The ten must-see fights in February — and why it is best to watch

February is an epic month for boxing, which sees maybe the most important struggle of the yr when the primary undisputed heavyweight world champion of the four-belt period will probably be topped.

However that historic struggle between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is simply a part of a protracted record of title fights within the second month of the yr. There are different vital fights to take a look at, even ones the place no titles are on the road.

From the massive guys to the 108-pound division, here is a rundown of the ten finest fights in February:

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Tyson Fury defeats Francis Ngannou by slender cut up determination

Tyson Fury tops Francis Ngannou with a cut up determination within the “Battle of the Baddest” from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

1. Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, for the undisputed heavyweight championship

Feb. 17: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+ PPV)

In boxing, generally the most effective by no means struggle the most effective. Egos, boxing politics, rival promoters and broadcast offers have mixed to disclaim what look like pure matchups from ever taking place.

However, fortunately, a deal has been brokered for the world’s two main heavyweights to satisfy within the first undisputed heavyweight title struggle of the four-belt period.

It’s a struggle to not be missed — maybe the most important of 2024 and should even be essentially the most vital heavyweight struggle for over a decade, surpassing bouts like Fury vs. Wladimir Klitschko (2015), Fury vs. Deontay Wilder (2018, 2020, 2021), Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua (2021, 2022) and Joshua vs. Klitschko (2017).

Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs), 35, the WBC champion, opened as a slight favourite, regardless of current shaky type. In October, he needed to get off the canvas to win a cut up determination in a non-title struggle in opposition to former UFC champion Francis Ngannou, whose boxing struggle in opposition to Fury was solely his first as an expert.

Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), 37, the WBA, IBF and WBO champion, was additionally not at his finest in his final protection. Daniel Dubois, a giant outsider, felt he floored the Ukrainian with a physique shot in Spherical 5 (nevertheless it was dominated a low blow and no depend was given) earlier than Usyk discovered his rhythm and vary to provide a powerful ninth-round end.

Each their final performances have left an expectation of uncertainty as to what we are going to get within the ring in Riyadh. However no matter unfolds, you want to watch it.

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Teofimo Lopez dominates Josh Taylor in unanimous determination

Teofimo Lopez dominates Josh Taylor down the stretch as he wins by unanimous determination.

2. Teofimo Lopez Jr. vs. Jamaine Ortiz, for Lopez’s WBO junior welterweight title

Feb. 8: Las Vegas (ESPN/ESPN+)

Lopez (19-1, 13 KOs), 26, has the potential to regain his place as one of many sport’s brightest stars, however he wants a run of excellent type to make that occur. Rather a lot is on the road for the New Yorker, who has been ambitiously speaking about progressing to struggle former undisputed light-weight champion Devin Haney, who now competes at 140 kilos.

After a superb win over Vasiliy Lomachenko, then a shock loss to George Kambosos Jr., Lopez gained a large determination over Josh Taylor to win the WBO junior welterweight title in his most up-to-date struggle in June, however he nonetheless has work to do if he desires to be thought to be the most effective within the division with Haney now there too.

And it is a probably difficult first title protection in opposition to Ortiz. There’s an fascinating backstory to this conflict. Lopez and Ortiz fought one another as amateurs within the last of the 2015 Nationwide Golden Gloves Championship. Lopez gained on factors, and Ortiz has been enjoying catchup since.

Ortiz (17-1-1, 8 KOs), who steps up from light-weight, won’t be missing in motivation to make one other assertion. Ortiz gave Lomachenko, a former three-division champion, a troublesome time once they met in October 2022. However something lower than a powerful win for Lopez will probably be damaging for his possibilities to maneuver on to greater issues.

Additionally on the invoice, there’s a likelihood to examine on the event of Olympic silver medallist Keyshawn Davis (9-0, 6 KOs) in opposition to veteran Jose Pedraza ((29-5-1, 14 KOs). Davis containers in a 10-round light-weight, non-title bout after testing optimistic for marijuana in October 2023, which triggered the Pedraza struggle to be pushed again.

3. Takuma Inoue vs. Jerwin Ancajas, 12 rounds, for Inoue’s WBA bantamweight title

Feb. 24: Tokyo (ESPN+)

It isn’t that Inoue, however it is best to nonetheless try this nice bantamweight contest. The youthful sibling of ESPN’s No. 2 ranked pound-for pound fighter Naoya Inoue, the undisputed junior featherweight champ and four-division champion, is an achieved boxer himself who faces an skilled challenger in Ancajas (34-3-2, 23 KOs), 32, for his first world title protection.

Inoue (18-1, 4 KOs), 28, from Japan, gained the belt with a call over Liborio Solis in April, however his reign faces an actual hazard in opposition to Ancajas, of Philippines, who made 9 world title defenses at junior bantamweight. Ancajas’ run included stoppage wins over the likes of Jamie Conlan and Israel Gonzalez. The struggle was scheduled for November 15, nevertheless it was postponed to February after Inoue suffered a rib harm throughout coaching in October.

Can Ancajas produce one other stoppage win to silence the champion’s house crowd, or can Inoue make a press release that there’s multiple Inoue to concentrate to?

4. Dan Azeez vs. Joshua Buatsi, 12 rounds, for the British mild heavyweight title

Feb. 3: London

We are going to discover out if Buatsi (17-0, 13 KOs), 30, is prepared for a shot at both of the sensible mild heavyweight champions Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol when he faces rival Londoner Azeez. Different Britons — Callum Smith, Anthony Yarde and Lyndon Arthur — have found the 2 Russians are simply merely a degree above the remainder of the division. Buatsi is due his likelihood and far has been product of his potential after profitable bronze on the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, and has been untroubled up to now within the paid ranks.

