The summer boxing slate has gotten off to a red-hot start over the past couple of weeks.
Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk thrilled in Riyadh and Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall followed the script in Leeds this past weekend in a tremendous rematch.
Catterall was the man to outpoint Taylor this time in what is being seen as justice following their controversial meeting two years ago, but without any titles on the line, the Chorley fighter admitted post-fight that the feelings were a little bitter-sweet considering what was robbed from him in 2022.
With the dust settling on the Leeds Direct Arena, our attention turns to the summer months and what is on offer across the boxing landscape.
Let’s take a look at some of the early odds for some of the summer’s blockbusters.
Raymond Ford vs Nick Ball - Saturday, June 1st
The WBA world featherweight title is on the line here as part of the Matchroom vs Queensbury 5 vs 5 event in Saudi Arabia.
Both guys are teak tough, throw hundreds of punches a round and are guaranteed to put on a show in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to protect their unbeaten records.
Ford stole the show back in March with a dramatic 12th round KO of Otabek Kholmatov to win the WBA strap, whereas Ball was left frustrated by the scorecards having thought he has done enough to win the WBC strap from Rey Vargas – a fight that ended in a draw.
Chris Billam-Smith vs Richard Riakporhe - Saturday, June 15th
Headlining inside London’s Selhurst Park, Billam-Smith vs Riakporhe is a rematch in the cruiserweight division that has been five years in the making.
Riakporhe got the win in 2019 via split decision, but the pair of Britons now fight for Billam-Smith’s WBO world title.
David Benavidez vs Oleksandr Gvozdyk - Sunday, June 16th
David Benavidez could well be the man in the 168-pound division, but until we see him square off against Canelo Alvarez, we just won’t know.
In the mean time he takes on highly-rated Ukrainian Oleksandr Gvozdyk who is looking to breathe new life into his career after coming back from retirement.
Gvozdyk is well schooled and savvy enough not to let Benavidez have this one all his own way.
Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano - Sunday, July 21st
Another rematch and another belter.
On the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson undercard, Taylor and Serrano run back their 2022 FotY contender for the undisputed super-lightweight world titles.
Since that fight, Taylor has lost to (and beaten) Chantelle Cameron whilst Serrano has gone unbeaten and contested a historic 12-round fight.
Terence Crawford vs Israil Madrimov - Sunday, August 4th
Terence Crawford is one of three men you could call the pound-for-pound star of boxing at the moment.
Alongside Naoya Inoue and Oleksandr Usyk, Crawford has displayed other-worldly performances to run to a career record of 40-0.
He’s moving up to super-welterweight in August to face the dangerous Israil Madrimov in another must-see event put on by Riyadh Season.
Top Boxing Betting Offers & Free Bets
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