2023 was a great year for boxing. After an almost five-year wait, we finally saw Terence Crawford take on Errol Spence Jr. for the undisputed welterweight world title. Then there was also Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia in a non-title lightweight match-up in front of 1.2 million online viewers. And who could forget Naoya Inoue moving up a division to stop Stephen Fulton and claim his super bantamweight world titles?
Without discounting these great bouts, next year could potentially eclipse 2023 in boxing terms. One massive fight is already happening, while others are on the cards pending the signing of contracts. Then others might also still turn from wild dreams into a 2024 reality.
Fury vs Usyk – 17th February
Let’s begin this preview with a fight confirmed for 17 February 2024. Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia is the first undisputed heavyweight title fight of the new millennium, promising to be one of the greatest boxing showdowns of modern times.
In all likelihood, whether any other prospective fights materialize or not, this clash between two undefeated champions will confirm 2024 as a boxing year to remember. With slightly less than two months left before fight night, WBC champion Fury is the favorite among the offshore bookmakers listed on SBS, with odds of -140 on offer for the 206cm Englishman.
Ukrainian Usyk, the WBA, WBO, and IBF champion, is a narrow underdog for the contest, fetching odds of +200 on the same betting sites. Apart from a prior injury to one of the boxers, this long-awaited clash will take place with, apart from a draw (+1600), one of these champions about to taste defeat for the first time.
Álvarez vs Benavidez – September 2024?
Although the Fury-Usyk fight is the only confirmed fight we’re featuring, several other possible mouthwatering encounters could feature in the new year. Two renowned boxers, one a superstar in his own right and the other the youngest super middleweight titleholder in history, could face off in a long-anticipated match-up in 2024.
Canelo Álvarez is a four-division world champion regarded as one of the world’s best active pound-for-pound boxers. David Benavidez is a two-time super middleweight champion who first won a world title at only 20 years old.
Benavidez, now 27 and unbeaten in 28 fights, is Álvarez’s long-time mandatory challenger in the super middleweight division, waiting patiently for his chance as the Mexican champion took on and beat all comers. A highly-anticipated fight between the two could finally happen next September, in conjunction with Mexican Independence Day celebrations.
Will two former heavyweight champions meet in 2024?
Two past world heavyweight champions regarded as the best heavyweights not currently holding titles may come face to face in 2024. In a top-class match-up that might have happened in December this year, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, both with signed multi-fight Saudi deals, should have fought each other at the Day of Reckoning event in Riyadh on 23 December.
Instead, the in-form and active Joshua fights the highly-rated Ivan Drago lookalike, Swede Otto Wallin, with Wilder taking on the New Zealander, former champion Joseph Parker. Wilder, inactive since October 2022, and Joshua are both favorites for their co-headline fights, and wins for each could mean a meeting between the two in 2024, likely also in Riyadh. A Joshua-Wilder fight would place the winner in line for a world title shot.
These are only a few possible eagerly-anticipated fights that may feature in 2024. When you add a potential third fight between Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron, a rematch between Fury and MMA convert Francis Ngannou, and a likely meeting between the world’s two dominant light heavyweights, Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, 2024 has the makings of an elite year in world boxing.
