Boxing Julio: Usyk vs Dubois 2, Taylor vs Serrano 3 and Pacquiao

The Most Anticipated Boxing Matches of July

July is shaping up to be a stellar month for boxing fans, with fights promising strong emotions and the return of legends. From heavyweights like Oleksandr Usyk to emerging talents like Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, this month’s card includes fights for world titles in various categories and prominent figures in the pound-for-pound ranking. The iconic Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring after almost four years of absence, and the expected trilogy between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano is added, a fight that promises to be unpredictable. Below, we present the most outstanding fights of the month and the reasons not to miss them.

10. Claressa Shields vs. Lani Daniels

Date: July 26 in Detroit (DAZN) At stake: Undisputed Women’s World Heavyweight Championship Claressa Shields (-2500) vs. Lani Daniels (+1100)

Shields, the first undisputed world champion in three weight categories, will defend her women’s heavyweight titles in front of her audience against an experienced rival. Although the odds favor Shields, Daniels is a former IBF champion who has won her last seven fights. The New Zealand boxer is expected to offer a tougher fight than the previous one, in which Shields widely outboxed Danielle Perkins.

9. Bruce Carrington vs. Mateus Heita

Date: July 26 in New York (ESPN/ESPN+) At stake: Vacant WBC interim featherweight title Bruce Carrington (-5000) vs. Mateus Heita (+1600)

Carrington could secure a world title opportunity with a victory over Heita. Carrington could become a full champion if he extends his undefeated record, as WBC featherweight champion Stephen Fulton will move up a division for his next fight and must decide which division he will stay in. Carrington has been challenging champions, but this is his first scheduled 12-round fight. The Brooklyn boxer looked convincing in March when he became the first boxer to stop Enrique Vivas, and it would not be a surprise to see him go for a KO.

8. Xander Zayas vs. Jorge Garcia

Date: July 26 in New York (ESPN/ESPN+) At stake: Vacant WBO junior middleweight title Xander Zayas vs. Jorge Garcia

Zayas faces a difficult opponent in his first attempt to win a world title, but he has the quality to prevail and be hailed as the successor to great Puerto Rican boxers like Miguel Cotto and Félix Trinidad. Garcia impressed when he stopped Charles Conwell in April, and the punching power of the tough Mexican could be a problem for Zayas if he gets involved in a brawl. But Zayas, who has been a professional since the age of 17, is a talented and well-trained boxer, and this should be his moment of glory. In June 2024, Zayas effectively targeted the body when he outboxed Patrick Teixeira. If he boxes to his potential again, he will have too much variety for Garcia to overcome.

7. Edgar Berlanga vs. Hamzah Sheeraz

Date: July 12 in Queens, New York (DAZN) At stake: Sheeraz’s opportunity for a super fight against Canelo Álvarez Edgar Berlanga (-120) vs. Hamzah Sheeraz (-105)

Sheeraz is one of the options for a lucrative fight against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo in February, according to Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority. But first, Sheeraz needs to win his super middleweight debut against a former world champion. Berlanga looked flat and cautious in a decision loss to Álvarez in September, but bounced back with a first-round victory over Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz in March. The conversation about Sheeraz’s fight against Canelo next year bothered Berlanga during DAZN’s “Face Off” program launched on June 30, and consequently, you may see him look for the KO. There’s a lot at stake for Sheeraz, and he’ll need to do better than in his last fight, in which he challenged Carlos Adames for the WBC middleweight title. Sheeraz failed to figure out Adames, who ended Sheeraz’s 15-fight knockout streak in a split draw in February. Does Sheeraz have what it takes against elite opposition, and will the weight change suit him?

6. Sebastian Fundora vs. Tim Tszyu 2

Date: July 19 in Las Vegas (Amazon Prime Video PPV) At stake: Fundora’s WBC and WBO junior middleweight titles Sebastian Fundora (+120) vs. Tim Tszyu (-150)

After a disastrous 2024, Tszyu will seek to restore his reputation and amend his career if he can beat Fundora in a rematch. Tszyu lost by split decision in a bloody fight with Fundora in March 2024, when Tszyu suffered a cut above his hairline in the second round, and was knocked down four times in an even more damaging defeat by technical knockout in the third round against Bakhram Murtazaliev in another world title fight in October. Tszyu gained some confidence with a fourth-round knockout victory over Joseph Spencer in April, but the question remains unanswered: How much damage did the two losses of last year do? Fundora stopped Chordale Booker in four rounds in March, and Tszyu will have to deliver a performance of his career’s best to beat the American giant.

