Things are about to heat up in a big way for the sport as we head toward summer
• 2 min read
2023 was a fantastic year for boxing, with nearly every major fight fans have called for actually getting made. The biggest of those fights that did not come together was a battle between WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and IBF, WBA and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
While that fight didn’t come together for 2023, it is set as the current highlight of the 2024 boxing calendar. Fury and Usyk will battle in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 18 with all four heavyweight world titles on the line. The fight was originally set for Feb. 17, but Fury suffered a cut in sparring just weeks out from the fight that forced the bout to be delayed. It wouldn’t be the only anticipated fight to hit a snag.
Another major showdown was set for the summer in Saudi Arabia with a bout to see an undisputed light heavyweight champion crowned. Unified titleholder Artur Beterbiev was set to take on WBA champ Dmitry Bivol on June 1 with all four titles at stake, but a Beterbiev injury delayed the fight. Heavyweights Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang now headline the card.
Two other high-profile summer bouts will capture the attention of different crowds. Former UFC stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal will meet in the boxing ring on June 1, a spiritual successor to their ceremonial BMF championship fight at UFC 244 in 2019. In one of the strangest, yet most intriguing fights on the boxing calendar, former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will return to the boxing ring at age 58 against social media star-turned-boxer Jake Paul, 27, on Netflix. More details on that fight are still to be revealed, including whether it will somehow be sanctioned as a professional bout or held as an exhibition.
Note: This will be updated constantly with changes and additions.
2024 upcoming boxing schedule
| Date | Location | Main event | Weightclass/title | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11 | Cardiff | Jessica McCaskill (c) vs. Lauren Price | WBA women’s welterweight title | Peacock |
| May 12 | Perth, Australia | Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. George Kambosos | Vacant IBF lightweight title | ESPN |
| May 18 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Tyson Fury (c) vs. Oleksandr Usyk (c) | Undisputed heavyweight titles | PPV |
| May 18 | San Diego | Emanuel Navarrete vs. Denys Berinchyk | Vacant WBO lightweight title | ESPN |
| May 25 | Leeds, England | Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall | Junior welterweight | ESPN+ |
| June 1 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang | Heavyweight | PPV |
| June 1 | Inglewood, California | Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal | Light heavyweights | PPV |
| June 7 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Adrien Broner vs. Blair Cobbs | Welterweight | TBA |
| June 15 | Manati, Puerto Rico | Subriel Matias (c) vs. Liam Paro | IBF junior welterweight title | TBA |
| June 15 | Las Vegas | Gervonta Davis (c) vs. Frank Martin | WBA lightweight title | PPV |
| June 15 | London | Chris Billam-Smith (c) vs. Richard Riakporhe | WBA cruiserweight title | TBA |
| June 29 | Miami | Teofimo Lopez (c) vs. Steve Claggett | WBO junior welterweight title | ESPN |
| June 29 | Glendale, Arizona | Juan Francisco Estrada (c) vs. Jesse Rodriguez | WBC junior bantamweight title | DAZN |
| July 6 | Newark, New Jersey | Shakur Stevenson (c) vs. Artem Harutyunyan | WBC lightweight title | ESPN |
| July 13 | Philadelphia | Jaron Ennis (c) vs. Cody Crowley | IBF welterweight title | DAZN |
| July 20 | Arlington, Texas | Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul | Heavyweights | Netflix |
| Aug. 3 | Los Angeles | Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov | Junior middleweights | TBD |
