BOXING BOXING ARTICLES

A possible Super Bowl preview highlights the slate of games on Sunday in Week 13 of the NFL season when the 9-2 Philadelphia Eagles visit the 8-4 Baltimore Ravens. The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs might disagree, but the best team doesn’t always win. The Eagles enter as one of the hottest teams in the NFL having won seven straight games with payouts in each of the last three and in five of their past si... 

WBO junior lightweight champion Emanuel Navarrete is favored to defend his strap against challenger Oscar Valdez in a 12-round bout scheduled for December 7 in Phoenix, AZ. A three-division world champion, Navarrete moved up a weight class to go for a fourth only to be stopped via split decision by Denys Berinchyk in May. He returns to his more familiar weight class for a rematch with Valdez, whom he beat by unanimous decision 15 months ago in his first title defense.

A ... 

It’s a gimmick fight but the match between former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul is getting plenty of notoriety and action at the betting window. The delay of a few months only adds to the suspense. Originally scheduled for July, the fight was postponed when Tyson experienced medical problems. He’s been cleared and the eight-round bout is set for November 15 in Texas.It’s been nearly 20 years since Tyson last had a competitive fight with an uncerem... 

Undefeated lightweight Keyshawn Davis puts his perfect record on the line against one-loss opponent Gustavo Daniel Lemos in a scheduled 10-round fight on Saturday, November 8 in Davis’ home town of Norfolk, Virginia. The entire day will be a Davis family reunion with his two brothers on the undercard. But Keyshawn will be the main event as he looks for a chance at a world title with a win over the veteran Lemos a good start. And Davis is a huge -950 favorite to win the fight.Standing in the way ... 

WBC junior lightweight champion Robson Conceicao makes his first title defense against the fighter he won the strap from just four months ago when he battles O’Shaquie Foster on November 2 in New York. If the rematch is anything like the initial bout fans are in for a treat. Conceicao stunned the champ in that fight with a controversial split decision that pundits are still debating about. Many felt Foster was the rightful winner and this is a chance for the boxing world to set things straight. Conceicao’s only two professional defeats were to undefeated world champions at the time. He dropped unanimous decisions to Oscar Valdez in 2021 and Shakur Stevenson a year later. Those two were part of a five-fight stretch where he won just once, earning a draw and no-contest in two others. Foster had won 12 in a row before the controversial setback in July. The former champ opened as a -425 favorite in the rematch with the current champ catching odds of +315. ... 

Former champ Regis Prograis looks to bounce back from his second professional loss when he takes on Jack Catterall in a scheduled 12-round super lightweight bout on October 26 in Manchester, England. Prograis lost the WBC strap in a unanimous decision loss to Devin Haney in December 2023 and finally returns to the ring. It wasn’t a planned hiatus, though, since this fight was originally scheduled to take place in August but an injury to Catterall postponed the bout.A former world title challenge... 

Undefeated IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev puts his belt on the line in his first title defense against one-loss challenger Tim Tszyu when the two collide in Florida on October 19. We don’t always see the champion as such a big underdog ( +450 ) like Murtazaliev is for this fight, but this isn’t your typical setup. In his first world title fight Murtazaliev scored a TKO win against Jack Culcay winning the vacant IBF light middleweight title in June. Culcay isn’t a household ... 

In one of the most anticipated fights in some time, Artur Beterbiev and Dimitry Bivol will collide for the undisputed light heavyweight crown on October 12 in Saudi Arabia. Both undefeated champions will put their respective belts on the line with one fighter getting the glory of light heavyweight supremacy. This is a fight that’s been tossed around for more than a year and will finally take place. A Russian citizen, Bivol was deemed ineligible by WBC heads in 2023 due to his country’s aggressio... 

WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball will face the challenge of Ronny Rios over 12 rounds on October 5 in Liverpool. After a thrilling split decision win over Raymond Ford in June to claim the title, Ball will have a homecoming for his first title defense. The No. 5 ranked featherweight is a Liverpool native and a huge -1800 favorite to successfully defend. Back in March in his first title challenge, Ball earned respect flooring WBC champ Rey Vargas twice in a split draw.Approaching 35 years of ... 

Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez puts his belts on the line as a massive favorite against Edgar Berlanga on September 14 in Las Vegas. Choosing to take this bout cost Alvarez one of his belts, however, when the IBF stripped him of it for not facing their No. 1 mandatory challenger William Scull. I think at this juncture of his career it really isn’t a big deal for Alvarez and he’s ignoring critics who want to see him fight David Benavidez or Terence Crawford.Berlanga is best... 

