Every December, the optimists come out.
“Next year will be different.” “Big fights are coming.” “The sport is turning a corner.”
And every year boxing proves one thing:
It won’t get better — because the people running it don’t want it to.
You’re probably wondering where I’ve pulled that idea from.
Easy. Just look around. Two of the biggest promoters in the UK — arguably in the world — are not only on the same platform (DAZN), they’re now both deeply in bed with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
When one country bankrolls almost every major card, dictates purses, decides dates, and maps out the “big nights”… the sport stops being a sport.
It becomes a business strategy.
And not your business.
Not boxing’s business.
Their business.
So let’s stop pretending 2026 is going to magically deliver the boxing fans deserve. Because unless something dramatic changes, next year might be the sport’s most predictable — and most disappointing — yet.
1. Saudi Money Has Changed Everything — And Not For the Better
Let’s not be naïve. Saudi investment has brought huge nights, big production, stacked cards, and purses that fighters used to dream of.
But here’s the dark side:
If Saudi isn’t paying for it, it’s probably not happening.
And they’ve openly said there will be three UK shows next year — but all of them will be Saudi-funded and Saudi-directed.
So what are we looking at?
- Fury vs Joshua (assuming Joshua does what everyone expects and flattens Jake Paul)
- More showcase cards designed for Riyadh Season branding
- Fights built around star names rather than competitive matchmaking
What we won’t be looking at is a healthy domestic scene.
Or consistent British cards.
Or champions fighting regularly on home soil.
British boxing has been swallowed whole — and the two biggest promoters are smiling about it because the cheques clear.
The sport? Irrelevant.
The fans? An afterthought.
The UK scene? Shrinking at the speed of light.
2. Promoters Aren’t Promoting Boxing Anymore — They’re Promoting Revenue
This might sound brutal, but it’s true:
Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren aren’t in the boxing business anymore.
They’re in the how much money can we squeeze out of the customer base business.
Look at the PPVs.
Look at the ticket prices.
Look at the matchmaking.
When was the last time either man put on a domestic card that genuinely put fans first?
When was the last time a show felt like:
“We’re building the next era of British boxing,”
instead of
“These fights are cheap, that name sells, now where’s the DAZN cheque?”
Boxing used to be a sport built from the ground up.
Now it’s built top-down, dictated by accountants and sponsors, with promoters serving the platform more than the fans.
3. If You Want Real Boxing — Go to the Small Halls
This is the part some fans don’t want to hear:
If you want boxing the way it used to be — gritty, honest, competitive — stop looking at the big shows and go to your local small hall.
Those cards still care about:
- Developing fighters properly
- Matching evenly
- Fans getting value
- Community
- Actual boxing, not branding
I wrote about this months back —
British Boxing Begins at the Grassroots —
and everything in that post is even more true now.
Small-hall boxing is where the sport still feels like a sport.
Everything above it feels like theatre — expensive theatre, powered by Riyadh money.
Promoters used to build fighters from the ground up.
Now they buy them ready-made and throw them into showcase fights.
Grassroots is boxing.
The big stage is becoming a billboard.
4. The Only Real Fixes Would Lose Boxing Money — So They’ll Never Happen
This is the depressing truth.
There are solutions to boxing’s problems:
A) Mandatory two fights a year for every champion
(Promoters won’t allow it — they want flexibility and exclusivity.)
B) Scrap half the belts and force unifications
(Sanctioning bodies would lose millions. Not happening.)
C) Stop protecting undefeated records
(Brands depend on “0” culture — not happening.)
D) Spread big cards across more countries, not just Saudi
(No one is saying no to that money.)
In other words:
Boxing knows exactly how to fix itself —
but doing so would cost the people at the top far too much cash.
So nothing changes.
5. 2026 Won’t Be a Revival — It’ll Be a Reckoning
Here’s the uncomfortable prediction:
2026 won’t be the year boxing gets better.
It’ll be the year boxing shrinks.
The domestic scene will shrink.
The number of world-level UK fighters will shrink.
The number of meaningful fights on home soil will shrink.
Meanwhile:
- Saudi cards will grow
- PPV prices will grow
- Influencer boxing will grow
- The gap between grassroots and elite boxing will grow
It’s not a reset.
It’s a realignment.
And unless promoters, platforms and governing bodies remember that boxing is supposed to be for the fans, not the financiers, the sport is heading for an era where the core audience is smaller, older, and exhausted.
Final Word: Boxing Can Be Saved — But Not By the People Running It
The sport doesn’t need a miracle.
It just needs honesty.
2026 won’t be better unless fans demand better.
Promoters aren’t going to change out of the goodness of their hearts.
Sanctioning bodies won’t streamline belts because they “respect the sport”.
Broadcasters won’t lower prices because they “care about fans”.
The only thing that forces change in boxing is pressure.
And if fans stop accepting filler cards, sky-high PPVs, meaningless belts and promoter politics, then maybe — maybe — the sport will course-correct.
Until then?
Go to a small-hall show.
Support real fighters.
Support real boxing.
Because that’s where the soul of the sport actually lives.
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