Having been starved of action throughout the spring and much of the summer, boxing fans are being treated to a jam-packed schedule throughout the fall, with Anthony Joshua set to defend his heavyweight titles and the legendary Mike Tyson making a surprise comeback.
WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will also step back into the ring in December having already beaten Deontay Wilder by technical knockout on February 23rd.
There have been numerous shocks across the sport of boxing since the sport got back up and running. Alexander Povetkin knocked Dillian Whyte out in August, but the biggest upset happened in Las Vegas, where Teofimo Lopez defeated pound-for-pound star Vasyl Lomachenko to become the unified lightweight champion.
A rematch between Povetkin and Whyte was set for November 21st, but a positive Covid-19 test for the Russian meant that the bout had to be pushed back. Derek Chisora – who suffered a unanimous decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk in October – volunteered to step in and have a trilogy fight with Whyte, but it wasn’t to be.
Even without Povetkin vs Whyte II, there is plenty for fans to get their teeth stuck into over the coming weeks, beginning with Terence Crawford vs Kell Brook on November 14th.
The bookies aren’t giving Brook, the former IBF welterweight champion, much of a prayer, with the Brit priced at +800 for victory. You can get -225 on Crawford to win by knockout, and the best betting sites also have alternative markets such as total rounds over/under, for which the line is set at 9.5 in this bout.
On November 28th, there is a highly-anticipated all-British heavyweight showdown between Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce. Both are undefeated but despite Joyce boasting an outstanding amateur pedigree, Dubois is a -400 favourite. Ranked number two by the WBO, the 23-year-old may be in line for a world title shot in the near future if he can see off the 2016 Olympic silver medalist.
Later that night across the Atlantic, it’s the return of Tyson. ‘Iron Mike’ takes on fellow all-time great, Roy Jones Jr, in an exhibition bout over eight rounds. Tyson is priced at -200 to come out on top, while Jones can be backed at +175.
Many casual fans may tune in for Tyson vs Jones, and the undercard is sure to appeal to lots of people that perhaps don’t often watch boxing. YouTube sensation Jake Paul will battle former basketball player Nate Robinson, and Paul is -175 to see off the three-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner.
Agit Kabayel looks set to challenge Fury for the Gypsy King’s heavyweight crown on December 5th, but the champion is priced at -2500 and should have no problem getting the job done before moving onto either a Wilder rematch or an undisputed fight with Joshua.
Joshua, though, has a much trickier task ahead of him before he can think about unifying the division. Kubrat Pulev is his opponent on December 12th, and while the Bulgarian is as big as 6/1 to dethrone AJ, he will take inspiration from the fact that Andy Ruiz Jr defied even bigger odds at Madison Square Garden in June 2019.
Other notable fights before the end of 2020 include Daniel Jacobs vs Gabriel Rosado, Demetrius Andrade vs Dusty Hernandez Harrison, Billy Joe Saunders vs Martin Murray, Errol Spence Jr vs Danny Garcia, and Ryan Garcia vs Luke Campbell.