Five dream boxing fights The Ring staff wants to see in 2026

The Ring magazine's editorial team has released a wishlist of five matchups they hope to see signed before the close of 2026, with none currently announced or confirmed to happen.

Topping the staff vote was an undefeated clash between David Benavidez and Jai Opetaia at cruiserweight, described in The Ring's story as guaranteed violence at 200 pounds. Naoya Inoue against Bam Rodriguez came in second, a potential pound-for-pound collision that would require Rodriguez to move up another weight class to bantamweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super bantamweight after his recent debut at bantamweight last month.

Welterweight grudge match and middleweight showdown also make the cut

Third on the list was a Ryan Garcia-Devin Haney rematch. Both now hold major belts at welterweight, and their first meeting two years ago ended in a no-contest after Garcia tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance despite winning on the cards. The Ring piece noted the bad blood between the two makes this one of the most anticipated potential bouts in the sport.

Rounding out the top five were Osleys Iglesias versus Hamzah Sheeraz at super middleweight and Jaron Ennis against Vergil Ortiz at welterweight. The latter fight appeared close to being finalized until a promotional dispute between Golden Boy and Ortiz reportedly stalled negotiations. Ennis dominated Xander Zayas on Saturday despite some third-round trouble.

The Ring staff emphasized this is a speculative exercise rather than a preview of confirmed bouts. Other matchups receiving votes included Sebastian Fundora-Vergil Ortiz, Oleksandr Usyk-Agit Kabayel, David Benavidez-Dmitry Bivol, Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury, and Daniel Dubois-Moses Itauma.

Source: ringmagazine.com