What can boxing bring us in 2025? As the year comes to a close, we’ve seen champions who have proven themselves to be the best in their respective divisions, while others have stepped aside to make room for the new generation, sparking excitement for the future.
In my heart, I have a personal wish to witness matchups that could be stellar—the kind that keeps you glued to your seat, unable to take your eyes off what might happen during the fight. For example, I’d love to see the heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk and the current light heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev reach an agreement on a suitable catchweight to face each other. Such a bout could leave everyone breathless.
Usyk, with his phenomenal technique honed since childhood, is a complete fighter and a true strategist, while Beterbiev boasts an impressive record with a KO percentage exceeding 95%.
Another fantastic match would be between Naoya Inoue—arguably the pound-for-pound number one—and the rising star and current super flyweight world champion Jesse Rodriguez. Sure, there are currently two weight divisions separating them, but dreaming costs nothing.
Yet another eagerly anticipated showdown could be the clash between the undisputed super middleweight king Canelo Alvarez—one of the greatest boxers of all time—and the undefeated David Benavidez, who has been loudly calling for a chance to face the Mexican champion for years.
An additional fascinating challenge would be a bout between Terence Crawford, who, in my view, is among the top three boxers in the world today, and the electrifying and fearless Gervonta Davis. It might seem like an unrealistic matchup given the three weight divisions currently separating them, but these legendary champions have often shown the ability to move seamlessly between divisions. Crawford is currently putting on weight to challenge Canelo, but I believe that with the right financial offer, he and Davis could agree on an intermediate weight.
I would also draw attention to other boxers who, due to their technical skills and creativity, could be wild cards and pose insurmountable challenges: Dmitry Bivol, Shakur Stevenson, Jaron Ennis, Erislandy Lara, and Junto Nakatani—nearly all of them reigning world champions in their respective divisions.
Why do I mention these names? Simple: the reason is that, currently, undisputed champions can be counted on one hand. In most cases, the current world champions in various divisions compete for supremacy with their counterparts from the different global organizations (WBA, WBO, WBC, IBF). The boxers I’ve mentioned are the ones I’d most like to see engaged in unification bouts.
It would be ideal to see an agreement between the sanctioning bodies to crown a single world champion in every division. This way, we could more frequently witness thrilling bouts—a mix of emotions and enjoyment of the spectacle offered by today’s international boxing champions!