Boxing
2026 Boxing Predictions: Inoue Wins P4P, Paul Vs Ngannou
One of the most intriguing aspects of boxing is predicting what the fresh year will bring. Sports prediction isn’t an exact science, but that doesn’t stop ESPN from imagining what 2026 could look like.
Will fresh names rise to the top of the heavyweight division? Could this be the year one of the greatest players of her generation passes away? Who will end the year as the pound-for-pound king of boxing?
Then there’s Jake Paul – the social media influencer turned prize fighter – who suffered the most decisive loss of his career in tardy December when Anthony Joshua broke Paul’s jaw and stopped him in six rounds. Will Paul get into a megafight again after he recovers?
ESPN’s Andreas Hale, Nick Parkinson and James Regan offer their bold predictions for the coming year.
David Benavidez ends 2026 as the #1 P4P on ESPN
Benavidez is currently ranked No. 7 by ESPN on a pound-for-pound basis and has a chance to climb higher if the situation is right for him in 2026. If the delicate heavyweight champion’s fight goes ahead as scheduled, he will face unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in May with a chance to become the three-division champion on the line.
If he defeats Ramirez, Benavidez’s next move will be highly significant as long as he has a willing opponent. Depending on how the WBC plans to handle his delicate heavyweight title, if Benavidez moves up to cruiserweight, he could find himself in an undisputed 175-pound matchup with No. 4 delicate heavyweight Dmitry Bivol or former undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev. A win over No. 6 Bivol or Beterbiev would be greater than the victories that No. 2 Oleksandr Usyk, No. 3 Naoya Inoue and No. 5 Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez could earn in 2026 outside of the Inoue-Rodriguez fight.
Benavidez has also been pursuing former undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez for years, and there is a slight possibility that Alvarez will finally agree to fight Benavidez in one of the biggest fights of the year. A win against any of these three opponents will almost certainly put Benavidez knocking on the door to the top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings, and if he wins definitively, there will be no way to keep him out of the No. 1 spot.
Naoya Inoue ends his 2026 P4P King title after winning the world featherweight title
I understand what you’re saying, Andreas, but that honor goes to Inoue. Inoue’s next opponent will be fellow pound-for-pound fighter Junto Nakatani, with the fight expected to take place in Tokyo in May. Inoue, the undisputed junior featherweight champion, looked better than Nakatani in their fights on Dec. 27, and Inoue’s punches could worry Nakatani, who struggled to escape pressure from Sebastian Hernandez last month.
If Inoue defeats Nakatani in the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history, he will start looking for fresh goals to pursue. Inoue told ESPN last month that he intended to move up to featherweight. If Inoue wins the world featherweight title, he will have a perfect argument to take the top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Jake Paul will face Francis Ngannou and the second fight will feature Claressa Shields vs. Shadasia Green
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Anthony Joshua KO defeats Jake Paul in dominant victory
Anthony Joshua finds a good opportunity in the sixth round and uses it to score a knockout victory over Jake Paul.
Paul’s return to the boxing ring is inevitable, but there is no telling who he will fight next. He has talked about returning to cruiserweight and chasing a world championship, but the idea of fighting Ngannou will be too tempting for either fighter to ignore. There is already an established narrative as both were stopped by Anthony Joshua. An added element comes from the fact that Ngannou passed on Paul when he needed an opponent after his planned fight with Gervonta “Tank” Davis was canceled in November.
What will turn this fight into a full-fledged event is a potential blockbuster main event between Shields and Green. Green was coming off a GWOAT fight, and Shields never shied away from a challenge. Add in the fact that there will be more visibility on Shields – along with a pile of money – and it will be the perfect platform (likely Netflix) for her to compete on. Paul and Most Valuable Promotions are breaking records with mega events, and if this came to fruition, it would definitely qualify as the next one.
This will be Katie Taylor’s last year in boxing
After a brilliant career that saw Taylor become the undisputed champion in two weight classes and greatly contribute to the rise and popularity of women’s boxing, don’t be surprised if she leaves the sport this year.
