The start of each recent boxing year brings with it a familiar mix of hopes, expectations and lists. Twelve months during which the sport will be praised, criticized, analyzed and sometimes ridiculed – but no matter how much it tests our patience, we always come back for more.

However, the action in the ring rarely disappoints. Just in January, there was a real superfight in which Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson rolled the dice against each other. And while this period in the calendar is often associated with tranquil nights and algorithm-driven entertainment, fighting game fans have much more to look forward to beyond the opening weeks.

What awaits us when January comes to an end? At Boxing News, we have scanned the divisions and selected five fights that we not only want to see, but we believe the sport desperately needs. We start in one of boxing’s most dynamic strongholds: Japan.

Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani – Undisputed super bantamweight title

December 27, 2025 was supposed to whet your appetite. Two separate fights designed to spice up an all-Japan superfight that has been years in the making. Inoue duly outclassed David Picasso and Nakatani left Riyad elated, having maintained his undefeated record after defeating Sebastian Hernandez.

The aftermath widened perceived gaps. Inoue remains the finished article; Nakatani, still adjusting to the super bantamweight division, suddenly looks more like a challenger than an equal. Does this blunt the plot? Not remotely. With May and the Tokyo Dome – potentially in front of 50,000 fans – the likely setting, it’s the kind of occasion that puts sports on hold. The reigning superpower against the man who dares to take the throne.

Jaron “Boots” Ennis vs. Vergil Ortiz – super welterweight

Boxing has reached a point where risk is no longer a sullied word and unbroken records are becoming increasingly redundant. Riyad’s season has helped change that attitude, but this fight still has to happen. Eddie Hearn and Oscar De La Hoya must find common ground and fight in a decisive 154-pound competition.

Ennis’s speed, accuracy and fluidity versus Ortiz’s relentless pressure and powerful power was a matchup worthy of division history. It elevates the winner to the place every elite fighter desires. The signals were mixed. They can’t let this become another great fight that got out of boxing’s control.

Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev III – featherlight heavyweight unification

A competition in which they are tied at one apiece needs to be resolved – especially when neither competitor has shown significant decline. Bivol and Beterbiev proved in two fights that year-end classics do not have to be reckless wars. Instead, their contrasting styles produced elite-level tension and technical excellence.

Almost a year has passed since then Bivol’s redemptionthe surgery kept him inactive, and Beterbiev hopes that the rest allowed him to fully recover. Despite David Benavidez’s ambitions, Bivol and Beterbiev remain the two best featherlight heavyweights. Boxing needs a rubber match.

Hamzah Sheeraz vs Christian Mbilli – WBC super middleweight title

With the 168-pound division still in flux following Terence Crawford’s retirement, the division is waiting for a recent standard-bearer. Canelo Alvarez may still hold that status, but challengers like Sheeraz and Mbilli could announce themselves by winning their first world title.

The WBC ordered this fight – and for good reason. Sheeraz delivers size, reach and growing authority; Mbilli offers unrelenting performance and constant pressure. Sheeraz looked deadly against Edgar Berlanga, while Mbilli was lucky to draw against Lester Martinez. The styles promise intensity, energetic fluctuations and real danger.

Anthony Olascuaga vs Masamichi Yabuki – flyweight unification

Japanese boxing was one of the sport’s biggest success stories in 2025, with Olascuaga and Yabuki playing key roles in that growth. Both have developed through activity, ability and momentum to establish themselves as two of the most unsafe fighters in the division.

Aggressive, fan-friendly and heated, their styles feel tailor-made. Olascuaga’s star continues to rise and Yabuki is recovering from his loss to Kenshiro in 2022. The time is perfect. This has all the makings of a fight of the year contender.