Boxing fans are eagerly waiting for some big fights to be announced. The sport has seen some major events lately, with Manny Pacquiao coming back to the ring on July 19 and Oleksandr Usyk becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion in Europe.
Canelo Alvarez is set to face Terence Crawford on September 13. Looking ahead to 2026, Arab boxing promoter Turki Alalshaikh has big plans for Canelo. He's lined up 4-5 fights over 2-3 years and has some exciting opponents in mind.
Alalshaikh said:
"My plan for Canelo is that he could face Hamzah Sheeraz, Christian M'billi or maybe someday against David Benavidez. I do not rule out a rematch against Dmitry Bivol. But we will have to wait and see what happens in September."
YouTuber Jake Paul might be moving from exhibition matches to professional boxing. There's talk of him potentially fighting Anthony Joshua, the former world champion. Joshua's last fight was a tough loss to Daniel Dubois in September, where he got knocked down four times before losing by KO in the fifth round. He's currently recovering from elbow surgery and will likely return late this year. A fight with Paul could mean a big payday for Joshua, but it might hurt his reputation in the boxing world.
Oleksandr Usyk, now the undisputed heavyweight champ, has a couple of options. He could have a warm-up fight against Joseph Parker, the WBO mandatory challenger. There's also talk of a third fight with Tyson Fury next year. Fury lost to Usyk in December 2024 but is set to return to the ring soon. Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions thinks Parker would be a good next opponent for Usyk.
Manny Pacquiao might face Rolly Romero in the welterweight division. It would be an interesting match-up between Pacquiao's technical skills and Romero's unpredictable power.
Teofimo Lopez, the WBO super lightweight champ with a 22-1 record, just beat Arnold Barboza Jr. in New York. He might fight Rolly Romero at 147 pounds. Lopez's technical boxing could work well against Romero's aggressive style, but Romero has shown he can make skilled boxers uncomfortable, as he did when he beat Garcia.
Lopez and Romero have history from a sparring session back in 2017. It's turned into a personal rivalry that could make for an exciting fight. With all the insults they throw at each other, the fight would practically promote itself.
