Boxing
Boxing’s 25 best under-25s: which British fighters made the list?
Published
4 months agoon
ESPN’s annual ranking of the top 25 players under 25 is here. As always, British interest in the full list is high, and this year’s ranking is special considering who will take the top spot.
Since March 2024, Moses Itauma has fought six fights, nine rounds in total. In August, he advanced in the competition by defeating veteran Dillian Whyte, whom he finished in less than two minutes. His next fight is the American Jermaine Franklin Jr. on January 24, during which he wants to silence any questions about the hype.
Itauma is one of the most invigorating heavyweights in boxing, whom former champion Tyson Fury believes is the future of the division.
“Moses Itauma will eliminate all the venerable guys in the division,” Fury said in an Instagram story after Itauma’s victory over White. “[Oleksandr] Usyk, [Anthony] Joshua, [Jarrell] Miller. Whoever is there is so venerable. [Zhilei] Zhang, whoever the hell else is out there, Luis Ortiz. All these great names from the past.
“Even the one who took my belts [Usyk]. Moses will destroy it, because it is a fight between a juvenile man and an venerable man. And an venerable man can’t mess with a juvenile man.”
So who else is on the list of a mighty group of British fighters under the age of 25? Andreas Hale and Nick Parkinson look at this and provide some analysis.
1. Moses Itauma (13-0, 11 KO)
Heavyweight rival
20 years
Ranking 2024: 10
Warrior: Itauma, an ESPN 2024 prospect, is not a person who can legally drink alcohol in America, but after a speedy and brutal 2025, she found herself at the top of this year’s list. Competing in the land of giants, the 6-foot-10 southpaw isn’t necessarily bigger than the top heavyweights, but he’s undoubtedly the future with his unique combination of size, speed and power.
Most significant moment or achievement: Heading into the White fight, the biggest question surrounding Itauma was whether his remarkable finishing prowess would continue once he started competing. That question was definitively answered when he defeated Mike Balogun and two-time interim heavyweight champion Whyte in 2025. Itauma stopped Balogun in two rounds – the third-longest fight of his career – in May and was assigned to fight Whyte, who was considered his toughest opponent to date. The fight against “The Body Snatcher” was not competitive.
Future prospects: To properly transform from a prospect to a contender to being the man everyone wants to see against Usyk in just two years is a huge testament to his potential. Itauma will begin his 2026 campaign against the hard-wearing Jermaine Franklin on January 24 and will try to do what Anthony Joshua couldn’t: stop Franklin. Then you will have to wait to see which heavyweight fighter will want to enter the ring with him. The scary thing is that Itauma still has four years to make this list.
10. Adam Azim (14-0, 11 KO)
Junior welterweight fighter
23 years venerable
Ranking 2024: 9
Warrior: The junior welterweight has a fan-friendly style, quick hands, a risky left hook and lightning-fast reflexes. He only had two appearances this year, but he did well in both. He stopped veteran Sergei Lipinets, who briefly held the IBF world title in 2017 and 2018, in nine rounds in February, then patiently broke down Kurt Scoby’s stubborn resistance in round 12 on November 15.
Most significant moment or achievement: At the most significant stage of Azim’s career, during the Chris Eubank Jr. match. vs. Conor Benn 2, which took place on November 15 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Azim was too skillful and experienced in the ring for Scoby. Azim dominated the early rounds with his jab and dropped his hands from round 8 onwards. He put Scoby under grave pressure in round 11 and ended the fight in the next round by landing a series of precise punches to the head and body. Dealing with Scoby’s nonsense during fight week was also a good learning experience for Azim as he moved on to bigger fights.
Future prospects: Azim is making steady progress and will face better opponents in 2026. The two governing bodies are ranked 9th and 10th, so he likely needs more wins to secure a title shot. One fight that would be popular: against English rival Dalton Smith, who challenges Subriel Matias for the IBF title on January 10.
12. Caroline Dubois (11-0-1, 5 KOs)
WBC women’s lightweight world champion
24 years venerable
2024 position: 16th
Warrior: Dubois defended his WBC lightweight title twice this year. She was promoted from interim champion to full world champion in December 2024 after Katie Taylor vacated the belt. Dubois previously complained that Taylor was holding back her career by refusing to fight her. She had a frustrating technical draw in January when Jessica Camara was deemed unable to continue following a cut. Dubois then passed Bo Mi Re Shin by majority vote in March, but has not boxed since.
