The first fight weekend of May features a series of high-profile boxing bouts, including Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Plus, Ryan Garcia makes his ring return against Rolando “Rolly” Romero at Times Square in New York. In addition, Naoya Inoue returns to the ring in the U.S., facing off Ramon Cardenas in Las Vegas.
The action on Cinco de Mayo weekend continues with UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Figueiredo in Des Moines, Iowa. The next bare-knuckle boxing event features BKFC Fight Night: Warren vs Creer in Clearwater, FL. So here is what’s on:
Ryan Garcia vs Rolando Romero
Ryan Garcia returns to the ring on Friday, May 2, taking on Rolando “Rolly” Romero in a welterweight bout at Times Square, NYC.
Garcia (24-1, 1 NC) of Victorville, CA steps through the ropes for the first time since fighting Devin Haney last April. Las Vegas’ former WBA super lightweight champion Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) aims for his second straight victory since dropping his title to Isaac Cruz last March.
Also on the card, Brooklyn’s two-division champion Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) defends his WBO super lightweight title against unbeaten Arnold Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 KOs) of Long Beach, CA. Plus, San Francisco’s former two-weight champion Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs, 1 NC) meets former unified light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) of Hanford, CA.
Garcia vs Romero airs live on DAZN. The start time is 5:30 pm ET / 2:30 pm PT.
BKFC Clearwater: Warren vs Creer
BKFC Fight Night on Friday, May 2 features former light heavyweight champion Jared Warren taking on Joseph Creer. The event airs live from OCC Road House & Museum in Clearwater, FL.
Warren (7-3) of Tampa, FL looks to bounce back from a defeat against Mike Richman last December. Creer (3-2) of Columbus, GA aims for his second win in a row following a unanimous decision against David Simpson, also in late 2024.
The co-main event is a 185-pound matchup between John Michael Escoboza (9-2) of Tamarac, FL and Jay Jackson (5-3) of Tampa, FL. Escoboza dropped a unanimous decision to Warren in his previous bout last June. Jackson stopped Kyle McElroy in three rounds in February.
BKFC Clearwater airs live on Prime Video. The start time is 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT.
UFC Des Moines: Sandhagen vs Figueiredo
UFC Fight Night on Saturday, May 3 features Cory Sandhagen up against Deiveson Figueiredo at bantamweight. The event airs live from Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
Both fighters look to return to winning ways. Sandhagen (17-5) of Aurora, CO lost his previous bout last August by unanimous decision against Umar Nurmagomedov. Brazil’s former two-time flyweight champion Figueiredo (24-4-1) dropped a UD to Petr Yan last November.
The co-main event pits Reinier de Ridder against Bo Nickal at middleweight. De Ridder (19-2) of the Netherlands targets his fourth win in a row following a first-round submission of Kevin Holland in January. Nickal (7-0) of Rifle, CO defeated Paul Craig by unanimous decision in his previous bout last November.
UFC Des Moines airs live on ESPN+. The start time is 10:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM PT for the main card, with the prelims starting at 7:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM PT.
Canelo Alvarez vs William Scull
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez looks to regain the undisputed super middleweight title when he faces William Scull in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In the U.S., the event airs live on Saturday, May 3.
Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) of Mexico brings to the ring his unified WBA, WBC, and WBO belts. Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) of Cuba puts his IBF strap on the line. The contest precedes Canelo’s fight with Terence Crawford planned for September.
Among the Canelo vs Scull undercard bouts, French super middleweight Bruno Surace (26-0-2, 5 KOs) meets Mexico’s Jaime Munguia (44-2, 35 KOs) in a rematch after stopping the latter in the sixth round last December. In another world title bout, Sweden’s Badou Jack (28-3-3, 17 KOs) defends his WBC cruiserweight belt against former champion Noel Mikaelian (27-2, 12 KOs) of Armenia.
Canelo vs Scull airs live on DAZN. The start time in the U.S. is 6:45 PM ET / 3:45 PM PT.
Naoya Inoue vs Ramon Cardenas
Japanese boxing star Naoya Inoue makes his ring return in the U.S. on Sunday, May 4, taking on Ramon Cardenas at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The pair square off in a championship bout with the undisputed super bantamweight title on the line.
Inoue (29-0, 26 KOs) makes the fourth defense of his 122-pound title in his first fight in Las Vegas in four years. Riding a 14-fight winning streak, San Antonio’s Cardenas (26-1, 14 KOs) fights for the division’s major title in his first attempt to become champion.
In the co-feature, Mexico’s Rafael Espinoza (26-0, 22 KOs) defends his WBO featherweight title against Edward Vazquez (17-2, 4 KOs) of Fort Worth, TX. On the Inoue vs Cardenas undercard, Dominican Rohan Polanco (15-0, 10 KOs) faces Fabian Maidana (24-3, 18 KOs) of Argentina at welterweight, and Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) of Oxnard, CA faces Juan Leon (11-2-1, 2 KOs) of Spain at super lightweight.
Inoue vs Cardenas airs live on ESPN+. The main card starts at 10:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM PT, with the prelims starting at 6:15 PM ET / 3:15 PM PT.
All Elite Wrestling
In addition, check out the full list of upcoming events featured on FIGHTMAG Schedule, also covering pro wrestling and more.
This week includes AEW Dynamite taking place at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, VA on Wednesday, April 30. Among the matches, Kyle Fletcher and “Hangman” Adam Page go toe-to-toe in the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament semifinal.
Plus, AEW Collision visits Adrian Phillips Theater at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ on Saturday, May 3.