And, as the tournament takes its first breather following 27 consecutive day of action, we decided to take a look at how a World Cup of Boxing would unfold from the final bracket of the 2026 tournament.

We select one of the leading fighters from each of the eight nations left and pit them against each other in fantasy pound-for-pounds match-ups. With USA and Mexico both eliminated in the last-16, some of history’s greatest fighters are unavailable for selection but there are still eight boxers, either men or women, in the running for glory.

Will the might of the French football team be matched by their entrant in the ring? Will Switzerland be able to slug it out with Argentina’s best? See below for who will be crowned boxing’s first World Cup winner.

FRANCE vs MOROCCO Marcel Cerdan (111-4, 65 KOs) vs Khalid Rahilou (37-5, 16 KOs)

A controversial one straight out of the gate as France’s representative is Marcel Cerdan, known as “The Moroccan Bomber”. Born in the “Little Paris” neighbourhood of Sidi Bel Abbes in French Algeria, to French parents, he has to be the pick for Les Bleus, despite his nickname.

His opponent is former WBA junior welterweight champion Khalid Rahilou, who is one of the greatest fighters to ever emerge from north Africa. He won the world title by beating Frankie Randall in January 1997 before two successful defenses, eventually losing the belt to Sharmba Mitchell in October 1998.

Despite those credentials, he is eliminated here by Cerdan, quite simply one of the greatest fighters in history. He won the world middleweight title by knocking out Tony Zale in the 11th round of the 1948 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year but lost it to Jake LaMotta in his first defense.

He tragically died in a plane crash while heading to New York for the anticipated rematch with LaMotta. An incredible fighter who has to get the nod over valiant Rahilou, who incidentally lives in France.

SPAIN vs BELGIUM Javier Castillejo (62-8-1, 43 KOs) vs Delfine Persoon (50-4, 20 KOs) While Spain’s football team are known for their intricate, ‘tiki-taka’ style of play, their representative here is a far more aggressive, orthodox and relentless pressure fighter. The legendary “El Lince de Parla” (Lynx of Parla) won world titles in two weights over the course of his 21-year career.

Belgium has never been a hotbed of boxing talent but the country has produced one of the greatest female fighters in history in the form of Delfine Persoon. Like Castillejo, she favors pure workrate, aggression and relentlessness as well as a granite chin in order to wear people down. She is best known for her part in the Madison Square Garden epic with Katie Taylor on June 1, 2019, which she controversially lost on points.

But in a pound-for-pound debate about Castillejo and Persoon, the Spaniard must get the nod and advance to the semi-final.

NORWAY vs ENGLAND Cecilia Braekhus (39-2-1, 9 KOs) vs Lennox Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KOs) The only viable selection for Norway is “The First Lady of Boxing” Cecilia Braekhus, who has not only been a leading light in women’s boxing but actually helped end her country’s 33-year ban on professional boxing.

A nation who had literally banned the sport was never going to compete with England, the country where the Marquis of Queensberry rules actually came from, and there was no shortage of potential fighters who could have been selected to represent the Three Lions.

But West Ham fan Lennox Lewis, himself a formidable goalkeeper, not to mention one of history’s greatest heavyweights, was put forward here. Despite Braekhus’ significance to the women’s sport, she gets eliminated by Londoner Lewis.

ARGENTINA vs SWITZERLAND Carlos Monzon (87-3-9, 59 KOs) vs Fritz Chervet (59-9-2, 25 KOs) A pair of real national heroes go head-to-head for the last semi-final spot here as Monzon, one of the best middleweights ever, takes on Switzerland’s “Mozart of the Ring” Chervet.

Like Belgium and Norway, Switzerland has never been renowned for its boxing talent but flyweight Chervet broke that mould during his career across the 60s and 70s. He retired in 1976 as a five-time European champion but never managed to win a world title, losing in a pair of challenges to WBA king Chartchai Chionoi.

Monzon, however, had no such problems at world level, holding the undisputed middleweight title from 1970 until his 1977 retirement. An incredible fighter who never lost a world championship encounter.

He was named the Ring’s 1972 Fighter of the Year and in 2002, the 11th greatest fighter of the last 80 years. He sails through here against the Swiss.

FRANCE vs SPAIN Marcel Cerdan (111-4, 65 KOs) vs Javier Castillejo (62-8-1, 43 KOs) There is only one winner of this Pyrenees Derby between two of Southwestern Europe’s major powerhouses. Castillejo’s longevity and two world titles are not to be sniffed at but Cerdan’s standing in history means he is a lock on this one.

It would not be easy for him but it’s unlikely he would require extra-time and penalties to progress. As No. 77 in The Ring’s 80 Greatest Boxers of the last 80 years, the late, great Cerdan books his place in the final.

ENGLAND vs ARGENTINA Lennox Lewis (41-2-1, 32 KOs) vs Carlos Monzon (87-3-9, 59 KOs) A battle fit for a final takes place here in the last-four. England and Argentina have a long and storied history, stretching back to the Falklands War in 1982, through Diego Maradona’s Hand of God in 1986 and to their 1998 penalty shoot-out battle, which ended in Argentina victory. And let’s not forget Amir Khan securing perhaps the finest win of his career against Marcos Maidana in their 2010 Las Vegas barnburner.

But this time, it would be Argentina and Monzon who would prevent it from ‘Coming Home’. Former undisputed king Lewis was one of the most dominant world heavyweight champions of his era, with notable victories over Evander Holyfield, Vitali Klitschko and a faded Mike Tyson. There is a reason why he was named 53rd on The Ring’s 2002 list. But 11th-place Monzon, with 14 successful defenses, has to progress to the final here.

FRANCE vs ARGENTINA Marcel Cerdan (111-4, 65 KOs) vs Carlos Monzon (87-3-9, 59 KOs) In a rerun of the 2022 World Cup final, where a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina lifted the trophy after winning 4-2 on penalties, Marcel Cerdan and Carlos Monzon meet in our final.

Two genuine titans of the middleweight division from different eras would have no doubt served up one of the greatest 160-pound battles the world had ever seen. With 198 victories between them, against just seven losses, and racking up a total of 124 stoppages, this looks like a pick-em fight.

Cerdan’s tragic death in 1949 aged just 33, means he never got to complete the incredible legacy he began to put together. Monzon however, was able to call time on his career on his own terms and his incredible unbeaten run towards the end of his career is why he was named 66 places higher than Cerdan on The Ring’s list in 2002.

But one thing is for sure, given he managed nine in his 99 fights, Monzon loved a draw. This looks like a battle that would require extra time and even penalties to decide the winner with Argentina lifting the trophy eventually.