Five major boxing bouts scheduled for May 2026 include heavyweight title eliminator in Egypt and undisputed clash in Tokyo

Yahoo Sports has released a ranking of the five most anticipated professional boxing matches scheduled for May 2026. The list spans multiple weight divisions and locations globally, identifying a heavyweight title eliminator in Egypt, a cruiserweight bout featuring a significant weight class move for David Benavidez, and a potential undisputed super bantamweight championship clash in Tokyo.

The top-ranked bout is a heavyweight title eliminator between Richard Torrez Jr and Frank Sanchez, set to take place in Giza, Egypt. The match, originally rescheduled from March to May, will be held under the Pyramids. Torrez, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist, faces Sanchez, a Cuban-born Miami resident whose only career defeat came at the hands of Agit Kabayel.

In the second position is a WBC super featherweight title defence where O'Shaquie Foster meets Ray Ford at the Fertitta Center in Houston. This event marks Foster's second defence of the title and may signal a closer collaboration between Top Rank and Matchroom Boxing, as both entities now share a network through DAZN. Ford, a 27-year-old southpaw, has won three consecutive fights since his sole defeat to Nick Ball.

Third on the list is the WBO heavyweight title clash between Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois, titled "Don't Blink", at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester. The winner of this contest will gain a key to a potential undisputed title fight against Oleksandr Usyk. The bout is described as being on a knife's edge, with Wardley appearing to be the only British heavyweight not yet to have faced the Ukrainian champion.

The fourth entry is a cruiserweight bout between Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez and David Benavidez, scheduled for the Cinco de Mayo weekend in Mexico. This all-Mexican matchup sees Benavidez moving up 25 pounds to the cruiserweight division, a shift that places his unbeaten record under the spotlight. The fighters share over 200 rounds of sparring experience between them.

Rounding out the top five is an undisputed super bantamweight championship fight between Naoya Inoue and Junto Nakatani at the Tokyo Dome. Described as a potential historic upset similar to James "Buster" Douglas versus Mike Tyson 36 years prior, the match features two undefeated fighters with 32 wins each. A successful defence by Inoue could accelerate conversations regarding his standing in the all-time pantheon of boxing greats.