Paul-Davis? Norman-Haney? Ranking November's biggest fights

Some of boxing's biggest names will be in action in November in both men's and women's boxing. YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul takes on Gervonta "Tank" Davis, the reigning WBA lightweight champion, in an exhibition match that is the highest-profile fight of the month. But are there better matchups for fight fans?

Among those in action are Vergil Ortiz Jr., Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez and Brian Norman Jr., all ranked No. 1 by ESPN in their respective divisions. Alycia Baumgardner, ranked No. 7 in the ESPN women's pound-for-pound rankings and one of the biggest names in women's boxing, defends her WBO, IBF and WBA junior lightweight titles against Leila Beaudoin -- and they'll be fighting 10 three-minute rounds, rather than the usual two-minutes rounds in the women's game. There is also a rematch between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, the biggest fight staged in the U.K. this year.

With so many must-see fights coming up, there was no room in the top 10 for high-quality world title fights such as WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza vs. Arnold Khegai (Nov. 15).

ESPN marks your calendar with the best fights in November.

Odds accurate as of Oct. 31. All odds by ESPN BET.

1. Brian Norman Jr. (-125) vs. Devin Haney (Even) - Nov. 22 on DAZN PPV

This fight is hard to call. It is a fascinating contrast of styles to determine the world's best welterweight. If Haney (32-0, 15 KOs), a technical boxer with soaring ring smarts and defense, executes his usual game plan of fighting from the outside and keeps his dangerous rival at a safe distance, chances are he will leave the ring with Norman's WBO title. Haney has already won world titles at lightweight (undisputed) and junior welterweight.

But if Haney, 26, gets sloppy and is drawn into a brawl, he will experience another up-and-down night like the one he endured against Ryan Garcia. Haney, who usually has a water-tight defense, was dropped three times against Garcia at junior welterweight in April 2024 (Garcia failed to make weight and his majority decision win was later changed to a no contest after Garcia tested positive for a banned substance). Haney also received criticism for a unanimous decision win over Jose Ramirez in May, when he landed just 70 punches according to CompuBox.

Norman (28-0, 22 KOs) just needs one defensive lapse from Haney to land the sort of one-punch, left-hook KO that stopped Jin Sasaki in Round 5 last June, in a candidate for knockout of the year. Norman, 24, goes into the title defense in better form than Haney, having knocked out his last three opponents. He will look to back Haney onto the ropes, where he can land his hooks, especially early on. Haney will surely utilize his jab and movement, but will have to be more ambitious with his attacks than he was against Ramirez if he is to be sure of becoming a three-division world champion.

2. Chris Eubank Jr. (-165) vs. Conor Benn (+135) 2 - Nov. 15 on DAZN PPV

After Benn's suspension for a banned substance delayed the third installment of their family rivalry -- and first between him and Chris Eubank Jr. -- Eubank (35-3, 25 KOs) and Benn (23-1, 14 KOs) delivered an absorbing encounter that you couldn't take your eyes off in April.

There were no knockdowns in the nontitle middleweight fight, which followed their fathers' two world title fights in the 1990s. But it was nevertheless entertaining and full of drama as Eubank deservedly won a unanimous decision by 116-112 on all three scorecards. Benn had his moments, but Eubank controlled most of the rounds and his size -- Benn stepped up two weight classes for the fight -- was an obvious advantage.

Expect Benn to be even more ferocious in his quest for revenge, this time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Benn, 28, has less to lose than 36-year-old Eubank. He is younger and his career can recover from a second defeat, so don't be surprised to see him load up on his punches in a fast start. Eubank's experience and power could be decisive again in the later rounds. Eubank has stopped two of his past three opponents from Round 7 onwards.

When these two families clash, there is always so much more drama than what happens in the ring.

3. Jake Paul (+150) vs. Gervonta Davis (-200) - Nov. 14 exhibition on Netflix

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Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis shake hands on $2 million bet ahead of fight

Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis agree to a $2 million bet over the outcome of their fight.

