Heavyweight rematches are often sold around the idea of unfinished business. Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley actually have some.

Five months after producing one of the most dramatic heavyweight fights of 2026, Dubois and Wardley will step back into the ring Saturday night at The O2 in London with the WBO heavyweight championship once again at stake. Dubois enters as champion. Wardley returns as the challenger, looking to reclaim the belt he lost after a fight that seemed to belong to him in the opening minutes and slowly slipped away as the punishment accumulated.

Their first meeting on May 9 was violent almost immediately. Wardley landed a right hand that put Dubois on the canvas within the opening seconds, then dropped him again in the third round. For a while, the night appeared headed toward another improbable Wardley finish. Instead, Dubois steadied himself, found his jab, began forcing Wardley backward and gradually turned the fight into a test of endurance that the champion could no longer survive. Referee Howard Foster finally stopped it 28 seconds into Round 11 with Wardley bloodied, his eye badly swollen and Dubois still coming forward.

Saturday is not simply about whether Wardley can land that right hand again or whether Dubois can repeat the late rounds of the first fight.

It is about what each man learned from everything that happened in between.

Tale of the Tape

Physically, there is almost nothing separating them on paper. Both are listed at 6-foot-5 with 78-inch reaches, both fight orthodox and both have stopped approximately 95 percent of the opponents they have beaten. The larger difference is experience. Dubois has already shared the ring twice with Oleksandr Usyk and owns victories over Anthony Joshua, Filip Hrgovic, Jarrell Miller and Wardley himself.

The First Fight Changed Both Men

Wardley has built much of his career on surviving situations that appeared to be slipping away from him.

He fought Frazer Clarke to a draw and then demolished him in one round in their rematch. Against Justis Huni, Wardley was behind on the scorecards before producing a late knockout. He followed that by stopping Joseph Parker in the 11th round to move into the heavyweight championship picture. The ability to remain dangerous when a fight is not going his way became part of Wardley’s identity.

Against Dubois, that script was reversed.

Wardley was the fighter creating the early drama. He had Dubois down twice and seemed to have the champion vulnerable. Yet it was Dubois who remained calm enough to survive the difficult moments and gradually take control.

That may be the most important psychological part of this rematch.

Wardley now knows that hurting Dubois does not necessarily mean beating him.

Dubois knows that he can be hurt badly by Wardley and still recover.

Those are very different lessons to carry into a second fight.

Why Daniel Dubois Can Win Again

Dubois may have entered the first fight with the reputation of being the more naturally destructive puncher, but what ultimately won him the championship was not a single explosive shot.

It was discipline.

After the second knockdown, Dubois stopped fighting the kind of fight Wardley wanted. He began relying more heavily on his jab, shortening the exchanges and making Wardley absorb increasingly consistent punishment. As the rounds passed, the physical difference was visible. Wardley continued throwing back, but Dubois was controlling where the fight was taking place and forcing him to absorb too much damage to remain effective.

That should give Dubois considerable confidence Saturday night.

He does not need to prove he has more power. He does not need to rush into a firefight because Wardley managed to drop him the first time. The blueprint that worked in May was relatively simple once Dubois committed to it: stay behind the jab, pressure methodically and make Wardley fight at a pace that becomes increasingly difficult to maintain.

There is also something important about Dubois’ recent career arc.

Losses to Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk once created questions about how Dubois responded when fights became difficult. His subsequent victories over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, Anthony Joshua and now Wardley have forced a reassessment. Dubois has increasingly shown that adversity does not automatically unravel him.

The first Wardley fight may have been the clearest example yet.

He got dropped twice.

Then he won.

What Dubois Needs to Do

Dubois should resist the temptation to make a statement too early. Wardley’s greatest opportunity probably comes during the opening rounds, when both fighters are fresh and his unorthodox attacks are most difficult to read. Dubois needs to use the jab from the opening bell rather than waiting until trouble forces him to find it.

