The best way to summarize the yr in skilled boxing simply ended? Trying again at 2025, we’re grateful for Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue in fact, in addition to Jesse Rodriguez, Fabio Wardley, and Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr., however we’re additionally considerably annoyed by the paltry exercise ranges of so most of the high skills within the sport, and the overall dearth of high-level battle playing cards. For a few of us right here at your favorite impartial boxing website, it’s nonetheless a problem getting accustomed to twenty first century pugilism. That stated, this submit is all about taking a bit of time to understand the accomplishments of the yr simply ended and to intensify the optimistic. So with out additional ado, the fights and fighters who’ve earned our plaudits and coveted awards. Test ’em out:
Upset of the Yr Nominations:Rolando Romero W12 Ryan GarciaFabio Wardley TKO11 Joseph ParkerArmando Resendiz W12 Caleb PlantAaron McKenna W12 Liam SmithTiara Brown SD10 Skye NicolsonLewis Crocker W12 Paddy Donovan
Winner: Armando Resendiz W12 Caleb Plant
Resendiz had two losses in his final 5 outings and was thought to be nothing greater than a stay-busy opponent for a Plant who appeared firmly established on the elite degree of the tremendous middleweight division. However all preconceptions about this match shortly went out the window because the Mexican underdog, clearly not impressed by Plant’s credentials, defied all expectations, not solely pulling off an enormous upset however doing so emphatically, even coming near scoring a stoppage. It was a shocker of main proportions, one which compelled everybody to re-evaluate the standings of each fighters.
Knockout of the Yr Nominations:Masataka Taniguchi KO3 Condor InabaFabio Wardley KO10 Justis HuniCayden Griffiths KO10 Fernando Elias Ruiz HernandezAnthony Joshua KO6 Jake PaulJanibek Alimkhanuly KO5 Anaeul NgamissengueElif Nur Turhan TKO6 Beatriz FerreiraBrian Norman Jr KO5 Jin Sasaki
Winner: Anthony Joshua KO6 Jake Paul
One devastating proper hand not solely fractured Jake Paul’s jaw in two locations, however successfully ended, as soon as and for all, his absurd pretensions of being an elite-level skilled boxer. Some have been extra spectacular, extra violent, extra stunning, however no different knockout in 2025 even comes near having a larger affect on the game. Optimistically, the Jake Paul boxing experiment is lastly over.
Spherical of the Yr Nominations: Chris Eubank Jr. vs Conor Benn 1, Spherical 12Isaac Cruz vs Angel Fierro, Spherical 10Abdullah Mason vs Sam Noakes, Spherical 11Jesse Rodriguez vs Fernando Martinez, Spherical 10Richardson Hitchins vs George Kombosos Jr, Spherical 8Terence Crawford vs Canelo Alverez, Spherical 9Joseph Parker vs Fabio Wardley, Spherical 10Naoya Inoue vs Ramon Cardenas, Spherical 2Cristobal Lorente vs Nate Collins, Spherical 6
Winner: Abdullah Mason vs Sam Noakes, Spherical 11
Mason vs Noakes was a stand-out conflict in a yr of wonderful motion fights and one of many main causes for that’s the three minutes of the battle’s penultimate spherical, an exhilarating warfare throughout the warfare, stuffed with sharp exchanges and momentum shifts that saved followers on the sting of their seats from bell to bell. It epitomized the back-and-forth nature of the violent battle itself, one which showcased excessive ability, stamina and unbelievable coronary heart from each fighters, with Mason finally successful by unanimous determination.
Efficiency of the Yr Nominations:Dmitry Bivol W12 Artur BeterbievTerence Crawford W12 Canelo AlvareNaoya Inoue W12 Murodjon AkhmadalievJesse Rodriguez KO10 Fernando MartinezAlycia Baumgardner W12 Leila BeaudoinKatie Taylor W12 Amanda Serrano
Winner: Terence Crawford
Not that way back Terence Crawford was a welterweight, and so many people may very well be forgiven for pondering to ourselves, “they’ve weight lessons for a purpose” when the Crawford vs Canelo bout was first introduced. There was additionally the truth that Canelo had firmly established himself because the undisputed king at 168 kilos, together with occasional forays into the sunshine heavyweight division, so once more, Crawford vs Canelo, on paper, seemed just like the proverbial “good massive man vs good little man” duel which, as any pupil of boxing historical past is aware of, normally doesn’t go nicely for the smaller man. So a shock it was, and a most spectacular efficiency, when Crawford didn’t simply prevail, however outclassed Canelo with a masterful show of ability and ring smarts to take a one-sided determination and rating a traditionally important victory. Not like different awards, “Efficiency of the Yr” for 2025 was a straightforward one to resolve.
Combat of the Yr Nominations:Chris Eubank Jr. W12 Coner BennDmitry Bivol W12 Artur BeterbievKatie Taylor W12 Amanda SerranoKenshiro Teraji TKO12 Seigo Yuri AkuiShadasia Inexperienced W10 Savannah MarshallNaoya Inoue KO8 Ramon CardenasChristian Mbilli D10 Lester MartinezJunto Nakatani W12 Sebastian Hernandez
Winner: Kenshiro Teraji TKO12 Seigo Yuri Akui
2025 was a stand-out yr for dramatic, action-packed battles, which made selecting our Combat of the Yr a reasonably difficult job, however in the long run we needed to conclude that nothing might surpass the fireworks of final March’s flyweight unification showdown between Japanese warriors Teraji and Akui on the Ryogoku Kokugikan Enviornment in Tokyo. It was all motion, all the best way, spherical after livid spherical, earlier than Teraji, trailing on the scorecards, attacked with urgency to drive a dramatic stoppage within the twelfth and last spherical.
Fighter of the Yr Nominations:Terence CrawfordKatie TaylorJesse RodriguezNaoya InoueJai Opetaia
Winner: Naoya Inoue
Not that there was any query concerning the matter round these elements, however 2025 might be thought of the yr that Naoya Inoue established past all doubt that he’s an all-time nice pugilist. As everyone seems to be nicely conscious, 4 championship victories in a single calendar yr represents a novel accomplishment in at present’s model of the battle recreation, however what makes it much more extraordinary on this case is the truth that Inoue is 32-years-old and has been competing on the championship degree since 2014. And he’s nonetheless undefeated.
Moreover, these weren’t 4 routine title defenses. Each Murodjon Akhmadaliev and Ramon Cardenas represented important challenges; each have been ranked extremely within the tremendous bantamweight division and each have been deserving of their probabilities to battle for world titles. Inoue needed to rise from a knockdown to defeat Cardenas by eighth spherical TKO, and such was Akhmadaliev’s talents that one suspects that nothing lower than the superlative technical efficiency which the champion gave might have neutralized the powerful Uzbek. Sure, the wins over Alan Picasso and Ye Joon Kim have been of a extra perfunctory nature, however they have been additionally dominant.
Within the last evaluation, Inoue didn’t simply rating 4 championship victories in 2025; he gave 4 masterclasses within the artwork of pugilism, within the course of shedding valuable couple of minutes, not to mention rounds, whereas eliminating two of probably the most threatening challengers remaining in his division. If anybody had any lingering doubts in any way about Naoya Inoue’s greatness, 2025 ought to have eradicated them. He’s an all-time nice, and he’s, as soon as once more, our Fighter of the Yr. –Robert Portis
