BOLD PREDICTION FOR '24: FURY'S NEXT CHALLENGE, NGANNOU'S RETURN AND NEW P4P KING

Will Tyson Fury finally sign up to fight Anthony Joshua or retire after the 2024 campaign? Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

It is hard to predict what can happen in a full year of boxing, given the nature of a sport which is divided by different promoters and networks. Add in the fact that more than ever, the sport's top stars are fighting internationally, gaining fame in regions where boxing had previously not been a major draw. Just look at ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings top 10, which includes fighters from six different countries, working with four different promotional companies.

Regardless of how the fighters line up, to start 2024 we are playing matchmaker and are here to predict some possible fights -- and the immediate future of one top fighter. Could we see Tyson Fury face Anthony Joshua in 2024... or retire from boxing? Will Naoya Inoue be the new P4P king, winning titles in a fifth division? Can two division champ Devin Haney win a welterweight title? Will the light heavyweight division crown its first undisputed champion in the four-belt era? And how about Francis Ngannou? Will he be back in the ring and actually won a boxing fight in 2024?

Here's our bold predictions for 2024:

Canelo Alvarez fights David Benavidez

Canelo Alvarez, above, is the biggest star in boxing and David Benavidez could eventually get his chance to fight him. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

 Canelo Alvarez, above, is the biggest star in boxing and David Benavidez could eventually get his chance to fight him. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

For years, Benavidez has lobbied for a showdown with Alvarez. All along, boxing's top star offered a simple response: he must earn it.

And following Benavidez's breakout 2023 campaign with dominant wins over Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade, there's no doubt he has indeed done just that.

"I'm the king and I can do whatever I want. If that's a good fight for September, we'll see. Sometimes the fights are bigger if you wait a bit," Alvarez told Fight Hub TV at a media scrum in Mexico in December during a youth center opening he was attending.

Perhaps we won't see Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs), 33, defend his undisputed super middleweight championship against Benavidez in May. Even if it doesn't materialize for Cinco De Mayo Weekend, Canelo could deliver the much-anticipated bout vs. Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs), 27, on Mexican Independence Day weekend in September.

Alvarez has never avoided a big fight. And when he took on Erislandy Lara and Austin Trout 10 years ago, certainly there were few boxers looking to face those tricky southpaws.

-- Coppinger