Most significant moment or achievement: Dubois has a mighty arm, but she hasn’t stopped any of her previous six opponents. Her best performance remains a unanimous victory over Maira Moneo, whom she knocked down with a left hook in round 6 and thus won the interim WBC title in August 2024.
Future prospects: Dubois has been inactive since March while her promoter Boxxer signs a fresh UK television deal, with no confirmation of her next fight. The fight Dubois wants is a title unification fight with WBO lightweight champion Terri Harper, which would be one of the biggest fights in women’s boxing in 2026, if it happens.
18. Callum Walsh (15-0, 11 KO)
Junior middleweight fighter
24 years venerable
2024 position: 22nd
Warrior: The six-foot southerner hails from Ireland but has fought almost exclusively in the US. Walsh, who is trained by Freddie Roach in Los Angeles, says working on fishing boats at the age of 16 gave him a mighty work ethic, and that same challenging work has seen him make steady progress in 2025. After a stunning first-round knockout of Dean Sutherland in March, he scored a fifth-round technical decision win over Elias Espadas in June and won a unanimous decision. over Fernando Vargas Jr. in September. Vargas’ victory in front of a Netflix audience and headlining a card headlined by Terence Crawford’s victory over Canelo Alvarez helped raise Walsh’s prestige. Vargas stopped all but two of his 17 previous opponents, but Walsh showed skillful and skilled boxing to win by four rounds on the judges’ scorecards in the title fight.
Most significant moment or achievement: His quick victory over Sutherland, sealed with a left hand followed by a powerful right hook, highlighted Walsh’s potential. Sutherland was on the canvas after Walsh’s speed and arm strength proved too much for him.
Future prospects: IBF world champion Bakhram Murtazaliev will defend his belt against Josh Kelly in early 2026, and Walsh could be well prepared to fight the winner.
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Boxing
Swiss No. 1 Seifeddine Letaief challenges rival Arbnor Jashari
Published
2 minutes agoon
March 10, 2026
Swiss lightweight Seifeddine Letaief told World Boxing News he is ready to settle his growing ring rivalry with fellow undefeated fighter Arbnor Jashari.
Letaief is currently in first place in the Swiss rankings for his division, while Jashari is in second place, which is a natural matchup between the two undefeated fighters.
A meeting between the pair would pit the two highest-ranked lightweights in the country against each other.
Tensions escalated with exchanges on social media, FaceTime calls about a potential fight and exchanges of words.
According to Letaief, the rivalry even escalated to the point that Jashari tried to involve the SwissBoxing committee.
“At one point he even tried to block me from SwissBoxing, claiming that I had humiliated him on social media,” Letaief told World Boxing News.
Swiss competition
Letaief insists that from his point of view the situation is plain. The undefeated lightweight says he is ready to fight and believes the fight should happen now rather than later.
“I’m ready to fight and decide everything in the ring,” he explained.
SwissBoxing has suggested waiting until both fighters have built bigger physiques before moving on to staging the fight, but Letaief believes the circumstances already make it an attractive fight for the local scene.
The clash between the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the country, combined with the rivalry between Zurich and Basel, may arouse great interest in Switzerland.
Unbroken records
Letaief, 23, turned professional in September 2024 and has compiled an undefeated record of 6-0, including two knockouts. He lives in Winterthur and has fought several times in the Zurich region, establishing himself as one of the country’s emerging prospects.
Meanwhile, Jashari has had a slightly longer professional career. The 25-year-old made his debut in April 2022 and has a 7-0 record, which includes two knockouts.
Both fighters also share a common opponent, Lasha Giorgi Vardiashvili, and each of them scored a six-round decision victory in 2025.
For now, the fight that many in the Swiss boxing community want to see remains unsigned, and Letaief has made it clear he is ready to move forward as soon as the opportunity arises.
