5 Bold Predictions for Boxing for 2026

There are few things boxing types like more than predictions.

Oh sure, discussing imminent events or ones that have just occurred is one thing, but gazing into the crystal ball to forecast things that aren't even on the books yet is a challenge unlike any other when it comes to goings-on in the ring.

So with that as a preface, the B/R combat staff put its collective head together to compile a list of five bold prognostications for 2026—including who'll be fighting whom, who'll be staying sidelined, and who'll be copping awards at year's end.

Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.

"Bud" Stays Away... from Real Boxing

WWE/Getty Images

Terence Crawford

When it comes to Terence Crawford in 2025, less was more.

Already a champion at four weights, "Bud" took on the biggest challenge of his career and climbed to super middleweight to dismantle Canelo Alvarez over 12 rounds in September, then announced soon after he'd walked away from the sport.

And while history shows that retirements in boxing are about as enduring as celebrity marriages, we're pretty convinced that the popular Nebraskan has enough going for him away the ring to keep him from chasing any more legitimate gloved glory.

That said, if Jake Paul were to offer $50 million for a walk on the wannabe side, all bets are off.

Jake Paul Comes Back... to Wannabe Boxing

Ricardo Arduengo/Getty Images

Jake Paul

So, speaking of the "Problem Child," 2025 was pretty big for him, too.

Coming off a date with a grey-bearded Mike Tyson in late 2024, Paul upped the ante with a 10-round defeat of a long-faded Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June, and decided it was worth a shot at the big time in the form of an active, ferocious non-AARP foe.

Six rounds, four knockdowns and two surgically implanted plates in his jaw later, we're figuring the social media giant has had about enough of "real boxing."

It's our guess, then, that a rematch with Anthony Joshua isn't a high priority and he'll instead opt to till the ground for a return to his wheelhouse against an opponent for whom world-class championship contention isn't a thing.

Conor McGregor, come on down!

Canelo Loses... Again

Harry How/Getty Images for Netflix

Canelo Alvarez

If your in-ring win percentage is 92.6, skids haven't been an issue.

So suggesting Canelo Alvarez will lose a fight, let alone two in a row, is kind of a big deal considering he's gone 63-3-2 since turning pro as a teen back in 2005.

He responded to his first loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013 with a 15-0-1 run over the subsequent nine years, and he greeted his second defeat—by decision against Dmitry Bivol in 2022—with six more victories through the spring of 2025.

Then came late summer and a clear loss to Crawford, which has left the Mexican superstar looking for the ideal foil for his latest competitive return. But, at 35 years old and after two decades in the ring, his instant re-ascension is hardly a given.

And if he chooses wrong, the next rebuilding project will be a lot more involved.

May-Pac Happens... Again

JOHN GURZINSKI/Getty Images

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (left) squares off with Manny Pacquiao

Maybe 11 years are enough to shake off the malaise.

Lest anyone forget, Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao got together in May 2015 for a fight hyped as the greatest thing since sliced bread. But after 12 desultory rounds and a wide decision win for "Money," the prevailing mood was meh.

Still, though the vibe even back then was that the fight should have occurred a few years earlier, the powers that be around the two Hall of Famers are suggesting a return bout is actually a possibility at some point this year...2026

Mayweather, who fought just twice after beating Pacquiao, will be 49 in February. And the Filipino, whose 5-2-1 post-Floyd record includes losses to the likes of Jeff Horn and Yordenis Ugas and a draw against Mario Barrios, turned 47 last month.

But because boxing has never been a place where common sense thrives, the guess here is that not only will the fight happen, but it'll probably draw pretty significant interest for whatever platform gets the nod.

And don't be surprised if Shane Mosley or Oscar De La Hoya hit the winner with a callout.

Shakur Stevenson is 2026's Best

Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images

Shakur Stevenson celebrates

We saved the best, or at least the one we feel strongest about, for last.

Because Shakur Stevenson is an active, full-time fighter with a scheduled date with Teofimo Lopez—the WBO's champion at 140 pounds—on Jan. 31 at Madison Square Garden, charting his 2026 path seems a little less uncertain.

Which is good news...if you're a fan of the New Jersey-born stylist, that is.

Because not only do we see the 28-year-old doing a competitive number on Lopez in New York City, we believe the triumph will catapult him into at least one more worthwhile fight across the rest of the year—perhaps against the likes of Gervonta Davis or even Ryan Garcia at 140 or 147 pounds.

Spoiler alert, we're suggesting he wins that one, too, and finishes the year with not only a shoulder-full of title belts but also recognition as the Fighter of the Year from any outlet whose opinion is to be respected.

Brick City, stand up!