The body should also become a bigger target. Wardley carries tremendous power late into fights, but forcing him to work and defend downstairs could make those late rounds look more like May.

Most importantly, Dubois must remember that he already solved this problem once. The rematch does not require reinvention. It requires refinement.

Why Fabio Wardley Can Change the Result

It would be easy to focus entirely on what went wrong for Wardley after Round 3.

That would ignore what went right.

He put Daniel Dubois on the floor twice.

Few heavyweights in the world can say that.

Wardley did not stumble into those moments either. His right hand consistently created problems because his offense does not always arrive with textbook timing or textbook technique. He punches from awkward positions, changes rhythm and is comfortable turning clean boxing matches into unpredictable exchanges.

That unpredictability has been one of the defining features of his career.

The first fight proved that Dubois can recover from Wardley’s power. It did not prove that he can absorb it indefinitely.

Wardley’s challenge is finding a way to keep creating those moments without exhausting himself or remaining directly in front of Dubois for long stretches afterward.

He has acknowledged that the rematch needs to be more tactical. That makes sense. Trying to recreate the first three rounds for 12 rounds would likely lead him back toward the same ending.

Wardley needs to keep the unpredictability while becoming more disciplined between the explosive moments.

That is easier said than done, but it is the adjustment that could decide the rematch.

What Wardley Needs to Do

Wardley cannot assume that another early knockdown will end the fight. If he hurts Dubois again, he needs to remain composed enough to recognize whether the finish is actually available instead of emptying himself trying to force it.

He also needs to disrupt Dubois’ jab sooner. Once Dubois established that punch in the first fight, Wardley spent too much time defending combinations rather than initiating his own offense. Movement, feints and attacks to the body could prevent Dubois from settling into that same rhythm.

There is also a defensive issue Wardley cannot ignore. He absorbed an enormous amount of punishment in May. He cannot win Saturday by simply proving he can take it again.

The challenger needs to make Dubois miss.

Can Wardley Recover From the First Fight?

This is the uncomfortable question hanging over the rematch.

Wardley did not simply lose in May. He went through 11 physically punishing heavyweight rounds, finished with significant facial damage and is returning only five months later. His decision to activate the immediate rematch clause has created debate over whether such a quick return was the right choice.

There is no definitive answer until the bell rings.

Some fighters emerge from fights like that with greater confidence because they survived something they had never experienced before. Others discover that the punishment left behind changes that cannot be seen during training camp.

Wardley insists he is ready.

Saturday will tell us much more.

Dubois, meanwhile, carries a different kind of question. He won the first fight, but he also found himself on the canvas twice before he took control. He cannot enter the rematch believing the final rounds erase what happened early.

Both men have reasons for confidence.

Both also have reasons to be cautious.

That combination is usually good for heavyweight boxing.

The Heavyweight Division Is Watching

The significance of this fight extends beyond the WBO belt.

Dubois has already been heavyweight champion twice and remains one of the division’s most dangerous punchers. At 29, he has time to remain part of the championship picture for years if he can continue building on the form that has defined the second half of his career.

Wardley is fighting to prove that May was not the end of his rise.

His unconventional route into professional boxing has always separated him from many of his heavyweight peers. He did not build his career through an extensive elite amateur background. He learned while climbing through the professional ranks, and his ability to improve between major fights has been one of the reasons he reached world-title level.

The rematch asks whether there is another adjustment left.

Whoever leaves The O2 with the WBO championship also leaves with a major role in whatever comes next at heavyweight.

3 Undercard Fighters to Watch

Bakhodir Jalolov

If there is another heavyweight on this card worth watching closely, it is Bakhodir Jalolov.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist enters unbeaten at 17-0 with 15 knockouts and faces Solomon Dacres, who comes in at 10-1. Jalolov has always had the physical tools and amateur credentials to become a factor in the heavyweight division, but his professional career has developed more slowly than many expected.

