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Joshua-Fury, Canelo-Sheeraz: One fight we need to see in each weight division
Boxing has a dizzying 16 weight divisions, with four major world title belts in each. In the wilderness of pugilism - what are the fights we are hoping to see?
In recent years, we have been treated to a marked increase in the best fighting the best in every division across the sport – Fury vs Usyk, Bivol vs Beterbiev and Canelo vs Crawford stand out as prime examples.
Among the proliferation of undisputed champions, there has been a scramble of top fighters to unify their divisions – which has been a guiding factor in driving the biggest and most competitive fights being made.
But boxing is a sport in constant flux, with multiple champions and fighters jumping weight divisions. This is good news for the fans as it means that there are still a plethora a big fights that need to be made in every division.
So, what are the biggest fights that can be made in all 16 divisions in boxing?
Heavyweight – Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury
Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have been mooted to face one another for almost 10 years now, since Joshua began his meteoric rise through the ranks and Fury became unified heavyweight champion – beating Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015.
The fight was at its biggest when it could have been for the undisputed heavyweight titles in 2021, as Fury had just beaten Deontay Wilder for the WBC strap in their rematch and Joshua had reclaimed his unified titles against Andy Ruiz. But this fight fell through after Deontay Wilder forced a third fight with Fury in 2021.
Even though there will not be any trinkets on the line, this fight still remains one of the biggest that can be made in boxing today – an all-British dust-up to decide who the best British heavyweight of this era truly is.
Fans and promoters still hold out hope that this fight can be made in 2026, but Fury has still not made up his mind on whether he will come out of retirement so the onus appears to rest with him.
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Cruiserweight – Jai Opetaia vs Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez
There is no doubt in the minds of the fans that Opetaia is the de facto king of the cruiserweight division, but mandatory challenger trouble has left the Australian fighting to keep hold of his IBF title rather than pursuing the unification he has more than earned.
Ramirez, only once defeated by Dmitry Bivol, has made a successful foray into the cruiserweight division, handily beating Chris Billam-Smith to become the first unified champion since Oleksandr Usyk’s departure.
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The cruiserweight division has been crying out for unification, and it looked as though Opetaia would be the man to do it. But now with Ramirez recovering from a shoulder injury, Opetaia will be delayed once again.
If this fight can be made in 2026, it will undoubtedly be the biggest fight in the division between the two best at 200lbs – leaving the winner only one fight away from becoming undisputed champion.
Light heavyweight – Artur Beterbiev vs David Benavidez
While the obvious answer to this question may seem like the third Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev fight, we have already been treated to two instant classic fights between them and the newest addition to the division, David Benavidez, is a serious threat to both men.
Benavidez currently holds the WBC title after Bivol vacated to allow for his trilogy with Beterbiev but that fight has not materialised yet, and a clash between the former undisputed champion Beterbiev and Benavidez would be one of the most entertaining and competitive fights that can be made.
Both men are vicious knockout artists. Beterbiev has knocked out everyone he has faced apart from Bivol, and Benavidez has 24 knockouts in 30 wins.
If they came across each other in the ring, fireworks would be guaranteed.
Super middleweight – Canelo Alvarez vs Hamzah Sheeraz
Hamzah Sheeraz has been pursuing a fight with the recently dethroned former undisputed super middleweight champion since he moved into the 168lb division.
It would be the perfect opportunity for both men ranked side by side at one and two in the WBC rankings. Canelo could fulfil his promise to fight in the UK and potentially get a shot at reclaiming one of his super middleweight titles if Terence Crawford decided to vacate his titles in favour of a run at the middleweight division.
Sheeraz could solidify himself as one of the best in the division against the former king and establish himself as the top man in British boxing.
The match-up also presents a handful of interesting questions – the size difference, age gap, and experience disparity would make this a fight popular with both the casual and purist fans.
Middleweight – Janibek Alimkhanuly vs Carlos Adames
Middleweight is another division that is just a couple of fights away from discovering who the undisputed best in the division is.
