What next for boxing?

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by MismatchHypejob, Jul 20, 2026 at 12:10 AM.


  1. MismatchHypejob

    MismatchHypejob Active Member Full Member

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    I feel like across the divisions boxers are either aged, or close to retirement. Usyk essentially completed the heavyweight division - I don't feel like anyone who comes next will eclipse what he has done (pessimistic, but feels true). Itauma looks good, but he's no Usyk who is a decorated amateur and fought the very best

    Light heavy-cruiser - only fight I can think worth watching would be Benavidez vs Bivol. Although for me I don't really care much for Benavidez who has been a weight bully much of his career.

    Super middle - meh, maybe I haven't been watching boxing as much but I don't see anyone in here?

    Middle - Janibek, always thought he was a massive kazaksthan weight bully. Whose also a doper - nowhere near as good as triple G.

    Junior middle - Jaron Ennis , who has he even fought? can someone please genuinely explain the hype. Lol josh kelly......

    Welterweight - Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney....remember these guys were part of the four kings? that was pretty funny

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    Lower weights, Naoya Inoue is always good to watch but he's aging and 33 years.

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    Am I missing anything? Are there any very good boxers on the horizon to put some energy back in boxing? I feel like boxing is dead. I feel usually there's a round of good olympic boxers that feed into the pro ranks but feel this is not there.

    Can someone please hype me up for boxing again
     
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  2. NoChin

    NoChin My Limo Driver was Sir Jackson England Full Member

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    I made a thread about this the last couple of months. " the sport of boxing is at an all time low "

    You can also see what it has become. The sport is at an all time low. This weeks super fight Tszyu vs Spence is a guy who's been battered in 3 world title bouts against a guy who hasnt fought for 3 years and was battered in his last one.

    Self explanatory.
     
  3. SupaKat

    SupaKat New Member Full Member

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    You have negative views. There's lots of talent.

    Light Heavyweight in particular is going to be very interesting

    Light Heavyweight - Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev, David Benavidez, Imam Khataev, Sharabutdin Ataev, Umar Dzambekov, Najee Lopez, Willy Hutchinson, Ben Whittaker, Gradus Kraus, Oleksandr Khyzhniak
     
  4. MismatchHypejob

    MismatchHypejob Active Member Full Member

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    Bivol is 35, Beterbiev is 40.

    Benavidez is an eight bully but I guess he’s young enough to see if he will perform well at his natural weight.

    Whittaker and Hutchinson are nothing special. Khyzniak was great in the amateurs but is almost 31 and had what 1 pro fight?

    I’m not seeing anything great out there
     
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  5. Joeywill

    Joeywill Boxing Addict Full Member

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    It's a dark time for boxing as has been said earlier on here

    Tszyu vs Spence is a big fight

    Ryan Garcia vs Conor Benn is a battle of the steroids

    Zuffa boxing will be the key with the future if boxing.


    Will it change the sport for the posipan or will it just be a flash in the pan
     
  6. rawjones

    rawjones War ioka Full Member

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    I'm not feeling optimistic about the future of the sport
     
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  7. MismatchHypejob

    MismatchHypejob Active Member Full Member

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    100%

    i want to feel hyped for it but im not seeing anyone
     
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  8. Ike

    Ike Active Member Full Member

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    There are several interesting fights to organize in different divisions.

    In the cruiserweight division there's Opetaia-Benavidez (very difficult to organize but interesting as Bivol-Benavidez).

    In the super middleweight division there are several interesting fights to organize between the top contenders, mainly Iglesias, Pacheco, and Mbilli (who will face Canelo this autumn), but there are also Adames and Sheeraz, it's one of the most interesting divisions.

    The super welterweight division is also very interesting, featuring Ennis, Fundora and Ortiz.

    In the super lightweight-welterweight division there are also interesting fights with Stevenson, Haney, and Keyshawn Davis mainly

    In the featherweight and super featherweight divisions there's also some potential for interesting fights (like Navarrate-Foster and Carrington-Espinoza).

    A rematch between Inoue and Nakatani would be interesting, their fight didn't disappoint.

    And even in the lighter divisions there's a chance of seeing an interesting fight, like Sandoval-Olascuaga.

    Obviously not all of the potential matchups listed are five-star matches (like Bivol-Beterbiev and Fury-Usyk), but some would certainly be great matches (like Opetaia-Benavidez and Fundora-Ennis).

    Boxing is alive and well, and in 2026 we've already had major events. Of course, everyone has their own level of interest (there are casual fans who perhaps lose interest beyond the big names, which is fine).
     
  9. LoveThis

    LoveThis Sweet Science Full Member

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    If there is noone interesting, boxing will self correct by matching the least uninteresting fighters until some of them become interesting.

    People want to make money and in boxing money is often made by producing interesting fighters.

    The main problem is twitter and instagram, which are alternative ways of becoming interesting. Along with boxing politics helping fighters of the major boxing countries to get ahead
     
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  10. Reinhardt

    Reinhardt Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Agree 100% ,,I've said this many times myself along with some others here. Boxing is dead, this forum mainly consists to talk about what could have been and mythical matchups. Why? as the country has gone soft it's taken boxing down with it.
     
  11. Perkin Warbeck

    Perkin Warbeck Boxing Aficionado Full Member

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    No. There are lots of talented light heavyweights coming up - the division will be fine in the years to come.

    This content is protected
     
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  12. MismatchHypejob

    MismatchHypejob Active Member Full Member

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    Sure everyone has their own level of interest, but none of those boxers are really groundbreaking. Inoue - Nakatani would be a great fight to watch, but I'm more talking about the fighters themselves - few more fights for Inoue and he'll be on his way out.

    I don't know much about Ennis but I have seen a few of his fights, and I don't really consider him anything spectacular. But even if he were, there's not much there in terms of talent.

    Superlightweight (punchers) and extremely boring stylistcally fighters in Stevenson/Haney can't save the division.
     
  13. MismatchHypejob

    MismatchHypejob Active Member Full Member

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    okay that's a nice knockout, but who even is that guy? 10 fights against nobodies and bordering on 29
     
  14. Perkin Warbeck

    Perkin Warbeck Boxing Aficionado Full Member

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    Sadly, talented boxers from Eastern Europe are usually kept inactive and so eventually decline. Beterbiev and Bivol were rare exceptions to this.

    There are many boxers like Bivol and Beterbiev coming up in Eastern Europe, but they need good promoters. Khyzhniak is as talented as Bivol, but he may have been ruined by inactivity by now.
     
  15. Ike

    Ike Active Member Full Member

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    I disagree. Ennis is very talented and showed his class in June against Zayas, in one of the most anticipated matches of the year, and he didn't disappoint. An Ennis-Fundora matchup would be one of the most interesting fights the current boxing scene has to offer.

    Inoue is 33 years old and obviously his career won't last much longer, but he won his first world title in 2014, is undefeated, a world champion in four weight classes, has been at the top for over a decade, and is an ATG, all of which makes every fight of his an event.

    Stevenson is a master of the defensive art, and watching him in action is always a spectacle for me. I wouldn't be surprised if, at the end of his career, his name was compared to Whitaker, Mayweather, Pep, and other fighters of this caliber.

    However, as I said before, everyone follows what they prefer, and there's nothing wrong with being a casual fighter. For me Ennis-Fundora would be a very interesting matchup, while for others, it's Fury-Joshua, which doesn't interest me much. Obviously, you're not very interested in what boxing currently offers, and that's fine.
     
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