2023 has been nothing if not full of surprises. From a wealth of Fight of the Year contenders to huge clashes that in other years would have died at the negotiating table coming to fruition, there’s been plenty to talk about this year. But a mixed martial artist may have sparked the most interesting conversation yet when former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou took WBC champion Tyson Fury to the limit, dropping a narrow split decision in their Oct. 28 clash. Fury held on for the win and in the process kept his planned bout with WBA, WBO and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk alive.
Gervonta “Tank” Davis won boxing’s first “megafight” of 2023, stopping Ryan Garcia with a body shot in a April meeting of two of boxing’s brightest — and most popular — young stars. Devon Haney outlasted Vasil Lomachenko to remain undisputed lightweight champion in a tactical thriller in May. July delivered two more incredible showings, with Naoya Inoue blasting through Stephen Fulton to win two world titles in his first fight at super bantamweight and Terence Crawford handing Errol Spence Jr. a one-sided beatdown to become undisputed welterweight champion.
In another big showdown, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Alvarez defended his undisputed super middleweight crown against undisputed junior middleweight champ Jermell Charlo to close out September. Charlo was never competitive as Alvarez scored a knockdown and took a wide unanimous decision.
Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news.
The year is set to end with some still major events set to take place in December. Former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney is set to debut in a new weight class when he battles Regis Prograis for the vacant WBC title at 140 pounds. Plus, social media superstar Jake Paul is back on Dec. 15 when he takes on pro boxer Andre August. The year closes out with some interesting clashes, including a heavyweight super card in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 23 featuring Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol.
Note: This will be updated constantly with changes and additions.
| Date | Location | Main event | Weightclass/title | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 9 | San Francisco | Devin Haney vs. Regis Prograis | Junior welterweights | DAZN |
| Dec. 15 | Orlando, Florida | Jake Paul vs. Andre August | Cruiserweights | DAZN |
| Dec. 16 | Glendale, Arizona | Jesse Rodriguez (c) vs. Sunny Edwards (c) | WBO, IBF flyweight titles | DAZN |
| Dec. 23 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin | Heavyweights | DAZN |
| Dec. 26 | Tokyo | Naoya Inoue (c) vs. Marlon Tapales (c) | Undisputed super bantamweight titles | ESPN+ |
