This Cinco de Mayo weekend promises to deliver one of the most electrifying stretches in recent boxing memory. From Friday through Sunday, fight fans will be treated to three consecutive nights of action featuring some of the sport’s brightest stars — and in some of the most unique venues the sport has ever seen.

Headlining the weekend are four current or former ESPN pound-for-pound fighters — Naoya Inoue, Canelo Alvarez, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez — alongside one of the sport’s biggest young attractions, Ryan Garcia. It’s an unprecedented gathering of talent, energy, and stakes.

Perhaps the most talked-about venue of the weekend is none other than Times Square in New York City. In an audacious move, Top Rank Boxing will stage fights right in the middle of Manhattan’s most iconic public space. Garcia, Haney, and Lopez will each step into the ring for separate fights, turning Times Square into a neon-lit fight hub unlike anything boxing has seen before. It’s a bold statement that boxing remains as much a spectacle as a sport.

Meanwhile, Naoya Inoue, known as “The Monster,” will return to the United States after a four-year absence. His bout against Ramon Cardenas is scheduled for Sunday, May 4. The undercard kicks off at 6:15 p.m. ET on ESPN+, with the main event starting at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+. Inoue, the undisputed junior featherweight champion, is heavily favored at -8000 odds against Cardenas, who enters as the underdog at +1800, according to ESPN BET.

In a different part of the world, boxing’s global icon Canelo Alvarez will break new ground. For the first time in his illustrious professional career, Canelo will fight outside of Mexico and the United States, traveling to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While Las Vegas remains boxing’s traditional home for big fights, Canelo’s Saudi appearance underscores the sport’s increasingly global reach and the Middle East’s growing presence in combat sports.

Each of these events carries its own flavor. Garcia, known for his electric charisma and social media following, remains a major draw for younger fans. Devin Haney, recognized for his technical mastery, is looking to reaffirm his place among boxing’s elite. Teofimo Lopez, the unpredictable and dangerous former unified lightweight champion, is eager to showcase his continued evolution. Inoue, with his devastating knockout power, continues to climb lists of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters. And Canelo, still boxing’s biggest superstar, brings his veteran presence to a new market eager for elite-level boxing.

The magnitude of this weekend reflects boxing’s enduring ability to reinvent itself and draw in both hardcore and casual fans. Whether it’s a fight under the glittering lights of Times Square or a championship bout in a Saudi Arabian arena, the sport continues to stretch its global and cultural boundaries.

For newer fans who may have stepped away from the sport, this weekend serves as a reminder of boxing’s raw energy and spectacle. For seasoned followers, it’s a rare convergence of talent, location, and timing — a celebration not just of fighters, but of boxing’s place in the modern sports landscape.

Get ready: punches will be thrown from the streets of New York to the sands of Riyadh. Cinco de Mayo 2025 will be one for the history books.