Before next week’s Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua madness heads to Miami, we have a stacked weekend of boxing coming up continuing the celebration of the sport’s quadragenarians. After 42-year-old Erislandy Lara returned to the ring last weekend, Kubrat Pulev (44) and Badou Jack (42) each headline their own events in Dubai and Los Angeles this weekend, trying to dispel the idiom that you “can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
Elsewhere, Diego Pacheco headlines in Stockton and — just for you! — we’re extending the weekend into Wednesday.
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Let’s take a closer look at the five biggest things to look out for this weekend in the world of boxing.
1. Pacheco looking to stick his flag in the 168-pound division
Los Angeles’ Diego Pacheco is on the verge of kicking doors down in the super middleweight division.
The 24-year-old is 24-0 (18 KOs) and one of the front-runners to lead the 168-pound division into the new generation — and doors may even be left ajar rather than left needing a booting.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez was dethroned in the summer by Terence Crawford, who is unlikely to stick around at the weight, so a convincing win over France’s Kevin Lele Sadjo (26-0, 23 KOs) in Stockton this Saturday night will only strengthen this narrative of Pacheco leading the charge of the division’s transition.
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Sadjo arrives unbeaten and heavy-handed, if not particularly well-travelled. Still, Matchroom won’t be caught sleeping — his ruthless fourth-round stoppage of Englishman Jack Cullen back in 2021 was more than enough to underline the danger he brings.
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2. Things could get messy in Dubai
Don’t we all just looooooove the WBA’s (regular) heavyweight championship belt?
I’m fairly sure it’s been years since the sanctioning body first insisted this belt was on its way to the scrapyard, yet somehow we’ve stumbled into 2025 still scratching our heads over what purpose it serves — if any.
In the past dozen years, this curious trinket has passed through the hands of Alexander Povetkin, Trevor Bryan, Manuel Charr, Lucas Browne, Daniel Dubois and even Ruslan Chagaev. Now, at age 44, Kubrat Pulev becomes the latest to try it on for size.
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Pulev (32-3, 14 KOs) has never exactly been box office, and with Murat Gassiev (32-2, 25 KOs) — once the cruiserweight boogeyman, now feeling every bump in the road at heavyweight — staring back at him under the Dubai lights on Friday (live now!), you probably shouldn’t brace yourself for a fourth coming of Gatti-Ward.
But hey, sometimes these fights have a knack of throwing up surprises.
3. Jack runs it back with Mikaelian for cruiserweight gold
Badou Jack (29-3-3, 17 KOs) must feel like the gooseberry in the cruiserweight division.
Despite holding the WBC belt, he’s spent the past year watching the spotlight drift toward the will-they-won’t-they chatter between Jai Opetaia and Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez. But with Ramirez now locking in an all-Mexican showdown with David Benavidez for next May, Jack has a chance to pull some of that focus back his way if he shines this weekend.
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He edged Noel Mikaelian (27-3, 12 KOs) in their first meeting via majority decision — a result that stirred plenty of debate — and they’ll run it back in Los Angeles on Saturday night on Amazon Prime pay-per-view.
Jai Opetaia’s manager Mick Francis claimed that the pair would be flying out to L.A. to stick it on the winner of Saturday’s main event, so if we’re lucky, we might get some post-fight peacocking.
Badou Jack reacts after narrowly beating Norair Mikaeljan back in May.
(Richard Pelham via Getty Images)
4. Cordina’s lightweight rebuild might not be smooth sailing
Welshman Joe Cordina makes his United States debut this weekend on the undercard of Diego Pacheco vs. Kevin Lele Sadjo in a tricky assignment at lightweight.
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Cordina (18-1, 9 KOs) shook off 14 months of inactivity in July, grinding out a tough points victory over Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz to pick up the vacant WBO Global lightweight crown, and now fights for the second time at 135 pounds against home-favorite Gabriel Flores Jr. (27-2, 8 KOs).
Flores Jr. is Stockton-born, nine years the junior of Cordina, and despite not owning that one-punch knockout power, will be expected to work the Welshman from first bell to last.
Cordina has set his sights on becoming a two-weight world champion in 2026 — adding to the IBF super featherweight title he successfully defended twice — but the Olympian may have to prove he’s overcome the demons that saw him stopped at the powerful hands of Anthony Cacace in May 2024.
Bagging the WBO International strap this Saturday night will be the next step to achieving this dream. Gabriel Flores Jr. just might have other ideas.
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5. Tszyu’s drinking in the last chance saloon
All rules go out of the window in December: Costume parties at work, beers for lunch and extending the boxing weekend into … Wednesday?
That’s right, next Wednesday from inside the catchily named TikTok Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia, Tim Tszyu (25-3, 18 KOs) returns to action looking to snap a career-twisting run of three losses in four fights.
The 31-year-old has suffered bloody and bruising defeats at the hands of Sebastian Fundora (twice) and Bakhram Murtazaliev over the past 20 months, and is once again rolling the dice by taking on Anthony Velazquez (18-0-1, 15 KOs) in a 10-rounder.
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Tszyu’s popularity Down Under is still noticeable despite his recent run of form, and his gutsy style of combat has always resonated with his fan base, but with another loss on his ledger it’ll be hard to argue this reputation remains intact.
Anthony Velazquez arrives in Sydney unbeaten but fairly untested. The 29-year-old, nicknamed “ATV,” will be banking on the presumption that Tszyu has already drank the last chance saloon dry.