However Azeez (20-0, 13 KOs), 34, will probably be a tough take a look at and won’t lack motivation. The pair are each from south London and know one another nicely from many sparring classes of their journey thus far, which is able to determine who will get to progress to a world title shot later this yr.

The entire of boxing hopes we get to see Beterbiev-Bivol for all 4 belts in 2024, however the winner of Buatsi-Azeez needs to be entrance of the queue for a shot on the winner of the undisputed title struggle.

5. O’Shaquie Foster vs. Abraham Nova, 12 rounds, for Foster’s WBC junior light-weight title

Feb. 16: New York (ESPN/ESPN+)

Foster (21-2, 12 KOs), 30, can set up himself because the No. 1 at 130 kilos this yr if the Texas-based boxer continues his high-quality streak of type.

After beating Rey Vargas by unanimous determination to win the belt in February 2023, after which Eduardo Hernandez by final spherical stoppage in a primary title protection in October, Foster can arrange the potential for title unification fights later this yr with a victory at Madison Sq. Backyard.

Nova (23-1, 16 KOs), 30, from Puerto Rico however based mostly in New York, made a press release in his final struggle by knocking out Jonathan Romero within the third spherical. Nova has proven he will be susceptible, and in 2022 Robeisy Ramirez stopped him in 5 rounds, however he may very well be impressed by his house crowd.

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Junto Nakatani demolishes Andrew Moloney with one punch

Junto Nakatani immediately finishes his struggle vs. Andrew Moloney as soon as he lands a superbly positioned punch.

6. Alexandro Santiago vs. Junto Nakatani, 12 rounds, for Santiago’s WBC bantamweight title

Feb. 24: Tokyo (ESPN+)

Nakatani, who produced among the finest KOs of 2023, can arrange a possible unification title struggle with Japanese rival Takuma Inoue if he wins the WBC belt from Mexico’s Santiago (28-3-5, 14 KOs).

Nakatani (26-0, 19 KOs), 26, a two-division champion, is shifting shortly by way of the divisions and is enjoyable to observe. In Could final yr, he left Andrew Moloney laid out on the canvas with a devastating left hook within the final spherical.

Santiago gained a slender determination over veteran Nonito Donaire for the title however he’ll face a sooner, busier opponent in Nakatani, who steps up a division after a quick reign as WBO junior bantamweight champion final yr.

There may be loads of Japanese expertise at bantamweight, and Nakatani will need to make a press release on his debut within the division.

7. Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Liam Williams, 12 rounds, middleweights

Feb. 10: London

Sheeraz (18-0, 14 KOs), 24, is likely one of the most enjoyable middleweights on the planet, however you most likely have by no means heard of him.

The English boxer is in spectacular type — he stopped Dmytro Mytrofanov in two rounds in August to defend his fringe WBC Silver belt for his twelfth stoppage win in a row — and it is a good matchup to speed up his profession, ought to he safe victory in opposition to Williams, a former world title challenger.

For Williams (24-4-1, 19 KOs), he can not afford to lose at this stage of his profession. The 31-year-old misplaced a unanimous factors determination to Demetrius Andrade for the WBO title in 2021 and was floored 4 occasions in a call loss to Chris Eubank Jr. in 2022.

These British rivals meet at a crossroads of their profession and Williams is the most important take a look at of Sheeraz’s potential.

8. Adrian Curiel vs. Sivenathi Nontshinga, 12 rounds, for Curiel’s IBF junior flyweight title

Feb. 16: Oaxaca, Mexico (DAZN)

Curiel (24-4-1, 5 KOs) will probably be making an attempt to show his second spherical KO win over Nontshinga (12-1, 9 KOs) was no fluke.

Curiel produced a giant upset when he knocked out the South African in Monte Carlo in November with a surprising proper hand end. Curiel’s file didn’t recommend he had such energy, particularly on the prime degree. Will probably be fascinating to see how the sequel performs out, not that lengthy after their first transient encounter.

9. Conor Benn vs. Peter Dobson, 12 rounds, welterweight

Feb. 3: Las Vegas (DAZN)

Benn (22-0, 14 KOs), 27, finds himself boxing 1000’s of miles from house and never in opposition to the opponent he wished, however there’ll nonetheless be loads of eyeballs on the welterweight contender’s non-title bout. Many will probably be questioning if Benn continues to be targeted and motivated after a struggle in opposition to British rival Chris Eubank Jr. didn’t materialize — once more.

Benn is presently prohibited from boxing on British soil resulting from testing optimistic for a banned substance forward of a scheduled struggle with Eubank in October 2022. Since April 2022, Benn has solely fought as soon as — a ten spherical determination win over Rodolfo Orozco — whereas sustaining his innocence.

The Eubank struggle appears unlikely for the second (it had been in play to happen in London on Feb. 3) however Benn can propel himself in the direction of fights in opposition to different massive names with a superb efficiency. Dobson (16-0, 9 KOs) has been inactive for over a yr and Benn will probably be hoping to look good as he targets fights in opposition to the world champions for later this yr.

10. Edgar Berlanga vs. Padraig McCrory, 12 rounds, tremendous middleweights

Feb. 24: Orlando, Florida (DAZN)

Berlanga’s current type has been simply good, slightly simply distinctive. If Berlanga (21-0, 16 KOs), 26, from New York, can produce a bit of pleasure and response, he might even emerge as a contender to problem Canelo Alvarez for his 4 tremendous middleweight titles in Could — or September. After stopping his first 16 opponents within the first spherical, Berlanga’s final stoppage win got here simply over three years in the past, and the purpose will probably be to finish the run of determination victories. However McCrory (18-0, 9 KOs), from Northern Eire, is able to making it tough for Berlanga to provide that eye-catching efficiency.