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Eubank Jr-Benn, Bivol-Beterbiev 2: Best fights of 2025 so far
Boxing fans watch the sport in search of the best fights, two boxers giving it their all across multiple rounds.
Sometimes, the biggest names do not produce the goods, but these 10 fights certainly impressed the boxing world with the skill, passion, and drama involved.
From Chris Eubank Jr’s all-out-brawl with heated rival Conor Benn to Naoya Inoue dusting himself off from a knockdown to avoid an upset to Ramon Cardenas, here are 10 of the best fights of 2025 so far.
Naoya Inoue vs Ramon Cardenas
Naoya Inoue has been unstoppable since turning pro, earning his moniker of ‘The Monster’ with 27 stoppages in 30 fights.
Having unified all four world titles at super bantamweight, Inoue has struggled to find an opponent of a similar calibre. Challenger Ramon Cardenas was expected to become the 11th fighter in a row to be stopped by Inoue.
(Mikey Williams/Top Rank)
When Cardenas put an overextending Inoue onto the canvas in round two, fans around the world must have thought an upset was on the cards.
But anyone betting against Inoue would have been disheartened to see the two-division undisputed champion shake off the damage and resume normal service.
He avenged his own knockdown by putting Cardenas down to the canvas in round seven; by round eight, it was over.
Callum Smith vs Joshua Buatsi
The Last Crescendo was a boxing super-card put together to support the main event, the rematch between undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and the man who had given him the titles he was missing, Dmitry Bivol.
Then IBF heavyweight champion, Daniel Dubois was expected to defend his crown against Joseph Parker in a meeting of two of the division’s biggest names – with fellow heavyweights Zhilei Zhang and Agit Kabayel also in action.
Dubois pulled out ill, but other big names in the form of Hamzah Sheeraz, Carlos Adames, Shakur Stevenson, Virgil Ortiz Jr, and Israil Madrimov were all in action.
Matchroom
So Callum Smith’ s bout for the WBO light heavyweight interim title with Joshua Buatsi was expected to go slightly under the radar, despite Smith’s former world champion status.
Instead, it arguably stole the show on the undercard, the two Brits giving it their all in one of the closest contests of the year to date.
Not only were there powerful punches on show, but there was impressive defensive technique displayed to force misses and prolong each fighters’ chances.
However, that slowly went out the window as the fight devolved into a slugfest, each boxer sporting damage heading into the final rounds.
Perhaps knowing that he was down on the cards, Buatsi increased his output, leading to a final round where both fighters gave what little they had left.
Ultimately it was Smith who took a unanimous decision win, the judges wide in their scoring of 115-113, 116-112, and 119-110.
Callum Simpson vs Ivan Zucco
Headlining at his hometown football club, Barnsley FC, for a second time, Callum Simpson was expected to make light work of Italian Ivan Zucco.
Simpson was not the only one surprised when he found himself on the canvas seconds into the fight, the shock apparent on his face. He rallied to try and get back into the fight, only to be knocked down for a second time in round three.
A more patient approach was needed, with Simpson getting his feet back underneath him. Eventually he grew in confidence and started to take the fight back to Zucco.
That culminated in the 10th, when Simpson had his opponent down three times – leading to a technical knockout victory to secure the vacant European super middleweight title.
Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn
Despite the blood, sweat, and tears that a fight can produce, boxing matches are relatively civilised affairs. Boxers understand that their best chances of winning a fight, and going on to have successful careers, is just as much about staying healthy as it is dishing out damage to their opponent.
After years of rivalry, Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn missed that memo. The intensity was there at the start of the bout, both men fighting in the shadow of their fathers’ fights in the 1990s.
Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
But the pace only grew more frantic, and by the time we were down the final stretch, the fight had evolved into an all-out brawl. The final round saw things somehow step up again, both fighters exhausting every little bit of energy they had left.
For once, the fight itself more than lived up to the hype in the build-up. The crowd were energised, especially after the shock reunion of Chris Eubank Sr and Eubank Jr hours before the fight.
Despite the lack of titles on the line, Eubank Jr-Benn was a British classic. Now, let’s hope the rematch lives up to the first meeting.
Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev 2
This rematch certainly matched the original fight, the 175lbs division’s top two fighters producing another enthralling encounter.
Heading into the first, both fighters were world champions with unbeaten records, but only Artur Beterbiev would come away from Saudi Arabia in 2024 with all four belts and no blemish on his CV.
The first fight suggested that each fighter had found their ideal dance partner; the second cemented that as fact.
Richard Pelham/Getty Images
A tactical affair that still had enough action to entertain boxing purists and casual fans alike, the end result on the judges’ scorecards was a mirror image to the first.
Beterbiev had won by majority decision in the first bout, the judges scoring it 116-112, 115-113, and 114-114.
