Big time boxing returns with a bang!

In the September 5 issue of Boxing News, editor Mark Butcher picked out some of the things we’ve got to look forward to at the tail end of 2024. Canelo and Dubois have already delivered. Who’s next?

REJOICE! After weeks of relative quiet, a new boxing season is finally upon us. The last tumbleweed of the traditional close season has finally drifted by and now the real battles can commence.

Those of you who check our major fight schedule will know there are a number of significant events on the horizon and pulling closer into view. So, without further ado, we will now assess those big nights in the diary as the year looks poised to close strongly.

September 14 – Canelo Alvarez vs Edgar Berlanga, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

During that bleak Covid-19 era, where venturing outside of your front door was deemed a criminal offence and fights took place in sterilised bubbles, Canelo Alvarez breathed much needed air into the fight game and kept the sport going. Outside of the behemoths prowling above, Canelo has been the driving force of boxing in our post-Mayweather world and we should appreciate him.

But Berlanga isn’t the Mexican’s strongest option and this one doesn’t set the pulses racing. A Mexican vs Puerto Rican rivalry generally excites, but this isn’t Salvador Sanchez vs Wilfredo Gomez or even Julio Cesar Chavez vs Hector Camacho. and Berlanga needs to show us something we’ve never seen from him before. He is certainly talking a good fight, let’s hope he brings it.

Rating: C

September 21: Daniel Dubois vs Anthony Joshua, Wembley Stadium, London

If promotional hyperbole is to be believed, approaching 100,000 will be in attendance for this potentially thrilling shootout between world class heavyweight punchers. Anthony Joshua has carried a golden era of British boxing upon his considerable shoulders from Olympic Gold onwards and is aiming to become a three-weight world heavyweight champion.

Bucking the general trend, IBF title holder Daniel Dubois has fought all-comers early in his career and is now peaking at just 26. This is a fascinating crossroads bout at the highest level, boosted by a stellar Riyadh season undercard and a live performance by Liam Gallagher (who once queued behind me at a Finchley Road cash machine) for fans who missed out on those prized Oasis tickets.

Rating: A

October 12: Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol, Kingdom Arena, Riyadh

This is probably my favourite fight on the calendar. The wrecking balls fists of Beterbiev have broken the will of all 20 opponents he has faced thus far but the ice cool Bivol may just have the ring smarts to diffuse the ever-ticking time bomb. Most people I speak to in boxing seem to favour Beterbiev quite confidently so I’m in the relative minority backing the composed Bivol.

The smoothest of operators, he fights to the level of his opposition and should elevate his game accordingly. For Beterbiev, at 39, this might be that fight too far (though we’ve said that for a year or two!). It’s a fire vs ice encounter with all the 175lbs belts on the line and it will be fascinating to see how this one plays out. The undercard in Riyadh features a galaxy of stars including Shakur Stevenson and Jai Opetaia but that Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke rematch looks set to steal the show.

Rating: A+

October 26 – Jack Catterall vs Regis Prograis, Co-op Live, Manchester

It feels an eternity since the crafty Catterall upset former Team GB Olympic captain Thomas Stalker in eight rounds to break on to the scene (it was 10 years ago in October). His has been a slow burn of a career, but after avenging that disputed loss to Josh Taylor, the Chorley man seems on the brink of another world title shot.

There’s no better way to cement that claim than a victory over a high-calibre American and former two-time 140lbs champ Regis Prograis fits that bill nicely. ‘Rougarou’ has something to prove having been outclassed by Devin Haney last time out, but he brings genuine credentials and will sell the fight well. The winner challenges for a world title, the loser drops back into the chasing pack.

Rating: B

November 15 – Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul, AT&T Stadium, Arlington

Love it or loathe it, you won’t be able to ignore it. This watch-through-your-fingers event (free to Netflix subscribers) will do big numbers due to the curiosity value and its unprecedented accessibility. One hopes the eight by two-minute round pro contest will lean towards an exhibition, with a spot of grappling and showmanship and no serious aftermath.

Tyson’s recent health scare should have proved enough of a red flag to cancel the fight (he is 58!) but, as always, the dollar rules all. Jake Paul has his limitations as a fighter, but as a businessman and marketeer he can trade with anyone. I think many people in boxing probably resent that. This may well play out as a face-saving, choreographed draw. The enhanced rating below is due to the superb Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano rematch on the undercard that will, thankfully, remind us of boxing at its best.

Rating C

December 21: Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury II, Kingdom Arena, Riyadh

Back in the 1990s, great heavyweight fights flowed like fine wine. We were spoiled by the Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield-Lennox Lewis axis and an intriguing supporting cast including Riddick Bowe, George Foreman, Michael Moorer, Tommy Morrison, Ray Mercer et al. Yet, until this May, there had been no undisputed heavyweight champion for 25 years and too many major fights had stalled in an era of risk assessment and heightened politics.

Enter Turki Alalshikh and that all important Saudi cash injection. After years of posturing, Usyk vs Fury finally happened, thrilled and formed an important chapter of boxing history, featuring the momentum shifts that make great fights on paper, epic in reality. Barring a mid-fight injury, the contractually agreed rematch cannot miss as a spectacle. Virtuoso Usyk is favoured to repeat but, if we have learned anything about boxing in the last decade, it’s to never write off Tyson Fury. 

Rating A +