That comes down to one of two men – Janibek and Adames – who hold three out of the four major belts.
Janibek holds the WBO and IBF, Adames has the WBC.
Janibek, the self-proclaimed most avoided man in boxing, has been relentlessly pursuing Adames, who recently drew with Hamzah Sheeraz, for unification since last year, and rumours suggest this fight could be made in early 2026.
Super welterweight – Jaron 'Boots' Ennis vs Vergil Ortiz Jr
Super welterweight is one of the most exciting and talented divisions in boxing at the moment, with four different and equally respected champions.
But the best fight to be made in this division lies not with a man with a belt, but with two of the top contenders in the division – Ennis and Ortiz.
Ennis recently made his move to 154lbs and will debut against Usima Lima on October 11.
Ortiz will defend his WBC interim title against Erikson Lubin on November 8.
Ennis is currently ranked number one with the WBC and will be next in line for a shot at Ortiz. This is a fight between two all-action stars that will be enthralling from the first bell and could be a final eliminator for the next big star in the division.
Welterweight – Manny Pacquiao vs Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero
Following his dramatic return to the professional ring after four years to almost beat the WBC champion, Mario Barrios, in August – Manny Pacquiao is on everyone’s Christmas list after the Filipino boxing icon promised to return in December for another shot at a world title.
But it won’t be a rematch with Barrios as some might have thought. Pacquiao has been targeting the recently elevated WBA champion, Rolando Romero, who is coming off a career-best win against Ryan Garcia in May.
It is undoubtedly a more entertaining fight, as Romero prefers a scrappy affair, and Pacquiao will be thinking he can take advantage of Romero’s gung-ho style to become an unlikely world champion at 46 years old.
Super lightweight – Shakur Stevenson vs Teofimo Lopez
Shakur Stevenson vs Teofimo Lopez is a clash that many in the boxing world have been waiting for – it now seems that we are on the precipice of this fight being made for January 2026.
It's expected that Stevenson will make the move to super lightweight to challenge for Lopez’s WBO and Ring titles.
Stevenson is coming off a career-best win against William Zepeda in defence of his WBC lightweight title. But he would be coming up against an in-form Lopez, which is a problem for any elite fighter at 140lbs after his masterclass win against Arnold Barboza Jr in May.
This fight is between two of the pound-for-pound best fighters on the planet. Stevenson has recently taken his rightful position in The Ring’s mythical top 10 pound-for-pound fighters list, while many believe Lopez sits at 11 or 12 – and is knocking on the door.
Lightweight – Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach 2
After such a controversial first fight, ending in a draw, which many believed Davis was lucky to walk away with, the most enticing fight to make in the lightweight division has to be the sequel.
Lamont Roach impressed, making the trip up from super featherweight to challenge Davis and put on a career-best performance to stifle the champion in a way we have never seen anyone before.
This fight threw up a lot of questions surrounding Davis’s motivation and love for the sport as he delivered a plodding performance, looking for one big punch rather than setting his work up.
They have attempted to put the rematch on twice, and it has been delayed further due to Davis’s recently announced exhibition with Jake Paul. But he is contractually obligated to fight Roach again, and the question remains if Davis can reignite his fire for the sport, or if Roach can repeat his first performance.
Super featherweight – Emanuel Navarrete vs Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez
Half of the major belts in the super featherweight division belong to Mexico and are around the waist of Emanuel Navarrete and Eduardo Nunez.
These two fighters are two of the most exciting in the division; they both have toe-to-toe, relentless styles that would blend perfectly in an all-Mexican unification world title fight.
Navarrete is coming off a mixed run of form, with only one win in his last four fights, which include a loss, a draw and a no-contest against Charly Suarez.
Nunez has not lost in seven years and has knocked out all but two of his opponents in that time.
Featherweight – Nick Ball vs Rafael Espinoza
After having his fifth consecutive world title fight, Nick Ball has more than proved he is ready for a unification bout in the new year when he is set to return.
There is no bigger challenge, literally, for Ball than taking on the towering WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza – who stands at 6’1” which makes him 1 inch shy of being a full foot taller than his fellow titleholder.
