Boxing watchlist: November’s 5 can’t-miss fights, from Agit Kabayel’s crowning second to Buatsi vs. Hutchinson 2

October has come and gone, so it’s time to throw away the Halloween masks, chuck out the moldy pumpkins and flip our consideration to another month of boxing motion. 

The nights are getting darker, the climate is getting colder, but fortunately there’s lots of motion in the ring to heat your cockles. 

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November brings us a stunning mix of motion: WBC title fights for the 168-pound and heavyweight crowns, an all-action ladies’s IBF light-weight title struggle and a Tokyo triple-header. Let’s break down the high 5 fights coming up this month.

5. Agit Kabayel vs. Nelson Hysa, 12 rounds, for WBC heavyweight title, Nov. 28

Agit Kabayel is out to show a level at the finish of 2026.

There’s an argument that the WBC heavyweight champion has been enjoying third fiddle to Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois in the heavyweight panorama since he was upgraded to full champion, being barely dismissed when discussions are had regarding the division’s top-shelf fights.

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But Kabayel (27-0, 19 KOs) has barely put a foot incorrect on his street to the high of boxing’s money division, and a convincing win over Nelson Hysa (25-0, 23 KOs) in entrance of a celebratory home crowd in Dusseldorf will smash open doorways to a greater 2027.

Hysa has yo-yoed between undercards in Albania, Germany and the United Kingdom across a busy couple of years. He carries a good file and a puncher’s probability, but hasn’t been in with a heavyweight as full as Kabayel.

Even if Kabayel cruises to a protection here, it’ll be an fascinating glimpse into what the future of big-time heavyweight boxing in Germany could look like as the nation seeks to recapture the glory days of the Klitschko period.

4. Alycia Baumgardner vs. Elif Nur Turhan, 10 rounds, for IBF ladies’s light-weight title, Nov. 8

Alycia Baumgardner is shifting up to light-weight with her sights firmly set on turning into a two-weight world champion — but standing in her approach is one of the most harmful punchers in ladies’s boxing.

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The former undisputed tremendous featherweight champion places her championship credentials on the line this Sunday against unbeaten IBF light-weight titleholder Elif Nur Turhan in Arlington, Texas. 

Baumgardner (18-1, 7 KOs) has regarded more and more snug at the high degree, but this is a totally different variety of problem. Turhan (14-0, 8 KOs) is a relentless, heavy-handed operator who arrives with lots of momentum after stopping Olympic gold medallist Beatriz Ferreira to claim the title.

Baumgardner has the slicker boxing expertise, sharper mixtures and expertise of working at the highest degree. Turhan, meanwhile, will look to flip this into a bodily scrap and make the American uncomfortable.

The prize is more than just another belt. Victory would put Baumgardner in place for one of the largest bouts to be made in ladies’s boxing — a mouthwatering showdown with Britain’s Caroline Dubois and another shot at undisputed glory.

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But first, she must get previous the “Golden Turkish Warrior.” And that could be simpler said than finished.

3. Riku Masuda vs. Seiya Tsutsumi 2, 12 rounds, for WBA “regular” bantamweight title, Nov. 29

Three years after Seiya Tsutsumi handed Riku Masuda the only defeat of his skilled profession, the Japanese rivals are prepared to settle their variations with a world title on the line.

Masuda (11-1, 9 KOs) has come a long approach since that unanimous determination loss in August 2023. The 29-year-old southpaw has developed into one of Japan’s most harmful bantamweights, stopping former world champion Nonito Donaire before edging Daigo Higa to claim the WBA “Regular” title. 

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Now comes his first protection — against the man who knows precisely how to beat him.

Tsutsumi (13-0-3, 8 KOs) has hardly been sitting around ready for a rematch. The unbeaten 30-year-old has crushed present WBC champion Takuma Inoue and Donaire, establishing himself as a formidable pressure at 118 kilos. 

Stylistically, this should be a cracker. Masuda brings explosive southpaw energy and a important attain benefit, while Tsutsumi is a relentless, switch-hitting stress fighter who thrives on dragging opponents into uncomfortable exchanges.

There is lots at stake beyond the title. Tsutsumi still considers himself the rightful champion, while Masuda will be determined to show their first struggle was no blueprint for a repeat.

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Tokyo gets a rematch with lots of unfinished business.

2. David Jimenez vs. Seigo Yuri Akui, 12 rounds, for WBA junior bantamweight title, Nov. 29

Costa Rica’s David Jimenez heads to Tokyo trying to show that his elevation to world champion was no accident, but standing across the ring is a former world champion with ambitions of his own.

Jimenez (18-1, 12 KOs) places his WBA tremendous flyweight title on the line against Japan’s Seigo Yuri Akui (23-3, 13 KOs), who is trying to become a two-weight world champion. 

The 34-year-old Costa Rican was elevated to full champion in June after Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez vacated the belt, having beforehand won the interim title with victory over John Ramirez.

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Jimenez fought 4 occasions across 4 totally different international locations between 2024-2025, but a spell of inactivity has seen him out of motion for the previous 14 months. 

Akui, meanwhile, knows what it takes to operate at the highest degree. The former WBA flyweight champion lost his crown to Kenshiro Teraji in a unification conflict, but has since bounced back with consecutive victories. He now gets the probability to add another world title to his assortment.

Expect Jimenez to be the aggressor with high-volume attacks, in an attempt to overwhelm the challenger with relentless mixtures. Akui brings a more measured method, constructed around his jab, sharp counter-punching and heavy proper hand.

As standard, there is a hazard of these Tokyo playing cards flying under the radar. But once the motion begins, they not often disappoint.

1. Joshua Buatsi vs. Willy Hutchinson 2, 12 rounds, for the vacant WBC mild heavyweight title, Nov. 7

The first time was so good … they had to do it twice.

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But was it good for either Joshua Buatsi or Willy Hutchinson? You could argue not.

You have to neglect about your emotions when the WBC mild heavyweight title comes to city, as Buatsi (20-1, 13 KOs) and Hutchinson (20-2, 14 KOs) head into Round 13 with the goal to become Britain’s fifth male world titleholder.  

Back in 2024, Buatsi edged a break up determination victory in a fiercely aggressive encounter, with Hutchinson hitting the canvas twice. The Scot was far from blissful with the verdict, while Buatsi himself was hardly celebrating a career-best efficiency.

Two years on, they’re prepared to settle the rating all over again — this time with world honors on the line.

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Hutchinson arrives off the back of consecutive victories over Ezra Taylor and Mark Jeffers, while Buatsi has had a rather harder experience; a spirited but bruising defeat to Callum Smith was adopted by a slender victory over Zach Parker. 

Both males have something to show, and neither will be short of motivation when they meet again — this time in a 50/50 choose ’em.