A concerning boxing trend is gathering pace, and fighters deserve better

In 2025, the old sport survived the shocking death of a hero, the absence of Tyson Fury, and a win in a carnival fight by Anthony Joshua just days before a tragic accident.

It was an exceptional year of highs, lows and ridiculous on both sides of the ropes. There were high-profile defections, stadium sell-outs, and stunning knockouts. There were also allegations of fixed fights, men quitting in major fights, and too many deaths on the safe side of the ropes.

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There were three major stadium fights in Britain during the year, with a combined live gate of about 220,000 people; there were smaller stadium fights and probably 10 fights with 15,000 fans at indoor arenas. In September, for the first time since it started in 1974, the World Amateur Championships came to Britain; the action in Liverpool was exceptional, the coverage abysmal.

Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr filled Tottenham’s ground for 24-rounds of thrills, tears and pain. Their first fight was brutal, with both barely walking at the end. Eubank Jr got the decision and deserved the decision. Benn was in tears, Eubank Jr in the back of an ambulance with dehydration and exhaustion. Seven months later they did it again; Benn won comfortably, Eubank Jr was never in the fight. It was captivating, but not the savage fight they delivered the first time. Boxers have boundaries, and they know them, especially against old opponents; Benn and Eubank had nothing to prove in the second fight.

In July, over 90,000 packed Wembley to watch Oleksandr Usyk drop and stop Daniel Dubois in round five; Usyk became undisputed champion again on the night. Dubois was accused of many things in defeat, some malicious and untrue. To me, from six feet away, he looked badly hurt. The criticism was harsh.

Indeed, the criticism of boxers in defeats reached a low in 2025. In the decades of covering this noble sport, I’m not sure I have heard so many boxers called cowards, useless or something worse. It is a disturbing trend from boxing’s modern media.

Nick Ball retained his WBA featherweight title two times; Liverpool’s Jazza Dickens was upgraded to WBA super-featherweight champion, and the same thing happened to Fabio Wardley. It was a stunning year for Wardley; he beat Justis Huni in round 10 when he was heavily trailing, then dramatically stopped Joseph Parker for the interim WBO heavyweight title. A week or so later, Usyk relinquished the WBO title, and Wardley became the full champion.

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The vacant British heavyweight championship was won by Jeamie TKV in a brawl with Frazer Clarke live on BBC 2; it was both a great return, after a gap of 20 years, for the BBC and a reminder of just how bloody and hard the sport is. In many ways, the TKV and Clarke fight on terrestrial television served as a timely reminder that boxing is not about Love Island rejects slapping away at clueless influencers in a so-called boxing match. Clarke’s commitment was total; his loss was shattering. It was a dubious privilege to watch the scrap from ringside.

Anthony Yarde lost a world-title fight in Saudi Arabia, Hamzah Sheeraz got a disputed draw in a world-title fight at the same location. Sheeraz had a big win in New York a few months later to set up a big 2026. In his beloved Belfast, Lewis Crocker outboxed Paddy Donovan to win the vacant IBF welter title. Sandy Ryan lost a world-title fight in Las Vegas, and Catford’s Ellie Scotney added a world title belt to her collection in New York. Lauren Price beat Tasha Jonas at the Royal Albert Hall for three welterweight world titles in a gala night; Caroline Dubois was on the same bill and then defended her WBC light title in Miami. Terri Harper managed just one defence of her WBO lightweight belt. It was not a vintage year for the women.

Some domestic fights were extraordinary; Callum Smith’s win over Joshua Buatsi in Riyadh in February was a fight of the year contender and Conah Walker’s last-round win over Pat McCormack in Monte Carlo was also a great fight. The Walker fight should have been for the British title but was overseas and out of domestic jurisdiction. Walker is the champion. The hype and expectation surrounding the rematch between heavyweights Dave Allen and Johnny Fisher was incredible; Allen got revenge, stopping Fisher in the fifth.

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One of the greatest British heavyweights, Joe Bugner, died in September; he was 75 and, in the Seventies and Eighties, had met the giants of the ring, twice losing on points to Muhammad Ali. The deaths of forgotten idols and British champions Mark Kaylor and James Cook deserved more publicity.

When Ricky Hatton was declared dead in September, it felt like the whole sport was placed on hold, placed in a despairing limbo as people tried to make sense of the loss. His funeral at Manchester Cathedral had a regal feel. Hatton had dominated the sport and his death made both perfect sense and no sense. He was only 46 and still dearly loved by the thousands who followed his every fight. It is a tragedy that so few of us watched Ricky’s other fight, the one he lost on a lonely night at home.

There was a wild and tragic end to the year for Joshua. He knocked out Jake Paul in a glorious carnival fight in Miami six days before Christmas, and then 10 days later was injured in a fatal car crash in Nigeria. Joshua lost two close friends in the crash: members of his team.

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The Paul fight was watched by 30m on Netflix; the boxers shared over $100m. They were both winners. In the end, just two days before the new year, the whole Miami sideshow was forgotten; it never mattered to Joshua, he survived the carnage and that is all that really mattered.