This fight is not only a fight to make because it presents such a unique challenge for both men to try and conquer, but also for the comedic value of seeing the pair face off.
Holding two belts, providing he wins, might be enough for Ball to attract Naoya Inoue up to challenge him at featherweight after he finishes dominating the super bantamweight division.
Super bantamweight – Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani
There is no debate over what the best fight to be made at super bantamweight is. There are now two Japanese pound-for-pound stars occupying the same division, and they are on a super-fight collision course.
Naoya Inoue is the incumbent undisputed champion, and he did so in only two fights at his new weight. Of 31 total fights, 24 have been world title fights.
But he is being patiently pursued by a fellow Japanese fighter, Junto Nakatani, formerly the unified bantamweight champion, who will make his super bantamweight debut on the undercard of his future foe on December 27.
It looks as though this has been done to set up an all-Japanese fight for the undisputed super bantamweight titles next year, the first in boxing history.
Bantamweight – Christian Medina vs Antonio Vargas
Since there is now a Nakatani-sized hole at bantamweight, and no one has yet to step up to claim the titles he left behind, the biggest fight in this division is between the only two champions.
Christian Medina is the current WBO champion, taking it from Yoshiki Takei in his last fight to begin his first reign as a world champion.
Antonio Vargas had his Interim title elevated in May of this year after previous champion Seiya Tsutsumi could not defend his title through injury.
The American Olympian has had one defence thus far and kept hold of his title against Daigo Higa, but only due to a rare unanimous decision draw.
A fight between the only two champions in the division, from slim pickings, is the one that needs to be made sooner rather than later, to begin consolidating the division again.
Super flyweight – Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez vs Kenshiro Teraji
Jesse Rodriguez has become a bona fide pound-for-pound star in the last three years, destructively dispatching almost all of his opposition with terrifying ease to become the unified super flyweight champion, holding the WBO and WBC belts.
The other two titles are currently held by Willibaldo Garcia and Fernando Martinez. Rodriguez will fight Martinez on November 22 in an attempt to collect another belt.
If he is successful, then he is only one fight away from becoming undisputed. But Garcia is scheduled to fight former top-10 pound-for-pound fighter Kenshiro Teraji in his super flyweight debut on December 27.
Teraji will be the favourite in this fight, and if he comes through it, the door opens for a pound-for-pound and undisputed showdown.
The Japanese fighter just dropped out of The Ring’s rankings, and Rodriguez sits in the top 10 - it would be as big as fights come at 115lbs.
Flyweight – Ricardo Sandoval vs Galal Yafai
Ricardo Sandoval produced one of the upsets of the year in July when he beat Kenshiro Teraji over 12 rounds to become the new unified flyweight champion.
If it weren’t for the controversy surrounding Francisco Rodriguez Jr and his failed drug test after beating Galal Yafai – that would have been the fight to make.
But Yafai, up until that point, had more than earned his shot at a world title and was becoming a big name in the division.
The Olympic gold medallist will get his chance at Sandoval, as ordered by the WBC, after he was given his interim title back but the fight is yet to be made.
Junior Flyweight – Kyosuke Takami vs Thanongsak Simsri
Takami, 23, became the youngest active world champion in his last fight, beating Erick Rosa via 10th-round technical knockout.
Simsri is an equally promising young fighter who has had 40 fights by just 25 years old and was crowned IBF junior flyweight champion in June after beating Cristian Araneta in only his third fight outside of Thailand.
It is an easy fight to make, as both men have fought out of Japan, and it would be a great fight to see who the best young champion at 108lbs really is.
Minimumweight – Oscar Collazo vs Pedro Taduran
Collazo has cemented himself as the premier and only undefeated champion in the minimumweight division after defeating the current WBC champion Melvin Jerusalem in 2023 to become WBO champion before adding the WBA title last year, beating Knockout CP Freshmart.
The only champion in the division left for Collazo to beat is the IBF champion, Pedro Taduran. Oscar
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