Canelo-Mbilli? Dubois-Wardley? Ranking October's biggest fights

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  Nick ParkinsonSep 25, 2026, 07:49 AM ET

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  Reports on boxing for ESPN.com and has been covering British boxing for over 25 years.

Some of the best fights in October include a rerun of arguably the best fight so far in 2026 and the welcome return of big names after lengthy absences from the ring.

Daniel Dubois' 11th-round TKO win over Fabio Wardley in May was ranked the best men's fight in ESPN's midyear boxing awards, and a swift rematch is just what fight fans wanted.

Dubois vs. Wardley 1 was an exhilarating roller coaster, and the WBO heavyweight title fight rematch promises to be just as entertaining.

Fight fans have been starved of the sport's biggest star for over a year now, but Canelo Alvarez returns on a mission to win back a world title when he challenges WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli. Canelo, 36, cannot go on forever, but most who tune in will expect to see him get back to winning ways following his decision loss to Terence Crawford last September.

Lightweight Floyd Schofield, who has boxed one round in two years, also goes for his first world title, and light heavyweight Ben Whittaker hopes to continue his knockout form and move closer to a title shot.

Let's look at the most intriguing fights on the boxing calendar in October.

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8. Sebastian Fundora (-1100) vs. Ermal Hadribeaj (+600) - Oct. 17 in Carson, California (DAZN and TNT)

Based on his most recent performances, we expected Fundora, 28, to face bigger names than his little-known mandatory challenger and fellow southpaw Hadribeaj (23-0-1, 8 KOs), who has built his record at a lower level.

But 6-foot-6 Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs), the WBC junior middleweight champion with an 80-inch reach, must deal with Hadribeaj, 32, to keep his belt and move on to bigger things. A routine, lackluster decision win could damage Fundora's popularity and bargaining power when it comes to negotiating big fights in 2027, so we could get fireworks from Fundora.

After he comfortably disposed of veteran Keith Thurman in six rounds back in March, let's hope this fight leads Fundora to more competitive tests against the other champions in the division, such as Jason Ennis and Josh Kelly, or top contenders Virgil Ortiz and Xander Zayas.

7. Brandon Figueroa (-500) vs. Tomoki Kameda (+350) - Oct. 17 in Carson, California (DAZN and TNT)

WBA featherweight champion Figueroa, known as "The Heartbreaker," can set up a title unification fight by beating the veteran Kameda, who, despite having lost his last fight, is still getting this title shot.

If he can follow up on February's impressive 12th-round stoppage of Nick Ball in England to win the belt, Figueroa will have opportunities against fellow champions Rafael Espinoza (WBO) and Bruce Carrington (WBC) in his sights.

Figueroa floored Ball with a left hook in the final round before following up to force the stoppage in Liverpool, England.

Kameda was bantamweight champion 12 years ago, and his best days are behind him. He lost a majority decision to Angelo Leo for the IBF title in May 2025. Beating Kameda with a better result than Leo did would be a good statement win for Figueroa.

6. Floyd Schofield (-800) vs. Lucas Bahdi (+500) - Oct. 10 in Chicago (DAZN)

Schofield has been in a boxing ring for only 78 seconds in almost two years, and that lack of action makes this an intriguing contest.

In his only fight in 2025, Schofield floored former champion Tevin Farmer twice in a Round 1 KO win. A wrist injury caused the cancellation of a fight against Joseph "JoJo" Diaz in November, and then Schofield (19-0, 13 KOs) waited in vain for a fight with Gervonta Davis earlier this year.

Now Schofield, 24, faces Bahdi, 32, for the vacant WBA lightweight title that Davis was stripped of in June. If the timing is there, Schofield's hand speed will overwhelm Bahdi (20-0, 15 KOs), just as it did Farmer.

5. Dalton Smith (-185) vs. Alberto Puello (+145) - Oct. 24 in Sheffield, England (DAZN)

After an outstanding Round 5 KO victory to win the WBC junior welterweight title from Subriel Matias in January, Smith (19-0, 15 KOs) defends the belt for the first time back home in Sheffield and will want to produce another memorable display. Smith, 29, was in a thrilling slugfest against Matias in New York, but don't expect to see him in another fight like that against Puello.

Puello will not make himself as available to Smith as Mathias did. Puello, a slippery southpaw, could play a more tactical game than the aggressive Matias, scoring off his right hook before retreating out of range. But Puello will have to do more than box off the back foot to win the belt, especially in Smith's home city.