Dacres represents the kind of opponent who can provide useful information. He is not there simply to give Jalolov rounds. If Jalolov wants to move from intriguing heavyweight name to legitimate contender, performances in fights like this need to make that case.

Louie O’Doherty

Unbeaten lightweight Louie O’Doherty gets a prominent co-main-event position while defending his British and Commonwealth titles against Michael Gomez Jr.

O’Doherty enters at 12-0, while Gomez brings a 23-2 record and considerably more professional experience. The matchup gives O’Doherty an opportunity to show whether he is ready to begin moving beyond the domestic championship level.

British boxing has always used fights like this as separators. Winning belts is important. Beating experienced fighters who know how to handle championship rounds is what begins moving a prospect toward the next level.

Adam Olaniyan

Young Irish heavyweight Adam Olaniyan is another name worth remembering.

Olaniyan is still at the developmental stage of his professional career, but appearing on a heavyweight world-title card gives him exactly the kind of platform that can accelerate attention around a prospect. The British Boxing Board of Control lists him against Dan Garber on Saturday’s card.

With Dubois and Wardley occupying the top of the bill and Jalolov fighting underneath them, this is a particularly useful night for anyone interested in what the heavyweight division might look like several years from now.

Final Word

Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley already gave boxing something memorable in May.

They do not need to recreate it.

That may actually be what makes the rematch so compelling.

Wardley now understands that knocking Dubois down is not enough. Dubois understands that surviving the opening rounds the same way twice would be an extraordinarily dangerous strategy.

Both men enter Saturday with evidence that they can hurt the other.

Both enter knowing exactly what the other can do when the fight becomes difficult.

Wardley wants the championship back and an opportunity to prove that the first fight slipped away rather than established a permanent gap between them.

Dubois wants to remove the doubt altogether.

The first fight began like Wardley’s night and ended like Dubois’ championship statement.

Saturday at The O2 is about which part of that first fight tells us more about what happens next.

MIAMI, FL (October 14, 2026) — Undefeated heavyweight contender Gustavo “The Cuban Assassin” Trujillo (12-0, 11 KOs) is putting the finishing touches on training camp as he prepares to return to the ring against veteran Donald Haynesworth (19-10-1, 17 KOs) on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

The scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout will be featured on “Fist of Fury 13,” presented by The Heavyweight Factory.

Currently ranked WBO #13, Trujillo enters the fight at an important point in his career. The hard-hitting Cuban is undefeated, has stopped 11 of his 12 professional opponents and is now a promotional free agent, giving him and his team the opportunity to explore the next phase of his career while he continues climbing the heavyweight ranks.

Before any decisions are made about his promotional future, Trujillo, who is the current BKB Heavyweight Champion, knows his immediate business is inside the ring.

Trujillo has spent his training camp in Miami working with respected trainer Herman Caicedo, focusing on conditioning, technique and being prepared to fight a full 10 rounds if necessary.

“Camp with Coach Herman has been very good,” said Trujillo. “He pushes me hard and makes sure I stay disciplined with everything I do. We’ve been working on everything. I know I can punch, but I want to keep becoming a more complete heavyweight. I feel strong and ready to fight.”

Haynesworth brings legitimate heavyweight power and considerably more professional experience into the matchup. Trujillo says he is preparing accordingly and has no intention of overlooking his opponent.

“This is heavyweight boxing, and one punch can change everything,” he added. “I’m not going in there looking past anybody. I’m going to stay smart, do my job and when I see the opportunity to finish the fight, I’ll take it.”

Breaking into the top 15 of a major sanctioning organization has put Trujillo within striking distance of increasingly significant opportunities. For the undefeated Cuban, his current #13 WBO ranking is encouraging, but it has also increased his hunger to keep moving forward.

“Being ranked in the top 15 means I’m getting closer, but I haven’t accomplished my goal yet,” Trujillo continued. “I want to become a world champion, and every fight from here is important. A strong win on October 18 keeps me undefeated and hopefully moves me higher in the rankings. I just have to keep winning and earn my opportunity.”

