The boxing docket is astir acceptable for the year, and the athletics has a mates of absorbing fights lined up for the commencement of 2023.
There are immoderate compelling matchups, specified arsenic trilogy bouts for Juan Francisco Estrada and Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez, and Tyson Fury and Derek Chisora and a Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall rematch aft their archetypal combat successful February ended successful controversy. There are besides the returns of erstwhile lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez Jr. and erstwhile inferior welterweight champ Regis Prograis, and much must-see fights.
Mike Coppinger, Nick Parkinson, Ben Baby and Michael Rothstein picked the fights that they volition astir privation to spot and shared why.
Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez 3 (Dec. 3)
The last 2 months of the 2022 boxing schedule, overmuch similar the remainder of the year, is acold from strong, but determination are a fistful of intriguing fights. None much truthful than the rubber lucifer betwixt "Chocolatito" Gonzalez and Estrada.
There's nary guesswork progressive here. When they met successful 2008, Gonzalez won a unanimous determination successful a firefight to clasp his 108-pound title. Eight years -- and 2 value classes -- later, the 2 combined for 2,529 punches thrown, a CompuBox grounds astatine 115 pounds. Estrada grabbed a arguable determination to triumph that rematch.
Throw successful that some boxers are shoo-ins for the hallway of fame successful their archetypal twelvemonth of eligibility, and you person a can't-miss matchup. Every instrumentality should person this day circled connected their calendar.
With each the large battles they've been progressive in, Gonzalez and Estrada apt don't person excessively galore fights near adjacent their highest forms. Enjoy them portion they're here. Dec. 3 can't travel soon enough. -- Coppinger
Regis Prograis vs. Jose Zepeda (Nov. 26)
Give maine Prograis' upcoming bout against Zepeda. In 2019, Prograis gave Taylor each helium could grip successful the World Boxing Super Series inferior welterweight tourney finale. Taylor squeaked retired a bulk determination connected his mode to yet becoming the undisputed inferior welterweight champion.
Since then, however, Prograis has been 1 of boxing's forgotten men. He near DiBella Entertainment for the upstart Probellum, which is backed by Golden Boy ex Richard Schaefer. The database of Prograis opponents since Taylor is underwhelming, particularly fixed however bully Prograis looked against Taylor, whose prime has been proven speech from the talented triumph helium received against Jack Catterall backmost successful March.
Prograis is 33 and should beryllium considered a large subordinate successful the 140-pound division. He's taking connected Zepeda for the vacant WBC rubric connected Nov. 26. Zepeda has conscionable 2 losses, with 1 of them being a majority-decision nonaccomplishment to Jose Ramirez.
The oddsmakers judge this is simply a competitory fight. Prograis is simply a -280 favourite implicit Zepeda. Their bout volition amusement whether Prograis tin unrecorded up to the committedness helium showed earlier successful his career. -- Baby
Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall 2 (early 2023)
Some large fights that were expected to hap this twelvemonth didn't, but 1 matchup boxing has been waiting connected is adjacent to being finalized for Feb. 4, either successful Glasgow, Scotland, oregon Manchester, England.
And erstwhile Taylor and Catterall bash conscionable for a 2nd time, it's 1 not to beryllium missed.
Following the play and contention of their archetypal undisputed inferior welterweight satellite rubric clash, the rematch is going to beryllium adjacent bigger adjacent if lone 1 of the 4 satellite rubric belts volition beryllium connected the line.
The British rivals some consciousness aggrieved and person their ain motivations for a rematch that has been frustratingly agelong successful coming. It volition beryllium astir a twelvemonth since the archetypal bout erstwhile they meet.
Catterall, from Manchester, is adamant helium should person got the determination the archetypal clip astir -- and galore sympathized with him erstwhile Taylor's manus was raised aft being awarded a divided determination successful beforehand of the Scot's location crowd.
Catterall, who produced a career-best show against Taylor successful that fight, has been hopeless to onshore the rematch and successful his sentiment the accidental to get justice.
Taylor feels helium has been harshly criticized since the outcome, and determination is nary denying helium boxed beneath what helium is susceptible of and what helium demonstrated successful wins implicit Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez successful rubric unification fights.
Taylor could person jumped up a value division, arsenic cutting down to 140 pounds is hard for him now, possibly explaining his show versus Catterall. But Taylor is determined to soundlessness the critics and beryllium a constituent to Catterall. He has fixed up the WBA, IBF and WBC titles successful bid to look the Englishman adjacent alternatively of facing a mandatory challenger.
Will Taylor, inactive the WBO inferior welterweight champion, beryllium amended this clip astir and backmost to his accustomed level, oregon volition helium beryllium weight-drained and nutrient different below-par performance? Can Catterall look arsenic the starring subordinate successful the part by sustaining the level helium showed past clip out?
Those are questions that marque this a fascinating fight, and this clip there's atrocious feeling betwixt them. --Parkinson
None, but Kim Clavel vs. Jessica Nery Plata is intriguing
Honestly, none. Especially not aft the continued tease enactment connected by boxers and boxing promoters implicit the past fewer months of immoderate of the champion imaginable fights retired determination -- Errol Spence Jr.-Terence Crawford, Fury-Oleksandr Usyk, Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia -- falling isolated for varying reasons, fewer of which look similar they person to bash with the existent fighters themselves. Pay-per-views for Terence Crawford-David Avanesyan and Regis Prograis-Jose Zepeda? C'mon. I'm aged capable to retrieve erstwhile PPV was reserved lone for the biggest and champion fights, not conscionable to accidental you person a PPV show.
Knowing what could person been and what volition extremity up being for the remainder of 2022 leaves the disposable options fundamentally with a enarthrosis motion and a caput shingle of boxing -- astatine slightest connected the men's broadside -- needing to fig retired a mode to get its enactment together. None of the men's fights connected the docket quantify arsenic must-see TV for me.
If I would person to prime 1 connected the men's side, it would astir apt beryllium Naoya Inoue-Paul Butler connected Dec. 13, mostly due to the fact that Inoue's operation of benignant and powerfulness is worthy astatine slightest tuning into whenever helium fights and it is an undisputed rubric fight. The women's broadside is overmuch easier and much intriguing -- and recognition the women's broadside of boxing for continually putting unneurotic bully matchups each twelvemonth long, including 2 that should beryllium considered for combat of the twelvemonth careless of gender: Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano and Claressa Shields-Savannah Marshall.
The Kim Clavel-Jessica Nery Plata rubric combat connected Dec. 1 successful Canada is the 1 I astir privation to see. It's a unification combat astatine inferior flyweight (Clavel holds the WBC title, Nery Plata the WBA "super" title) and could acceptable up large things for the victor successful 2023. Natasha Jonas-Marie-Eve Dicaire, connected Nov. 12 successful Manchester, England, is besides up determination -- particularly since if Jonas wins, it could beryllium a tenable adjacent hostile for pound-for-pound No. 1 combatant Claressa Shields. -- Rothstein
English (US)