2026 Boxing Calendar: Titles, Turf Wars, and Risks

The 2026 boxing schedule is already taking shape as a year where champions gamble and contenders refuse to wait their turn. From Las Vegas to Riyadh, from San Diego to Tokyo, belts are on the line and reputations are in real danger.

This is how the year is stacking up so far.

September: Vegas Lights, Japanese Fire

The autumn run starts in the only place it really could.

September 12 – Las Vegas (Paramount+)

Ryan Garcia puts his WBC welterweight title on the line against Conor Benn in a matchup built for prime time. It’s not just a defence; it’s a collision of two combustible personalities in a division that never stays quiet for long. Garcia holds the belt. Benn wants his name back in lights. One of them walks out with momentum, the other with questions.

The undercard leans into power and jeopardy.

• Jai Opetaia meets Noel Mikaelian at cruiserweight, a clash that should tell us who’s ready to push toward full championship status.
• Heavyweight punchers Da'Mazion Vanhouter and Raphael Akpejiori share the ring in a fight that promises violence more than nuance.
• Mark Magsayo drops down the scales to face Andres Cortes at lightweight, a crossroads assignment for both.
• Oswaldo Molina vs. Pablo Rubio, also at lightweight, adds more depth to a busy division.
• Abel Gonzalez faces Raul Salomon at super middleweight, while Vlad Panin takes on Dakota Linger at super welterweight in the kind of fights that often produce surprise contenders.
• Former world champion Jose Ramirez squares up with Alexis Rocha at welterweight, a bout that could decide who stays relevant in a stacked field.
• Earlier in the night, Sean Garcia meets Abraham Morales at lightweight, another step in a career trying to break out of the shadow of a famous surname.

September 19 – San Diego (DAZN)

San Diego hosts a double-header built around interim gold and future plans.

Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz defends his interim WBC super lightweight title against Nestor Bravo. Cruz brings relentless pressure and a fan-friendly style; Bravo brings ambition and the chance to wreck the script. The winner stays parked right behind the full world champion.

On the same card, Jesus Alejandro Ramos Jr. defends his interim WBC middleweight title against Meiirim Nursultanov. It’s a meeting of two men who want to skip the queue and force the full champion into a decision: fight them or move aside.

September 26 – Fuji, Japan

Japan’s title tradition continues in Fuji.

Thanongsak Simsri defends his IBF light flyweight title against Mark Vicelles, a fight that fits the lower-weight pattern: high tempo, high skill, no room to breathe. One mistake can flip the belt.

Shunpei Ohata faces Pete Apolinar at super featherweight, a matchup that could push the winner into the wider world picture.

September 27 – Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo then raises the stakes with a stacked championship bill.

• Ryosuke Nishida meets Sam Goodman for the vacant interim IBF super bantamweight title, a fight that should shape the next wave at 122 pounds. Whoever wins becomes a problem for the established names.
• Takuma Inoue defends his WBC bantamweight title against Tenshin Nasukawa in a bout heavy with intrigue. Inoue represents elite, proven quality at world level. Nasukawa brings crossover star power and the question: how fast can a phenomenon adapt to the unforgiving reality of championship boxing?
• Tomoya Tsuboi faces Ricardo Malajika for the vacant WBC super flyweight title, another belt up for grabs in one of the sport’s most consistently thrilling divisions.
• Hayato Aiko vs. Natsuki Kuramochi at featherweight rounds off a card that keeps Japan right at the heart of the world scene.

October: Heavyweight Power, Canelo in Riyadh, and a Global Carousel

October doesn’t build slowly. It comes out swinging.

October 3 – Birmingham, England (DAZN)

Birmingham gets a showcase of emerging British talent.

• Ben Whittaker faces Conor Wallace at light heavyweight in a test of whether Whittaker’s flair can hold up when the opposition starts biting back.
• Bilal Fawaz meets Eithan James at super welterweight, while Sean Bruce vs. Hamza Uddin at flyweight adds speed and volume to the card.
• Ibraheem Sulaimaan vs. Sonny Hardy at super featherweight, Klinton Baptiste vs. Aaron Bowen at super middleweight, and Adam Maca (opponent TBA) at super featherweight all speak to a night built around prospects trying to turn potential into something more concrete.
• Odel Kamara, also against a TBA opponent at super welterweight, looks to keep his own rise moving.

