What to expect from 2026 (Men)

After everything we saw in 2025, can 2026 possibly match it? Barry Jones joins Buncey to look ahead to a busy year in boxing. They talk through the fights already on the books, the ones that still need to be made, and work their way through the weight divisions to pick out the match-ups they most want to see.

Awards season has arrived, and it’s time for the 5 Live boxing team to hand out their prizes for 2025. Buncey is joined by Barry Jones and Darren Barker to decide who takes fighter of the year, what was the standout event, and whether they can agree on anything at all. Six categories to get through from a year that will go down as one of boxing’s best.

Did it really turn into the biggest mismatch in boxing history? Buncey puts that to former two-weight world champion Paulie Malignaggi a they review the fight and hear from both fighters, as well as Eddie Hearn and Nakisa Bidarian.

As fight night approaches, Buncey catches up with former two-weight world champion Paulie Malignaggi. They discuss what’s at stake for both fighters and whether Jake Paul stands any chance against AJ. And Jake Paul’s business partner Nakisa Bidarian and AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn are also on the pod.

With the press conference done and dusted, Buncey catches up with former world champion Carl Froch, who gives his take on the fight and explains why Anthony Joshua won’t hold back. We also hear from both fighters.

Does Jake Paul deserve more respect for making the Anthony Joshua fight? Buncey is joined by Chris Billam-Smith to debate that and preview what sort of fight lies ahead. He also hears from AJ’s new cutman Russ Anber and Caroline Dubois, who defends her world title on the undercard.

Is a two-time heavyweight world champion really fighting a YouTuber-turned-boxer in Miami this weekend? Yes. And that’s where Buncey is as fight week for Jake Paul v Anthony Joshua gets underway. To kick things off, he sits down with AJ’s long-time promoter Eddie Hearn to explain how the fight came about and to reflect on the highs and lows of their 12-year working relationship.

Work or pleasure? Whatever the excuse, Buncey found his way to Monte Carlo for a dramatic night of boxing that saw Shabaz Masoud outpoint Peter McGrail to claim the European super-bantamweight title. Joined by Darren Barker, he looks back at that fight and the others on a dramatic night of boxing. We also hear from Conah Walker after his stunning 12th-round knockout of Pat McCormack, and from Johnny Fisher, who overcame an early knockdown to stop Ivan Balaz.

Did BBC TV’s return to boxing live up to the hype? Former British middleweight champion Neville Brown joins Buncey to reflect on a dramatic night in Derby, where Jeamie TKV upset Frazer Clarke and Fran Hennessy won every round against Fabiana Bytyqi. We hear from both fighters, plus promoter Ben Shalom.

Boxing’s back on prime-time BBC TV this Saturday, so Buncey’s in Derby catching up with the fighters. He chats to Frazer Clarke about the pressure of a hometown fight and checks in with TKV, who’s hoping to make a statement. Francesca Hennessy and her dad Mick drop in ahead of her opening the BBC Two show at eight. And promoter Ben Shalom tells us how you can feel the tension between the two heavies starting to bubble.