Ranking best upcoming fights: From Regis Prograis-Devin Haney to the return of Deontay Wilder،
This year has been a good one for boxing fans. Many great fights took place, including Terence Crawford’s epic performance against Errol Spence Jr., Naoya Inoue’s domination of Stephen Fulton, Devin Haney against Vasiliy Lomachenko and the two incredible fights between Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron, to n name just a few.
And before we get to February 2024, when the mammoth undisputed world heavyweight title clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk gets underway, there are still plenty of big fights to look forward to over the next couple of months.
From knockout specialists to light-footed flyweights to pound-for-pound king contenders to those fighting to keep their careers alive, December and January have plenty to get you excited about in a program of loaded boxing.
Let’s look at the best of the boxing calendar.
1. December 23: Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker, heavyweight
Wilder in the boxing ring has been a rare sight of late, so don’t miss an opportunity to see the knockout specialist attempt to revive his career against another former heavyweight champion of the world.
If Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KO) can beat Parker in his first fight since October 2022, he will set up what would be one of the biggest fights of 2024 against compatriot Anthony Joshua. But Parker (33-3, 23 KOs), WBO titleholder from 2016 to 2018, has been more active and if he can avoid Wilder’s pulverizing right hand punch, he could score an upset decision victory .
Wilder’s last opponent, Robert Helenius, lasted 2:57 minutes and boxing fans will be intrigued to see if the Alabama native, who reigned as WBC champion for five years, is still a force at 38 years.
2. January 13: Artur Beterbiev vs. Callum Smith, 12 rounds, for Beterbiev’s WBC, WBO and IBF light heavyweight titles
If you want a knockout, watching Beterbiev in action is the closest thing to a guarantee as he has dispatched all of his opponents at range. Smith (29-1, 21 KO), a former super middleweight champion, is also assertive and has proven a threat since moving up his division.
Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs), the WBC, WBO and IBF light heavyweight champion scored a clinical eighth-round victory in his last defense against Anthony Yarde last January and was scheduled to face Smith in August, but the fight was postponed due to a bone infection in his jaw. He is perhaps the most exciting fighter to watch because of his knockout power.
For years, there has been talk of Beterbiev facing his Russian compatriot and rival light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs), to name an undisputed champion in 2024, which raises the stakes for this fight against Smith. Bivol is expected to defend his WBA belt when he faces Lyndon Arthur on December 23.
3. December 16: Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez vs. Sunny Edwards, 12 rounds, for Rodriguez’s WBO flyweight title and Edwards’ IBF flyweight title
This high-caliber contest will decide the best in the flyweight division as both fighters put their unbeaten records and world titles on the line. Neither were at their best in their last outings, but they have an abundance of skills that, if they can both perform that night, will produce one of the best shows in pure boxing of 2023.
It’s difficult to predict a winner between Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) and Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs), who suffered a broken jaw in his last fight, against Cristian Gonzalez. But if one or the other manages to distinguish themselves as a clear winner, then they will become the superstar of the lighter weight categories. This fight is for boxing purists only.
4. December 26: Naoya Inoue vs. Marlon Tapales, 12 rounds, for Inoue’s WBC and WBO junior featherweight titles and Tapales’ IBF and WBA junior featherweight titles
Inoue, arguably one of the best punchers in the world in any weight class, will fight for greatness when he attempts to become an undisputed two-division champion against Tapales. After becoming undisputed at bantamweight last year, “The Monster” attempts to hold all four titles in the weight division above.
Inoue (25-0, 22 KO), already a champion in four different divisions, has not slowed down in his quest to achieve his goals. In his junior featherweight debut, he stopped Stephen Fulton and looks like a sure bet to do the same with Tapales (37-3, 19 KOs). Can Inoue produce a performance worthy of knocking welterweight Terence Crawford out of the top spot in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings? If you want to see what the best boxing has to offer, take a look at Inoue.
5. December 9: Regis Prograis vs. Devin Haney, 12 rounds, for Prograis’ WBC junior welterweight title
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Why Devin Haney is moving up to 140 pounds
Devin Haney explains to Mark Kriegel why he is fighting Regis Prograis in an unknown weight class.
