What To Know
- Major fight announcements in boxing for the summer fight schedule are in the news before the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
- Tyson Fury will return for a matchup against a former world champion while Anthony Joshua is preparing for his return in July.
- Claressa Shields, Rolly Romero, Teofimo Lopez, and Canelo Alvarez are also making their plans.
Although summer officially began on June 20, the summer fight schedule is shaping up with a flurry of boxing matchups announced this week leading into the Fourth of July holiday. Find out which big boxing names and reigning champions are confirmed to be in action through Labor Day and beyond – and which fights are still just rumors.
Tyson Fury Fights In Thailand on July 24
With his fight against Tyson Fury set for later this year, Anthony Joshua scheduled a tune-up fight against Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Now Fury will beat Joshua to the punch with a fight announced against former world title challenger Mariusz Wach of Poland at Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya, Thailand. Although no broadcast details have been announced, the fight poster features a Netflix logo.
It is an official fight and not an exhibition between Fury and the 46-year-old Wach, who lost a shutout decision in March. Fury has been training in Thailand, and reportedly plans to donate ticket profits to local charities in the Pattaya region.
In a statement, Fury said, “2026 is a landmark year for me in boxing, and I’m excited to be able to bring this event to Pattaya, a part of the world that is special to me.
“We’re coming together to put on a great show for the fans, while using the opportunity to give back the local community, who have been so good to me every time I have visited.
“At the same time, I’m fully focused on preparing for a tough opponent and making sure I’m the best version of Tyson Fury going into fight night. It’s the start of a huge second half of the year for me.”
Fury’s promoter Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions said, “Boxing is a better place with Tyson Fury in it, so it’s fantastic to have him back in action on Friday July 24th … He’s a true global superstar, and I’ve no doubt the fans will pack the place out in Thailand to watch a vintage performance from The Gypsy King.”
Claressa Shields Returns to Middleweight for Title Challenge on August 15 in Atlanta
Undisputed heavyweight champion Claressa Shields (18-0, 3 KOs) appeared at a press conference Tuesday in Atlanta to officially announce her return to the middleweight division for a unified title challenge against WBC/WBC World Middleweight champion Kaye Scott of Australia. The fight will take place at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Saturday, August 15.
With new challenges running out for Shields, she made the surprise decision a week ago to take Scott on. At the news conferences, she both thanked and cursed Scott for agreeing to the matchup.
Making weight will be no problem for Claressa Shields 😤#ShieldsScott | Aug 15 | Live on DAZN ▪️ pic.twitter.com/2ZXwSSu2rn
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) June 30, 2026
Shields is the first boxer of the four-belt era to hold undisputed titles in three weight classes. Shields’ last fight at middleweight was a victory against Savannah Marshall in London in October 2022.
“Kaye Scott is a champion, and I respect what she’s accomplished,” said Shields. “But becoming undisputed at 160 pounds again starts with beating the best. That’s always been my mindset. I don’t chase easy fights. I choose meaningful ones.”
Scott’s record may seem thin, but she is an accomplished amateur who represented Australia at three Commonwealth Games and won silver at the 2016 world championships. She won her titles with a majority decision over Olivia Curry in Detroit in December.
It will be Shields’ first fight outside her home market in Detroit since her fight in London with Marshall. It will be the first women’s fight to headline a boxing card at State Farm Arena and the first card since Gervonta Davis fought there in 2019. Shields will be tested to see if she’s as big a fan draw in Atlanta as she is in Detroit.
Lester Martinez and Ramon Cardenas Return on August 29 in Los Angeles on ProBoxTV
WBC interim world super-middleweight champion Lester Martinez of Guatemala City (20-0-1, 16 KOs) takes on challenger Luka “The Thunder” Plantic of Zagreb, Croatia (13-0, 10 KOs) on Saturday, August 29, live on ProBoxTV from the Galen Center on the USC campus in Los Angeles.
Also on the card are undefeated light-heavyweight prospect Najee Lopez and highly-ranked super bantamweight Ramon Cardenas.
It will be the third ProBox main event for Martinez, who is becoming a big draw among the large Guatemalan population in Southern California. Martinez said earlier this week he plans to score a big win in anticipation of the Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli fight now scheduled in October.
