Boxing's Fight of the Year 2025: Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev showcase the science at its sweetest

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When boxing is at its finest, it's very difficult for any other sport in the world to match it.

That was never more apparent than on Feb. 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when pound-for-pound boxers Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev clashed in a rematch for the undisputed light heavyweight crown.

Bivol vs. Beterbiev was long believed to be one of the best fights in all of boxing, so when the sport finally delivered it in October 2024, all eyes of the pugilistic world cast upon the city of Riyadh to witness expected greatness. The pair delivered a terrific first fight, which was contested at the highest levels the sport could offer — but that wasn't what left people talking. That night, Beterbiev was crowned undisputed champion via majority decision, but, ironically, his claim to being the best light heavyweight in the world was still very much in dispute.

Although two judges believed Beterbiev did enough to have his hands raised, many within the fight game didn't share that belief. It wasn't a robbery by any means, but plenty of observers thought Bivol had done enough to earn a narrow victory. Turki Alalshikh — who was funding the fight through his Riyadh Season venture — also didn't agree with the scorecards, and so an immediate rematch was made.

Bivol and Beterbiev didn't have the spotlight all to themselves, either. Their second meeting was the main event on a card many believed was boxing's best in more than two decades. Callum Smith and Joshua Buatsi opened the night (yes, you read that right) in a Fight of the Year contender for the WBO interim light heavyweight title. Zhilei Zhang and Agit Kabayel traded knockdowns, Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Carlos Adames had controversy, Vegil Ortiz Jr. scored the best win of his career, and Joseph Parker made light work of late-replacement Martin Bakole. It was a terrific night of action, and the pressure mounted on the modern-day greats, Bivol and Beterbiev, to cap it off with one of the best fights in recent times.

They definitely didn't disappoint.

Bivol began the proceedings behind his accurate jab — one of the best in all of boxing — and managed to throw eye-catching flurries to add to his tally in the early rounds, much like he did in the first fight.

In their inaugural meeting, Beterbiev came on strong from Round 6 onward, but in the rematch, Beterbiev's forward pressure and power punches began winning frames from around the fourth. Beterbiev continued to get stronger — he was the more active fighter, troubling Bivol with his relentless aggression and the force of his punches. By Round 7, not only was Beterbiev in front, but the momentum was firmly in his favor.

At that point, it looked like it was going to be a long way back for Bivol to win the rematch, and that Beterbiev would have his night again — but then Bivol did what only great champions can do. He made the adjustments to turn the tide, using his footwork to evade Beterbiev's pressure and combination-punching to assert himself in the contest. Suddenly, Bivol was a difficult target for Beterbiev to find. Beterbiev tried to break the distance but became a victim of Bivol's precise four-to-five punch flurries.

Bivol's second wind came at the perfect time. Just when he was starting to get back into the fight, Beterbiev began to slow. Bivol controlled the bout from Rounds 8-11, and although Beterbiev edged the 12th, it wasn't enough for him to keep his belts. This time, the judges got it right and Bivol was crowned the undisputed champion in a tremendous battle that epitomized the sweet science of boxing.

The pair were supposed to collide in a trilogy in the second half of 2025, but it hasn't yet materialized. Bivol looks headed toward an IBF mandatory title defense against Michael Eifert in the spring of 2026, with hopes that a third fight against Beterbiev can be made for the summer.

ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - 2025/03/14: World champion in light heavyweight boxing Dmitry Bivol, greets fans during a briefing at the KSK Arena in St. Petersburg. Absolute light heavyweight boxing world champion Dmitry Bivol held a meeting with fans at the KSK Arena in St. Petersburg. The boxer answered a number of questions that were asked to him during the briefing, took photos with fans and signed autographs. (Photo by Artem Priakhin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

2. Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn 1

Fight fans could sense that Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn was going to be a special night for British boxing long before a single punch had been thrown.

It was a fight in the making for nearly three years. Failed drug tests, egg-slaps and vocal protests from Chris Eubank Sr. were among the many obstacles we were forced to overcome. When fight day finally arrived, boxing fans hoped that after all the waiting for the second-generation clash, it would live up to the hype.

