-
Nick Parkinson
Multiple Authors
Some of boxing’s biggest names and top rising contenders will be in action around the world on Saturday, in a series of significant fights.
While champions Dmitry Bivol and Amanda Serrano aim to reinforce their dominance in world title defenses, others such as rising junior welterweight Adam Azim are looking to prove they belong among the sport’s elite.
Francisco Rodriguez Jr. controversially fights in a flyweight title eliminator, and O’Shaquie Foster and Raymond Ford face off after an acrimonious build-up to their fight.
And what a story it would be if Hall of Famer Holly Holm wins a world title at 44 years old when she faces WBA lightweight champion Stephanie Han in a rematch (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET).
ESPN picks out six of the best contests happening on fight cards from Texas to Russia.
All odds by DraftKings Sportsbook.
1. Stephanie Han (-425) vs. Holly Holm (+300) rematch | El Paso, Texas
If Holm is going to produce a fairytale outcome, she will need to do better in her rematch against WBA women’s lightweight champion Han (12-0, 3 KOs) than she did in their first fight in January.
Holm has a 1-1 record since signing with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions in May 2025. Holm (34-3-3, 9 KOs) ended a 12-year absence from boxing with a win over Yolanda Vega last June, but in January she lost a unanimous technical decision in Round 7 after Han suffered a cut caused by an accidental clash of heads.
Perhaps a victory over Han in their rematch could breathe new life into Holm’s boxing career, but she will need to find an answer for Han’s relentless work rate and consistent volume punching that allowed her to control the majority of the rounds in their first meeting. Han was ahead on all three scorecards before the fight was stopped (69-65, 68-65 and 69-64).
“Holly is a freak of nature,” Han said after their first fight. “She has power. … I would love a rematch with Holly.”
Holm said that the toughest part was not being able to finish the fight.
“[Han] had a lot of volume and I was kind of waiting for those later rounds to kind of take over, and can’t do that when things happen.” Holm was eager for this rematch. “Absolutely,” she said. “Nobody wants the fight to end like that. I don’t.”
Holm appeared slow and fatigued in their first fight, struggling to keep pace with Han’s pressure and activity down the stretch. Still, the rematch presents an intriguing matchup now that the fighters have shared the ring for seven competitive rounds. Holm, a veteran with championship experience, will likely look to make adjustments, while Han will aim to build on the confidence and momentum she gained from the first encounter to establish herself as the division’s next major name.
2. Dmitry Bivol vs. Michael Eifert | Ekaterinburg, Russia
Bivol needs a big win here to make up for some lost time. He has not boxed since February 2025, when he avenged a defeat to fellow Russian Artur Beterbiev in an excellent performance to win the undisputed light heavyweight championship.
Six months later, Bivol underwent back surgery, and the 35-year-old has been off since. He dropped out of ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings because of inactivity and lost one of his titles, but if he defends the IBF and WBA belts against Eifert (the WBO title is not on the line), Bivol will be back in the mix for big fights, possibly a unification bout against WBC champion David Benavidez later this year. Talks between the two fighters have reportedly already started.
If Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) is at the same level he was at in both fierce, enthralling fights against Beterbiev, he should dominate Eifert (13-1, 5 KOs), the mandatory challenger who has had one fight in just over three years. But inactivity could be an issue for Bivol.
3. O’Shaquie Foster (-175) vs. Raymond Ford (+140) | Houston
If Foster defeats Ford, his plan is to move on to a big clash against Shakur Stevenson at junior welterweight. Betting odds suggests Foster will retain his titles on Saturday, but the animosity between him and Ford could produce a slugfest and an unpredictable fight.
“I feel like all that tough s— is fake,” Foster said during a news conference to officially announce the fight back in April. “All that tough stuff he trying to do, act like ‘I’m going to knock you out. I’m going to do all this hurt, I’m going to knock him out of the door.’ Come on, bro. You ain’t even knocked the guys out that you came up and fought that ain’t even on my level.”
Foster (24-3, 12 KOs) is coming off a sharp unanimous decision win over former two-division champion Stephen Fulton in December, while Ford has not fought since a 10-round decision win over Abraham Nova in August 2025. That layoff won’t help Ford against a fighter in good form who will be boxing in front of his home fans.
But Ford (18-1-1, 8 KOs), who has won three consecutive fights since losing the WBA featherweight title to Nick Ball in 2024, is ESPN’s No. 4 fighter at junior lightweight, and don’t be surprised if this fight turns out to be a big performance for Foster — a much-needed one. What’s at stake? The winner could set up a unification fight against IBF and WBO champion Emanuel Navarrete and a chance to be crowned the No. 1 fighter in the 130-pound division.
Ford said during the news conference that he didn’t care about the losses that Foster had, including the one he suffered against Ball.
“I don’t care about that,” Ford said. “I only give a f— about what I’m about to do to you on [Saturday].”
4. Amanda Serrano (-4000) vs. Cheyenne Hanson (+1400) | El Paso, Texas
Serrano looked impressive in her return to featherweight with a unanimous decision win over Reina Tellez in January after stepping up to fight Katie Taylor at junior welterweight in their trilogy match. The 37-year-old is one of the best ever in women’s boxing, and it would be a massive shock to see her lose her WBA and WBO featherweight titles against the less experienced Hanson (17-2, 13 KOs), who has gone 10 rounds only once.
What makes this fight inviting is Serrano’s quest to break the women’s boxing record for knockouts. Serrano (48-4-1, 31 KOs), a seven-division world champion, can match Christy Martin’s record of 32 if she stops Hanson.
“[The record] is always on my mind, but everything starts with discipline, execution and performing at the highest level on fight night,” Serrano said in a statement when the fight was officially announced in April.
5. Adam Azim (-1000) vs. Steve Claggett (+600) | London
Azim has climbed into the top 10 rankings of three of the four world governing bodies, and this fight will be a good gauge of his development against a fighter who took Teofimo Lopez Jr. to a decision fighting for the WBO junior welterweight world title in June 2024.
Claggett (40-8-2, 28 KOs) is experienced and will provide a good test for Azim (14-0, 11 KOs), who stopped Kurt Scoby in Round 12 back in November. Azim was due to fight Gustavo Lemos in January, but the fight was cancelled after both fighters suffered injuries during training camp. Azim has the opportunity to make a statement in his home country of England.
6. Francisco Rodriguez Jr. vs. Angelino Cordova | San Diego
Should this fight be happening?
Francisco Rodriguez Jr. looked sensational a year ago when he outslugged Galal Yafai in a WBC flyweight title eliminator. Rodriguez (39-6-1, 27 KOs) overwhelmed Yafai and won by scores of 119-108, 119-108 and 118-109, but he then tested positive for heptaminol and in March was banned from all World Anti-Doping Code-compliant sporting events for two years.
Yet Rodriguez still faces Cordova in a WBC flyweight title eliminator on Saturday as the WBC cleared him of intentional doping and the suspension has no legal jurisdiction outside of the U.K. The California State Athletic Commission is not legally bound to enforce UK Anti-Doping’s ban on Rodriguez.
It will be interesting to see if Rodriguez produces anything like the performance he did against Yafai, which has since been ruled a no-contest. Cordova (19-0-2, 12 KOs) has a good work rate, which he showed in a split decision loss to Julio Cesar Martinez in March 2024. But that result subsequently was changed to a no-contest after Martinez tested positive for three banned substances.