“I’m gonna train very hard. I’m gonna do everything I can to make things work, so I can defend my title, and then move on to fight either the rematch (against Mbilli) or the fight against Canelo. I hope that after my fight, my defense, that’s the fight that comes next. And we will be more than ready for that fight too.”
Katie Taylor Undercard Fights Set for September 5 Farewell
A lineup of Irish fighters will get the opportunity of a lifetime, appearing on the historic farewell fight for two-division undisputed champion Katie Taylor at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland on Saturday, September 5.
In an all-Irish welterweight fight, IBF mandatory challenger Paddy Donovan (15-2, 11 KOs) meets Tyrone McKenna of Belfast. (25-6-1, 8 KOs).
Irish heavyweight Thomas Carty of Dublin (11-1, 9 KOs) will take on fan favorite Dave “White Rhino” Allen of Doncaster (26-9-2, 20 KOs). Allen had a rollercoaster year with an upset win over Johnny Fisher, followed by losses to Filip Hrgovic and Arslanbek Makhmudov. He recently won a decision over Ross McGuigan.
Carty’s only defeat came in his U.S. debut in March 2025 when he suffered a freak knee injury in the second round and was forced to retire.
Also on the card, Katie Taylor’s cousin and former MMA fighter Molly ‘Meatball’ McCann (4-0, 1 KO) will face Sylvia Doligala of Yorkshire (8-2-2).
Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn said, “With so much Irish talent on the undercard, it will be a special, party atmosphere at Croke Park before 80,000 fans get behind the great Katie Taylor for her final ever fight.”
Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli Rescheduled For October
The planned super middleweight title fight between WBC World Super Middleweight champion Christian Mbilli of Montreal and Canelo Alvarez in a “Mexico vs the World” card has been postponed from its original September 12 date in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to a date TBA in October.
The reasons weren’t officially stated. But there are some obvious possibilities.
As reported by Dan Rafael per “a source,” Alvarez said he was not ready to start training camp because he is spending time with his family, including a newborn daughter.
Our eyes tell us there may be another distraction. Alvarez has attended every appearance by Mexico in the World Cup, including Tuesday’s knockout round against Ecuador in Mexico City. He’s wearing his El Tri jersey and cheering along with the rest of the Mexican fans. I don’t begrudge him the fun and experience, and the Mexican fans love seeing him there. What’s another month? Viva Mexico!
On a more serious note, if a rumored fight for Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn comes together for September 12 in Las Vegas, the two blockbuster fights won’t compete with each other. Moving the Riyadh card back also places the event within the Riyadh Season annual promotion in Saudi Arabia.
Negotiations remain tense between Garcia’s promoter, Oscar de la Hoya, and Benn’s promoter, Dana White, with Zuffa Boxing over the broadcast partner. De La Hoya insists it must take place as a DAZN PPV, while Netflix is reportedly in play for the event.
In The Works: Teofimo Lopez vs Rolly Romero
Rolly Romero and Teofimo Lopez are reported by multiple sources to have agreed to a fight for Romero’s WBA World Welterweight title on August 22 in Las Vegas at a venue to be named later, but likely to be the T-Mobile Arena. Lopez confirmed the agreement during the Zayas vs Ennie DAZN broadcast on Saturday (because Lord knows, there was time to fill between fights).
Lopez will get a title shot in his first fight at welterweight after competing at lightweight and junior welterweight. Both men will have been out of the ring since May 2025 when they both fought on the ill-fated Times Square card in New York.
Future Fights for Oleksandr Usyk, Jaron Ennis?
Now that former unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has relinquished his three championship titles, he is reportedly considering a fight against Deontay Wilder or former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, with Wilder as the top choice.
Why no mention of a rematch with Rico Verhoeven? Because reportedly high on Usyk’s wish list for his final fight is a major card in the United States, one of the few things Usyk hasn’t accomplished in his accomplished career.
Fresh off his impressive victory against Xander Zayas, Jaron Ennis has his team pursuing a potential title unification fight with Sebastian Fundora before the end of 2026. The remaining title fight option would be against Josh Kelly, who has a title defense scheduled on July 25 against Caoimhin Agyarko on the Joshua vs Prenga undercard.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.