Dramatic turnarounds, family feuds and undisputed champions - The best fights of 2025

As 2025 draws to a close, we reflect on what has been another brilliant year for the sport of boxing.

We got off to a flyer with a busy January and the pace hasn’t dropped since, with plenty of memorable moments in the ring from start to finish.

Oleksandr Usyk becoming undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time by stopping Daniel Dubois in their rematch ranks as one of the highlights, as does Terence Crawford becoming undisputed at a third weight by jumping up two divisions to dethrone super middleweight king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

There have also been some more stellar cards in Riyadh and boxing fans continue to be treated to some superb shows in Saudi Arabia.

As the year comes to an end, DAZN News takes a look at some of the best fights of 2025.

Dmitry Bivol gains revenge over Artur Beterbiev in their epic rematch

We didn’t have to wait too long for a classic encounter as Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol battled it out for all the light heavyweight belts in Riyadh on February 22.

Following a tremendous first encounter which saw Beterbiev narrowly prevail on the scorecards, the rematch was highly anticipated and it didn’t disappoint.

In another brilliant bout of technical excellence, the fans watched in awe as the two leading fighters at 175lbs put on another superb back-and-forth battle which went all the way again.

However, this time there was no late surge from Beterbiev and Bivol claimed a majority decision with scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114.

Callum Smith inflicts a brutal first defeat on Joshua Buatsi

On the undercard of Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2, Callum Smith and Joshua Buatsi put on an all-British classic at light heavyweight.

Buatsi entered the ring unbeaten and started brightly, but Smith roared back whenever he was under pressure and the pair exchanged heavy artillery throughout this seesaw battle.

Smith enjoyed a strong second half of the contest and all three judges marked it in his favour with scores of 119-110, 115-113 and 116-112.

Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn reignite a famous family feud

Two and a half years since they were first scheduled to meet, Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn picked up where their famous fathers left off with another classic encounter in April.

Tactics went out of the window as the two bitter rivals engaged in an all-out brawl in front of a capacity crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with neither man willing to back down in the toe-to-toe war.

Benn was jumping up two weight divisions and emerged with plenty of credit as the smaller man, but it was Eubank Jr. who claimed a unanimous decision victory with all three judges scoring the contest 116-112.

Benn gained revenge via the same method in their November rematch but the return didn’t live up to the first fight, as the younger man boxed his way to a clear victory over a lacklustre Eubank Jr.

Joseph Parker stunned by the power of Fabio Wardley

Fabio Wardley produced another thrilling come-from-behind victory to stop Joseph Parker at London's O2 Arena in October.

As was the case when Wardley knocked out Justis Huni earlier in the year, the Ipswich man was well behind on the scorecards when he turned the fight on its head with his remarkable power again with a big shot in round 11.

Parker had been getting the better of his man in this pulsating contest but sagged into the ropes when caught with a heavy right hand in the penultimate session and Wardley threw everything at him in an attempt to get the finish.

He did just that as the referee jumped in to save Parker and another great chapter was added to the remarkable story of the unbeaten Wardley, who was subsequently elevated to WBO champion.

Abdullah Mason prevails in a war with Sam Noakes

It may not have been top of the bill on the brilliant Ring IV card in November, but Abdullah Mason and Sam Noakes stole the show in Riyadh with a late Fight of the Year contender.

Both men put unbeaten records on the line in this fight for the vacant WBO lightweight title and it was the 21-year-old Mason who became the youngest champion in the sport, but not without an almighty battle.

Mason’s accuracy and sharp-shooting earned him victory on the scorecards by 117-11 and 115-113 twice, but Mason refused to go out without a fight and more than played his part in this instant classic.

Watch out for both men in 2026.

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