Trujillo’s manager, Abe Swidan of Visionary Sports Group, believes his fighter is entering a particularly important stretch of his career. With an undefeated record, a high knockout percentage, a world ranking and promotional free agency, Swidan believes Trujillo has positioned himself to attract significant interest from promoters looking for heavyweight talent.

“Gustavo is in a very good position right now,” said Swidan. “He’s ranked by the WBO and he brings the kind of power and excitement people want to see from a heavyweight. But first we have business to handle on October 18. Haynesworth is dangerous, and Gustavo has to perform. After that, we’ll continue looking at the best opportunities for his career. The goal hasn’t changed, we want to put Gustavo in position to fight for a heavyweight world title.”

ORLANDO, FL (October 14, 2026) — In a super welterweight division filled with established champions and emerging contenders, Boxlab Promotions undefeated Alex Bray (12-0, 9 KOs) is steadily building a résumé that suggests his name belongs in the conversation among boxing’s rising 154-pound talents.

The Boxlab Promotions standout took a significant step forward on August 8, 2026, when he delivered an impressive eighth-round stoppage victory over previously unbeaten Antraveous Ingram (13-1-1, 7 KOs) as part of Matchroom Boxing’s Project Series.

It was more than another victory for Bray.

Facing an undefeated opponent represented the type of test young fighters eventually have to pass if they want to separate themselves from the pack. Bray responded by producing one of the strongest performances of his professional career, breaking Ingram down before securing the stoppage in the eighth round.

The victory improved earned him the WBA Continental Latin America Super Welterweight and NABO Junior Middleweight titles, giving the unbeaten prospect two regional belts and additional momentum as he works his way toward the upper levels of the division. For Bray, however, the belts are reminders of progress rather than signs that he has arrived.

“I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, but I still feel like I’m just getting started,” said Bray. “Beating an undefeated fighter like Ingram and winning those belts showed me that the work is paying off. At the same time, it made me even hungrier because I know there are bigger fights out there for me.”

At 12-0, Bray is entering an important stage of his career. The prospect phase is beginning to give way to contender status, where every opponent becomes tougher and every performance carries greater significance.

Bray welcomes that pressure. Rather than protecting his undefeated record, he wants the type of fights that will reveal how far he can go.

“I want to keep stepping up,” he added. “I don’t want easy fights just to stay undefeated. I want to fight guys who are going to push me and make me better. Guys in the top ten. If I want to become a world champion, eventually I have to beat the best, so I’m ready to keep proving myself.”

With nine stoppages in 12 victories, Bray has demonstrated the ability to finish fights, but his performance against Ingram also provided valuable experience as the bout moved into the later rounds.

That development is important to Bray, who understands that power alone will not carry him to the top of one of boxing’s deepest divisions.

“The knockouts are great, but I want people to see that I’m becoming a complete fighter,” Bray continued. “I’m learning to stay patient, make adjustments and trust what we worked on in camp. Every fight is teaching me something, and I feel like I’m getting better each time I step in the ring.”

Amaury Piedra, President of Boxlab Promotions, believes Bray’s victory over Ingram demonstrated why the promotional company has high expectations for the undefeated super welterweight.

“Alex is developing into a very good fighter, and the Ingram fight was an important step for him,” said Piedra. “He beat an undefeated opponent and showed he could perform when the level of competition went up. He has power, he works hard and, most importantly, he’s still improving. We believe Alex has a very bright future, and our job is to keep putting him in the right fights so he can earn his way toward a world-title opportunity.”

The two belts Bray now owns represent meaningful accomplishments, but neither is the championship he ultimately wants.

His goal is a world title.

Bray understands there are still significant steps between his current position and that opportunity, and he has no intention of trying to skip them.

“Becoming a world champion is the dream,” Bray concluded. “That’s why I put in the work every day. I know nobody is going to hand me that opportunity, and I don’t want anything handed to me. I want to earn my way there. Right now, I’m 12-0 and I have two belts, but I’m still hungry. I want to keep winning, keep moving up the rankings and keep giving people a reason to watch me. When my opportunity comes, I want to be completely ready for it.”