Taylor, who has competed in some of women’s boxing’s biggest fights in recent years, is currently on a break from competition and has no achievements left to achieve. The Irishwoman has not fought since July’s trilogy with Amanda Serrano and there is no news of a return in 2026. It’s tough to imagine a fight that would outshine her decision win over Serrano in size and exposure, and a third fight with Chantelle Cameron, the only professional fighter to beat Taylor, would be a substantial risk.
Taylor turns 40 in July and may want to have a farewell fight in her native Ireland before hanging up her gloves. It could take place in the outdoor Croke Park in Dublin in front of a huge crowd. However, the most likely fight seems to be against former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, who won a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Olympics and fought in WWE after retiring from MMA in 2016.
A fight with Rousey, which Taylor recently described as “very engaging,” may be more attractive to Taylor than riskier assignments with Cameron, Caroline Dubois or Terri Harper.
Jai Opetaia moves up to heavyweight and wins the title
Opetaia, the IBF cruiserweight champion, has been considering a move to the glamor division and could finally make the jump in 2026 if he fails to get a unification fight against WBO and WBA champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez or IBF champion Norair Mikaeljan. Given his tremendous punching power (he has stopped eight of his last 10 opponents in eight rounds), Opetaia has a chance to make some noise in the heavyweight division. If Oleksandr Usyk steps up to fight Deontay Wilder, there is also a world where Opetaia finds himself fighting for the interim IBF title this year. I also like the southpaw’s chances against any of the top five IBF fighters (Derek Chisora, Frank Sanchez, Richard Torrez, Jared Anderson and Martin Bakole). Opetaia can be expected to be the latest cruiserweight champion (after Usyk and Evander Holyfield) to achieve heavyweight success.
Conor Benn and Ryan Garcia will fight for the welterweight title
A fight between Benn and Garcia would cause fireworks and drama both outside and in the ring. According to reports, Garcia’s fight against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios is scheduled for February. That will give Benn enough time to cut back to 147 pounds after his middleweight fights with Chris Eubank Jr. in 2025. Benn has made it clear that he wants the WBC title and sees it as his destiny to win the green belt after his father, Nigel Benn, did so in 1992 at super middleweight. Although he is not as skilled a fighter as Garcia, Benn has the courage, focus and determination to win this fight. Whether in the UK or the US, this would be one of the biggest fights of the year.
Fabio Wardley is the first to defend against Daniel Dubois
Wardley, the newly crowned WBO heavyweight champion, will face former IBF champion Dubois in April or May. This will be Wardley’s first defense 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 the fight would attract a gigantic crowd at an outdoor stadium in the UK
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 rather than fight Wardley next.
Before the fight with Wardley, Parker tested positive for a banned substance, so a rematch seems unlikely for now.
Former champions Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have been linked with fighting each other in September, and Usyk appears destined to face former champion Deontay Wilder next.
This makes Dubois, who is ranked No. 4 in the WBO rankings, the biggest and most likely fight for Wardley to start in 2026. They are both hefty hitters and it would be an electrifying fight.
In the fifth round, Opetai’s right uppercut to the head again hurt Glanton in the final minute. In the sixth round, Opetaia continued his body attack and took another round, while Glanton lost a point for holding. In the last minute of the seventh round, both fighters exchanged blows. In the eighth round, Glanton landed several low blows and lost a point from referee Allen Huggins.
In the ninth round, both fighters had their moments. Opetaia continued to work the body as Glanton ended the round with a punch to the chin. In the tenth round, Opetaia landed a right uppercut to Glanton’s body. Just when it looked like Glanton might be ready to attack, he counterattacked and landed straight into Opetai’s body.
In the eleventh round, Opetaia lost a point for holding. In the twelfth and final round, the action was still competitive at the bell.
All three judges scored the fight 119-106.
Retains Saracho Rooms
Ricardo Adan Salas stopped Jesus “Junior” Saracho at 2:05 of the eighth round of a scheduled 10-round fight.
In the first round, Salas’ last-minute shot shocked Saracho. In the second round, both had their moments in a close round. In the third round, Salas landed a pair of rights to Saracho’s chin in the final seconds and won the round.
