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Burning boxing questions: What will the heavyweight division look like in 2026?

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The top of boxing’s most significant weight class is apparently as open as it has been in a long time. While many former heavyweight stars such as Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua are still in the title picture, there are many emerging contenders waiting to take advantage of the opportunity to join the higher league.

What will it take for up-and-coming players like Fabio Wardley, Moses Itauma and Richard Torrez Jr. to take the next step?

Usyk currently holds three world heavyweight titles (WBC, WBA, IBF), and Wardley rose to the WBO title shot after Usyk relinquished the belt last year.

Will the remaining belts remain in the same hands? How many fights does Fury have left? Can Joshua and Wilder fight for the titles again?

We explore the future of boxing’s glamor division.


Which players will be winning world titles at the end of 2026?

It’s complicated, but Usyk will likely have at least one of his three titles by the end of the year. Usyk (24-0, 15 KO) may be stripped of one or two belts for overdue mandatory defenses. The latest speculation is that the WBC, WBA and IBF world champion will face 36-year-old Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in another bizarre crossover fight. If Usyk, 39, moves on, it could cost him one of his titles.

Agit Kabayel (27-0, 19 KO) is in good shape and, as the WBC interim champion, would have the status of full champion if the WBC authorities decide to strip Usyk. Kabayel, 33, may have to defeat former cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie next to retain his interim WBC belt. Murat Gassijew (33-2, 26 KO) from Russia stopped Kubrat Pulev in December in a fight for the regular WBA championship (secondary WBA title after the full world title). He could also advance to the world title if Uysk chooses a different opponent next. Moses Itauma (13-0, 11 KO), the 21-year-old rising star of the division, could get a shot at the WBA title later this year if he wins his next fight against Jermaine Franklin on March 28. Itauma would also love to beat fighters like Gassiew.

Usyk’s final goal for later this year may be a trilogy fight with Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KO). If the Usyk vs. fight takes place Fury III, the winner will hold at least one, and possibly two, world titles.


How many more fights will Fury fight before he retires again?

This depends first on his return to fight Arslanbek Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KO) on April 11, and then on a victory over Usyk, Wardley or Joshua, probably in September in London. Two-time former champion Fury has not fought since his second consecutive points defeat to Usyk in December 2024. Losing to Usyk or Wardley in a title fight wouldn’t ruin his chances for a long-awaited, long-awaited fight against English rival Joshua, but it would cut his career tiny. Given Fury’s 37-year-old age, his previous retirement and his available options, he likely has at least three fights left before his next retirement.


Can Wilder and Joshua return to title contention?

Yes. Although both appear to be completely out of contention at the moment, their huge earning potential could see them challenge for the title in the second half of the year. However, in the case of Joshua (29-4, 26 KO), we must wait until the two-time former champion wants to continue his career after the death of two close friends and members of his team in a December car accident that occurred shortly after his sixth-round KO of Jake Paul.

Joshua’s last fight before Paul was in September 2024, when he lost by fifth-round KO to Daniel Dubois. It usually takes a few fights to get back into title contention, but due to the revenue generated, Joshua may get a title shot in his next fight. If Fury wins the WBO belt with the winner of Wardley vs. Dubois (which could happen in April or May), expect to see Joshua in a title fight later this year.

Former WBC champion Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KO) lacks momentum and form, but his name still matters. Wilder’s team hopes that a successful return to fight Derek Chisora ​​on April 4 will secure a title fight for the second half of the year. Even though the 40-year-old looked like a faded team after four defeats in his last six appearances, if he beats Chisora, he could win the title against Usyk.


What is Usyk’s best fight in 2026?

There are bigger threats in the heavyweight division than Wilder, like Itauma. But if Wilder beats Chisora, he will still attract interest. A meeting with Kabayel in his native Germany would be a gigantic deal, but fighting Wilder in the US or Fury in the UK are the biggest fights available to Usyk. Usyk is unlikely to fight Joshua, who trained with his team last year.


Which youthful heavyweight will make the most noise in 2026?

