ESPN
Jan 9, 2026, 07:53 AM ET
One of the most intriguing aspects of boxing is trying to predict what the new year might bring. Forecasting the sport is far from an exact science, but that hasn't stopped ESPN from imagining what 2026 could look like.
Will new names rise to the top of the heavyweight division? Could this be the year one of the greatest women fighters of her generation steps away? Who will finish the year as boxing's pound-for-pound king?
Then there's Jake Paul -- the social media influencer turned prizefighter -- who suffered the most decisive loss of his career in late December, when Anthony Joshua broke Paul's jaw and stopped him in six rounds. Once recovered, could Paul again find himself involved in a megafight?
ESPN's Andreas Hale, Nick Parkinson and James Regan offer their bold predictions for the year ahead.
David Benavidez ends 2026 as ESPN's No. 1 P4P
Benavidez currently sits at No. 7 on ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings and has an opportunity to climb higher, should the chips fall properly for him in 2026. If the light heavyweight champion's campaign kicks off as planned, he'll challenge unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez in May with the opportunity to become a three-division champion on the line.
Should he beat Ramirez, Benavidez's next move will carry significant weight, as long as he has a willing opponent. Depending on how the WBC plans to handle his light heavyweight title, should he move up to cruiserweight, Benavidez could find himself in an undisputed 175-pound contest with pound-for-pound No. 4 Dmitry Bivol or former undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev. A win over either Bivol or No. 6 Beterbiev would be greater than the wins that No. 2 Oleksandr Usyk, No. 3 Naoya Inoue and No. 5 Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez could land in 2026 outside of an Inoue-Rodriguez fight.
Benavidez has also been chasing former undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez for years, and there's a remote possibility of Alvarez finally agreeing to face Benavidez in what would be one of the biggest fights of the year. A win against any of those three opponents would almost certainly have Benavidez knocking at the door of the top spot of the pound-for-pound rankings, and if he definitively wins, there will be no way to keep him out of the No. 1 spot. -- Hale
Naoya Inoue ends 2026 P4P king after winning a world title at featherweight
I get what you're saying, Andreas, but that honor will go to Inoue. Next up for Inoue is fellow pound-for-pound fighter Junto Nakatani, a fight expected to take place in Tokyo in May. Inoue, the undisputed junior featherweight champion, looked better than Nakatani in their respective fights on Dec. 27, and Inoue's punch output could trouble Nakatani, who struggled to get away from the pressure fighting of Sebastian Hernandez last month.
If Inoue beats Nakatani in what will be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history, he will go in search of new goals to chase. Inoue told ESPN last month he intends to step up to featherweight. If Inoue wins a world title at featherweight, he has an excellent argument to be ranked pound-for-pound No. 1. -- Parkinson
Jake Paul faces Francis Ngannou with Claressa Shields vs. Shadasia Green as the co-main
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Anthony Joshua KOs Jake Paul in dominant victory
Anthony Joshua finds an opening in the sixth round and takes advantage to claim a knockout victory over Jake Paul.
The return of Paul to a boxing ring is inevitable, but who he will fight next is up in the air. He has talked about returning to cruiserweight and chasing a world championship, but the idea of a Ngannou fight will be too tantalizing for either fighter to ignore. There's already an established narrative because both have been stopped by Anthony Joshua. And there's an added element stemming from the fact Ngannou turned down Paul when he needed an opponent after his planned fight against Gervonta "Tank" Davis was cancelled in November.
What will turn this fight into a full-fledged event is a potential blockbuster co-main event between Shields and Green. Green has been after a fight with the GWOAT, and Shields has never shied from any challenge. Add in that there will be enhanced visibility -- along with a pile of money -- awaiting Shields, and this would be the perfect platform (presumably Netflix) for her to compete on. Paul and Most Valuable Promotions have been breaking records with mega events, and if this were to come to fruition, it certainly would qualify as another. -- Hale
This will be Katie Taylor's last year in boxing
After a brilliant career that has seen Taylor become undisputed champion in two divisions and make a huge contribution to the rising profile and popularity of women's boxing, don't be surprised if she walks away from the sport this year.
Taylor, who has been involved in the biggest fights women's boxing has seen in recent years, is currently on a break from competition and is running out of things to achieve. The Irishwoman has not fought since her trilogy fight with Amanda Serrano in July, and there is no news about a return in 2026. It is hard to see a fight eclipsing the size and exposure of her decision wins over Serrano, and a third fight against Chantelle Cameron, the only professional fighter to beat Taylor, would be a big risk.
Taylor turns 40 in July and might want a farewell fight in her home country of Ireland before hanging up the gloves. That could be at the outdoor Croke Park in Dublin in front of a huge crowd. What seems most likely, though, is a bout against former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, who won a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Olympics and wrestled in WWE after retiring from MMA in 2016.
The fight with Rousey, which Taylor recently called "very interesting," might be more attractive to Taylor than riskier assignments against Cameron, Caroline Dubois or Terri Harper. -- Parkinson
Jai Opetaia moves up to heavyweight and wins a title
Opetaia, the IBF cruiserweight champion, has discussed a move to the glamour division and could finally make the leap in 2026 if he's unable to land a unification fight with WBO and WBA champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez or IBF champ Norair Mikaeljan. Given his immense punching power (he has stopped eight of his past 10 opponents inside eight rounds), there's an opening for Opetaia to make noise at heavyweight. If Oleksandr Usyk proceeds with a fight against Deontay Wilder, there's also a world in which Opetaia finds himself in an interim IBF title fight this year. And I like the southpaw's chances against any of the IBF's top five fighters (Derek Chisora, Frank Sanchez, Richard Torrez, Jared Anderson and Martin Bakole). Expect Opetaia to be the latest cruiserweight champion (after Usyk and Evander Holyfield) to have success at heavyweight. -- Hale
Conor Benn fights Ryan Garcia for the welterweight title
A fight between Benn and Garcia would bring fireworks and drama outside the ring as much as in it. Garcia has a fight against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios reportedly scheduled for February. That will give Benn enough time to drop weight back to 147 pounds after his middleweight battles with Chris Eubank Jr. in 2025. Benn has made it clear he wants the WBC title and could see it as his destiny to win the green belt after his father, Nigel Benn, did it in 1992 at super middleweight. Although he's not as polished a fighter as Garcia, Benn has the guts, focus and determination to win the fight. Whether in the U.K. or U.S., it would be one of the biggest matchups of the year. -- Regan
Fabio Wardley makes a first defense vs. Daniel Dubois
Wardley, the newly crowned WBO heavyweight champion, will face former IBF titlist Dubois in April or May. It will be a first defense for Wardley against Dubois, who has not boxed since Usyk knocked him out in July.
Both English rivals are promoted by Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions, and a matchup would attract a big crowd to an outdoor stadium in the U.K.
Wardley knocked out Joseph Parker in October to win the WBO interim belt and was elevated to full world champion status after Usyk decided to vacate the belt instead of fighting Wardley next.
Parker tested positive for a banned substance before facing Wardley, so a rematch looks unlikely for now.
Former champions Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury had been linked with fighting each other in September, and Usyk seems destined to face former champ Deontay Wilder next.
That leaves Dubois, who is ranked No. 4 with the WBO, as the biggest and most likely fight for Wardley to start 2026. Both are big punchers, and it would make a thrilling fight. -- Parkinson