INDIA (Oct. 14, 2026): Most Valuable Promotions’ (MVP) Indian boxing star Neeraj Goyat (21-4-2, 9 KOs) will face former UFC lightweight world champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (25-14-0 in MMA, 11 KOs) in a six-round super welterweight bout at 154 lbs on Saturday, January 23, 2027. The event is presented by IPBL Boxing and sanctioned by the Indian Boxing Council. Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Chennai are in contention to host, with the city and venue to be announced in November.

Goyat, 34, from Haryana, has spent more than a decade taking Indian professional boxing abroad. He was the first Indian boxer to be ranked by the World Boxing Council and is a former WBC Asia champion. In 2024 he became the first international fighter to sign with MVP, the American boxing and MMA promotion founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. That November he beat Brazil’s Whindersson Nunes on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson card, a night watched live by 108 million people on Netflix. Now comes the biggest fight of his career, at home.

Neeraj Goyat said: “I have fought in China, in Thailand, in America and in the UK, and every time I was the Indian on somebody else’s card. This time the card is ours. I want to thank MVP and Nakisa Bidarian for believing in me and helping bring this moment to India. Anthony is a real champion and I respect everything he has done, but I have waited my whole career to fight a name like this in front of my own people. I am not giving that night away.”

Pettis, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, won the WEC Lightweight title in 2010 and the UFC Lightweight World Championship in 2013, beating Benson Henderson for both. He made his professional debut in January 2007, so fight night falls 20 years after his first professional fight, and days before he turns 40. Outside the ring, Pettis is a co-promoter of the Indian Fight League (IFL), India’s MMA league, and the Indian Pro Boxing League (IPBL), and has spent the last two years helping build combat sports in India.

For Pettis, the fight is also personal. His younger brother, former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion Sergio Pettis, fought in Hyderabad at Road to IPBL 2 in March 2025 and lost a unanimous decision to India’s Sabari Jaishankar. Anthony is coming back to India to settle the score.

Anthony Pettis said: “I have seen what Indian fighters can do, and Neeraj is the best of them. That is who I want. I have thought a lot about Sergio’s loss. This one is for him, and I am coming to win.”

Together, Goyat and Pettis bring a global boxing show to India, making it the biggest card in the history of Indian boxing. They are joined on the card by the country’s top-ranked boxers, including Akshay Chahal of Rohtak, Faizan Anwar of Kolkata, Pavan Kalyan of Hyderabad, Ritesh Singh of Dehradun and Laldinsanga Ramlawt of Mizoram, along with other leading fighters from across India.

IPBL Boxing is India’s biggest professional boxing promoter and one of its first, with more than ten years of staging fights in the country. It runs the Indian Pro Boxing League, India’s first franchise-based professional boxing league, and the BoxingBay fight series. The men behind it are co-founders Akshar Madhavaram and Prashanth Singh, alongside actor and producer Rana Daggubati. Its events are sanctioned by the Indian Boxing Council and have been broadcast live on DAZN, UFC Fight Pass & Aha.

Rana Daggubati said: “Every big sport in this country started with one night that people still talk about years later. This can be that night for boxing. A world champion and India’s best fighter, in front of an Indian crowd. We have never had that before, and I can’t wait to be ringside.”

Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul, co-founders of MVP, said: “We signed Neeraj because we believed he had the potential to become a global boxing star and help put Indian boxing on the world stage. Now he has the opportunity to headline a historic event in his home country against one of the biggest names in combat sports. Anthony Pettis is an MMA icon, but this is boxing, and we expect Neeraj to show exactly why we believed in him from day one.”

Full card, broadcast and ticket details will be announced with the host city in November.

Updated: October 14, 2026

Few divisions in boxing have changed as quickly as welterweight.

