The Year Ends With a BANG
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 30 Nov 2024
The year 2024 ends with a big bang featuring weekly world championships including four title rematches, some of which could even extend to rubber matches next year.
The month-long treat to global boxing fans starts with a pair of intriguing title rematches on December 7, 2024 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Fellow Mexicans defending champion Emanuel Navarette and former titlist Oscar Valdez go at it again in the main event for the WBO super featherweight championship.
In the main support, Mexican defending WBO featherweight titlist Rafael Espinoza tries to prove that his title win was no fluke as he tangles again against Cuban bemedaled ex Olymlian and ex titlist Robeisy Ramirez in another Mutt and Jeff pairing across the ring.
On the same date, across the Caribbean, unbeaten Australian Liam Paro makes the first defense of his newly won IBF super lightweight crown against his equally undefeated American challenger Richardson Hitchins at the famed Roberto Clemente Stadium arena in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Paro (25-0-0, 15 KOs) won the IBF world title by shock unanimous decision over the dreaded Puerto Rican KO artist Subriel Matias in another arena in Minati, Puerto Rico.
A week later, on December 14, 2024, another dreaded famed bomber Gervonta "Tank" Davis (28-0-0, 26 KOs) makes his second appearance this year as he takes on fellow American Lamont Roach in a scheduled 12 rounds lightweight bout at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. No world title is at stake though Davis and Roach are current WBA champions at lightweight and super featherweight respectively. In his last fight, Davis knocked out Frank Martin. Davis also kayoed Ryan Garcia in 2023.
The fight for the WBC featherweight title between interim titlist Brandon Figueroa and challenger Stephen Fulton is supposed to be included in this card but has been moved to February 2025.
On the same date in Monte Carlo, Monaco, former WBA-IBF super bantamweight titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev bids to re-acquire even part of his former titles when he takes on Mexico's Ricardo Espinosa Franco for the WBA interim bantamweight title. There is no certainty that the interim crown will be upgraded to regular one. But at least there is a chance the winner will get to have a crack at the Inoue- Goodman winner next year.
On the following weekend, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, defending champion Oleksander Usyk of Ukraine rematches ex WBC titlist Tyson Fury for the unified WBC-WBA-WBO heavyweight championship at the Kingdom Arena. Usyk defeated Fury by split decision in May at the same venue to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in the 1990s. But Usyk has to drop the IBF title to honor this rematch.
In the main support, top Slavic super welterweights Russian Serheii Bohanchuk and Uzbek Israil Madrinov clashes to determine who advances for another world title crack in 2025.
On Christmas Eve, undisputed world super bantamweight king Naoya Inoue figures in his third mandatory title defense in as many fights this year as he takes on undefeated Australian challenger Sam Goodman in Tokyo. All belts will be at stake except the WBA trinket. Inoue has previously defended against Mexico's Luis Nery and UK's TJ Doheny in bouts that ended via the short route.
As main support, WBO bantamweight titleholder Yoshiki Takei makes his second defense against Thai KO artist Yuttapong Tongdee.
Capping the year is the rematch between defending IBF super flyweight champion Fernando Martinez of Nicaragua and Japanese ex WBO titlist and challenger Kazuto Ioka on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2024 at the Ota City Prefecfural Gym, Tokyo. Martinez inflicted Ioka his only third career defeat last July via close but unanimous decision in Kokugigan.
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Full December 2024 Boxing Calendar
Dec 7 Footprint Center, Phoenix, Az
Emanuel Navarette vs Oscar Valdez
WBO super featherweight title rematch
Rafael Espinosa vs Robeissy Ranirez
WBO featherweight title rematch
Dec7 San Juan Puerto Rico
Liam Paro vs Richardson Hitchins
IBF super lightweight title
Dec 14 Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Geevonta Davis vs Lamont Roach
12 rds lightweight bout
Dec 14 Monte Carlo, Monaco
Murodjon Akhmadljev vs Ricardo Espinosa Franco
12 rds WBA interim super bantamweight title
Dec 21 Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, KSA
Tyson Fury Vs Oleksandr Usyk
Unified WBC-WBA-WBO and Ring heavyweight lineal world title rematch
Serheii Borachuk vs Israil Madrimov
12 rds super welterweight
Dec 24 Tokyo, Japan
Naoya Inoue vs Sam Goodman
Undisputed super bantamwwight championship (-WBA)
Yoshiki Takei vs Yuttapong Tongdee
WBO bantamweight title
Dec 31 Ota City, Tokyo
Kazuto Ioka vs Fernando Martinez
IBF super flyweight title rematch
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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