With a returning fan favourite, a rising star on the verge of a world title shot, and two knockout artists talking heads, it's arguably the biggest month ever for Australian boxing.
And that's before Liam Wilson, Tim Tszyu and Michael Zerafa all fight in America within a day of each other.
Promoter No Limit, called “March Mayhem,” will hold three fight nights over three consecutive weeks in March, making Tszyu's debut in Las Vegas.
This headliner can reveal that following his long-awaited return in November, Bilal Akkawi will headline No Limit's first show of the year against veteran Reynold Quinlan on March 6.
The card will be shown on Fox Sports, and will witness the return of Akkawi – Canelo Alvarez's former training partner – to the big stage after a long absence due to injury.
“I want to get a world title,” he said in this major announcement. “I want the big fights.
“It is a dream to participate in these fights on a huge platform, a big stage for the whole world to watch.”
Akkawi was once one of Australia's brightest boxers, but after fighting in New York and Las Vegas on Canelo's undercards, he was sidelined with a debilitating back injury that nearly forced him into retirement.
Having fully recovered, Akkawi is looking forward to continuing his path towards the world title.
“I'm back to doing what I've done for most of my life,” he said. “After four years of inactivity, I want to continue my journey back to the world title.”
A week later, on March 13, Sam Goodman headlines the pay-per-view against action machine Mark Schlebs.
Goodman is knocking on the door of a super bantamweight world title bout, fighting four times in 2023 and getting rave reviews from boxing royalty Johnny Lewis.
Goodman faces the brash and flamboyant Schlips, who scored one of the most impressive knockouts of 2023 when he stopped Shamal Anuj in November.
Schlebs has a cult following in Melbourne and went viral for his post-fight speech dedicated to the son he has not seen in almost a year.
The venue for the local grudge match has not been confirmed, but Wollongong is rumored to be the favourite, with local boy Goodman expected to attract a large crowd of his 'Mad Bunch' supporters.
In the co-main event on March 13, fan favorite Isaac Hardman returned to action against another international opponent in an Endre Saavedra bout that ended in a 15-1 win.
Venezuelan Saavedra may not be a household name, but Hardman expects a tough fight.
“He's a top player from South America with a good record, so I'll be in for the best title ever,” Hardman said in the key announcement. “I just think of him as the Canelo Alvarez of South America.
“He has been sparring with Jaime Munguia – one of the best super middleweights in the world – so he should be on hand if Munguia calls for sparring.
“Munguya took John Ryder out and Canelo couldn’t do it.”
On the final card of the three-week domestic tour, Western Australian Nathaniel “Chickie” May takes on Tyson Lantry on March 20.
Maye, one of Australia's smoothest fighters, was on the wrong side of a razor-thin decision against Jackson England on the Tszyu-Mendoza undercard in October.
After a week and a half, it's a huge 24 hours for Australian boxers in America. Liam Wilson takes on former world champion Oscar Valdez in a super featherweight bout with world title implications.
“It's very surreal to have three Australians fighting on the other side of the world,” Wilson said in the key announcement. “I'm excited, and I feel honored to be a part of it.
“I'll be able to look back on this in years to come and say I was part of a huge weekend of boxing.”
A day later at T-Mobile Arena, Tszyu headlines his Vegas debut against Keith Thurman, while Zerafa faces Erislandy Lara for the WBA middleweight title.
There were fireworks this week when Tszyu and Thurman met face to face for the first time. The American criticized Tszyu's “Mexican” style, Australia in general, and Tszyu's family.
In the busiest few months ever for Australian boxing, Jay Opetaia fights Myres Briedis in a rematch of the IBF title the Australian won, then was forced to vacate late last year. The bout on the undercard will be Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia on February 17 and will also feature Gold Coast-based Kiwi Olympian David Nyika.
On March 8, heavyweight Justis Honey will compete in Riyadh on the undercard of Anthony Joshua's clash with Francis Ngannou.
The blockbuster action continues in April and May, with Nikita Tszyu set to return to action, before George Kambosos fights the legendary Vasiliy Lomachenko in Perth.
The Lomachenko-Kambosos card will feature two more world title bouts, with the Moloney twins, Jason and Andrew, in the mix.