Boxing Year End Awards 2025: Best Fighter, Knockouts, Events and more

As another year of boxing comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to look ahead to 2025 and reflect on what has made us love the sport that can sometimes disappoint and disappoint.

We’ve seen undisputed-title fights at different weights Oleksandr Usyk has regained that status at heavyweight – only to drop it for the second time in a year – and Terence Crawford made history as the only three-weight undisputed king of this era, a feat that paved the way for his retirement.

There have also been major domestic events in the UK, such as the grudge match between Chris Eubank Jr. and Connor Benn, the former of which was based on bitterness and publicity, and the second of which saw Ben take revenge,

And crossover boxing continues to flourish, to the dismay of many traditionalist fans, with December’s bout between Anthony Joshua and YouTuber Jake Paul and a fight featuring controversial influencer Andrew Tate.

Those later fights aren’t shown below, keep in mind, as we dive into the best of boxing in 2025 – and make a bold prediction for 2026…

Super Soldier

Jack Rathborn: Terence Crawford. before retiring this monthCrawford Produced a masterclass against Canelo Alvarez In September, moved up in weight while maintaining that trademark majestic movement and supreme control to defy the odds and become a three-weight undisputed champion. That final piece, unprecedented in men’s boxing in the four-belt era, is the final ornament on the shining tree of accolades that cements his name into the conversation of the greatest of his generation.

Alex Patel: I don’t think any individual accomplishment matches Crawford’s, but if we’re looking at an alternative argument Another top pound for pound boxer, Naoya Inoueactivity makes it a reasonable choice. The undisputed super-bantamweight king, who previously held all the major bantamweight belts, goes 3-0 in 2025 and is undefeated overall. Saying goodbye to Ye Jun KimRamon Cardenas, and Murodjon Akhmedaliev – and a fourth fight is scheduled for December 27. That amount of activity doesn’t come close to matching any other fighter anywhere near Inoue’s level (not that there are many boxers like that). That said, it would seem a foolish pick if the Japanese “monster” fails against David Picasso this week… and Inoue Was Dropped by Cardenas in an anxious moment of vulnerability,

best fight

JR: Joash Bvtai died. Twelve entertaining rounds with the weaker Smith dominating the points. The sixth round will live long in the memory. You can’t help but marvel at the physical work put in by both men, the pace swinging between each combination as both fighters applied pressure. This was the kind of fight Buatsi needed to show the full range of his skills and character in the ring. Smith will move on to better things, namely a world-title shot, but in the interim another win for Buatsi and (whisper it) a rematch in late 2026 could be a domestic cracker to fill out a field.

AP: Again, this is a very strong selection from Jack, so for the sake of variety I’ll go with this. Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2This was brilliant for very different reasons than Smith vs Buatsi; Instead of being a chaotic, bewildering brawl like that fight, Bivol’s liberation against Beterbiev It was a display of subtle skill and strategy that Bivol needed to be practically perfect to survive Beterbiev’s power and defeat the undisputed light-heavyweight champion. On his way to becoming the first man to defeat his fellow Russian, Bivol took the fight so well – Not just round by round, but minute by minuteReally picking his moments to absorb pressure and apply it.

best knockout

JR: Brian Norman Jr. on Jin Sasaki. The American landed some nasty left hooks to drop the Japanese fighter twice early on, although Sasaki showed admirable resilience to climb to the canvas and deliver his punishment. That was until the ruthless Norman delivered another vicious left hook, showing an opportunistic side to his arsenal as Sasaki dropped his guard. With Sasaki caught out cold and landing a powerful blow to his back, the nature of the knockout was also enough to send a chill down Norman’s spine as he mercifully fell to the canvas to check on his opponent.

