Bruce Carrington believes he's in a league of his own in the featherweight division.
"Shu Shu" Carrington (16-0, 9 KOs), The Ring’s No. 6-ranked fighter at 126 pounds, is coming off a
unanimous decision win against Mateus Heita in July. With the victory, Carrington was awarded the WBC interim title.
The WBC’s full title belongs to
Stephen Fulton, and the division's other titleholders are
Nick Ball (WBA),
Rafael Espinoza (WBO) and IBF beltholder
Angelo Leo. The Ring title is vacant.
Heading into 2026, the uncrowned contender Carrington is calling for clashes against world champions to prove his proclamations further.
“With my experiences, once I turned pro, I’ve been sparring with champions and matching myself against them, and I can sweep the division if I want to. That’s why I make it known to everybody, the doubters, the believers, that I am the best featherweight in the division,” Carrington said on “Inside The Ring.”
“I’m really shooting for [next fighting] Nick Ball. If not him, second on my list is Rafael Espinoza. I took my foot off the gas with Stephen Fulton because he has other aspirations [
fighting WBC junior lightweight champion O’Shaquie Foster on December 6].
”As soon as I became Fulton’s mandatory, he decided to move up. I even want
Naoya Inoue, would love to fight any of these guys, not a lot calling names like I am. I'm stepping to these guys because I have supreme confidence I will beat everybody in the division.”
If the Brooklyn-bred Carrington, 28, could only pick one of the champions to face next, he wants it to be Ball.
“I really feel like it will be a big fight with the New York crowd that I have, the UK crowd that he has,” said Carrington. “Nick Ball has a fun style and we can give an entertaining fight to the fans. I have the IQ, and that’s what will separate me from him.
“I always saw myself as a diamond in the rough. I understand that I have a lot of work to do, and a lot of things to get done. I know that I can make it to the top, not trying to be just a titleholder and a guy with a belt - trying to be great and you have to take risks.”
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan