Boxing enjoyed a sort of resurgence in 2023 as some of the best fighters in their respective divisions went head-to-head. Fans were treated to a couple of super fights like Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford and Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Ryan Garcia. We even got treated to some entertaining crossover bouts, like Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou.
One of the biggest problems that has plagued boxing in the past few decades has been how reluctant the best fighters have been to test their skills against each other. Tank and Garcia helped to change this in 2023 and other big names followed suit. 2024 should be an excellent year for boxing if this new trend keeps up.
Ten Biggest Fights Boxing Fans Want To See In 2024
Young people are once again gravitating toward boxing and it’s up to the promoters and fighters to help bring in new eyes by giving fans the fights they want to see. Let’s jump right into our list of the top fights boxing fans want to see in 2024:
1) Gervonta Davis vs. Shakur Stevenson
There’s lots of intrigue surrounding a bout featuring the hard-punching Davis and the slick-fighting Stevenson. Both men have been widely viewed as top prospects in the lightweight division and both sport undefeated records.
Davis, who recently changed his name to Abdul Wahid after converting to Islam, couldn’t have looked any better during his last outing against Ryan Garcia, bringing the contest to an end with a liver shot in the seventh round. Stevenson wasn’t as impressive during his last outing, but he still managed to keep his unblemished record intact by defeating Edwin De Los Santos.
2) Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford
Crawford couldn’t have looked any more impressive as he dismantled Spence during their title clash and he’s indicated he’s open to a fight against Alvarez. Whether is ready for such a huge test is yet to be seen, but there’s no question it would be an entertaining bout.
3) Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia
Devin hasn’t shown much of an interest in fighting either Tank or Shakur, so that leaves Ryan Garcia as a potential opponent. Garcia has added a knockout victory to his record since his loss to Tank, and a win against would send his stock surging up.
For Haney, Garcia is one of the safest fights left for him given his less than impressive performance in his last outing.
4) Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou II
Ngannou shocked the boxing world when he squared off against Fury for what turned out to be the biggest spectacle of the year. An arena was constructed just for the main event and almost every major boxing and sports star anyone could think of was in attendance.
However, the best part of the night was how impressive Ngannou looked inside the ring. He didn’t look like some MMA fighter having his first boxing match and he even scored a knockdown during the third round. The fight was so competitive that many boxers and fans felt Ngannou was robbed when Fury earned a split-decision victory. Ngannou’s performance was so impressive that the WBC ranked him # 10 the following week.
A rematch makes a lot of sense if Fury survives his next outing against Oleksandr Usyk and the titles should be on the line this time around. Fury will have his hands full against Usyk and the winner of that fight will solidify their status as the greatest heavyweight boxer in the world.
5) Teofimo Lopez vs. Subriel Matias
Lopex retired after his win against Josh Taylor in 2023, but he started teasing about a return moments later. However, he’s only willing to lace up his gloves for the right opponent. Subriel Matias is that guy and he sports a 20-1 record with all of his victories coming via finish.
Styles make fights, and this one has the potential to be an entertaining banger.
6) Naoya Inoue vs. Sam Goodman
Inoue might find himself facing another undefeated fighter the next time he steps inside the ring. He unified the super bantamweight titles during his last outing, knocking out Marlon Tapales in the tenth round. That brings his knockout rate in title fights to 90.4%, the highest in championship boxing history.
Goodman also sports an undefeated record and the IBF and WBO have him ranked #1 in the super bantamweight division.
7) Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn
These two British fighters have been going at it ever since Benn failed a drug test. A fight between the two should finally happen in 2024 and it should be quite the slugfest given the bad blood between these two.
8) Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev
Talks about these two boxers fighting have been going on for years. Bivol scored one of the biggest upsets of 2022 when he scored a unanimous decision victory against Canelo Alvarez, and he’s won his next two fights since then, taking his record to 22-0, with 11 KOs.
Bivol was expected to face Beterbiev, who has stopped all of his 19 opponents, in 2023 to unify the light-heavyweight titles, but the WBC ruled him ineligible due to sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. That’s a pity since a unification fight would pit two undefeated champions against each other. Maybe a path will open up in 2024.
9) Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder
Both men initially wanted to fight in 2023, but those plans ended up changing with Wilder taking on Joseph Parker, while Joshua faced Otto Wallin. Wilder ended up losing a unanimous decision to Parker, while Joshua scored a stoppage against Wallin.
The good news is that both men have signed multi-fight contracts with Saudi promoters so there’s a good chance we get to see this matchup in 2024. The winner can go on to fight the winner of the Fury vs. Ngannou rematch.
10) Canelo Alvarez vs. David Benavidez
Benavidez has been Canelo’s mandatory WBC challenger for years and he’s been extremely dominant in the ring, while Alvarez took on the likes of Jermell Charlo. Alvarez remains the face of boxing, but many fans view him as a benefactor of some controversial decisions who has also suffered huge upsets.
Some rumors have these two Mexican fighters battling on Mexican Independence Day in 2024, and that bout has the potential to be the fight of the year.
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