By Jack Tanner

Copyright independent

After a productive era that saw British fighters win world championships across a variety of divisions, UK fight fans are currently seeing a scarcity of homegrown talent with major belts.

Lewis Crocker doubled the UK’s number of male boxers holding major honours when the Northern Irishman defeated Paddy Donovan to seal the IBF welterweight crown, joining WBA featherweight beltholder Nick Ball.

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However, many British fighters are positioning themselves towards world title shots in the near future. In fact, two Brits are on the cusp of a life-changing opportunity.

Sam Noakes takes on Abdullah Mason for the vacant WBO lightweight strap out in Saudi Arabia next month, live on DAZN, whilst Dalton Smith is the WBC’s mandatory for the super lightweight version of the world title. He has been ordered to face Subriel Matias, with a date and venue soon to be confirmed.

There are plenty of other UK boxers poised to challenge for major honours – with these 10 unbeaten British stars expecting to be involved in world title bouts sooner rather than later.

The most-hyped prospect in world boxing let alone the UK, there is an air of inevitability surrounding Moses Itauma. Expectations were raised further when Itauma eased past veteran Dillian Whyte in August, with talk now turning to the 20-year-old potentially facing undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Itauma’s route to a world title would be aided by Usyk vacating one of his titles, namely the WBO portion of his undisputed championship. Ranked number one by the WBO, only interim champion Joseph Parker stands ahead of the Brit with the sanctioning body. If Usyk skips Parker, his next mandatory challenger, the Kiwi could be upgraded to full champion. Itauma would likely be ordered for Parker’s first defence.

An Olympic silver medallist, Pat McCormack has converted his amateur pedigree into momentum at the start of his professional career. Eight wins and six stoppages into his career, the Wearsider will feel he is closing in on a world title, and quite rightly – McCormack is potentially a fight away from a shot at the WBA welterweight world title.

That is because he stopped Miguel Parra last month in an eliminator for Rolly Romero’s crown. It is unclear whether McCormack will now be ordered to partake in a final eliminator, with the Brit ranked just seventh by the WBA in their latest ratings update.

Ryan Garner is another expectant fighter – so confident of securing a world title fight in 2026, his promoters Queensberry have booked out the stadium of his beloved Southampton to stage such an occasion next summer. Ranked at number five by the WBC, Garner’s most direct route to a big bout is clear, but only if he can conjure another win at the start of 2026.

Queensberry chief Frank Warren recently told The Ring: “We’ve booked it (St Mary’s), so he’s got to keep winning and he’ll get a world title fight. He’ll get his dream.

“You can definitely expect him to have one more fight before that. It’s booked for next summer in the post-season, the date is in May or June.

“And that will be a world title fight for that date, provided he keeps winning.”

The cruiserweight division is slightly frozen at the moment, with WBC champion Badou Jack ordered to rematch Noel Mikaelian after controversy in their May bout. WBO and WBA unified champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez is currently sidelined with injury, halting a further unification bout with IBF title holder Jai Opetaia.

That may suit Viddal Riley, a 28-year-old about to enter his prime years.

Whilst The Ring lists the Briton as a top-10 contender, he is yet to reach the same recognition with any sanctioning body. That being said, the IBF have Riley at 11, whilst the WBC view him as 12th in line for a world title shot.

Another win before the end of 2025, and Riley could be well placed to launch a campaign for a world title shot next year, especially if Opetaia follows through on his promise to move up to heavyweight.

Terence Crawford well and truly ripped up the script of the super middleweight division, ending Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s dominance at 168lbs.

Hamzah Sheeraz is one Brit ranked very highly across all four of the sanctioning bodies, but he has already fought for a world title – fortuitously taking a draw against WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames at the start of 2025.

Callum Simpson is not far off Sheeraz’s lofty perch, with the Barnsley-based fighter in the top 10 of the IBF, WBO, and WBA’s ratings at 168lbs. The WBC themselves rate Simpson at number 11, showcasing that there is shared consensus when it comes to the Brit’s title credentials.

With the division currently paused and awaiting Crawford’s next move, there is the potential for the belts to completely fracture if ‘Bud’ chooses to move down to 160lbs, as he has hinted at.

If that proves to be the case, Simpson would be well within his rights to ask for a title shot against a fellow contender for any of the vacant belts.

Another Olympian on our list, Ben Whittaker has been predicted to do well as a professional. Whilst constantly showboating, he has shown glimpses of his potential in his first 10 fights, with his current record standing at 9-0-1 (6KOs).

Already ranked at number nine by the WBC, Whittaker finds himself in a log-jammed weight class.

That being said, British fighters that can attract a crowd often land big fights, with Whittaker’s flashy style always drawing attention.

A productive 2026 could put him firmly in the frame for a world title fight.

Scot Nathaniel Collins headlines for the first time next month, welcoming EBU European featherweight champion Cristobal Lorente to Glasgow on Saturday, October 4, live on DAZN.

Victory over compatriot Lee McGregor in May boosted Collins to top-dog status among British featherweights, as well as elevating the 29-year-old to number one with the WBC.

With WBC title holder Stephen Fulton set to jump up to super featherweight to face O’Shaquie Foster in October, it looks like interim champion Bruce Carrington will soon be elevated.

If Collins comes through unscathed against Lorente, he would likely be ordered to face Carrington as a mandatory challenger. By the end of 2026, Scotland could have a first world champion since Josh Taylor lost the last of his belts in 2023.

Buoyed by a contract extension with promoters BOXXER, Azim will be chasing a world title shot in 2026. Already ranked number eight and number 10 at super lightweight by the WBC and IBF respectively, Azim is only 23 years old.

Potentially Azim could find himself fighting a domestic rival in order to get his world title shot. If Dalton Smith is victorious over Subriel Matias, an all-British fight in front of a massive home crowd could be an enticing prospect for both fighters.

Already a minor world champion thanks to his IBO super bantamweight crown, Shabaz Masoud is on the cusp of fighting for major honours in 2026. His fight with Peter McGrail this summer was cancelled due to injury, but inactivity has not cost him his position in the world rankings.

Rated number four by the IBF, Masoud has not fought since November 2024. However, that could work in his favour if undisputed champion Naoya Inoue moves up to featherweight next year, as predicted.

With the titles vacated, Masoud would be within striking range of a shot at the IBF belt.

Jack Turner’s fan-friendly style produced a barnstormer of a fight last time out, exchanging heavy blows with Argentine Nicolas Agustin Muguruza. He eventually ended the contest in the sixth, moving to 12 wins from 12 fights.

Now rated sixth by the WBA at super flyweight, Turner is another that could be lurking in the shadows for when the titles start to fracture.

Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez will end 2025 with another unification bout, hoping to add the WBA version of the super flyweight title to his WBC and WBO crowns.

The American already had his fight with WBA champion Fernando Martinez lined up before he had even beaten ex-WBC titleholder Phumelele Cafu, indicating that he is trying to become undisputed at 115lbs sooner rather than later.

If Rodriguez accomplishes his goal, ‘El Terrier’ Turner is ranked high enough to pounce and contest for the vacant titles.

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