An explosive second quarter will bring boxing front and center.
Boxing fans will be in for a treat in the next couple of months—that is, if things go according to plan. And early returns suggest deals will get signed in the next few weeks for a pair of high-profile bouts featuring four of the best that boxing has to offer.
All but finalized is the fight between Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko for the former’s WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO belts—along with the honor of being the undisputed lightweight king. The planned bout is scheduled for May 21 (May 20 in the U.S.) in Las Vegas and will pit two of the best 135-pounders in the world today.
Lomachenko, nicknamed “The Matrix,” was the former undisputed champion at lightweight, at one point holding the same four belts Haney currently holds. But he lost the titles to Teofimo Lopez in 2020 in a stunning upset, and has set out to reclaim boxing gold. Lopez himself got the upset ax in 2021, losing the belts to George Kambosos Jr., who was then beaten soundly by Haney in June 2022.
The unbeaten American, who is a devout Muslim, also beat Kambosos in their rematch, reinforcing his stranglehold in the 135-pound division. He will next go full circle in two months as he faces the former undisputed champ.
In the works as well is another showdown for undisputed status, this time in the heavyweight division as Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have reportedly agreed to terms. Fury, the WBC champion, is unbeaten and is widely regarded as the best heavyweight today, while Usyk, the WBA, WBO and IBF titleholder, is undefeated himself and is coming off back-to-back wins versus Anthony Joshua.
The two heavyweights, according to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, have tentatively agreed to fight on April 29 at the colossal Wembley Stadium in London.
Should Lomachenko-Haney and Usyk-Fury push through, they will add to an already stacked schedule of bouts in the next couple of months, beginning with the Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia superfight on April 23. Another unification fight, this time between Stephen Fulton and Naoya Inoue, is set on May 8 (May 7 in the U.S.) for the former’s WBC, WBO, and IBO belts.