1) Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk
After being on the wish list for a while, it seems as though Fury vs. Usyk is actually going to happen. Set for February 17 in Saudi Arabia, barring any training injuries or illnesses we should at last finally discover the identity of the best heavyweight on the planet.
2) Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua
With Deontay Wilder unable to get past Joseph Parker en route to what appeared a natural fight against Anthony Joshua, we now revert back to Plan A: Joshua fighting Tyson Fury. Mooted for years, the only thing that now makes it less appealing than before is the fact it will be an All-British heavyweight held in the Middle East.
3) Canelo Alvarez vs. David Benavidez
Always in need of challenges, and always greeted by a queue of fighters happy to receive a life-changing payday, Alvarez could in 2024 get his stiffest challenge for some time in the form of Benavidez. If it wasn’t clear already, the way in which Benavidez chopped up Demetrius Andrade in November signalled his danger.
4) Shakur Stevenson vs. Gervonta Davis
Despite his undoubted brilliance, Stevenson has become an acquired taste, failing to impress or entertain in fights he is winning rather handily. Davis, meanwhile, may have his faults but is the very definition of exciting, making the pair, in theory, the perfect marriage.
5) Devin Haney vs. Gervonta Davis
Not unlike Stevenson, Haney is another fighter who will always look to dominate an opponent rather than thrill the fans. He entertains far more than Stevenson, granted, but Haney too could benefit from a massive fight against Davis, a fellow American whose box office appeal was proven last year against Ryan Garcia.
Devin Haney celebrates beating Regis Prograis (Ed Mulholland/Matchroom)
6 Terence Crawford vs. Jaron Ennis
The architect of the finest performance of 2023, Crawford also found himself involved in what turned out to be the biggest fight. Moving on from that Errol Spence win, however, could be difficult, particularly given the dearth of big-name opponents in and around him, which is why Jaron “Boots” Ennis, still a prospect in reality, is already seen as a potential foe.
7) Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol
Talked about for a while now, this meeting of unbeaten Russian light-heavyweights needs to happen this year if it’s ever going to happen. Beterbiev, after all, will soon turn 39 years of age.
8) Teofimo Lopez vs. Subriel Matias
Lopez and Matias are two of the more relentless and suffocating fighters in world boxing today and a clash between the super-lightweights would be quite the spectacle. Matias has forced his last five opponents to retire mid-fight, while Lopez recently roared back to form with a thrashing of Josh Taylor in New York.
9) Jermell Charlo vs. Tim Tszyu
Although he lost his last fight against Canelo Alvarez, it will be good to see Charlo back at junior-middleweight, his natural weight, where he could presumably now fight the fast-rising Tim Tszyu, someone with whom he has been linked for some time.
10) Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Jesse Rodriguez
After stopping Sunny Edwards in December, the excellent Rodriguez expressed a reluctance to fight Roman Gonzalez, his hero, but did say he would entertain the idea of moving to super-flyweight to fight Gonzalez’s great rival, Estrada. That certainly works for us.
Jesse Rodriguez toys with Sunny Edwards (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