Smith, who was delayed from making a first defense in June due to injury, will be highly motivated to give a good performance and he will need to show plenty of desire and work rate to land enough punches against an elusive challenger.

4. Ben Whittaker (-800) vs. Conor Wallace (+500) - Oct. 3 in Birmingham, England (DAZN)

Whittaker is in ruthless, crowd-pleasing form, carrying a four-fight stoppage streak, but faces his biggest step up yet in the pro ranks in an IBF light heavyweight title eliminator.

The 2021 Olympic silver medallist representing Great Britain will have the backing of his home Midlands crowd against Northern Ireland-born, Australia-based Wallace (17-1, 12 KOs). But if Whittaker (12-0-1, 9 KOs) plays to the crowd, as he can do, it could land him in serious trouble as Wallace, 30, has stopped six of his past eight opponents. Perhaps we will see a more conservative and tactical performance from Whittaker in what is a pivotal fight for both boxers.

Whittaker, 29, has not needed to go beyond two rounds in his past four fights, and that suggests he will produce a fifth successive stoppage.

The winner could earn a shot at IBF, WBA and WBO world champion Dmitry Bivol, ranked No. 6 in ESPN's latest pound-for-pound rankings.

3. Emanuel Navarrete (+145) vs. O'Shaquie Foster (-185) - Oct. 24 in San Antonio (DAZN)

This clash of styles will be determined by whether Foster's slick boxing and footwork can thwart Navarrete's aggression and relentless punching in a unification title fight to crown the best junior lightweight.

Foster (25-3, 12 KOs), the WBC champion, has boxed to significant decision wins over Stephen Fulton in 2025 and Ray Ford back in May. If he can repeat those box-and-move performances, he will contain the threat of three-division champion Navarrete (40-2-1, 33 KOs), the WBO and IBF titleholder, who likes to wear his opponents down in the later rounds.

If Foster, 33, gets drawn into exchanging punches with Navarrete, 31, and if his counterpunches fall short, Navarrete's punch output and body attack could prove decisive. However, what is more likely is that Foster's discipline, defense and counterpunches earn him a narrow decision win with calls for a rematch.

2. Canelo Alvarez (-275) vs. Christian Mbilli (+210) - Oct. 31 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (DAZN PPV)

Canelo, one of boxing's biggest revenue generators and one of its brightest stars, made his professional debut 21 years ago this October when Mbilli was 10 years old, living in Cameroon and yet to even start boxing for another five years.

The Mexican boxing legend has not fought since losing the undisputed super middleweight championship to Terence Crawford in September 2025, and following that loss, Canelo had elbow surgery. What has Alvarez, 36, got left after that defeat, surgery and a marathon career? How will the aging former champion cope with the younger, energetic Mbilli's nonstop pressure?

Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) recorded good wins over Sergiy Derevyanchenko in 2024 and Maciej Sulecki in 2025, but was then held to a split draw against Lester Martinez in a great fight on the Alvarez-Crawford undercard. Mbilli, who came into that fight as the interim WBC super middleweight champion, was then elevated to full champion after Crawford retired in December.

Mbilli's pressure-heavy style could make it uncomfortable for Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KOs), whose last convincing performance was against Edgar Berlanga two years ago. But Canelo has beaten better opponents in recent years and is expected to get the job done against Mbilli.

1. Daniel Dubois (-450) vs. Fabio Wardley (+330) - Oct. 17 in London (DAZN)

This is the fight you should prioritize over any other in October for entertainment value. Canelo might be a bigger star, and others are technically better than Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) and Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs), but if you want thrills, spills and drama, this heavyweight title rematch promises more than the rest.

The English rivals produced the year's most exciting fight so far, when Dubois recovered from two early knockdowns to force an 11th-round stoppage in a brutal, savage fight for the WBO heavyweight world title in May. Both showed incredible courage and desire in their bloody battle, with Dubois crucially establishing his jab to inflict a nasty cut on Wardley's broken nose.

Dubois, 29, is a slight favorite to retain his title, but he needs to avoid the early mistakes he made in their first fight. He must keep some distance between him and Wardley, who will try to turn the fight into another brawl. Wardley, 31, has been involved in some epic encounters recently with Dubois, Justis Huni and Frazer Clarke, and those types of fights can leave a boxer diminished.

After his success from the opening bell last time, Wardley might start fast again and go for an early stoppage, which is perhaps his best route to victory against the big-hitting Dubois.