A year ago, the conversation at 147 pounds revolved around Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Brian Norman Jr. Today, Ennis has moved to junior middleweight, Devin Haney owns the WBO championship, Ryan Garcia has emerged as WBC champion, Teofimo Lopez has added a third division to his résumé with the WBA belt, and Liam Paro has quietly become a two-division champion by capturing the IBF title.

There is also no shortage of contenders trying to force their way into that championship picture. Jack Catterall has earned a mandatory shot at Lopez. Eimantas Stanionis has rebuilt after losing to Ennis. Richardson Hitchins has moved up from 140 and already looks comfortable at the weight. Brian Norman Jr. remains dangerous despite losing his title to Haney.

That combination makes welterweight one of the most interesting divisions to rank because there is no undisputed champion and no fighter who has completely separated himself from the rest.

For now, though, Fight Week still sees Devin Haney as the man to beat at 147 pounds.

Fight Week Welterweight Top 10 — October 2026

1. Devin Haney — WBO Champion

Haney’s position at No. 1 is based less on hype than on the quality of his most important welterweight victory.

When he moved to 147 pounds and faced Brian Norman Jr., Haney wasn’t taking an easy path into the division. Norman was an unbeaten champion with legitimate punching power and had begun establishing himself as one of boxing’s most dangerous young fighters. Haney neutralized much of that offense and won a unanimous decision to capture the WBO championship.

That victory remains the strongest single win held by any of the current champions at 147. It is also why The Ring continues to rank Haney as its No. 1 welterweight contender. The Ring

There is one growing problem: inactivity.

Haney has not fought since beating Norman in November 2025. Various fights involving Keyshawn Davis, Liam Paro and Jack Catterall have been discussed without materializing. The longer Haney stays out, the easier it becomes for Garcia or Lopez to build a stronger case for No. 1. The Ring

Today, Haney keeps the spot.

By the next welterweight update, the argument could become much closer.

2. Ryan Garcia — WBC Champion

No welterweight improved his standing more dramatically over the past several months than Ryan Garcia.

Garcia captured the WBC championship by defeating Mario Barrios earlier this year, but his September performance against Conor Benn was the result that changed the conversation. Rather than getting dragged into a difficult fight, Garcia overwhelmed Benn and stopped him in the second round.

The performance was impressive enough that The Ring moved Garcia from No. 6 all the way to No. 2 in its welterweight ratings. He is now 26-2 with 21 knockouts and has established himself as much more than simply the division’s biggest attraction. The Ring

There are still questions. Haney owns the stronger 147-pound victory because Norman was a proven champion in the division, while Benn was not ranked at welterweight. But Garcia’s speed, power and confidence make him arguably the most dangerous offensive fighter among the current champions.

A rematch with Haney would answer plenty.

So would a unification fight with Teofimo Lopez.

3. Teofimo Lopez — WBA Champion

Teofimo Lopez has now won world titles in three weight classes.

His August move to welterweight resulted in an immediate championship opportunity against Rolando “Rolly” Romero, and Lopez took advantage by winning a majority decision to claim the WBA belt.

The scorecards made the fight appear closer than much of the action suggested. Lopez generally controlled the bout, although he admitted afterward that he still had adjustments to make at the new weight. The Ring

That is what makes his welterweight future fascinating.

Lopez has historically been at his best when facing opponents who give him something to solve. His victories over Vasiliy Lomachenko and Josh Taylor showed how good he can be when completely engaged, while other performances have been far less convincing.

At 147, the opportunities are everywhere.

Garcia wants a unification. Haney represents another enormous matchup. And before Lopez can focus entirely on either one, he may have to deal with Jack Catterall.

4. Jack Catterall — WBA Mandatory

Jack Catterall continues to earn opportunities the difficult way.

Rather than waiting indefinitely for one of the champions to choose him, Catterall accepted a dangerous fight with unbeaten Shakhram Giyasov in May. Catterall dropped Giyasov in the opening round and went on to produce one of the best performances of his career, winning convincingly and earning his position as the mandatory challenger for the WBA championship. The Ring

Now the politics matter.

