Boy, do we have October plans for you.
Forget the three-year dinner, it’s a legitimate competition for the next 31 days, with a delicious mix of cuisines from all over the world to suit every taste.
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From the glitz and glamor of “Canelo’s” fight of the week, to the entertaining super-featured clash of styles, to the bloody second head-to-head, the Dubois-Wardley heavyweight bout rocked.
Let’s run through the top five battles coming up in October.
5. Brandon Figueroa vs. Tomoki Kameda, 12 rounds, for Figueroa’s WBA featherweight title, Oct. 17
There’s a pretty simple rule I like to follow in boxing: If Brandon Figueroa fights, I watch.
We haven’t seen “The Heartbreaker” since he broke Nick Ball’s heart in February with a 12th and final round shocker, stopping the hometown hero to snatch the WBA title. In October he makes the first defense of that title belt against veteran and former bantamweight champion, Tomoki Kameda.
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Kameda, 35, last ruled the 118-pound division in 2014, and posted a 42-5 (23 KOs) record at Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj presided over the co-main event, which was waiting for each of the 349 professional rounds he fought.
But Figueroa (27-2-1, 20 KOs) is a pretty good pick and a pretty good pick. He may be learning a lot under the new tutelage of Manny Robles, but his exciting, aggressive, and sometimes reckless style of fighting always allows his opponents to succeed.
With a win from Figueroa, he will be targeting the likes of Rafael Espinoza and Bruce Carrington for future unifications, but things aren’t usually simple or straightforward when it comes to the Texan.
Brandon Figueroa is must see television.
(Alex Livesey via Getty Images)
4. Dalton Smith vs. Alberto Puello, 12 rounds, for Smith’s WBC super lightweight title, Oct. 24.
This is the second lucky season since he fell out of bed in June, with champion Smith sustaining an elbow injury in preparation for his maiden defense of his WBC lightweight title.
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Smith (19-0, 14 KOs) recorded one of the best victories by a Brit on his solo career in January, dethroning Subriel Matias for the green and gold belt at 140-pounds via a stunning fifth-round TKO.
But things don’t get much easier now for the Sheffield fighter.
The Dominican, Puello (25-1, 11 KOs), has only one defeat on the bench, beating Smith’s husband for the title, Matias, by a close major decision in New York last summer.
So this super light triangle Oct. 24 complete, as Smith takes Matias to his Sheffield backyard – and if the previous two battles between the three protagonists are anything to go by, the inclusion of Smith-Pello in the October clash is well worth seeing.
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3. Emanuel Navarrete vs. O’Shaquie Foster, 12 rounds, WBC, IBF, WBO unification super lightweight titles, Oct. 24
This super thin matchup is a classic case of opposites attracting.
Navarrete (40-2-1, 33 KOs), approaching, aggressive, slick, meets the technical brilliance of Foster (25-3, 12 KOs) and his footwork class. As I like to say in Crowned: If you tell me you know who is going to win this fight, you are simply lying.
And it is that their meeting on the 24th of Oct. so it appeals.
Trade with Navarrete and yours “rounds” are numbered, but if you allow Foster to enter the game over 12 ball boards – just ask Ray Ford and Stephen Fulton – your days they were numbered in the same way.
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If you nail this one, it won’t be surprising if we’re looking at a late entrant in the Year of the competition.
2. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Christian Mbilli, 12 rounds, for Mbilli’s WBC super middleweight title, Oct. 31.
The powers that be wanted his strength, but “Canelo” Alvarez is still “Canelo” Alvarez.
And for some, the 36-year-old Mexican superstar is still struggling to remember the “face” of his marquee wins in what is now the twilight of his career.
Christian Mbilli is the next super middleweight in line, bringing the lifted WBC title to the table in this “Mexico vs World” match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) will arrive in the Kingdom as a very lively dog, watching this fight on the stands in October.
Canelo Alvarez was designated after the September 2025 expense of Terence Crawford.
(Sarah Stier via Getty Images)
His aggressive, physical, relentless speech can be a question that Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) does not want to answer at this stage of his career, as a large microscope was placed in front of the Mexican in his first appearance, when he lost the 168-pound title to Terentiano Crawford last September.
What remains of Canelo will be revealed here. The 68-year-old is fighting a long, difficult career, has tasted defeat three times now and is coming back following a knee injury and a 13-month layoff.
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1. Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley 2, 12 rounds, for Dubois’ WBO heavyweight title, Oct. 17
If this rematch is anything like the first encounter in May of this year, then we’re in for a wild ride inside London’s O2 Arena.
But if you’re Fabio Wardley, that probably won’t be advised.
These two fought the Fight of the Year inside Manchester Co-op Live earlier this summer, with Daniel Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) climbing the canvas twice to bludgeon Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs) and take the WBO world heavyweight title in the 11th round.
He was not a fastidious person here. Wardley’s face was branded “DDD” as he dominated most of the fight – except for a few seconds sitting on his bum – and was crowned the two-time heavyweight champion of the world.
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But Wardley’s journey to the top of the heavyweight mountain was as unusual as they come. He thrives on the limited expectations placed on his shoulders, so he’s foolish to assume he can’t make the necessary saves to fix the man he’s hurt in the past.
Those inside London’s O2 Arena on October 17th will get the show in their seats when they’ll only need a word of it.