In the last 30 seconds of the fourth round, Saracho landed a combination to the chin, but in the final seconds Salas responded with a quick attack and took the round. In the fifth round, Salas landed a right uppercut to the body that hurt Saracho midway through the round. In the last seconds, Salas landed several punches again and won the round.
In the sixth round, Salas landed a left hook to the body that hurt Saracho in the first minute, although Saracho fought well for the rest of the round. In the seventh round, Salas landed a right uppercut to the chin that hurt Saracho, and the two exchanged punches midway through the round. Salas finished the round stronger, working his body well.
In the eighth round, Salas hurt Saracho with several body blows as the referee looked ready to step in. Salas landed to the body again, hurting Saracho and forcing referee Robert Hoyle to stop the fight.
Panin stops the group
Vlad “Super Bad” Panin stopped Shinard Bunch at 2:29 of the ninth round of a scheduled 10-round fight.
It was a one-sided fight lasting eight rounds, with Panin dominating. In the ninth round, Panin landed a series of punches, forcing referee Allen Huggins to stop.
Palma defeats Rubio
Adan Palma won a split decision over Pablo “Shark” Rubio Jr. over eight innings after scoring two knockdowns.
In the third round, Palma’s left hook knocked down Rubio for eight. Moments later, Palma dropped Rubio again, landing another right to the chin. In the fourth round, Rubio fought back, although Palma’s left hook was still effective.
In the fifth round, Palma landed a pair of left hooks to the chin. Rubio responded with a combination at the bell in the close round. In the sixth round, Rubio landed several unanswered punches mid-round to even the fight.
In the eighth and final round, Rubio rallied strongly.
The scores were 76-74 for Rubio and 78-77 for Palma twice.
Juarez wins by decision
Joshua Jay Juarez defeated Jardae Anderson in eight rounds.
Juarez used his attacking style to put pressure on Anderson while also scoring points with his hand speed and power shots. The pace slowed in the second half of the fight until the final ten seconds when both fighters exchanged.
The scores were 77-75, 79-73 and 78-74.
Ramos and Perez draw
Jaycob Ramos fought Ethan Perez for most of six rounds.
Both fighters hit the canvas during the fight. In the second round, Perez dropped Ramos with a left hand for an eight count. Ramos managed to survive until the bell.
In the third round, Ramos returned the favor, dropping Perez with a right hand to get the count back to eight.
The scores were 57-55 Ramos and 56-56 twice.
Ochoa and Serrano tied
Brady Ochoa fought six rounds against Adrian Serrano to a majority draw.
The competitors fought for six rounds of competition.
The scores were 58-56 Ochoa and 57-57 twice.
Alvarado wins by decision
Emiliano Alvarado defeated Eric Rosado in six rounds.
After losing the opening round, Alvarado dropped Rosado in the second round and controlled the remainder of the fight.
All scores were 59-55.
“If you ask me to immaculate your shoes, I will immaculate them,” Hearn told The Stomping Ground. “But basically the reference was that I said I wasn’t too proud to know my position and the opportunities open to me.”
Over the past two years, Saudi Arabia has financed a series of major boxing events, combining several championship fights that had been stalled in customary negotiations. Matchroom-promoted fighters have appeared on a number of Riyad’s season cards during this period, including major title fights and heavyweight events featuring some of the sport’s most recognizable names.
Hearn said his approach has always been elementary. When an opportunity arises that will benefit the players and the company, the priority is to take advantage of it rather than worrying about what the moment will look like in public.
“My senior man says if you walk past a fivepence coin on the floor you’ll pick it up,” Hearn said. “If a great opportunity comes along, we make money and I enjoy it, no problem.”
Hearn added that he expects to continue working with Turki on future boxing events, despite the occasional public exchange. Several promoters now partner with Saudi-backed events, and financing has become a regular feature of the sport’s biggest fight negotiations.
“I think he enjoys working with us,” Hearn said. “He will always do what suits him and we will continue to do what suits us and our players.”
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