Global Boxing in 2026: Five Fights the Sport Needs to Make

Boxing enters 2026 in a contradictory position: pay-per-view revenue is at a decade high, Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority continues to fund marquee events, and yet the sport's fragmented sanctioning bodies have prevented several obvious matchups from materializing. Five fights, in particular, would reshape the 2026 landscape if the contracts, promoters and television networks align — and in the coming months they all have credible paths to being signed.

Ring magazine, BoxRec, and The Ring's industry-panel surveys identify these five matchups as the year's most commercially and competitively significant. Saudi Arabia's $500 million annual boxing investment program, managed by Turki Alalshikh at Riyadh Season, offers the site fees needed to finalize most of them.

Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua III

Ukraine's Usyk, the undisputed heavyweight champion, retained his WBA, WBO and IBF titles against Daniel Dubois in November 2024. Anthony Joshua, defeated by Usyk in 2021 and 2022, is pressing for a trilogy bout following his knockout loss to Dubois in September 2024. Promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports in January that "it's a 65-35 proposition" for the fight to happen in Riyadh in August.

Financial terms matter less than trilogy drama: Saudi Arabia has pre-committed a reported $120 million site fee, with Usyk commanding 55 percent of the purse. Joshua, 35, has indicated to Hearn that the fight is likely his last if he loses. Usyk, 38, has hinted at retirement either way.

Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez

The Crawford-Alvarez super-middleweight unification fight, originally targeted for September 2024, was postponed after Alvarez's purse-split demands collapsed negotiations. Both fighters remained active in 2025 — Crawford won a junior-middleweight title over Israil Madrimov in August, while Alvarez retained his undisputed super-middleweight belts against Edgar Berlanga.

Turki Alalshikh announced in December that the fight had been revived with a September 2026 target date, with the site fee reportedly raised to $110 million. Crawford has declared he will move up to 168 pounds for the fight, facing Alvarez at the Mexican's natural weight. Alvarez, the WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF super-middleweight champion, turns 36 in July.

Naoya Inoue vs. Stephen Fulton II

Japan's Inoue, the undisputed super-bantamweight champion, dominated Fulton in their July 2023 fight. Fulton has since regained momentum, winning the WBO bantamweight title in November 2024 against Carlos Castro. Inoue told Japanese media this month he would return to bantamweight in 2026 for the rematch, drawn by the prospect of becoming undisputed at two weights in his home country.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has publicly backed the fight for Tokyo's Ariake Arena. The main question is whether Inoue can safely return to 118 pounds after sustained time at 122. Inoue's trainer and father, Shingo Inoue, said at a Tokyo Sportland press event that the move was "possible but has to be done carefully."

Jai Opetaia vs. Chris Billam-Smith

The IBF-WBO cruiserweight unification has been discussed since January 2024 but delayed by injury and promoter politics. Opetaia, Australia's IBF and Ring magazine cruiserweight champion, suffered a hand injury in his September 2024 title defense. Billam-Smith, the WBO champion from Britain, successfully defended against Richard Riakporhe in December and publicly called for Opetaia.

Matchroom Boxing and DAZN have begun contract negotiations with a target date of July 2026 at Craven Park in Hull, Billam-Smith's hometown. Opetaia's team at Main Event Promotions is negotiating a 60-40 purse split in favor of the Australian champion. Neither side has signed as of early March.

Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev III

Beterbiev edged Bivol in October 2024 via majority decision in Riyadh, unifying the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF light heavyweight titles. Bivol won the immediate rematch in February 2025 by split decision. A trilogy fight has been signed by both camps and is scheduled for August 2026 in Riyadh, per contracts confirmed to The Ring by promoter Frank Warren.

The trilogy bout is expected to generate roughly $95 million in site fees and PPV revenue combined. Both fighters are in their forties — Beterbiev 41, Bivol 34 — making it likely the final major fight for one or both. Bivol has said he will retire after the trilogy; Beterbiev has left the question open.

Broadcast Landscape and Pay-Per-View Trajectory

DAZN continues to dominate European subscription boxing with roughly 28 million subscribers globally, per the platform's Q4 2025 investor report. ESPN+ is the primary pay-per-view distributor in the United States following the 2024 collapse of the Showtime boxing program. Netflix's experiment with Jake Paul-Mike Tyson in November 2024 — which drew 60 million live viewers — has led to negotiations for a second non-traditional boxing card in 2026, though no fighters have been signed.

Saudi Arabia's influence will only grow. Alalshikh has announced a calendar of five "Ring magazine night" events in 2026, each with purses exceeding $50 million combined. The sport's commercial center has moved decisively to Riyadh, a shift that has accelerated the making of these marquee matchups but raised governance concerns among fan advocacy groups.