This exhibition bout will be the most-watched fight of the month, even if some are calling it a mismatch or a cash-grab. When Paul fought former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, 58, last November, 60 million households tuned in to watch the spectacle on Netflix. This time around, there might be a smaller audience, even though Paul faces a much harder challenge against the reigning WBA lightweight champion. "Tank" Davis is stepping up a ridiculous 60 pounds to face social media star Paul at a catchweight of 195 pounds, yet boxing logic means Davis should still come out on top.

Paul is not ranked in the cruiserweight top 10 by any of the four world governing bodies (the WBA ranks Paul No. 14; the WBC, WBO and IBF do not have him in their top 15), and has never fought for a world title. Davis, 30, a skilled operator ranked at No. 2 at lightweight by ESPN, has won 12 world title fights (including for the less prestigious "regular" version of the WBA title) in three weight classes, with one draw, and has never been beaten as a professional.

When it comes to boxing skills and experience, Davis is leagues ahead. Paul, who has made remarkable progress in professional boxing with no amateur experience, has a size advantage, but anything other than a Davis domination would be a surprise. It will be interesting to see how focused and motivated Davis is for this scheduled 10-round cruiserweight exhibition. Davis has hinted about retirement and was arrested on charges of assaulting his ex-girlfriend in July. The domestic violence case against Davis was dropped in August.

Davis has seemed uninterested at media events, and if he does come in undermotivated and dismissive of Paul, could there be an upset? Despite this being an exhibition, the promoters have said there will be three judges and a winner will be declared, so there is something at stake. This novelty fight might not be on every fight fan's watchlist, but it is one of the biggest boxing stories of the year, which is why most people will most likely tune in.

4. David Benavidez (-1000) vs. Anthony Yarde (+600) - Nov. 22 on DAZN PPV

Benavidez is growing in popularity and riding on a hot streak of form, but he faces his toughest test yet at light heavyweight against dangerous puncher Yarde.

Benavidez won the WBC interim light heavyweight title against Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June 2024 and defended the belt once in a decision victory over David Morrell in February. He was elevated to full champion when the WBC stripped Dmitry Bivol for facing Artur Beterbiev in a rematch instead of Benavidez, the mandatory challenger at the time.

Yarde (27-3, 24 KOs) enters his third world title shot after a hard-earned, attritional decision win against Lyndon Arthur in April. It wasn't an entertaining fight to watch, but Yarde, 34, has previously shown he is capable of exciting knockouts and was performing well. He was even winning in his two world title fights, against Beterbiev and Sergey Kovalev, before both Russians stopped him in 2023 and 2019, respectively. Yarde could try to turn this fight with Benavidez into a brawl, a dangerous strategy that could give him more opportunities to land his power shots.

But Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) enters this fight favored to retain his title after the 28-year-old convincingly outpointed Gvozdyk and Morrell, after moving up from super middleweight. This is an opportunity for Benavidez, three fights into his light heavyweight campaign, to show he is ready for division unified champion Bivol or former champion Beterbiev.

5. Vergil Ortiz Jr. (-700) vs. Erickson Lubin (+450) - Nov. 8 on DAZN

Ortiz, the No. 1-ranked junior middleweight by ESPN, looks to win his first world title. Ortiz (23-0, 21 KOs), started his career with 21 consecutive wins by stoppage but had to settle for decision victories in his last two fights. The KO specialist won a unanimous decision over Israil Madrimov last time out in February, after getting off the canvas to take a majority decision against Serhii Bohachuk in August 2024. His win over Madrimov is arguably the best performance of his career, as he demonstrated great punch volume and discipline to avoid leaving himself overexposed against a Madrimov who was coming off a close decision loss to Terence Crawford just six months before.

Lubin (27-2, 19 KOs), a tricky southpaw, was involved in a thriller against Sebastian Fundora in a ninth-round TKO loss three years ago. He aims to pull off a big upset after registering three consecutive wins -- two by KO -- since. But Lubin has been hurt by big punchers such as Jermell Charlo, who KO'd him in a round in 2017, and Fundora, which suggests he could struggle with Ortiz's power and aggression.