Itauma may not end the year with a belt, but he will be one step away from a title shot if he can rack up more KO wins this year. If Usyk is stripped of his WBA belt, Itauma could end the year as one of boxing’s youngest champions. Mike Tyson (20 years and four months) and Floyd Patterson (21 years and 10 months) are the two youngest heavyweight champions, and Itauma turns 22 in December. The English boxer is the most stimulating heavyweight in the sport right now and if he continues his knockout form, his fan base will grow. One of the potential fights for Itauma later this year will be the winner of Wardley vs. Dubois.


What will the heavyweight top ten look like at the end of 2026?

Expect Usyk to be No. 1 with a win over Fury, Kabayel or Wilder. Fury, after a tiny break in the fight for victory with several victories over Makhmudov and perhaps the winner of the Wardley vs. Dubois and a three-time world champion will return to the chase group, followed by Kabayel, Itauma, Wardley, Dubois, Filip Hrgovic, Richard Torrez Jr., Okolie, Bakhodir Jalolov and Joshua. Joshua could end a complex year higher on the list if he wins a major fight in 2026. Wardley, who has scored impressive victories, is an influential figure in all of this. If he beats Dubois and then Fury, does that make a potential Fury vs. Joshua fight even less likely? This would put Wardley in second place behind Usyk.


Who can take a gigantic step up 10?

If two-time Olympic gold medalist Jalalov (16-0, 14 KO) is able to compete, he will have a skill set that will make him a top fighter in the next five years. Last year he fought two modest fights in Kazakhstan and Russia.

Another fighter worth paying attention to is Torrez (14-0, 12 KO). The Californian, who won a silver medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, could take a huge step forward in his career if he defeats Frank Sanchez in his next fight in an IBF title eliminator.

Richard Riakporhe (19-1, 15 KO) also looks gigantic, powerful and hazardous since moving up from cruiserweight. The 36-year-old Londoner recorded two fast-break victories last year and is already in the WBC rankings. Efe Ajagba (20-1-1, 14 KO), who will face former champion Charles Martin on February 14 at Zuffa Boxing 03, has a gigantic stage to shine this year if he can achieve it, but the 2016 Olympian must do better than he was tied on points with Martin Bakole last May.

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Bob Arum wonders if Lomachenko needs money to pay back

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Image: Vasiliy Lomachenko Ends Retirement, Targets Big Fights

“Well, again, I don’t know what his financial situation is. He earned a lot of money from us. But, you know, he lives in Ukraine and there are a lot of problems there, maybe he needs money, or maybe he just wants to get away from home,” Arum said in an interview with Fighthype.

Arum’s comments drew attention because promoters rarely speculate publicly on whether a returning fighter might be financially motivated. Lomachenko hasn’t fought since stopping George Kambosos Jr. in May 2024. in the fight for the IBF lightweight title, and then left boxing.

The former three-division world champion is now 38 years venerable and has shown signs of decline in the later stages of his lightweight career. Losses to Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney, as well as a complex stretch at 135 pounds, have raised questions about how much Lomachenko has left in his long absence from the ring.

Arum admitted he doesn’t know what version of Lomachenko will return if the comeback continues.

“I don’t know what, if anything, Lomachenko has lost after his two-year retirement. So it would be wrong to hypothesize how he would fare against all these younger guys. We’ll just have to see,” Arum said.

The interviewer asked Arum if Lomachenko would still be able to compete with younger names like Shakur Stevenson, Abdullah Mason and Raymond Muratalla, but Arum avoided making predictions.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the return, Arum continued to praise Lomachenko as one of the best fighters promoted by Top Rank during his career with the company.

“Loma represents the best of boxing. So I wish him all the best because he has been a great fighter for us and he truly embodies the best of boxing,” Arum said.

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The most talented Dubois still attends school

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Solomon Dubois trains in the gym as the youngest member of the Dubois boxing family begins attracting attention in amateur boxing

The Dubois family has already produced two world champions. Now another name is starting to attract attention in British boxing.

Daniel Dubois and sister Caroline turned the family name into one of the most celebrated names in British boxing, but now a different Dubois is quietly emerging from the amateur ranks.

According to many, including Stanley’s father, Solomon Dubois may finally become the best of them all.

Another Dubois appears

The 13-year-old turned heads at national tournaments as he developed under the Dubois umbrella. Stanley, the man who helped shape Daniel and Caroline into world champions, is overseeing his second son’s progress.

Daniel himself has publicly endorsed Solomon to one day become a major force in the sport as the youngest member of the fighting family continues his rise.

