The year 2024 has been replete with exciting fights. They include Pacquiao shocking us to give us a taste against Ugas. The latter part of the year substantially comprises highly poised bouts on which you could stake your money. They include the trilogy fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, and Anthony Joshua’s umpteenth fight to protect his belts against Usyk. Here are our top five anticipated boxing fights on which you could stake your money.
• Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk
• Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder
• Evander Holyfield vs. Vitor Belfort
• Callum Smith vs. Lenin Castillo
• Chris Eubank JR vs Sven Eibar
1. Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk
The boxing faithful had highly anticipated a fight between Fury vs. Joshua, until the former was compulsorily mandated to fulfill his trilogy contract with Deontay Wilder. To protect his WBA (Super) IBF, WBO, and IBO belts, Anthony Joshua is mandatorily challenged to face Oleksandr Usyk, a Russian boxer.
This is one of the most anticipated boxing fights, and it appears to be a walkover for Joshua, but nothing is certain in boxing. No one gave Andy Ruiz a chance when he upset Joshua in 2019, but in theory, Joshua generally looks like the favorite.
The British boxer has only been defeated once in 24 fights, winning 22 by knockouts. On the other hand, Usyk, who is just emerging as the undisputed cruiserweight king, might find it difficult to successfully challenge Joshua, who is more experienced in the category.
Usyk is unbeaten. He has fought 18 times, winning 13 by knockouts with no defeat. The jury sets up for Joshua to win this regardless, and Kate Richardson, an expert sports of site MightyTips punter, also cues behind.
2. Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder
This fight between Fury and Wilder is unarguably one of the most anticipated boxing fights among fans. Since 2018, the drama warped between the two boxers has been endless. After staging the first bout that ended in a controversial draw in 2018, both boxers unilaterally triggered a clause for a refight. In 2019, Fury defeated Wilder in what was deemed a technical knockout.
Since it has all been drama, Wilder continuously accuses Fury of cheating and cowardice. The fight has been extended on two occasions following the protracted delay in the contractual obligations between both parties.
However, with a guaranteed date in October, the much-anticipated boxing fight will happen in Nevada. Both boxers possess enviable records. Deontay Wilder’s only loss in his career was the seventh-round knockout he received against Fury in 2019. He has fought 44 times, winning 41 by knockout and only losing once. On the other hand, Tyson Fury, an older and more experienced boxer, is still undefeated.
He has fought 31 times, winning 21 by knockout while only drawing once. For most fans, Fury is the favourite. He possesses what elite boxers display; calm, composure, and tactics. On the other hand, Deontay Wilder seems to be ruled by adrenaline and emotions, primarily relying on the potency of his punch power. It will be interesting to see how the latter has progressed with his fight, but one thing is clear, it is a fight everyone should see.
3. Holyfield vs. Victor Belfort
Evander Holyfield is looking to relinquish a 10-year hiatus for a comeback against Viktor Belfort. The legendary boxer, who is clearly remembered for defeating Iron Mike Tyson, would lock horns against a much younger fighter in Belfort.
Belfort (44) is 14 years younger than Holyfield (58). So, it’s a fight between two legends who have passed their prime. But Belfort had his last professional fight in 2018 and appears to have contracted less rust than his nearing opposition. Despite that, he will fall short under some physical attributes.
Holyfield will have a minor height advantage over Belfort. Besides, Holyfield also has a 78” reach in response to Belfort’s 74”. As for weight, Holyfield competed in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions back in the day. However, Belfort was a middleweight (185 lbs) in the UFC. Thus, Holyfield will relish significant advantages under the parameters of physical stats.
This is undoubtedly one of the anticipated boxing fights. It’ll be interesting to see how Holyfield reacts as he was a sudden replacement. Are we torn between seeing an old Holyfield who still commands the ring or a new Holyfield who is grappling with aging, hoping to do something unthinkable?
Time will tell. You could also have a say by joining the millions of people that have placed their wager on boxing betting sites. You should check out the Apple Pay bookies especially; they have exciting bonuses for first-time users.
4. Callum Smith vs. Lenin Castillo
This is another of the most anticipated boxing fights worth your stake. Former super middleweight champion Callum Smith is set to make his light heavyweight debut against former title challenger Lenin Castillo on September 25 in Tottenham.
This fight will be Callum Smith’s first since losing his belt to Canelo Alvarez last December and his first under the tutelage of his new coach, Buddy McGirt. He’d seemingly struggled with the 168-pound limit for a long time, so it will be interesting to see what he’s capable of when he’s not wringing himself dry.
On the other hand, 32-year-old Castillo, a 2008 Olympian from the Dominican Republic, has thus far fallen well short in his biggest fights. He’s most notably dropped comprehensive decisions to Marcus Browne and Dmitry Bivol, and his only appearance since that last defeat saw him stop unheralded Colombian Ronald Gonzalez in July.
Moreover, stats appear to favour Smith more. He is yet to lose a fight, winning 27 out of 27, with 17 being knockouts. On the other hand, Castillo has lost three times out of his total 24, securing just 20 wins, with 15 being knockouts. So while he shouldn’t put up much of a fight against Smith, he can at least serve as a metric.
5. Chris Eubank Jr vs Sven Eibar
The road to major world title contention leads Chris Eubank Jr. (30-2, 22 KO’s) and German standout Sven Elbir (18-1, 14 KO’s) to London’s SSE Arena Wembley on Saturday, October 2, 2024.
Eubank, former British Middleweight Champion, interim WBA Middleweight World Champion and IBO Super-Middleweight World Champion, is on a quest for legacy-defining fights in 2024, including a long-awaited showdown with all-time great Gennady Golovkin.
Standing in the way of that vision are former WBA International and IBO Continental Middleweight Champion Elbir, a ferocious power-puncher who has stopped five of his last six opponents inside the distance.
Elbit, whose sole professional loss came by way of a decision against the still unbeaten Patrick’ Wolf’ Wojcicki, intends to shatter Eubank’s dreams when they meet at Wembley and thereby blast his name into the world title conversation. The fight will be Eubank’s second with Hall of Fame legend Roy Jones Jr as his trainer. The pair cemented their partnership with a dominant decision win over Marcus Morrison earlier this year. It is a fight worth your stake.
There are indeed lots of anticipated boxing fights for the remaining quarter of this year. How geared up are you for these matches? Will you be following them all? Will you place wagers on any of them?
