For much of 2023, boxing fans had their eyes on the month of July, knowing two huge bouts were set for late in the month. What those same fans could not see coming was that both fights would be blowouts that showcased the true greatness of Naoya Inoue and Terence Crawford. Now, one of the biggest stars in boxing looks to prove he still ranks among the elite when Saul "Canelo" Alvarez defends his undisputed super middleweight championship against undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo on Saturday.
Inoue vacated his four bantamweight world titles to move up a division and take on unified champion Stephen Fulton. Inoue was never tested by Fulton before scoring a TKO in Round 8 to capture the WBO and WBC super bantamweight titles as he firmly established himself as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
Inoue's reign as the top dog may have only lasted five days because Crawford was even more impressive against an even better opponent. Crawford put a brutal beating on fellow pound-for-pound elite Errol Spence Jr., scoring three knockdowns before the referee was forced to halt the bout in the ninth round.
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Alvarez long stood as the sport's pound-for-pound best, though many feel that age and more than 60 professional bouts have led to a recent decline in his performances. Alvarez will need to still have flashes of his old skills when he takes on Charlo, who may be coming up two weight divisions but has plenty of skill to exploit any weaknesses in Alvarez's game.
Also on tap in the coming weeks, WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury enters the fray when he takes on former UFC heavyweight titleholder Francis Ngannou in a super fight on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia.
Note: This will be updated constantly with changes and additions.
Date | Location | Main event | Weightclass/title | Network |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sept. 15 | Corpus Christi, Texas | Luis Alberto Lopez (c) vs. Joet Gonzalez | IBF featherweight title | ESPN |
Sept. 15 | San Antonio | Rafael Pedroza vs. Ramon Cardenas | Super bantamweight | Showtime |
Sept. 18 | Tokyo | Kenshiro Teraji (c) vs. Hekkie Budler | WBC, WBA junior flyweight titles | ESPN |
Sept. 23 | London | Zhang Zhilei vs. Joe Joyce | Heavyweight | ESPN |
Sept. 23 | Orlando | Richardson Hitchens vs. Jose Zepeda | Junior welterweight | DAZN |
Sept. 30 | Las Vegas | Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (c) vs. Jermell Charlo | Undisputed super middleweight title | Showtime PPV |
Sept. 30 | London | Jai Opetaia (c) vs. Jordan Thompson | IBF cruiserweight title | DAZN |
Oct. 7 | Sheffield, England | Leigh Wood (c) vs. Josh Warrington | WBA featherweight title | DAZN |
Oct. 7 | Las Vegas | Gilberto Ramirez vs. Joe Smith | Cruiserweight | DAZN |
Oct. 14 | Manchester, England | KSI vs. Tommy Fury | Cruiserweight | DAZN PPV |
Oct. 14 | Rosenberg, Texas | Janibek Alimkhanuly (c) vs. Vincenzo Gualtieri (c) | WBO, IBF middleweight titles | ESPN |
Oct. 15 | TBA | Tim Tszyu (c) vs. Brian Mendoza | WBO junior middleweight title | Showtime |
Oct. 21 | Liverpool, England | Jack Catterall vs. Jorge Linares | Super lightweight | DAZN |
Oct. 27 | Managua, Nicaragua | Jonathan Gonzalez (c) vs. Leyman Benavides | WBO junior flyweight title | ESPN |
Oct. 27 | Orlando | Amanda Serrano (c) vs. Danila Ramos | Undisputed featherweight title | DAZN |
Oct. 28 | Riadyh, Saudi Arabia | Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou | Heavyweights | ESPN+ PPV |
Nov. 15 | TBA | Takuma Inoue (c) vs. Jerwin Ancajas | WBA bantamweight title | ESPN |
Nov. 18 | Inglewood, California | Diego Pacheco vs. Marcelo Coceres | Super middleweight | DAZN |
Nov. 25 | Dublin | Chantelle Cameron (c) vs. Katie Taylor | Undisputed super lightweight title | DAZN |
Dec. 16 | Glendale, Arizona | Jesse Rodriguez (c) vs. Sunny Edwards (c) | WBO, IBF flyweight titles | DAZN |