This naturally creates expectations.

Over the years, a lot has been written and said about the Dubois family, but not all of it was positive. Family feuds, public disagreements, pressure and media attention have followed the name for much of Daniel and Caroline’s career.

Fresh chapter

However, in Solomon’s case, there is already a feeling that boxing could be the beginning of a fresh chapter.

As Daniel and Caroline gradually enter the final stages of their careers, Solomon is just beginning his own journey.

The pressure is already on, but he is following in the footsteps that will be able to impart significant knowledge.

When a family has already produced two world champions, expectations arise long before title fights or professional contracts emerge.

That’s what makes Solomon’s situation so fascinating, because the noise around him isn’t the result of random social media hype designed to produce the next substantial thing.

This belief clearly exists within the family itself.

Stanley has long suggested that Solomon may naturally possess an agility and raw ability that simply cannot be taught.

Dubois syndrome

The pressure comes early

At the same time, there is an obvious danger in placing too much expectation on someone so newborn.

The history of boxing is full of prospects who faced pressure before they were physically and mentally ready to handle it.

For now, Solomon remains a student learning his craft with one of the most recognizable names in British boxing.

A professional move and a likely collaboration with Frank Warren will almost certainly come later if he continues to make progress.

However, at the moment it’s simply a matter of keeping his feet on the ground as the attention around him continues to grow.

Because if the Dubois family’s beliefs prove correct, British boxing may finally discover that the most talented Dubois was the youngest all along.


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.

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Keyshawn Davis vs. Nahir Albright 2 Saturday night, live on DAZN

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Image: Keyshawn Davis vs Nahir Albright 2 Saturday Night, Live On DAZN

In October 2023, rising contender Keyshawn Davis entered the ring for an intense fight against Nahir Albright. In the first round of the fight, Albright used his feints and changed levels with his jab.

In the first round, Davis managed to land a well-timed right hand. Over the next few rounds, Keyshawn Davis established range and as a result, started landing his combinations.

Halfway through the 10-round fight, Davis was in complete control, consistently launching counterattacks. During the final three rounds of the fight, Albright found success in punching with his right hand.

Albright was competitive but didn’t seem to be doing enough to win rounds. At the conclusion of the 10-round contest, Davis was declared the winner by majority decision.

Two weeks later, Keyshawn Davis was confirmed to have tested positive for marijuana. Davis received a 90-day suspension and his majority victory over Nahir Albright was changed to a no-contest.

Following his match with Keyshawn Davis, Nahir Albright’s boxing career came to an end after a 19-month hiatus. In June 2025, Nahir Albright stepped back into the squared circle to face Keyshawn’s older brother, Kelvin Davis.

Albright was very aggressive as he hurt Davis in the second and fourth rounds. Albright set the pace of the fight and won a convincing victory.

After the fight ended, Keyshawn and his younger brother Keon jumped Albright backstage. According to Albright, the Davis brothers entered his locker room and Keyshawn headbutted him, leaving a lump on his right eye.

Following the incident, police escorted Keyshawn Davis from the arena. Davis was initially scheduled to headline the event, but he weighed 4.3 pounds over the legal weight limit and was stripped of his WBO world title.

After this embarrassing incident, Keyshawn Davis redeemed himself in January 2026 when he dominated Jamaine Ortiz. Now Davis is ready to take care of unfinished business on Saturday night.

Keyshawn “The Businessman” Davis didn’t look like a pro on Friday afternoon when he weighed in at 140.2 pounds. Davis stripped down to his bare essentials and weighed 140.1 pounds.

After his second failed attempt, Davis was given two hours to reach the 140-pound limit. A tiny time later, Davis returned to the scale and weighed 140 pounds.

Performance wise, Keyshawn Davis is a striking boxer who has poise, timing, a solid jab and a high ring IQ, is an elite counter puncher, has excellent punch placement and is deadly when landing body shots.

His opponent, Nahir Albright, has a quick jab, is elusive, has good footwork, uses head movement regularly, is tough and used to throwing a series of punches.

The grudge match will be held on Saturday evening, May 16, at the Scope Arena. Norfolk native Keyshawn Davis wants to make a statement to his hometown fans, but his opponent, Nahir Albright, plans to play the role of spoiler.

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