In 2023, boxing fans were treated to a slew of pivotal fights and a ton of some key title changes. In the battle to determine just who is the best welterweight in the world, Terence Crawford stunned the boxing sphere, not because he won the fight, but by just how dominant he was. Gervonta “Tank” Davis showed there are levels to the sweet science by knocking out Ryan Garcia with a superb body shot.
As we enter 2024, there are plenty of intriguing names to keep an eye on. Anthony Joshua hopes to silence his doubters once and for all, while undefeated WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson will be in search of the missing ingredient that would open the door for lucrative fights. Boxing certainly isn’t short on big names to watch, and we’ve listed five standout fighters who could be in for massive opportunities.
Let’s jump in.
Zhilei Zhang
We start things off with the oldest boxer on this list, and his name is Zhilei Zhang, the WBO interim heavyweight champion. In August 2022, Zhang suffered the first loss of his pro career against Filip Hrgović. The “Big Bang” rebounded as well as one would hope, scoring a sixth-round TKO victory over Joe Joyce. He followed that up by knocking Joyce out in the third round of their rematch.
Zhang has made it clear that he wants big matches moving forward, and at 40, no one can blame him. Many are questioning if father time will spoil Zhang’s plans for high-profile matchups down the road. As it stands now, Zhang claimed former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou turned down a fight with him. So, that’s one big money fight seemingly out the window for the heavyweight bruiser from China.
Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez
“Bam,” Rodriguez capped off his 2023 by adding another piece of hardware to his mantle. Rodriguez had two fights this past year. His first meeting of 2023 was more of a struggle than experts and fans anticipated. While he scored a unanimous decision victory over Cristian Gonzalez in April to capture the WBO flyweight title, it was by no means an easy fight. Rodriguez even suffered a broken jaw in the bout.
“Bam” made sure he was on his A game for the big title unification bout with Sunny Edwards, who held the IBF gold going into the showdown. Rodriguez returned to form with that forward pressure he’s been known for. He became the first man to drop, defeat, and finish Edwards.
Naoya Inoue
This list would not be complete without “The Monster.” Naoya Inoue has done more than his share to turn heads within the boxing community. 2023 was a superb year for the elite Japanese boxer, who handed Stephen Fulton the first loss of his pro career, capturing the WBC and WBO super-bantamweight titles.
How did “The Monster” follow that sensational performance? He became the undisputed super-bantamweight champion of the world by defeating Marlon Tapales to capture the WBA, IBF, and The Ring gold.
Promoter Hideyuki Ohashi recently told reporters that Inoue is due for a big fight, with the Tokyo Dome and Saudi Arabia being potential landing spots. Ohashi also mentioned that Inoue wants to fight three times in 2024, and he named Luis Nery, Murodjon Akhmadaliev, and John Riel Casimero as possible opponents.
Devin Haney
Just before the end of 2023, Devin Haney did wonders for his stock, thanks to his boxing clinic over Regis Prograis. While some of the juice that would’ve been there for the junior welterweight title fight had been lost due to Prograis’ lackluster showing against Danielito Zorrilla, that doesn’t take away from just how stellar Haney looked on fight night.
Haney challenged Prograis for the WBC junior welterweight title on December 9. “The Dream” managed to drop Prograis during the fight and simply dominated him for 12 rounds. Prograis looked to be a step or two behind, as Haney didn’t allow his opponent to land more than 36 punches total in the fight.
Statement made.
As we head into the new year, Haney and Ryan Garcia have begun talks for a possible collision inside the ring. Haney and Garcia are no strangers to one another, trading wins and losses on the amateur scene. It’ll be interesting to see if this bout can reach a contract signing or if politics will get in the way.
David Benavidez
Last but certainly not least, let’s talk about someone who could become the face of boxing if things play out in his favor. We’re not talking about Gervonta “Tank” Davis, who will have plenty of eyeballs on him in 2024. David Benavidez appears to be on track for what could be a legendary showdown with fellow Mexican warrior Canelo Alvarez.
With Benavidez’s scintillating performances as of late, it’s hard to imagine a lucrative fight with Canelo not happening if the two continue their winning ways. In his last outing against the previously unbeaten Demetrius Andrade, Benavidez was being muscled around early on. One quality of Benavidez that makes him so good, however, is his ability to download his opponent and make the proper adjustments to take over down the stretch. With the Andrade fight, Benavidez didn’t take long to turn the tide as he dropped his opponent and forced a corner stoppage before the start of round seven.
Canelo has suggested a fight in May for Cinco De Mayo weekend against a different opponent before finally clashing with Benavidez on Mexican Independence Day weekend in September. If that’s the plan moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see if Benavidez would take another fight or wait for the Canelo matchup.
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