{"id":384409,"date":"2026-01-02T22:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T22:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/384409\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T22:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T22:57:08","slug":"5-fights-we-want-to-see-boxing-deliver-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/384409\/","title":{"rendered":"5 fights we want to see boxing deliver in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The start of any new boxing year brings with it a familiar mix of hope, expectation and lists. Twelve months in which the sport will be celebrated, criticised, dissected and occasionally derided \u2014 yet no matter how severely it tests our patience, we always return for more.<\/p>\n

The action in the ring, however, rarely disappoints. January alone delivers a genuine super-fight, with Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson rolling the dice against one another. And while this period of the calendar is often associated with quiet nights and algorithm-driven distractions, there is plenty more to sustain fight fans beyond the opening weeks.<\/p>\n

So what lies ahead once January fades? At Boxing News, we\u2019ve scanned the divisions and selected five fights we not only want to see, but believe the sport badly needs. We begin in one of boxing\u2019s most vibrant strongholds: Japan.<\/p>\n

Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani \u2013 Undisputed super-bantamweight title<\/p>\n

December 27, 2025 was meant to whet the appetite. Two separate bouts designed to tee up an all-Japanese super-fight that has been years in the making. Inoue<\/a> duly outclassed David Picasso, while Nakatani left Riyadh fortunate to preserve his unbeaten record after edging Sebastian Hernandez.<\/p>\n

The aftermath has widened perceived gaps. Inoue remains the finished article; Nakatani, still adapting to super-bantamweight, suddenly looks like the challenger rather than the equal. Does that dull the intrigue? Not remotely. With May mooted and the Tokyo Dome \u2014 potentially before 50,000 fans \u2014 the likely setting, this is the kind of occasion that stops the sport in its tracks. A reigning superpower against a man daring to take his throne.<\/p>\n

Jaron \u201cBoots\u201d Ennis vs Vergil Ortiz \u2013 Super-welterweight<\/p>\n

Boxing has reached a point where risk is no longer a dirty word and unbeaten records are increasingly expendable. Riyadh Season has helped shift that mindset \u2014 but this fight must happen regardless. Eddie Hearn and Oscar De La Hoya need to find common ground and deliver the defining contest at 154lbs.<\/p>\n

Ennis\u2019 speed, accuracy and fluidity against Ortiz\u2019s relentless pressure and thudding power is a matchup worthy of the division\u2019s history. It elevates the winner to a place every elite fighter craves. The signals have been mixed. They cannot allow this to become another great fight that slipped through boxing\u2019s fingers.<\/p>\n

Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev III \u2013 Light-heavyweight unification<\/p>\n

A rivalry tied at one apiece demands resolution \u2014 especially when neither man has shown any meaningful decline. Bivol and Beterbiev proved across two fights that year-end classics need not be reckless wars. Their contrasting styles instead produced elite-level tension and technical excellence.<\/p>\n

It has now been almost a year since Bivol\u2019s redemption<\/a>, with surgery keeping him inactive, while Beterbiev will hope rest has restored him fully. Despite David Benavidez\u2019s ambitions, the two finest light-heavyweights remain Bivol and Beterbiev. Boxing needs the rubber match.<\/p>\n

Hamzah Sheeraz vs Christian Mbilli \u2013 WBC super-middleweight title<\/p>\n

With the 168lb landscape in flux following Terence Crawford\u2019s retirement, the division awaits a new standard-bearer. Canelo Alvarez may still hold that status, but contenders such as Sheeraz and Mbilli can announce themselves by capturing their first world title.<\/p>\n

The WBC has ordered this fight \u2014 and for good reason. Sheeraz brings size, reach and growing authority; Mbilli offers relentless output and constant pressure. Sheeraz looked devastating against Edgar Berlanga, while Mbilli was fortunate to scrape a draw against Lester Martinez. Styles promise intensity, momentum swings and real jeopardy.<\/p>\n

Anthony Olascuaga vs Masamichi Yabuki \u2013 Flyweight unification<\/p>\n

Japanese boxing was one of the sport\u2019s great success stories of 2025, and Olascuaga and Yabuki were integral to that rise. Both have thrived on activity, opportunity and momentum, establishing themselves as two of the division\u2019s most dangerous punchers.<\/p>\n

Aggressive, fan-friendly and red-hot, their styles feel tailor-made for one another. Olascuaga\u2019s star continues to rise, while Yabuki has been rejuvenated since his 2022 loss to Kenshiro. The timing is perfect. This has all the ingredients of a Fight of the Year contender.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The start of any new boxing year brings with it a familiar mix of hope, expectation and lists.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384410,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-384409","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boxing","8":"tag-boxing","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}