With the recent, at last, addition of the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk heavyweight unification showdown to this year’s schedule (and please, fingers crossed nothing stops the fight from going ahead now!”) this April’s boxing schedule can be referred to as hectic. As in off the charts, jam-packed with big and meaningful fights hectic.
Look at this lot for a calender month’s worth of big fights, fellow boxing fan:
April 1: Anthony Joshua-Jermain Franklin.
This one, though not a massive fight, IS a fight that will see the return of one of the biggest stars of the sport today in AJ. Can Joshua, 24-3(22) become a three-time world heavyweight king? The mighty task starts here, in London, against the 21-1(14), expect him to be hugely motivated, Franklin.
April 8: Shakur Stevenson-Shuichiro Yoshino, plus under card.
Stevenson, 19-0(9) and for plenty the hottest young and unbeaten lower-weight fighter out there today, will finally have his lightweight debut. And Yoshino, also unbeaten at 16-0(12) is a proven tough guy who is always willing to rumble. This one could prove to be largely one-sided in favour of Stevenson, but Yoshino will give it his all.
On the same card in Newark, New Jersey, two other bright young things will co-star, as unbeaten heavyweight Jared Anderson, 13-0(13) will face the likewise unbeaten George Arias, 18-0(7), while undefeated 135 pound prospect Keyshawn Davis, 7-0(5) will be in action against the experienced, never stopped Juan Carlos Burgos, 35-7-3(21).
A heck of a card, with plenty of “0” at potential risk.
April 15: Joe Joyce-Zhilei Zhang.
“The Juggernaut” against “Big Bang.” Two big guys, each with a proven rock for a chin, with each man having a style that almost guarantees a toe-to-toe war, with both guys being exactly the same size. This one WILL deliver. It could be carnage on the night. Joyce-Zhang, in London, could be the heavyweight slugfest of the year. Joyce is currently unbeaten at 15-0(14), while Zhang, 24-1-1(19) is coming off a decision loss to Filip Hrgovic that plenty of fans felt he won.
April 22: Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia.
This one has been hyped up something rotten and it continues to be hyped up. But guess what – the hype may well be proven justified here. Two sizzling young fighters each holding a spotless pro record, both wanting to be the next “face of boxing” and putting it all on the line in a Las Vegas super fight in the making. This one, a 136 pound catch-weight showdown, is being advertised as something special and it looks set to deliver. Who wins, Davis, 28-0(26), or Garcia, 23-0(19)?
April 29: Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk.
Two unbeaten heavyweight champions going at it in front of around 90,000 fans, for all the marbles. Nuff said. You can also look at this absolutely fascinating fight as big Vs. small. As boxer/puncher Vs. boxer/puncher. As hero Vs. villain! Unless we get a draw (a possibility, for sure) one man – either Fury, 33-0-1(24), or Usyk, 20-0(13) – will walk away with all four heavyweight belts, thus making history.
What a month, what a slew of great fights to look forward to. Whoever said the sport of boxing was dead or dying!