Haney (29-0, 15 KOs), the undisputed lightweight champion, is laudably stepping up a division in pursuit of great glory, but he faces a man desperate to show the world what he’s capable of.
It’s been four years since Prograis (29-1, 24 KO) was dominated by Josh Taylor in a unification title fight at the World Boxing Super Series final, and he’s still fighting to regain the top spot in the division. Prograis was disappointed with his performance in a split decision win over Danielito Zorrilla in June, but his experience, size and power make him a real threat to Haney.
Haney dominated the great Vasiliy Lomachenko, 35, in his last fight by close scores and the 25-year-old will most likely be involved in another close fight with Prograis, who will try to make this evening all about him, no Haney.
6. December 23: Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin, 12 rounds, heavyweight
Joshua, the former unified heavyweight champion of the world has an easier mission – on paper – than Wilder on the same marathon card in Saudi Arabia. But Joshua showed weaknesses in recent fights and Wallin almost pulled off a huge upset. That’s why this one is not to be missed.
Joshua, a two-time WBA, IBF and WBO champion, was stopped by Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019 and had a tough time in two defeats against Oleksandr Usyk. Wallin (26-1, 14 KO) took Fury to a decision in 2019, cutting him over the right eye in the third round and was close to stopping him. Fury needed 47 stitches to repair the cut. Joshua produced a seventh-round stoppage victory over Robert Helenius in August and has the opportunity to make a statement against Wallin to set up a huge fight against Wilder in 2024.
7. January 20: Natasha Jonas vs. Mikaela Mayer, 10 rounds, for Jonas’ IBF women’s welterweight title
One of the biggest fights in women’s boxing in 2024 takes place at the start of the year, when two former Olympians and top pound-for-pound boxers meet in Liverpool.
Jonas (14-2-1, 9 KOs), 39, will be more accustomed to the weight – she won world titles at welterweight and junior middleweight – but former junior lightweight world champion Mayer ( 19-1, 5 KO), 33, is lighter on her feet and more precise with her punches. This fight could become an early contender for Fight of the Year if both fighters perform like they have during their careers.
8. December 23: Daniel Dubois vs. Jarrell Miller, 10 rounds, heavyweight
This non-title fight could be fun. Both have power, and Dubois has shown he can be taken down in recent fights against Usyk, Kevin Lerena and Joe Joyce. Miller is a controversial figure who was suspended for PED violations in 2020, but has won three times since his ban following a positive test for a metabolic performance enhancer which negated a title shot against Joshua in 2019.
Miller weighed in at 333 pounds for his last fight in March while Dubois put in a gutsy performance to scare Usyk into a title defeat in August. Great battles await the winner.
9. December 9: Robeisy Ramirez vs. Rafael Espinoza, 12 rounds, for Ramirez’s WBO featherweight title
Ramirez (13-1, 8 KOs) had a memorable year, dominating Isaac Dogboe to win the belt by decision in April, then traveling to Japan to impressively stop Satoshi Shimizu in five rounds in July. His final outing of 2023 is arguably the least intimidating of the year for him, as Espinoza has yet to fight in a world title fight.
But if Ramirez can look good, he’s raising his hopes for a unification title fight against compatriot Luis Alberto Lopez in 2024.
10. December 2: Ryan Garcia vs. Oscar Duarte, 12 rounds, junior welterweight
Garcia’s quick hands and extensive social media following will ensure plenty of interest in this non-title fight, which will give the Californian an opportunity to reestablish himself after being knocked out by Gervonta Davis in April.
Garcia (23-1, 19 KOs) is only 25 years old, still developing and his career (and ego) can recover from a setback against a fighter as brilliant as Davis, who stopped Garcia with a body shot.
This fight could be tense and nervous for Garcia as Duarte enters the fight with an 11-fight knockout winning streak. How Garcia chooses to box in this fight will be interesting. A solid win could entice the top 140-pounders to take him on.