5. Shakur Stevenson vs. William Zepeda

Date: July 12 in Queens, New York (DAZN) At stake: Stevenson’s WBC Lightweight Title Shakur Stevenson (-1200) vs. William Zepeda (+650)

Stevenson shone brightly in his last outing against substitute opponent Josh Padley, but now a more difficult test arrives. The 27-year-old from New Jersey divides the opinion of the fans, with some saying his defensive style is a deviation. Other fighters may generate more excitement, but Stevenson’s technical skill, precision, and defense cannot be denied. Zepeda is undefeated, but he needed to get up from the canvas in the fourth round to beat Tevin Farmer by split decision last November, before going the distance again against Farmer in the rematch. His aggressive pressure style can adapt to Stevenson’s counterpunching. It is worth keeping faith in Stevenson’s undeniable talent, but he needs to show more than a tight, defensive defense against Zepeda if he wants to generate interest from fans and promoters. A cautious and safe approach will not help him face Gervonta Davis. If Stevenson adopts a more aggressive approach, it will not only be good for his popularity, but it will also be a better fight, as Zepeda is a high-volume puncher.

4. Jesse Rodriguez vs. Phumelele Cafu

Date: July 19 in Frisco, Texas (DAZN) At stake: Rodriguez’s WBC super flyweight title and Cafu’s WBO super flyweight title Jesse Rodriguez (-2500) vs. Phumelele Cafu (+1100)

This is the first opportunity this year to possibly see the most exciting boxer in boxing. “Bam” Rodriguez, from San Antonio, is in relentless form and could pave the way to become a unified champion in a second weight category. “Bam” defeated Pedro Guevara in the third round in November to defend his WBC super flyweight title, after knocking out Juan Francisco Estrada a year ago and, before that, forcing Sunny Edwards to retire in a flyweight title unification fight in December 2023. The victory over two-division champion Estrada was particularly impressive, and the uppercut that left Guevara stretched out on the canvas was brutal. Rodriguez will have to be careful with Cafu’s power: the South African knocked down Kosei Tanaka in a split decision victory in October 2024, but Rodriguez is currently one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, so expect excitement against Cafu.

3. Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios

Date: July 19 in Las Vegas (Amazon Prime Video PPV) At stake: Barrios’ WBC welterweight title Manny Pacquiao (+260) vs. Mario Barrios (-350)

One fact says it all about this fight: Barrios was born four months after Pacquiao began his professional career 30 years ago. Many believe Pacquiao shouldn’t be near a professional boxing ring at 46 and after almost four years of retirement. But that won’t stop millions in his native Philippines and elsewhere from tuning in to follow Pac Man’s quest to become the oldest welterweight champion in history. Only two boxers, heavyweight George Foreman and light heavyweight Bernard Hopkins, have won world title fights at 46 or older. The last time we saw Pacquiao, he was a much slower version of himself in a unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas in August 2021. Pacquiao has had 72 professional fights and has conquered eight weight divisions. If there’s a boxer who can defy Father Time, it’s Pacquiao, who is also trying to break his own record as boxing’s oldest 147-pound world champion (he previously did it at 40 years, 215 days). If Pacquiao pulls it off, there won’t be a greater sports story this year.

2. Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois 2

Date: July 19 in London (DAZN PPV) At stake: Usyk’s WBC, WBO, and WBA heavyweight titles and Dubois’ IBF heavyweight title Oleksandr Usyk (-400) vs. Daniel Dubois (+300)

Usyk has a two-fight exit plan for his career, and when he’s gone, we’ll miss him. He has dominated in a four-year reign as heavyweight champion, twice defeating each of the two best boxers of his era, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. But Dubois brings knockout power, just ask Joshua, whom Dubois stopped in the fifth round in September. Dubois challenged Usyk two years ago and claims he scored a legitimate knockdown with a body shot, but it was ruled a low blow. Usyk was given time to recover and eventually overwhelmed Dubois, stopping him in the ninth round. Undisputed heavyweight title fights are rare, and if Usyk achieves undisputed status for the third time (he has already done it once at cruiserweight, once at heavyweight), you will be witnessing history.

1. Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 3

Date: July 11 in New York (Netflix) At stake: Taylor’s undisputed women’s junior middleweight championship Katie Taylor (+135) vs. Amanda Serrano (-170)

Their first two fights were so good and competitive that Taylor and Serrano will face each other for a third time at Madison Square Garden. Women’s boxing has not seen a greater rivalry, which has produced two thrilling fights decided by very close and debatable decisions. In 2022, they became the first women to headline a boxing card at the Garden, and it was such a good fight that it led to a rematch in 2024 that was broadcast on Netflix and broke records by averaging 74 million viewers worldwide, becoming the most-watched women’s sporting event in US history. The rematch was named Fight of the Year by ESPN. Taylor scored 95-94 from all three judges, but Serrano was not happy after suffering a cut to her right eye in the fourth round from a headbutt (Taylor was deducted a point in the eighth round for headbutting). Serrano was ambitious and effective despite the injury, which makes this trilogy fight difficult to predict. Will Taylor be penalized again for more head use, and how decisive will that be? Will Taylor be able to repel Serrano’s initial pressure to dominate the final rounds again?