If you could follow one non-titleholder in each division, who would it be? An up-and-comer? A fighter on the brink of a title? An old war horse hoping to make one more triumphant run?
Here’s one suggestion: heavyweight Agit Kabayel.
Kabayel is one of the new faces in boxing, a fighter ready to emerge as an established name in the sport. He will make his 2026 debut when he faces unbeaten Damian Kynba this coming Saturday at Rudolf Weber-Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. The bout will stream on DAZN.
A little past the midway point in a fighter’s career, the landscape begins to change. Fighters such as Shakur Stevenson, David Benavidez, Devin Haney and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez will slowly climb up pound-for-pound lists, sometimes arriving in the top 10 sooner than anyone expected. So who is next? What makes the sport great is the ever-evolving talent pool of fighters with a deep desire to prove themselves. In this article, BoxingScene will look at every division in boxing (except strawweight, which came up short in compelling up-and-comers) to focus on one notable fighter worth tracking over the course of the year.
Here are some potentially fast risers who could end the year in a title eliminator or a title fight:
Junior flyweight: Erik Badillo, 19-0 (8 KOs)
After a solid year on ProBox TV, Badillo should be poised for a title shot in 2026. A 29-year-old from Mexico, Badillo fought twice in 2025 – both times in Fresno, California. An aggressive southpaw who picks his shots well, Badillo edged out Elwin Soto in November to put him in position to challenge as one of the best in the division. He has the attributes to be the best fighter in the division. Now Badillo just needs the opportunities to show if he can fulfill his potential.
Flyweight: Enkhmandakh Kharkhuu, 7-0 (3 KOs)
Kharkhuu is a fighter from Mongolia who has a deep amateur pedigree. He competes at a world-class level at flyweight, but his two fights in 2025 were at bantamweight to stay busy. One of them was a tough test against Mario Hernandez, who went on to upset Jesus Martinez in his next fight. Now based out of Los Angeles, Kharkhuu is someone who could emerge as a player in 2026 with the right fights.
Junior bantamweight: Tomoya Tsuboi, 3-0 (2 KOs)
Knocking out Carlos Cuadras in your third fight is quite a statement. Tsuboi has an impressive amateur resume and is already a contender heading into his fourth pro fight. Already being mentioned as one of the top prospects of the year, Tsuboi did something fight fans like to see: take a risk as a young fighter. Sure, Cuadras has seen better days, but for a 29-year-old to face him so early in his career vaults him into the realm of being a fringe title contender and shows extreme self-confidence. Most encouraging, it could mean Tsuboi will be in even more fascinating 50-50 type matchups in 2026. Tsuboi is now ranked No. 2 by the WBC.
Bantamweight: Michael Angeletti, 14-0 (8 KOs)
Criminally underrated, Angeletti has done everything asked of him. The former No. 1 seed at the Olympic Trials in 2019, Angeletti holds a win over Eros Correa, a formidable fighter, as well as Jeremy Adorno, who was a decorated amateur. Angeletti is in the running to land a big fight, and he has notable wins along with a good amateur career that should have prepped him well for 2026.
Junior featherweight: Subaru Murata, 10-0 (10 KOs)
While Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani steal the headlines, Murata is silently building up a devastating resume. Murata has a 100 percent knockout ratio and already has three 12-round fights (and stoppages in each) under his belt. What makes that notable is that it takes a certain level of opponent and pedigree to be sanctioned at that level. Murata is completely off the radar for most, but he’s a puncher who is moving quickly.
Featherweight: Albert Gonzalez, 15-0 (8 KOs)
Gonzalez is already a top-15 fighter according to the WBO. He is one of trainer Robert Garcia’s new, exciting faces of his always-evolving gym, and he is already trending toward a title. Gonzalez, whose moniker is “Chop Chop,” has star attributes both in the ring and in front of the microphone, but the one thing to monitor will be his visibility. Even with his promoter, Top Rank, currently having no network deal, Gonzalez has stayed very active. He fought twice in the fall and is set to return January 17 against Franklin Gonzalez.
Junior lightweight: Raymond Ford, 18-1-1 (8 KOs)
Ford is a former featherweight titleholder and the most interesting non-titleholder in the division. Ford is on a three-fight win streak at junior lightweight against quality opposition, and his lone career loss was a split decision defeat to Nick Ball. Ford is a boxer-puncher ranked in the top five of three of the four major sanctioning bodies. Ford is a fighter who has shown promise, especially when he won his title against Otabek Kholmatov.
