We boxing fans sure do have a lot to look forward to over the final four weeks of the year. Indeed, there is at least one big fight to get excited about from this Saturday, December 9, to New Year’s Eve.
From heavyweight down to the little giants of this great sport, there will be action from them all….. all the way into 2024. But which of the upcoming fights are you most looking forward to seeing go down?
The folks at ESPN put up an article reverently, listing in order of best quality match ups, the fights we are going to get from now until the end of the year. Interestingly, the Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker clash, which will go ahead on the massive December 23 card in Saudi Arabia, was listed at number one.
Here are the other big fights, world title fights, unification showdowns we will get to see as the year closes.
December 9 – Regis Prograis vs. Devin Haney. For Prograis’ WBC 140 pound belt, this one could prove to be a throwback fight, with two extremely solid operators who have worked their way up the hard way, going at it as they endeavour to reach the absolute top
This one can be looked at as a genuine 50-50 fight.
December 16. Bam Rodriguez vs. Sunny Edwards. Two superb champions, each with a different fighting style and personality. Rodriguez is the puncher of the two, while he is no big talker like Edwards. Edwards is the pure boxer but he carries little pop. It’s a quite fascinating match up. Both men believe they are the best in the world at flyweight and both men will put their respective titles on the line as they go about proving it. Can you pick a winner here?
December 23 – The Big One, AKA ‘The Day Of Reckoning.’ There will be eight fights to watch on this night, with all but two of them well worth tuning in for (the Filip Hrgovic-Mark De Mori fight and the Frank Sanchez-Junior Fa fight can both be looked at as fights where we already know the outcome). With the Wilder-Parker fight, and Anthony Joshua vs. Otto wallin, and Jarrell Miller vs. Daniel Dubois, we have a trilogy of potentially exciting, they-could-go-either way heavyweight fights.
Wilder is a devastating puncher we have all missed as he has been out of action for 14 long months. Joshua is having one of his most active years in a while. While king of the trash-talkers Miller, whether he deserves to be or not, is back on the big stage. Wilder has to be the pick to best Parker, this due to his savage power. But former WBO heavyweight champ Parker can move, he has been very active, and he could pull off a points win. If Parker can avoid being flattened by that bomb of a Wilder right hand, that is. Can Wallin outbox AJ? Does Miller take Dubois’ heart the way he says he will?
December 26 – Naoya Inoue-Marlon Tapales. A four-belt super bantamweight unification showdown that simply cannot be missed. Inoue is seemingly never in a bad fight, nor does “The Monster” ever put on a bad performance. Tapales is a gritty, ultra-determined warrior who feels he can pull off the big upset. Inoue has to be the pick to win, but something tells me, and others, that this could be a tough one for the Japanese superstar.
New Year’s Eve – Kazuto Ioka-Josber Perez. The traditional big fight in Japan on the last night of the year. Ioka, one of the world’s pound-for-pound best, was to have fought Juan Francisco Estrada in a unifcation clash on New Year’s Eve, saw that fight fall through but wanted to, and managed to, save the date. Ioka will now face Venezuelan puncher Perez. Ioka can be a joy to watch, while Perez is something of a mystery man to many of us. Ioka is always in great shape, though, and he will not take his eye off the ball by way of overlooking his challenger. Ioka is a superb talent, it’s just a shame the super-flyweight division doesn’t have too many big named for him to fight.
So, a whole lot of potentially great action to look forward to. Which fight are YOU most looking forward to seeing?