The Ring has released its list of must-see fights for the rest of the year—with David Benavidez vs. Jai Opetaia at the top.
The boxing year has already delivered numerous great moments—but there are still some absolute dream matchups on the horizon. The team at The Ring has published its wish list for the rest of the year. These aren’t officially scheduled fights, but rather matchups that, in a perfect boxing world, would take place before the end of 2026.
Coming in at number five is Jaron “Boots” Ennis vs. Vergil Ortiz. Ennis showed brief moments of weakness against Xander Zayas but, overall, clearly dominated the previously undefeated champion. A fight against the offensively strong Ortiz would be almost guaranteed to be explosive. Osleys Iglesias’s bout against Hamzah Sheeraz also promises to be fiercely competitive. Iglesias is considered one of the most avoided boxers on the scene, while Sheeraz has recently built up a lot of momentum with strong victories.
Ranking third on the list of dream matches is the highly anticipated rematch between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney. Following their controversial first bout—which was ruled a no-contest due to Garcia’s positive doping test—a rematch with two world championship belts on the line and plenty of bad blood would be even bigger. A technical highlight would be Naoya Inoue vs. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. This clash between two undefeated, exceptional fighters could become one of the best fights in the lower weight classes. At the very top of the wish list, however, is David Benavidez vs. Jai Opetaia. Two undefeated, explosive cruiserweights with tremendous punching power and top-tier skill—a fight that promises to be in a league of its own.