Upcoming Boxing: Canelo Alvarez v Jaime Munguia, Naoya Inoue v Luis Nery & Oleksandr Usyk v Tyson Fury

Devin Haney v Ryan Garcia kick-started a mammoth few months of world championship boxing at the weekend, and our expert writer Shaun brown takes a closer look at what's in store this Spring.

Boxing is never short of sticks for people to beat it with so when the opportunity arises to be positive about this great sport then we take the time to make some noise and celebrate.

In 2023 the sport was rightly praised for its number of high-quality matchups which satisfied starving fans and gave them nights to remember.

Now, in 2024, the momentum has continued thanks to the interest and impact from Saudi Arabia where Turki Alalshikh has played a pivotal role in delivering some terrific cards with more to come.

But it’s not just the Middle East which will have our attention!

Across the world there are a number of intriguing and compelling fights to look forward to over the next few months and we've picked out the best of the bunch for you to count down the days to...

Sunday, May 5
Canelo Alvarez v Jaime Munguia
Undisputed Super-Middleweight Championship
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, USA

Who will the force be with on Cinco de Mayo?

All-Mexican battles never disappoint and this time around we have a king against a young pretender to the throne.

With so much pride, power, and machismo on the line, odds of 13/8 on the fight not lasting the distance could well be the way to go!

Monday, May 6
Naoya Inoue v Luis Nery
Undisputed Super-Bantamweight Championship
Tokyo Dome, Japan

The Japanese “Monster” is arguably the greatest fighter in the world.

Luis Nery is a controversial Mexican who is public enemy number one in Japan, having received a lifetime ban in 2018 from fighting there again.

But now he’s been granted license to return, Naoya Inoue will look to gain justice for his nation and Shinsuke Yamanaka (Google it).

Inoue by KO is the obvious shout, but don't be ruling out an early blowout - with 4/1 on offer for the fight to be finished within three rounds catching the eye.

Sunday, May 12
Vasyl Lomachenko v George Kambosos Jr
(Vacant) IBF Lightweight title
RAC Arena, Perth, Australia

Vasyl Lomachenko joins Naoya Inoue and Canelo Alvarez in making his boxing return in May, but there's no doubt that the former world champion is at the twilight of his career.

The Ukrainian grand master, however, showed against Devin Haney he still has plenty to offer, while George Kambosos Jr barely laid a glove on Haney in their two fights.

The Australian is no stranger to causing an upset, though, (just ask Teofimo Lopez) and he’s 5/1 to shock the world once again.

Saturday, May 18
Oleksandr Usyk v Tyson Fury
Undisputed Heavyweight Championship
Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The one we’ve all been waiting for!

The two greatest heavyweights in the world finally collide for all the blue-riband division marbles.

History will be made whoever wins, and their legacy will be talked about for years to come.

Want to know the best thing about it?

This is a truly rare 50-50 fight, where both men are 10/11 to win.

Saturday, May 25
Josh Taylor v Jack Catterall
Super-Lightweight Bout
First Direct Arena, Leeds, UK

If you’re not convinced about the bad blood in Haney-Garcia, then fear not, Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall have you covered.

The outcome of their first fight in February 2022 is still talked about to this day and, as a result, the Scotsman and the Englishman cannot stand the sight of one another.

This is personal.

Repeat? Taylor (4/5)
Revenge? Catterall (EVS)

Who's your money on?

Saturday, June 1
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol
Undisputed Light-Heavyweight Championship
Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Two titans of the sport and two of the greatest light-heavyweights of all-time will duke it out to decide who is best.

For years we have craved for Artur Beterbiev v Dmitry Bivol, and now we’re finally getting it.

No-one can pick a winner with confidence, however. Can you?

Just like Fury and Usyk they can’t be separated in the betting market - we're 10/11 for either man to win.

Saturday, June 1
Deontay Wilder v Zhilei Zhang
Heavyweight Bout
Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Beterbiev and Bivol will grab the headlines but that same night on the same card Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren go head-to-head in a unique 'Queensberry v Matchroom' treat for boxing fans.

Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang top a quintet of fights where there is no foregone conclusion.

Wilder has rarely been an underdog in his career, but he is in this one (6/4).

Sunday, July 21
Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano 2
Undisputed Female Super-Lightweight Championship
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, USA

Netflix and boxing? The streaming giant has taken the brave step of choosing to broadcast the sport we love so much.

Two guys called Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are involved in a one-star bout, while Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano will duel in a five-star rematch.

If it tops the first fight, then it’ll be the greatest drama Netflix has ever shown.

20/33 for Taylor to make it 2-0 for Ireland.
27/20 for Serrano to equalise for Puerto Rico.