The WBA has officially ordered Lopez to defend against Catterall, giving the two camps until October 22 to reach an agreement before the fight can move toward a purse bid. The Ring

That complicates plans for Lopez-Garcia, but Catterall has earned the right to complicate them.

He has won three consecutive fights since moving to welterweight and looks physically more comfortable at 147 than he did squeezing himself into the junior-welterweight limit.

A victory over Lopez would completely transform these rankings.

5. Brian Norman Jr.

Brian Norman Jr. isn’t a champion anymore, but Fight Week isn’t dropping him far simply because he lost to Haney.

Norman entered that fight undefeated and left with his first professional loss after Haney outboxed him over 12 rounds. Rather than disappear, Norman returned in May and destroyed Josh Wagner in two rounds, scoring two knockdowns and showing that his punching power remains one of the division’s biggest weapons. The Ring

At only 25, Norman still has plenty of time.

He also has something several fighters beneath him don’t yet have: experience at the championship level against the fighter Fight Week currently ranks No. 1.

The next step needs to be significant. Another rebuilding opponent does very little for him. A matchup with Richardson Hitchins, Stanionis or one of the champions would tell us much more.

6. Liam Paro — IBF Champion

Here is where Fight Week differs from some other rankings.

The Ring currently leaves Liam Paro outside its welterweight Top 10. Fight Week doesn’t.

Paro moved to 147 and defeated previously unbeaten Lewis Crocker by unanimous decision in June to capture the IBF championship. The fight wasn’t easy. Paro had to deal with an injured right eye and Crocker’s late pressure, but he held together well enough to win all three scorecards 115-113. The Ring

That matters.

A sanctioning-body belt alone shouldn’t automatically earn somebody a high ranking, but beating a legitimate unbeaten champion does.

Paro also has previous championship experience at 140 pounds, meaning this isn’t an unknown fighter who simply benefited from favorable matchmaking. He has repeatedly demonstrated that he can travel, fight under difficult circumstances and win.

Fight Week puts him at No. 6.

7. Eimantas Stanionis

Eimantas Stanionis is beginning to look dangerous again.

His career took a major hit when Ennis stopped him in six rounds in their 2025 unification fight. Since then, Stanionis has gradually rebuilt, and his September return against Kaine Fourie ended quickly.

Stanionis dropped Fourie twice in the opening round before stopping him in the second. The victory improved his record to 17-1 with 10 knockouts and gave him consecutive wins since the Ennis defeat. The Ring

The opposition wasn’t elite, and that is why Stanionis doesn’t move higher.

Now he wants Alexis Rocha, which makes plenty of sense. Both men need a recognizable victory to get back into a championship fight, and stylistically it could be one of the better non-title matchups available at 147.

Stanionis isn’t rebuilding anymore.

His next fight should be against another Top 10 welterweight.

8. Richardson Hitchins

Richardson Hitchins may eventually prove this ranking is too low.

The former IBF junior-welterweight champion moved to 147 in July and immediately looked comfortable, winning every round against Ricardo Salas. All three judges scored the fight 100-90 as Hitchins controlled the bout with his jab, timing and accurate combinations. The Ring

The criticism is straightforward: he has only one fight at welterweight.

That isn’t enough for Fight Week to place him above fighters who have already established themselves against championship-level opposition in the division.

But the talent isn’t in question.

There have been talks involving Hitchins and Keyshawn Davis, and Stanionis has also publicly expressed interest in fighting him. Either matchup would give Hitchins exactly the type of test needed to move rapidly through this list. The Ring

9. Alexis Rocha

Alexis Rocha may quietly be putting together the best stretch of his career.

Rocha has won twice in 2026, and both victories came against former world champions. His latest was a wide unanimous decision over former unified junior-welterweight champion Jose Ramirez on the Garcia-Benn undercard.