“Despite all these talks, the fight has still not been decided. For me, the matter is plain: I am ready to fight and decide everything in the ring. I believe that this fight must take place now,” Letaief concluded.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
Boxing
Oleksandr Usyk announces the list of his last three opponents and confirms that he will then retire
Published
1 hour agoon
March 10, 2026
Oleksandr Usyk still has three fights left and hopes to extend his record to 27-0 before hanging up his gloves for good.
The elite Ukrainian was undisputed at cruiserweight before repeating the feat twice at heavyweight. In both divisions, he has victories over Murat Gassiew, Mairis Briedis, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
I keep talking Inside the RingUsyk assured fans that while this fight may not be at the elite level he is known for, his last two fights will be.
“Rico, this is the first one. Second, Wardley-Dubois wins. The third fight is my friend Greedy Belly, Tyson Fury.”
When asked how much time he had left, Usyk confirmed that he was three years aged and had not played.
Fabio Wardley rose from interim to full WBO champion when Usyk vacated the belt last year, and he puts that status on the line against Dubois on May 9 in Manchester. If “DDD” wins tonight, Usyk’s last two scheduled fights could be trilogy fights.
The 39-year-old from Simferopol defeated Dubois and Fury twice, stopping the former in both cases and the latter on points. Fan interest in the fights may therefore be circumscribed.
However, if Wardley manages to remain with the organization in two months’ time, many would like to see the Ipswich fighter team up with the Usyk fighter who has established himself as the greatest heavyweight of a generation.
Whether this would be an uncontested fight seems unlikely. Although Usyk’s WBC belt in the match with Verhoeven is controversial, the IBF and WBA have not commented on this fight yet.
Moreover, the WBC has ordered Usyk to face Agit Kabayel next, which is clearly not in his plans. This means that it may be stripped of all three lanes in the near future.
“I just want to fight in Dublin to finish my career. Of course we’re still hoping for Croke Park, holding on to a little bit of hope that it will happen,” Taylor told RTE.
“Fighting my last fight in our most iconic arena. How special would that be? I think it would be absolutely extraordinary if I was able to do it. I’m not sure if it will happen or not. Either way, I will end my career here and I’m very excited about that.”
Taylor has only fought twice in Ireland as a professional, both fights will take place in 2023 against Chantelle Cameron at the 3Arena in Dublin. Cameron won her first fight by majority decision, handing Taylor the only defeat of her career, before Taylor regained the undisputed junior welterweight championship six months later in a rematch.
The 38-year-old Irish star remains one of the greatest fighters in women’s boxing history. Taylor won Olympic gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics before turning professional and quickly winning world titles in two categories. In 2019, she became the undisputed lightweight champion and later repeated the feat at 140 pounds.
Much of Taylor’s recent profile has been built on her rivalry with Amanda Serrano. Their first fight at Madison Square Garden in 2022 was widely celebrated and helped augment the visibility of women’s boxing. Taylor later completed the trilogy by majority vote in July, increasing her record to 25-1 (6 KO).
The possibility of saying goodbye to the stadium became the subject of interest for its long-time promoter. Hearn admitted it would take significant work to turn the idea into reality, but he believes this moment will be historic for Irish sport.
“It’s a hell of a lot of work to make sure one of the greatest athletes of all time fulfills her biggest dream. And I have to deliver Croke Park. I have to,” Hearn said on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“If I don’t give it my all, if I don’t put in every effort to make it happen, I won’t do justice to Katie and I won’t do it to myself. Because it would be the biggest sporting event in Irish history.”
Hearn said talks with Croke Park officials had taken place previously and had resumed as Taylor’s career came to an end.
“There is more momentum this time,” he said.
No opponent has been determined for Taylor’s last fight. Hearn said the focus remains on determining whether the stadium plan can be secured before making any player selections.
“Obviously you want to have an opponent who is compelling, competitive and has a story behind it,” Hearn said. “Nothing has really been discussed or said about the opponent. We are really trying to ensure that discussions with Croke Park allow for that possibility before we pursue it further.”
Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most crucial fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.
Swiss No. 1 Seifeddine Letaief challenges rival Arbnor Jashari
Oleksandr Usyk announces the list of his last three opponents and confirms that he will then retire
Eddie Hearn fights for Katie Taylor in Croke Park
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