October 10 – Chicago (DAZN)

Chicago’s card is about belts and turning points.

• Floyd Schofield meets Lucas Bahdi for the vacant WBA lightweight title. A world title at 135 pounds is never a small thing; this is a chance for one of them to step straight into the thick of one of boxing’s glamour divisions.
• Oscar Collazo then faces Ricardo Sandoval for Sandoval’s WBA and WBC flyweight titles. Two belts, one fight, and a champion under direct fire. Collazo chases a breakthrough. Sandoval fights to keep a grip on a division that can change hands in a single furious exchange.

October 17 – London (DAZN)

In London, the big men take centre stage.

Daniel Dubois defends his WBO heavyweight title against Fabio Wardley in an all-British clash that feels raw and dangerous. Dubois has the belt and the power to end nights early. Wardley brings momentum and a willingness to trade. The winner walks away as a genuine force in the heavyweight picture; the loser faces a long road back.

October 17 – Carson, California (DAZN/TNT)

Across the Atlantic, Carson hosts a world-title twin bill with star power in the supporting cast.

• Sebastian Fundora defends his WBC super welterweight title against Ermal Hadribeaj. Fundora’s towering frame and volume punching have made him a nightmare at 154 pounds. Hadribeaj comes in with the chance to tear up the script and claim a major belt.
• Brandon Figueroa defends his WBA featherweight title against Tomoki Kameda in a stylistic clash that should catch fire quickly. Figueroa’s pressure and output against Kameda’s experience and sharpness: it’s a fight that could define the champion’s ceiling.
• On the undercard, Jermall Charlo returns at super middleweight against Koen Mazoudier. For Charlo, it’s about answers—about timing, sharpness, and whether he can still impose himself in a new weight class.

October 24 – Sheffield, England (DAZN)

Sheffield gets its own world title headliner.

• Dalton Smith defends his WBC super lightweight title against Alberto Puello, a fight that tests Smith’s ability to control a dangerous, seasoned opponent. A win keeps him firmly in the conversation at 140 pounds; a loss blows the division wide open.
• Giorgio Visioli faces Maxi Hughes at lightweight, a classic test between ambition and experience.
• Shannon Ryan meets Emma Dolan at women’s super flyweight, a meaningful step in a growing scene.
• Edward Hardy vs. Ibrahim Nadim and Aqib Fiaz vs. Jordan Flynn, both at super featherweight, pack the middle of the card with domestic stakes.
• Joe Hayden faces Will Harrison at welterweight, while Leo Atang (heavyweight) and Chris Mulunda (middleweight) await TBA opponents as they try to build records that demand bigger nights.

October 24 – San Antonio (DAZN)

San Antonio stages a three-belt unification at super featherweight that could define the division.

Emanuel Navarrete brings his WBO and IBF super featherweight titles into a showdown with O'Shaquie Foster, who holds the WBC belt. Three titles, two champions, one winner with a near-complete grip on 130 pounds. Navarrete’s awkward, relentless style meets Foster’s skill and composure. It’s the kind of fight that can crown a pound-for-pound threat.

Albert Gonzalez faces Edward Vazquez at featherweight, a chance for either man to grab a foothold on a card dominated by the main event’s stakes.

October 31 – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (DAZN PPV)

Riyadh closes October with a blockbuster.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez travels to face Christian Mbilli for Mbilli’s WBC super middleweight title. The roles are clear: Canelo, the global star and multi-weight champion; Mbilli, the man holding the belt he wants. It’s a rare sight—Canelo as the challenger at 168.

Mbilli fights to prove he’s more than just the champion who happened to be there when Canelo came calling. Canelo fights to show that, even now, he still decides the shape of the super middleweight landscape.

November: Texas Awaits

The schedule edges into November with Arlington, Texas, already marked for November 8 on ESPN. Details will follow, but the choice of venue alone hints at scale. Big stadium. Big stakes. Big expectations.

The calendar is still filling, and more fights will land as the year unfolds. But even now, 2026 is shaping up as a season where champions can’t hide, contenders refuse to wait, and every month offers a night that could tilt the sport’s balance.