That victory improved Rocha to 27-2-1 and strengthened his case for another opportunity against elite competition. The Ring

Rocha has been around long enough that people sometimes forget he is still only 29.

His losses have exposed limitations, but his experience, pressure and physicality make him a difficult night for most welterweights.

A Stanionis-Rocha fight would be an ideal eliminator-type matchup.

The winner belongs much closer to a championship opportunity.

10. Rohan Polanco

Rohan Polanco takes the final spot because Fight Week is looking beyond just former champions and familiar names.

The unbeaten Dominican remains one of the division’s more intriguing developing contenders. He is 17-0 with 10 knockouts and possesses the size and physical tools to become a serious factor at welterweight. The Ring continues to rate him highly among the division’s contenders. The Ring

What Polanco lacks is the breakthrough victory.

That separates him from the fighters above him. The ability appears to be there; the résumé isn’t yet.

At No. 10, he is essentially being challenged to prove he belongs.

Several fighters immediately behind him would gladly take the position.

Biggest Mover: Ryan Garcia

Garcia is the easiest choice.

His destruction of Conor Benn changed his standing from prominent champion to legitimate candidate for the top spot at welterweight. The Ring moved him four places after the performance, and Fight Week similarly sees him as the biggest threat to Haney’s No. 1 position. The Ring

One more elite win could put him there.

If Garcia beats Lopez in a unification fight, Haney’s inactivity would make the No. 1 decision extremely difficult.

New Entry: Liam Paro

Fight Week is bringing Paro into this version of the rankings because his championship victory deserves recognition.

He went into the Crocker fight as the challenger, survived adversity and walked away as the IBF welterweight champion. The Ring

A division ranking that claims to measure current accomplishment can’t simply ignore that.

Paro enters at No. 6.

October Reset

We’re treating this edition as a clean reset of Fight Week’s welterweight rankings rather than pretending the older August graphic remains a valid baseline.

The division has changed too much.

Several names featured in that earlier graphic are now campaigning elsewhere, and the championship picture itself has been transformed by Haney, Garcia, Lopez and Paro.

From this edition forward, we’ll track movement normally—up, down, new entry and dropped out.

On the Bubble

Raul Curiel remains extremely close. He is unbeaten at 17-0-1 and owns legitimate power, but he needs the type of victory that separates a contender from a ranked contender.

Rolando Romero has the biggest recognizable victory of anyone outside our Top 10 because of his upset of Garcia in 2025, but inactivity followed by the loss to Lopez pushes him just outside.

Keyshawn Davis is another name that could enter quickly if he actually establishes himself at 147. His talent is unquestioned, but Fight Week isn’t ranking him at welterweight based on projected success.

And Isaac Cruz has begun inserting himself into the 147-pound conversation after his latest win and public callout of Garcia. If he commits to welterweight, he immediately becomes relevant to this list. The Ring

The Fight That Could Reshape the Division

Teofimo Lopez vs. Jack Catterall

This is the matchup to watch right now because it isn’t merely hypothetical anymore.

The WBA has ordered Lopez to defend his championship against Catterall, and the camps have until October 22 to reach terms before the sanctioning body can move toward a purse bid. The Ring

Lopez would rather move directly into a unification with Garcia. That fight has already been discussed for early 2027, potentially at Madison Square Garden. The Ring

Catterall has other ideas.

If Catterall beats Lopez, the entire welterweight landscape changes. If Lopez handles his mandatory, a Garcia-Lopez unification becomes one of the biggest fights boxing can make in 2027.

And hanging over all of it is Devin Haney.

He remains Fight Week’s No. 1 welterweight.

But for the first time, the fighters chasing him may be creating more momentum than the champion himself.

Fight Week Debate

Who is really the best welterweight in boxing today: Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia or Teofimo Lopez?

And perhaps the more interesting question:

If Haney remains inactive while Garcia or Lopez adds another championship, how long can Haney hold the No. 1 ranking?