In the minds of most gamblers, the question is not whether Anthony Joshua will defeat Daniel Dubois on September 21. Instead, everyone is speculating as to what comes next after a presumptive Joshua victory. Most people who bet on boxing using crypto believe that Anthony Joshua will fight the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury rematch in 2025 if he beats Daniel Dubois on Sept. 21. That theory is substantiated by Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn and based on the current boxing odds Joshua s... 

Naoya Inoue is a massive favorite against TJ Doheny in a super bantamweight title bout on Tuesday, September 3 that can be seen on ESPN+. Inoue will be defending his undisputed super bantamweight title in this fight that is scheduled for 12 rounds at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Inoue is unbeaten in his career with a record of 27-0 with 24 knockouts. He has done pretty much everything a fighter can do, as he is one of only three fighters to be an undisputed champ in two different weight cla... 

The super middleweight bout between undefeated contender Christian Mbilli and Sergiy Derevyanchenko promises to pack a punch. One of the top active fighters in his weight class, Mbilli has won all 27 of his professional fights with 23 of them by stoppage. He faces his stiffest test yet against his Ukrainian opponent who has challenged three times for world middleweight titles. The 10-round fight is scheduled for Saturday, August 17 in Quebec, Canada.With his spotless record and being 10 years yo... 

Undefeated Terence Crawford moves up a weight class to challenge Israil Madrimov for the WBA junior middleweight belt. Also on the line in this matchup is the WBO interim title. A former undisputed champion in two different weight classes, Crawford enters as a big -700 favorite for the fight scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 3 in Los Angeles. Crawford is coming off a dominant win over Errol Spence last July for the undisputed welterweight championship running his professional record to 40-0. With fewer years and pro fights to his credit, Madrimov was fast-tracked to his current title. He claimed the belt earlier this year in March with a fifth-round TKO of Magomed Kurbanov. Madrimov has just 11 professional bouts on his resume but he had a highly-decorated amateur career with over 100 fights. The age difference could play a role with Madrimov nearly eight years younger. Despite his title Madrimov is listed as a heavy underdog on the early boxing betting lines at +450. ... 

Veteran wannabe heavyweight contenders square off when Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora enter the ring for a 12-round bout in London on Saturday, July 27. With both fighters at an advanced age this bout more than likely represents one last chance for the winner to make a push for world championship. Within the division there really is no place for the loser to go. Making things more interesting is that both fighters are Londoners and discussions for an encounter have allegedly been taking place for a... 

It’s not the fight we wanted when Jake Paul was originally going to take on former heavyweight champion and nearly 60-year-old Mike Tyson. That matchup is intriguing in its own right. With Tyson forced out due to a medical condition and the bout rescheduled for later in the year, Paul continues his pursuit of a world championship by taking on former MMA fighter and bare knuckle brawler Mike Perry in an 8-round bout set for Saturday, July 20 in Tampa, Fla. While not a traditional boxer Perry does have some experience in the ring with a few bouts prior to his MMA career. He’s been a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) performer since 2021 when his UFC contract expired posting a 5-0 record as a middleweight in BKFC. Despite being a +240 underdog on the early boxing betting line, Perry is the type of fighter that can give Paul problems with his relentless style. However, Paul’s early boxing career was littered with combat sport veterans and he flawlessly handled them, which is why he’s a -300 favorite. ... 

Undefeated Jaron Ennis will defend his IBF welterweight title against challenger David Avanesyan as a heavy favorite in a scheduled 12-round bout set for Saturday, July 13 in Philadelphia. Ennis was originally set to take on mandatory challenger Cody Crowley, but he withdrew a few weeks ago after he wasn’t cleared by medical personnel following eye surgery in November. With no defeats in 31 professional fights, oddsmakers like the chances of the champ successfully defending posting early odds on... 

Unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly puts his WBO and IBF titles on the line against undefeated challenger Andrei Mikhailovich in a scheduled 12-round fight set for Saturday, July 13 in Las Vegas. This will be the first defense of the unified titles for Alimkhanuly after he won the IBF crown with a sixth round TKO of previously unbeaten Vincenzo Gualtieri last October. Another title fight with outrageous odds has the champ as a -1500 favorite on the early boxing betting line.With si... 

