Last year blessed boxing fans with long-awaited fights between some of the best fighters in the world. That hasn’t always been the case in a sport as dominated by politics as boxing.
January tends to be a slow month in the sport, which gives us an opportunity to look ahead at the gifts we hope to receive in the coming year. Many elite fighters have clear and obvious opponents they should face, while others may need to look outside their home divisions for the most intriguing and legacy-building fights.
With all that in mind, the CBS Sports boxing experts sat down to figure out the fights we most hope to see come together in 2025. Let’s take a look at those fights and the reasoning behind wanting to see them come together.
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois
Dubois had the kind of year his fans had long hoped for in 2024, beating Filip Hrgovic to win the interim IBF heavyweight championship, later being promoted to full champion and then defending that championship with a knockout of Anthony Joshua in a British mega-fight inside Wembley Stadium. The year was a breakthrough that placed Dubois among the heavyweight elite and put a world title around his waist for the first time in his career, though not a title without an asterisk.
That world title was only available for Dubois to capture thanks to boxing politics taking it out of Usyk’s grasp. Usyk had become four-belt undisputed champion earlier in the year with his win over Tyson Fury only to have the IBF strip him of their title for not fighting a mandatory challenger and instead proceeding with his contractually-obligated Fury rematch.
Usyk and Dubois have already fought once, with Usyk scoring a ninth-round stoppage in August 2023. That fight had a minor controversy when Dubois appeared to have scored a knockdown with a body shot only to have it ruled a low blow by the referee. That’s enough drama left on the table that following Usyk’s win in the Fury rematch Dubois entered the ring and demanded a rematch, this time for the undisputed championship. It’s the top fight to make at heavyweight in 2025.
David Benavidez or David Morrell vs. Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol
Beterbiev and Bivol met in October to crown an undisputed light heavyweight champion, with Beterbiev scoring a controversial majority decision victory. The pair are now set to rematch on Feb. 22 in what is still a clash between the two best light heavyweights on the planet.
As intriguing as the rematch is, what comes next is nearly as interesting. Benavidez and Morrell were both the top challengers to super middleweight king Saul “Canelo” Alvarez for years only to see Alvarez repeatedly say he was not interested in granting either man a shot at his belts, so both moved up in weight in the hopes that they’d be able to finally seek championship gold. That has all led to the two men being paired for a Feb. 1 showdown that will crown the only logical option for the winner of the rematch between Beterbiev and Bivol.
There was some debate among the CBS Sports experts over whether it would be more intriguing for Beterbiev (should he win the Bivol rematch) to move to cruiserweight in hopes of facing former amateur rival Usyk at the weight or both men staying in their respective divisions. In the end, both divisions are healthier if their elite champions remain in place to face the best challengers available.
Teofimo Lopez vs. Ryan Garcia
After going out of his way to miss weight and then failing multiple drug tests for his fight with Devin Haney, it’s a struggle to want to reward Garcia with a big fight. That said, Garcia vs. Lopez would be a very big fight and boxing needs fights to draw the level of attention this one would. Garcia has gone off the deep end with conspiracy theory talk and his behavior around the Haney fight — a fight in which he turned in the best in-ring performance of his career before having his decision win overturned — was inexcusable, but it all has only served to increase his popularity with a segment of the population.
Lopez is a strange case in his own right. Just a few years ago, he seemed to be positioned to be one of the top stars in the sport for the foreseeable future. However, several inconsistent performances have tamped down those expectations. Add that to Lopez’s own strange behavior outside the ring and you have a bizarre but compelling pairing between two fighters who have exchanged words and challenged each other to fights in the past.
Gervonta Davis vs. Shakur Stevenson
It seems a potential fight between Davis and Stevenson comes up every few months. There’s good reason for that, with both men not only routinely calling the other out, but both representing the young faces that will dominate the discussions of the best fighters in the lower weight classes for years to come.
The hype around Stevenson has quieted a bit due to recent performances that have often been difficult, dull watches for fans. Despite those showings, he’s still one of the most technically gifted fighters in the sport and there’s no fight where he would be expected to be outclassed.
Davis has become arguably the most popular fighter in boxing and his fights don’t often disappoint. With underrated technical skills and blistering power, Davis patiently looks for openings before putting opponents down with ferocity.
The problem for both men is that their level of opposition isn’t always meeting their talents. That could be easily addressed by both fighters finally signing on the dotted line after clearing the fights they currently have in front of them.
Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani
Inoue sits at either No. 1 or 2 on almost every notable pound-for-pound list for good reason. Inoue’s success has been so incredible across multiple weight classes, including going undisputed at bantamweight and junior featherweight. Rare is the fight where Inoue seems actually challenged, no matter the quality of the fighter in the opposite corner. While a fight with Murodjon Akhmadaliev likely looms after Inoue’s expected Jan. 24 demolition of Sam Goodman, it’s possible Inoue’s standard late December date could be open for a massive all-Japan showdown.
Nakatani doesn’t get the same amount of international love as Inoue, but that’s to the detriment of everyone sleeping on him. Nakatani is 29-0 and has held world championships in three divisions, including his current stint as WBC bantamweight champ. 2024 was spent with Nakatani scoring three impressive knockouts in title defenses, all leading to him earning an honorable mention spot in the CBS Sports Fighter of the Year list.
There are few fights as intriguing as Nakatani vs. Inoue in a December showdown in Tokyo. If things can line up to make that happen, the winner could be lined up to take home the honor of being 2025’s Fighter of the Year.
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