Lightweight: Joshua Pagan, 14-0 (5 KOs)
Pagan is an exciting lightweight contender who seems cemented as a main event fighter and who will soon be fighting for the first time in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He ended 2025 with a win over fellow prospect/contender Maliek Montgomery. Pagan is shaping up nicely as an impactful player in a changing division. Keyshawn Davis has left the division, and Shakur Stevenson is fighting at junior welterweight in his next bout and may not return to 135. Pagan is in a position to establish himself as the division is introducing a new cast of characters. Pagan will next fight January 22 against Bryan Jimenez in his own backyard.
Junior welterweight: Keyshawn Davis, 13-0 (9 KOs)
Davis is the X-factor here. He won a lightweight world title in 2025 and then lost it on the scale in his next bout. Davis was seen as a future star when he was a US Olympian in 2020 en route to winning a silver medal. Now he's moving up in weight, returning to the ring 11 months after his most recent win (a stoppage win over Denys Berinchyk for the title) to take on Jamaine Ortiz at the end of January. Davis is a star destined for big fights, but a frustrating 2025 adds intrigue to what 2026 holds for him.
Welterweight: Delante “Tiger” Johnson, 17-0 (8 KOs)
Johnson turned in the best performance of his career in his most recent start, knocking out Nicklaus Flaz on ProBox TV last November. The 2020 US Olympian becomes one of the more interesting names in the barren welterweight division, which desperately needs new blood. Johnson has always been talented, but after his win over Flaz, he appears to be the most compelling fighter in the division who is ready to challenge for a title.
Junior middleweight: Vergil Ortiz Jnr, 24-0 (22 KOs) and Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 35-0 (31 KOs)
If Vergil Ortiz Jnr and Jaron Ennis enter the ring, the stakes will be much higher than they are for most fights. In fact, it could be for all the marbles. Could Ennis fill the void of Terence Crawford? Could Ortiz be a Mexican-American fighter who absorbs interest from fight fans when Saul “Canelo” Alvarez inevitably steps away? The fight would set the stage for someone to become a superstar – bigger than the big names they already are. That’s also why it needs to happen soon, so that the fight would pit them against one another in their primes.
Middleweight: Jesus Ramos Jnr, 24-1 (19 KOs)
Ramos has been on the backburner for a long time. He was developing well when Premier Boxing Champions had a deal with FOX, but he hasn’t found his way to a main event slot since the end of that programming. Ramos recently defeated Shane Mosley Jnr and now holds the WBC interim middleweight title. He is four fights removed from a controversial unanimous decision loss to Erickson Lubin in a fight that a lot of pundits thought Ramos won (albeit underachieved in). The division needs someone to breathe life into it, and Ramos, who is only 24 years old, could be that fighter.
Super middleweight: Osleys Iglesias, 14-0 (13 KOs)
Iglesias is a dark horse to grow into the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world. It seems only a matter of time before he claims the IBF super middleweight title, and from there his ascent begins. Iglesias has emerged as a devastating power puncher not unlike Cuban contemporary David Morrell Jnr. As Iglesias has stepped up in opposition, his performances have become even more impressive. At a world-class level, he is beating everyone – and doing so without much resistance.
Light heavyweight: Ben Whittaker, 10-0-1 (7 KOs)
A polarizing figure who is now signed with Matchroom Boxing, Whittaker will attract attention and command the conversation. If he can have success at the world level, Whittaker could be the next British star – but that remains to be seen. His 2020 Olympic silver medal for Team Great Britain gives him plenty of cachet, and Whittaker is the type of fighter who will move the needle with his action in and out of the ring.
Cruiserweight: Pat Brown, 5-0 (5 KOs)
Cruiserweight is a division that has plenty of good fights, but outside of Jai Opetaia and Gilberto Ramirez, the division doesn’t have a lot of traction. An ongoing theme: Big names command the division briefly before moving on to heavyweight. Brown, a 2024 British Olympian, fought five times in his first year as a pro – including a stoppage win over Felix Valera in his most recent start. Brown is trending to be a fighter who can put himself in a position to headline shows and be a centerpiece at cruiserweight soon. Although he remains relatively untested, his activity and early power displays make him someone to monitor.
Heavyweight: Agit Kabayel, 26-0 (18 KOs)
Kabayel is quite possibly the best heavyweight in the world, but many fight fans don’t know him. That should change this year. He is starting the year with a bang in a tough fight against unbeaten Damian Knyba. If Kabayel were to win, he (along with Fabio Wardley) would become the heavyweight with the best winning streak at the top of the sport not named Oleksandr Usyk. Kabayel holds the interim WBC title and two major wins over Zhilei Zhang and Frank Sanchez, both by stoppage. It will be interesting to see how he develops as a top heavyweight in the modern era. Kabayel is taking more of an athlete’s approach to his career, rather than stirring things up on social media. His progression from contender to potential champion will frame what the next era of the heavyweight division will look like.
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