It ended up delivering in drama earlier than anyone had expected. A cacophony of noise accompanied Eubank Sr.'s shocking arrival at the venue just a couple of hours before the main event. A British boxing legend, Eubank Sr. claimed throughout the lead-up that he wouldn't be present at the fight and declared it a mockery of the sport, but in true Eubank-esque fashion, when a camera was there, so was he.

The stage was officially set for a historic battle, and Eubank Jr. and Benn knew better than to let down their last names. Benn poured on the pressure on the much larger and technically-smarter Eubank for 36 minutes. It was a strategy that employed heart over head. He walked into many a jabs from Eubank, but was content to do so in the hope of landing a big punch of his own.

Benn scored the first big breakthrough in the fight, rocking Eubank in Round 3 with a left hook. Eubank boxed the first half of the contest on his back foot and from Round 7 onward began to meet Benn head-on for exchanges, using his size and power advantages. Benn's knees buckled from a Eubank hook in Round 8, and he absorbed a lot of punishment in a thrilling 12th round at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

After the end of 36 minutes, Eubank was declared the winner, but both men's stocks rose that night. Benn's bullish approach was the reason the fight was so brilliant, but in the rematch, he was a lot smarter — and the result was a lot different.

3. Abdullah Mason vs. Sam Noakes

When two young, unbeaten, talented fighters put it all on the line in their bids for a first world title, how can it not produce something brilliant?

Abdullah Mason was considered one of the best prospects in boxing at the time, but if you asked Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions, they would've said the same about their man, Sam Noakes. Noakes' chances were criminally underrated heading into the November matchup, and although he didn't win, he left with the credit of being considered a legitimate contender at 135 pounds.

Mason edged Noakes in an action-packed slugfest over 12 rounds at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Noakes forced Mason to trade with him at close quarters, and across the 36 minutes, Mason showed that he has the heart of a champion. It was a bout filled with ebbs and flows, where neither could quite get ahead of the other. Mason hurt Noakes with a body shot in Round 10, but Noakes bit down on his gumshield to survive the round and enjoyed success in the penultimate frame.

Mason became the youngest current men's world champion in boxing — but he had to do it the hard way.

4. Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas

Naoya Inoue hadn't left his native Japan for a fight since June 2021, and when he did take on Michael Dasmarinas that night four years ago, it was in front of a limited crowd because of the COVID restrictions still in place at the time. So in truth, Inoue hadn't fought in front of a proper international crowd since May 2019, and not in the U.S. since September 2017.

But a lot has changed for Inoue in recent years, most notably his fan base. Inoue is no longer an unknown fighter in 2025 — he is a star. When he returned to the U.S. in May, he did so against the little-known Ramon Cardenas at the 20,000-capacity T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was unheard of for a fighter at Inoue's weight to headline at such a venue, never mind a Japanese fighter who hadn't fought in front of a crowd on U.S. soil in eight years.

Inoue was a megastar in Japan, but here was his chance to prove his ability to the mass audience stateside. Cardenas was an unheralded fighter who was expected to be a comfortable night's work for Inoue. He was nothing of the sort, though.

Having gotten used to knocking out overmatched opposition in quick time, Inoue went in for the finish at the earliest possible opportunity — and then Cardenas shocked the boxing world and floored the careless champion in Round 2 with a left-hand counter.

What followed was a terrific back-and-forth fight. Inoue had to stay switched on against Cardenas at all times. It was enjoyable to watch a fighter really test Inoue and make him think. Inoue, being the great that he is, recovered to break Cardenas down, flooring the challenger in Round 7 and then ultimately stopping him in the following frame.

5. Kenshiro Teraji vs. Sergio Yuri Akui

Kenshiro Teraji was trailing on two cards heading into the final round of his unification bout with Sergio Yuri Akui in March at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. He knew he'd need something dramatic to turn things around in the final three minutes.

So it appeared that Teraji made a conscious decision heading into Round 12 — if he was going to lose his belt, he'd rather go out swinging. After 11 great rounds, Teraji had one final gear to go, while Akui was running on empty. He bulldozed Akui in the final frame with relentless effort, searching for a knockout, and he managed to force a stoppage with just 89 seconds to go in the historic all-Japanese unification.