This time it was Bivol walking away with a majority decision – the judges again scoring it 116-112, 115-113, and 114-114.
Perfectly matched as they are, both fighters have agreed to run it back for a third time – although no formal negotiations have been finalised.
Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois 2
Boxing fans learnt the hard way earlier this year that big names and big fights do not always produce the best spectacles.
However, that was not the case when Oleksandr Usyk faced Daniel Dubois for a second time, this time for all of the marbles in the heavyweight division.
Having knocked Dubois out in the ninth in their first meeting, fans were left to hypothesise how the second fight would pan out.
Dubois came forward in the first two rounds, but Usyk’s adoption of a counter-punching style was doing major damage.
The same left hook kept finding Dubois in the face, eventually ending the fight. One right hook sent Dubois to the canvas, before a sweeping left hook closed the show.
There will be more exciting fights on this list, bigger upsets, shocks, and comebacks, but seeing someone at the top of their game claim undisputed heavyweight status at Wembley Stadium takes some beating.
Kenshiro Teraji vs Seigo Yuri Akui
How many times do we see a fighter told that they are down on the cards heading into the final round go on to find what they need to win?
Kenshiro Teraji and his corner weren’t to know that heading into the 12th and final round of a WBC and WBA flyweight unification bout they were behind to Seigo Yuri Akui on two of the judge’s scorecards.
If they had known just how tight it was with those two judges, perhaps they would have encouraged even more urgency from their man – Akui was ahead 105-104.
Getty
So, at the very least a knockdown was required, but the general feeling was that Teraji need a stoppage. He managed to find one, twice reigning a barrage of punches upon his opponent.
The second time he managed to stun lock Akui, the referee stepped in, ensuring that Teraji was now the WBA’s champion as well as the WBC titleist at 108lbs.
It wasn’t just the finish that captured the imagination. Despite their size, both men were dishing out concussive punches, simultaneously taking the damage offered by the other.
Frequently one fighter would unload a succession of punches, before quickly finding himself receiving the same treatment. It must be said that Akui’s head movement forced Teraji to miss far more, explaining his position on the scorecards.
With Japan’s penchant for midweek fights, this perhaps slipped under the radar, but it certainly has a claim to being fight of the year.
Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni
In a similar vein, Fabio Wardley needed something special to avoid being upset by Australian Justis Huni in his own backyard in June.
Fighting in front of his hometown at Ipswich Town’s stadium, Portman Road, Wardley was being outpointed and outworked by the younger man. But heavyweight boxing possesses one quality – the ability to change a fight with a single punch.
Huni got sloppy for just a second in the 10th round, allowing Wardley to land a straight counter right. Down Huni went, and by the time he had gotten back up, the fight was over.
Leigh Dawney/Queensberry
Aside from the general sting of losing, Huni will hurt further knowing that he was clear by some distance on all three of the judges’ scorecards – 89-82, 89-82, 88-83.
For Wardley it was a miracle punch, and for the fans, it was a reminder that it can all change in the blink of an eye. The drama of the turnaround elevates this fight onto our list.
Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach
Speaking of drama, Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis’ fight with Lamont Roach was laced with the stuff.
In the end it was scored a majority decision draw, with one judge giving the fight to Davis.
That alone wouldn’t have been too controversial, although many felt that Roach had done enough to upset the favourite, Davis.
Esther Lin & Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
However, what really sparked fury online and in the boxing world was the fact that ‘Tank’ seemingly took a knee in the ninth round, complaining of something in his eye.
That should have been scored a knockdown, but the referee did not punish Davis for taking matters into this own hands. After the fight Davis claimed that some grease used to style his hair prior to the fight had gotten into his eyes.
If the knockdown was properly scored, the majority decision draw would quickly have become a majority decision win for Roach.
An entertaining fight in its own right, the controversy has kept the bout fresh in the memory of fans, with many anticipating the rematch scheduled for August.
Isaac Cruz vs Angelo Fierro
Fan-friendly boxers will always command a crowd, even if there are no world titles on the line. Although Isaac Cruz has since gone on to win the interim WBC super lightweight title, his bout over Angelo Fierro would have been worthy of undisputed status.
Both got to work, exchanging punches in a fair and clean fight. When one fighter was unloading multiple punches, the other was picking their opponent off on the counter, before roles were quickly reversed.
Not knowing who had won, both fighters knew at least they had been involved in a classic based on their reactions to the final bell. The pair embraced and congratulated each other in an emotional way, a brilliant fight bookended by a display of respect between two warriors.
Although it was a tight fight, Cruz took a unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the bout 98-92, 97-93, and 96-94.
The pair were meant to run it back in July, but a ‘medical emergency’ for Fierro prevented the rematch.
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