The Ring magazine’s editorial team has released a wishlist of five matchups they hope to see signed before the close of 2026, with none currently announced or confirmed to happen.<\/p>\n
Topping the staff vote was an undefeated clash between David Benavidez<\/a> and Jai Opetaia at cruiserweight<\/a>, described in The Ring’s story as guaranteed violence at 200 pounds. Naoya Inoue against Bam Rodriguez came in second, a potential pound-for-pound collision that would require Rodriguez to move up another weight class to bantamweight<\/a>\/” class=”internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash\/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2″>super bantamweight after his recent debut at bantamweight last month.<\/p>\n Third on the list was a Ryan Garcia<\/a>-Devin Haney rematch. Both now hold major belts at welterweight, and their first meeting two years ago ended in a no-contest after Garcia tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance despite winning on the cards. The Ring piece noted the bad blood between the two makes this one of the most anticipated potential bouts in the sport.<\/p>\n Rounding out the top five were Osleys Iglesias versus Hamzah Sheeraz at super middleweight<\/a> and Jaron Ennis against Vergil Ortiz at welterweight. The latter fight appeared close to being finalized until a promotional dispute between Golden Boy and Ortiz reportedly stalled negotiations. Ennis dominated Xander Zayas on Saturday despite some third-round trouble.<\/p>\n The Ring staff emphasized this is a speculative exercise rather than a preview of confirmed bouts. Other matchups receiving votes included Sebastian Fundora-Vergil Ortiz, Oleksandr Usyk<\/a>-Agit Kabayel, David Benavidez<\/a>-Dmitry Bivol, Anthony Joshua<\/a>-Tyson Fury, and Daniel Dubois-Moses Itauma.<\/p>\n