The junior lightweight division, not unlike every division in boxing, is changing, and we have questions. 

This week Lamont Roach Jnr will face Isaac Cruz at The Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, as a Premier Boxing Champions Pay-Per-View main event. The bout will take place at junior welterweight. Roach currently holds the WBA junior lightweight title. 

Question one: Going into 2026, will the WBA junior lightweight titleholder Roach still be in the junior lightweight division? It is a real question. Roach hasn’t fought in the junior lightweight division since June 2024. A big part of this has been that Roach was pursuing a rematch with Gervonta Davis, which didn’t happen. Still, something to watch is where the emerging star, Roach, ends up fighting consistently.

He defeated Hector Luis Garcia in 2023 to win the title and made a defense of his belt on ProBox TV against Feargal McCrory. Roach moved up in weight to challenge Gervonta Davis earlier this year after a delayed bout. Roach appeared to land a punch and force Davis to take a knee. Referee Steve Willis opted to call time as opposed to scoring it as a knockdown, which proved costly as the bout was scored a draw by the three judges. Had it been called a knockdown, Roach would have won. Now, Roach returns on December 6 against Isaac Cruz on pay-per-view. The catch: Roach will be fighting at junior welterweight, two weight classes above the division in which he holds a title. 

Roach is one of the most fascinating figures to emerge in boxing, and finding out if he will still be in this division will help shape opinions moving forward. 

Question two: What is going to happen with O’Shaquie Foster's WBC title bout against Stephen Fulton, and how does that impact the No.1 spot in the division? 

Foster’s career has been wild. He blue-collared his way to becoming a titleholder, giving up “A-side advantages” when he defeated Rey Vargas, and then made his first title defense on the road, stopping Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez in the final round. Foster was down on the judges’ scorecard at the time of the stoppage. Then, Foster won a seemingly one-sided fight, only for Robson Conceicao to win a split decision, with Foster winning the rematch by split decision to regain his title. 

Fulton is making his debut at the weight class after being a two-belt titleholder at junior featherweight and featherweight. Fulton has fought 10 undefeated fighters in his career, and his lone loss was to a generational fighter, Naoya Inoue, who knocked him out. In Fulton’s last bout, he moved up to featherweight to defeat Brandon Figueroa and win the WBC featherweight title, as he looks to win another title at another weight class in consecutive bouts. 

The fight, which takes place on the December 6 pay-per-view fight card which Roach-Cruz headlines, will shape the division. If Roach doesn’t return, the winner is clearly the most accomplished fighter in the division (who is closest to his prime). Another question, how much longer do Foster or Fulton stay at junior lightweight? Especially if big fights exist at lightweight. This is something to monitor. 

Question three: Is Emanuel Navarrete-Eduardo Nunez passing the torch or is he a modern classic? 

WBO junior lightweight titleholder Navarrete faces the IBF belt-holder Nunez on February 28 in a battle of two hard-hitting Mexican fighters looking to unify. Navarrete rose up the ranks like a phoenix, defeating Isaac Dogboe in 2018 to become the WBO junior featherweight titleholder. He would then win titles in the featherweight and junior featherweight divisions, but fail to become a four-division titleholder, losing a bout to Denys Berinchyk for a vacant WBO lightweight title. Navarrete’s last fight in May wasn’t great either. He was originally awarded a victory over Charly Suarez, but the bout has since been ruled a no-contest as the fight ended when a cut over Navarrete’s eye was ruled to have occurred from a punch and not a head clash, as called by the referee on the night of the fight. 

Is Navarrete getting toward the end of his career? He has a style that typically doesn’t age well. Navarrete is an aggressive fighter who has relied on his power, masking some of his flaws in technique at the age of 30 and going on his eighth year of fighting at world class level. Is Navarrete showing signs of decline? 

Then, we have Nunez. Only two years younger than Navarrete, but a much newer face on the scene. Nunez is 29-1 with 27 of his wins coming by way of knockout. In title fights, he has yet to record a stoppage, as he won his vacant title from Masanori Rikiishi via unanimous decision, and defeated Christopher Diaz via a unanimous decision in September in a barnburner. How good is Nunez? He looked menacing on his come-up, but now we have to question if his power will be as effective at the world-class level. This bout will shape the division as it will either be a passing-of-the-torch bout for Nunez or further the legacy of Navarrete. 

Question four: Why do we forget to mention Raymond Ford?

Raymond Ford is a former featherweight titleholder who lost his belt to Nick Ball via split decision. Since the loss, he has recorded three wins over quality opponents, Orlando Gonzalez, Thomas Mattice, and Abraham Nova. Ford is someone to watch, as he could very easily make the leap and become a titleholder again. If one or two of the titleholders move up in weight, Ford could emerge as a top player in the division by the start of 2027. 

Question five: Of these fighters, Charly Suarez, Andres Cortes, Muhammad Yaqubov, Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez, and Henry Lebron, who will win a title or vault into a top contender?

The division is reinventing itself, and many of the names listed here have been close to getting to the top or have nearly won a title. 

In the near-miss category: Suarez could have been a titleholder as he cut Navarrete with a punch, but it was ruled a head clash. Now he awaits another title opportunity. 

Yaqubov gave an honest effort against [O’Shaquie] Foster in a losing effort in 2022. Since then, he has won five straight fights and hopes to make it six on Saturday. 

Hernandez was ahead on the scorecards going into the 12th and final round when [O’Shaquie] Foster stopped him. Hernandez showed he had championship merit and can compete at a high level. 

Then we have the “I just need a chance” guys: Cortes tops this list. He has had some solid knockout performances, but also underwhelmed when he fought Nova. Cortes needs to find himself in the mix this year.

Lebron is a brilliant mover who can box with the best of them. He hasn’t fought since December, but it would be an interesting bout for any of the top names in the division. 

One of these fighters should be a major factor in the division by the end of the year.

Question six: Does WBO featherweight titleholder Rafael Espinoza move up in weight?

Every year fighters move up a division and make things interesting. Espinoza has four title defenses after his recent victory over Arnold Khegai. At 31 years old and 6ft 1ins tall, Espinoza seems like a prime candidate to move up to junior lightweight and shake up the division, given his massive frame.