AP: Fabio Wardley on Justice Huni. It’s not so much about the aesthetics and/or brutality of the punch, unlike Norman Jr. on Sasaki; It’s more about the moment surrounding the KO. Ten rounds into his homecoming fight with Huni, Wardley was being badly outclassed. His undefeated record was at stake, as well as his hopes of a world title fight in the near future. But then again, the sudden violence would make WWE icon Randy Orton proud, Wardley pitched a one-hitter quitter. out of nowhereHuni landed a sharp overhand right at the right time, sending the Australian crashing into himself, Ipswich Town FC’s Portman Road burst, Huni – beaten for the first time – could not answer the count, and Wardley advanced into the world title fight,

best event

AP: Eubank Jr. vs. Ben 1. Given the natural size disparity between Eubank Jr. and Ben, you could criticize the matchmaking here (many certainly did), but when the Britons shared the ring in April, their feud was no longer a gimmick based on their father’s old feud; It was bitter and personal, and Which was seen in 12 rounds of brutality At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Both Eubanks Jr. and Benn showed great courage to overcome adversity and both seriously injured Spurs, but it was Eubanks Jr. who displayed the superior boxing to win the decision and set up a sequel at the same venue. The November rematch was memorable for its finality, but was never likely to match the original – especially given the drama of late April when Eubanks Sr. arrived with his son, despite years of condemnation of this match-up. That moment was a real goosebumps for ages,

JR: Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2. “The Last Crescendo”, as it was officially crowned, the card was a whirlwind of an evening, with entertaining contests in the beginning, culminating in the resumption of a generation-defining rivalry in the main event: a rematch between Beterbiev and Bivol. Before that, we had: the aforementioned Buatsi vs. Smith fight of the year candidate; Agit Kabayel delivers Knockout of the Year contender; A controversial draw in Carlos Adams vs Hamza Shiraz; two pound-for-pound stars in Skunk Stevenson and Virgil Ortiz Jr.; and heavyweight contender Joseph Parker, Assigned to fight Martin Bakole after Daniel Dubois withdrew Two days away from the fight. Pay-per-view cards are rarely given importance, but this is perhaps the biggest note hit by Saudi mentor Turki Alalshikh during his dominance in boxing. There was intrigue, drama and history everywhere,

Bold predictions for 2026

AP: anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury will finally happen. “Bold” is important here, because I am definitely not me. In fact believe it, but there is a logic to it – a logic that goes even further Recent rumors of 2026 performanceYes, there have been moments in the past where “AJ” vs, Fury made more sense than it does now, but consider this: The key people behind Saudi Arabia’s boxing campaign No Like Jake Paul, and his vendetta towards the YouTuber’s fight with Joshua could go further than ever in an effort to make this an all-British confrontation.

Paul’s business partner Nakisa Biederian told Independent recently: “There was a hundred percent (a) desire and effort to control [Paul vs Joshua] and (b) give Joshua the option not to take this fight. I have to give credit to AJ and Matchroom, because they have a great relationship with Turki Alalsikh and they could have said: ‘Let’s figure out how to do something else.'” The Saudis gave Canelo Alvarez An eye-watering sum to get him out of the showdown with Paul. This year, and while Joshua vs. Paul ultimately went ahead, Fury vs. Joshua could be the Saudis’ counterattack.

JR: The domestic battle of a generation? Probably not, when you consider the bitter feud between Eubank Jr. and Benn, while the one between Joshua and Fury At the end Settle your differences to clear another stadium in 2026. But patience is needed when two rising domestic warriors meet, who will define Clash between Adam Azim and Dalton SmithHowever, the latter has a brilliant contingency plan.

The plan may fuel ambition, but the glitz, glamor and money can only snowball with a dance partner who equally resonates with the masses. Watch George Groves and James DeGale and their premature meeting, a bout that naturally fueled Groves’ rise – to stardom, Carl Froch and, ultimately, a world title. Degel was good enough to bounce back and achieve greatness, which should be the mindset between Azeem and Smith’s camps.

This fight has been rumored for so long that Smith took his ball home and made a scrap deal with Subriel Matias, taking place next month despite his opponent testing positive for a banned substance. A WBC super-lightweight title could add even more to this competition’s foes, cementing his rightful place at the top table of British boxing. The bold prediction is that this happens and the home sells out an arena in the second half of next year.