at cruiserweight for the vacant IBF World title, which sees Jai Opetaia (24-0) go head-to-head with Mairis Briedis (28-2), and Welshman Joe Cordina (17-0) puts his IBF World super featherweight crown up for grabs against Irishman Anthony Cacace.
The full slate of the 2024 boxing calendar is yet to be sealed, but through to the middle of May, there’s plenty of world-class boxing to enjoy!
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to Alamy*