Ortiz is expected to progress to a big fight against WBA junior middleweight interim champion Jaron "Boots" Ennis in 2026.

6. Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez (-1200) vs. Fernando Daniel Martinez (+650) - Nov. 22 on DAZN PPV

"Bam" Rodriguez, the WBC and WBO junior bantamweight champion, is ranked No. 5 in ESPN's latest pound-for-pound rankings after he unified the belts with a dominant 10th-round stoppage of Phumelela Cafu in July. Like Rodriguez, Martinez, the WBA champion, is a high-volume, relentless puncher. So we can expect a huge number of exchanges in this title unification fight.

Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs) also has incredible power -- a right hook lifted Cafu off his feet shortly before his corner threw in the towel -- and this gives him the edge against Martinez -- but it won't be easy. Martinez (18-0, 9 KOs) is coming off a decision win over Kazuto Ioka in May, the second time in a year he travelled to Japan to unanimously outpoint Ioka.

The winner of this fight will be left with bargaining power to make an undisputed showdown with Willibaldo Garcia, the IBF titleholder.

7. Abdullah Mason (-550) vs. Sam Noakes (+375) - Nov. 22 on DAZN PPV

With the vacant WBO lightweight title on the line, this is the chance for Mason or Noakes to emerge from the shadows and become a world champion. Noakes (17-0, 15 KOs) has won European and British titles and, at 28 years old, has more experience than 21-year-old Mason. Mason (19-0, 17 KOs) was dropped twice early on in a second-round KO of Yohan Vasquez a year ago, so he has shown vulnerability, which Noakes will try to test through his pressure fighting style. Noakes also has the experience of winning 12-round fights for European and British titles, and if he can take Mason into the late rounds, he will fancy his chances.

It will be interesting to see if Mason can go 12 rounds -- he has yet to go beyond six rounds -- against the best opponent he has faced. Mason has moved fast, and on Nov. 22 we get to find out if the title fight vs. Noakes has come too soon.

8. Alycia Baumgardner (-900) vs. Leila Beaudoin (+525) - Nov. 14 on Netflix

Women's boxing will once again be featured on the big stage when Baumgardner defends her WBA, WBO and IBF women's junior lightweight titles against Beaudoin (13-1, 2 KOs) in the co-main event of Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis.

The fight will be contested under men's championship fight rules with 12 three-minute rounds, which led to Baumgardner relinquishing the WBC belt as the governing body does not agree with three-minute rounds for women's boxing. The extra minute per round could change the way the fighters approach the fight.

Baumgardner (16-1, 7 KOs) labored to a decision win over Jessica Miranda in July but expect her to be better against Beaudoin in front of her biggest audience yet. The exposure gained by being shown on Netflix could transform Baumgardner's career, which is why she will want to produce something special.

9. Ben Whittaker (-1400) vs. Benjamin Gavazi (+700) - Nov. 29 on DAZN

This is Whittaker's first fight under the Matchroom Boxing banner, following his move from rival promoter Boxxer, and he will want to deliver an eye-catching performance.

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn believes the charismatic 28-year-old has an exciting future and Whittaker (9-0-1, 6 KOs) could now be moved fast, if he produces the results.

Whittaker, a silver medallist at the 2021 Olympics, has the moves and over 3 million social media followers but has yet to demonstrate consistent one-punch knockout power. However, it's early in his pro career and he is very entertaining in the ring with his movements, whether it is a title fight or not.

10. Joshua Buatsi (-550) vs. Zach Parker (+375) - Nov. 1 on DAZN

Buatsi, an Olympic bronze medallist in 2016, is in need of a boost following his decision loss to former super middleweight champion Callum Smith in February, but he faces a fighter in better form as Parker (26-1, 18 KOs) has won his past four fights.

This is Buatsi's first fight with Queensberry Promotions, with the idea being he will progress to face Anthony Yarde, who challenges David Benavidez for the WBC world title on Nov. 22. Buatsi (19-1, 13 KOs) scored a split-decision victory over Willy Hutchinson after dropping him twice, to win the WBO interim light heavyweight title. This could be his night to shine against Parker.