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It's been another wild year for the sport of boxing and as we enter the final stretch, the race for Boxer of the Year is beginning to take shape.
From world title glory to unification triumphs, to statement victories and career-defining moments, 2026 has delivered several candidates for the sport's most prestigious individual honour. But who has done enough to be crowned Boxer of the Year?
These power rankings assess the top 15 fighters in contention for Boxer of the Year in 2026, taking into account their performances and achievements throughout the calendar year.
The rankings are based on a combination of factors, including the quality of opposition faced, the significance of victories, championship success, performance level, finishing ability, and overall consistency.
Winning a major world title, unifying a division, or becoming undisputed champion enhances a fighter's case for the distinguished accolade. But fighters can also enter the picture through dominant performances or seismic upsets.
There's still time for boxers to make their case, with meaningful fights, including world title bouts, still on deck, but for now, these are the 15 fighters who have entered the discussion for Boxer of the Year, ranked according to their achievements, impact, and performances inside the ring in 2026.
| Boxer of the Year Power Ranking [15-11] |
||
|---|---|---|
| Position |
Boxer |
2026 Highlights |
| 15. |
Bruce Carrington |
Beat Carlos Castro & Rene Palacios |
| 14. |
Jai Opetaia |
Beat Brandon Glanton & Noel Mikaelian |
| 13. |
Josh Kelly |
Beat Bakhram Murtazaliev & Caoimhín Agyarko |
| 12. |
Jesse Rodriguez |
Beat Antonio Vargas |
| 11. |
Canelo Alvarez |
Beat Christian Mbilli |
Dalton Smith has emerged as one of the leading British talents following his breakout year in 2026, having secured a light-welterweight world title. He beat Subriel Matias on American soil to win WBC gold, showing off his power to stop Puerto Rico's Matias in the fifth round.
Smith made the first defence of his WBC championship against the dangerous Alberto Puello and successfully retained his green and gold belt by split decision in a Sheffield homecoming last month.
Jaron Ennis has only one fight to his name in 2026, but it's a significant victory. He fought the previously-undefeated Xander Zayas in a headline clash in Brooklyn, with the Philadelphia native scoring a huge seventh-round TKO victory.
He became a two-weight world champion after capturing the WBO and the WBA world light-middleweight titles. Ennis established himself as one of the faces of American boxing following his dominant performance over a fellow superstar.
Like Ennis, Benavidez has also had one fight in 2026, though his sole win this year was a huge statement. He moved up to cruiserweight to challenge Gilberto Ramirez and his cruiserweight world titles in a blockbuster Cinco de Mayo clash.
And 'The Mexican Monster' obliterated Ramirez, dropping him in the fourth round before securing an emphatic victory in the sixth round to win the WBA (Super) and the WBO cruiserweight world titles.
Filip Hrgovic has been the bogeyman of the heavyweight division since becoming a contender. However, a defeat to Daniel Dubois derailed his pursuit of a world title, but he finally realised his dream this year with one of the biggest upsets in recent heavyweight history.
He fought Moses Itauma, who entered the London meeting as an undefeated phenom, and was tasked to give him rounds. Itauma battered Hrgovic in the first half of the fight, though the Croatian refused to go away and landed his own onslaught to inflict the young Brit with the first of his budding career, winning the vacant IBF world heavyweight title as a result.
Sebastian Fundora made the third defence of his WBC light-middleweight world title against modern great Keith Thurman in March. Fundora handed Thurman the first stoppage defeat of his career as he demolished his fellow American inside six rounds.
The towering 154lbs fighter's latest defence came in stunning style as he scored a buzzer-beater victory, stopping Ermal Hadribeaj in the last second of the fight. His commanding victories prove he's one of the biggest players in the division.
Boxing politics allowed Ryan Garcia to challenge Mario Barrios for his WBC world welterweight title despite suffering a shock defeat to Rolly Romero in Times Square, and he made no mistake, outpointing Barrios in a masterful display to become world champion.
Garcia returned to action in September when he fought British star Conor Benn, who rose through the ranks to earn a shot as a mandatory challenger. The American superstar dispatched Benn with absolute ease as he showed off his blistering hand speed, knocking him out in the second round to make a statement to the rest of the division.
Shakur Stevenson has had a frustrating 2026 outside the ring, having signed with Zuffa Boxing before parting ways with Dana White's boxing promotion without having a single fight. But, in his sole appearance of the year, Stevenson looked flawless.
In January, he dominated Teofimo Lopez, who was on a six-fight winning streak, to win the WBO world welterweight title, becoming a four-weight world champion in the process.
Dubois entered 2026 off the back of a crushing defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, losing his IBF world heavyweight title as a result. But he became a three-time world heavyweight champion after winning the WBO title in a thrilling Fight of the Year candidate against Fabio Wardley. He came off the canvas to stop Wardley before destroying his rival in a rematch.
'Triple D' made light work of Wardley in their second meeting, annihilating the Ipswich fighter inside two rounds to defend his WBO strap and strengthen his case as the best heavyweight boxer on the planet in the post-Usyk heavyweight era.
Naoya Inoue made the walk just once in 2026 but claimed one of the biggest wins of his legendary career. The Japanese sensation defended his WBA (Super), WBC, IBF and WBO world bantamweight titles against the previously-undefeated Junto Nakatani.
He outpointed his fellow countryman in what was billed as one of the biggest fights to take place on Japanese soil. 'The Monster' dominated early before adjusting later in the bout to defend his undisputed bantamweight crown.
O'Shaquie Foster has completely changed the course of his professional career since his shock defeat to Robson Conceicao in 2024. He's on a four-fight winning streak and claimed the two biggest wins of his career this year, following big victories over Raymond Ford and Emanuel Navarrete.
The American defended his WBC super-featherweight title against Ford before collecting the IBF, the WBO and The Ring super-featherweight belts after outpointing Navarrete in a silky display last month. He now owns three of the four major world titles at 130lbs and is one title away from becoming undisputed champion, making him our rightful Boxer of the Year.
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