Boxing, like most commercial pursuits, enters a lull as the New Year opens. Consumers are eager to realign their priorities. Nevertheless, there was good action across a host of cards, culminating in the PPV last weekend. January, a month of wins, whining, weight problems and [checks notes] wigs.
As in many industries, boxing in January is typically a quiet month for business. Consumers reset from the indulgence of December, contemplate the reckoning that will drop through the letter box at month's end and focus on prudence and the purge of resolution. Promoters are reluctant to invest in such circumstances and fighters too, shiver at the idea of being denied Christmas indulgence with a weigh in on the horizon.
2026 was brighter than the average. The benefit of the final days of the month and the pay day that finally arrives landing on a weekend encouraged a trio of major cards being booked. The month didn't begin and end there, one or two good cards earlier in the month but the big event led by Lopez and Stevenson could provide a springboard for the year.
Who were the big winners and losers from January.....
Winners:
Shakur Stevenson
In the end Shakur Stevenson's victory over Teofimo Lopez on Saturday night in the most significant fight of the month, proved much easier than any objective study would have proposed. Stevenson dominated at a new weight and demonstrated strength at 140 pounds to compliment the poise, reflex, hand speed and luminous technical ability he is known for. Whether he is able to return to Lightweight in the future, or whether it would be wise to, is unclear but with lucrative options at 140 and possibly 147 available, it seems unlikely to be a priority.
Dalton Smith
Away wins for British fighters on American shows are not commonplace. There have been a handful that loom large in the memories of British fight fans and of course fighters like Lewis, Hatton and Hamed fought frequently enough in the US to be the 'house' more often than not. But that scarcity does make them a little sweeter. Sheffield's Dalton Smith was not facing anyone as good as the Don Curry that Lloyd Honeyghan demolished back in '86, but in Subriel Matias he overcame a capable man with a path ahead sketched out - despite a PED shadow hovering over his name.
Smith took Matias' best shots and beat him up. It was a thrilling win for the Sheffield man.
Agit Kabayel
The heavyweight contender only beat a modest opponent but the atmosphere the event generated in Germany suggested strongly that he has potential to become a huge attraction there. Of the fighters below the lucrative Joshua, Fury, Usyk and Wilder quartet, Kabayel and Britain's Fabio Wardley are the most prominent contenders. Both may need to be patient as those four dance through their final pairings in 2026 but Kabayel's popularity will offer him leverage to a point, and big purses for other fights in the interim.
Notable....
A mention for Arslanbek Mukhmadov too. The giant Russian secured a huge April pay day versus Tyson Fury, broadcast on Netflix, on the back of a slim body of work. At 6-6 with some power and good activity behind him, as they say in Heavyweight boxing, 'you just never know, one punch can change your life.'
Losers:
Teofimo Lopez Senior
Father and son combinations are not uncommon in boxing. Many are hugely successful. The most successful of those partnerships tend to be those in which the Senior figure has less ego than the fighter. A calm, organised and thoughtful cornerman cannot win a fight nor will a disorganised, excitable and tactically vacuous cornerman lose a boxer a fight. The fighter is always the protagonist.
However, there is a reason fighters pay for the best cornermen, the best cutmen and in elite sport, fine margins can determine outcomes. Detaching emotion from proceedings is part of the corner man's mandate -with exceptions- and is why Father's in corners can be a recipe for problems.
Lopez Senior was not an aide to his son's cause on Saturday night, he was a hindrance.
Carlos Adames
Recently uplifted to full Middleweight champion by the WBC, Carlos Adames was unable to make weight for his January contest with Ammo Williams. In a classic division still desperate to find a new face to lead the 160 pounders into an era beyond Golovkin and Canelo, Adames' failure represents unfortunate timing. With Unified champion Janibek Alimkhanuly already sidelined by a failed drug test in December ahead of his own fight against Lara, the division will start 2026 beneath a cloud.
Jarell Miller
It could prove to be marketing genius. If 'Big Baby' Miller inadvertently succeeds in rebranding himself as the fighter with the lost wig, as opposed to the notorious drug cheat of the past 5 years, it will prove to be a masterstroke. Aged 37, and with reducing returns from his mammoth size he is unlikely to feature in a title bout in the future - but the loss of his $700 toupee on Saturday assures Miller of a unique place in boxing folklore regardless of his performances in the ring.