Undefeated WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson defends his title as a massive favorite against little known challenger Artem Harutyunyan in a 12-round bout scheduled for Saturday, July 6 in New Jersey. One of the most talented boxers in any weight class, Stevenson is coming off a unanimous decision win over Edwin De Los Santos last November to claim the vacant lightweight title. Though he won the fight many were turned off by Stevenson’s performance with little action for 12 rounds. Steven... 

WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez puts his belt on the line as a massive favorite against challenger Steve Claggett in a scheduled 12-round bout on Saturday, June 29 in Miami. One of the most exhilarating boxers in the sport, Lopez is a world champion in two different weight classes and ranked as the world’s best active junior welterweight by several outlets. After winning his first 10 professional fights, eight of them by stoppage, Lopez had a statement win in 2018 knocking out vet... 

Undefeated David Benavidez takes on Oleksandr Gvozdyk in a matchup for the interim WBC light heavyweight title in a scheduled 12-round bout on Saturday, June 15 in Las Vegas. It’s a full night of boxing action with the fight the co-main event along with the WBA lightweight title fight between champion Gervonta Davis and Frank Martin. A two-time WBC super middleweight champion, Benavidez debuts at 175 pounds looking to continue his dominant career. He has yet to lose in 28 professional fights with 24 wins coming via stoppage. As a result Benavidez is a heavy +450 favorite on the early boxing betting line. One thing going for Benavidez is that he’s fought at 175 pounds for a few years and he’s been good winning 20 of his 21 fights, including a light heavyweight title scrap with Adonis Stevenson in 2018. However, Gvozdyk was hospitalized after a TKO loss to Artur Beterbiev in 2019 subsequently retiring from the sport. Over three years after his lone setback, Gvozdyk returned to the ring easily dispatching three club-level opponents. A win puts Gvozdyk on a path for a potential rematch with Beterbiev, but oddsmakers aren’t giving much of a chance positioning him as a +450 underdog. ... 

Undefeated WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis puts his belt on the line against undefeated challenger Frank Davis in a scheduled 12-round fight on Saturday, June 15 in Las Vegas. Tank has rolled through opponents with reckless abandon stopping 27 of 29 via KO. He enters the ring for the first time in over year as a massive -750 favorite on the early boxing betting lines. A three class champ, Davis also held the IBF and WBA super featherweight titles and the WBA super lightweight belt. The first opponent after a long layoff is typically the hardest, which means Martin has something working in his favor. Despite that I don’t think the challenger is going to get much play going against one of if not the hottest property in boxing. Martin boasts a stellar undefeated record in 18 professional fights, but his list of opponents is a bit shaky. He outpointed Artem Harutyunyan in his last fight in July 2023 in what was likely his most difficult opponent to date. At +479 there is a healthy payout for what would be a major upset in the sport. ... 

A pair of former heavyweight champions square off looking to get back to their winning ways with a potential shot at another title when Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang go toe-to-toe in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, June 1. After going unbeaten in his first 43 professional fights with 42 wins and a draw, former WBC champ Wilder has dropped three of his last four fights, two of them to Tyson Fury when Wilder surrendered the belt in 2020 and was floored in the rematch in 2021. Wilder opened as a +150 u... 

The much-anticipated rematch between junior welterweights Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall looks like it will finally take place on Saturday, May 25, from Leeds, England. The two first entered the ring in February 2022 when Taylor retained his undisputed junior welterweight championship in highly controversial split decision victory. The rematch was set for the following February, but a scheduling conflict forced a one-month delay. Then last Mach Taylor suffered a foot injury that put the rematch ... 

A pair of undefeated heavyweights tangle for the undisputed championship of the world when WBC champ Tyson Fury battles WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belt holder Oleksandr Usyk in a 12-round fight scheduled for Saturday, May 18 in Saudi Arabia. The much-anticipated bout has been in the works for some time with an agreement in place last September. The fight was originally scheduled for late December 2023 and delayed to February. Another postponement moved the date another few months. Barring a draw, which is a betting option, the first undisputed heavyweight champ since Lennox Lewis in 2000 will be crowned. Both fighters may have been looking forward to this match since they had scares in their most recent outing. In a non-title fight Fury was knocked down by former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who was making his professional debut in the ring. Fury recovered to win a 10-round split decision. Usyk was dropped by a controversial low blow from Daniel Dubois last August and went on to a ninth round stoppage win. Unlike some previous title fights, the odds are close with both boxers boasting negative odds on the opening boxing betting line. ...