Carl Froch wants to see two British fighters step up a level in 2026.
This year could see plenty of change, particularly in the heavyweight division, with the current crop of stars such as Deontay Wilder, Derek Chisora, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua all coming towards the end of their careers.
Meanwhile, current British world champions like Fabio Wardley, Lewis Crocker, Nick Ball and Dalton Smith are following in the footsteps of Froch by looking to push on to unification fights, while rising stars across the divisions look to get their maiden straps.
Speaking to Coin Poker, Froch laid out the two big fights he would be keen to see this year.
“I’d like to see Moses Itauma in with Usyk. I’m a massive Usyk fan. But I’d love to see a young, fresh, dynamic, powerful fighter like him against someone like Usyk, just to see. It gives Moses Itauma a chance to go in there and do the business.
“Second one I’d probably like to see Conor Benn in with someone like Devin Haney. What if Conor Benn goes in there, destroys Haney, and Itauma goes in there and beats Usyk? They would be wild performances.”
Itauma, who has his heart set on becoming a world champion as soon as possible, has said he is ready to fight Usyk whenever. But first, he must recover from injury and then get through tough American Jermaine Franklin in their rescheduled fight in March before looking ahead.
Benn, meanwhile, is also chasing a first world title shot after his recent win over Chris Eubank Jr and has said that he will fight either the WBA ruler Rolly Romero or the winner of the upcoming WBC showdown between Mario Barrios and Ryan Garcia on 21 February.
