Boxing
2025 Box Contenders: Who can win Fighter of the Year?
Published
1 year agoon
The remaining four months in the 2025 boxing schedule, there is no clear frontator for Fighter of the Year. From the unilateral impact of Daniel Dubois through Oleksandra Usyk to Dmitry Bivol, who avenged his defeat with Artur Beterbavier for the undisputed lightweight championships, great results took place throughout the year. However, there is no performance that creates a sufficient distance to distinguish one warrior from the package.
There are still several solemn fights in this year’s schedule that can bring performances in conversation. Terenka Crawford challenges Canelo Alvarez about the unquestioned super -medium scale championships that stands out. However, several other fighters also have the option of strongly closing the year and justification.
We look at some of the fights that have already been announced, as well as the fighters we expect again before the end of the year. What will they have to do to strengthen their place as the warrior of the ESPN 2025 year?
Terenca Crawford, if he defeats Canelo Alvarez
Yes, it would be the only fight of Crawford this year, but the transfer of two weight classes in order to overcome Canelo stapling to the pounds and become a three -part unquestioned master would have a greater value than two or three fights anyone else.
There was a time when we thought Crawford would be too tiny for Errol Spence Jr., when they met at the undisputed welterweight championships in July 2023 and we saw how it went. For Crawford, who began his championship in 135 pounds, to advance up and beat Canelo, all time, who has never lost in 168 pounds, would be a revelation. Let’s not forget that Crawford will be 38 years aged in September and is almost three years older than Canelo.
Depending on how Crawford was to win, he would not only strengthen his place as a warrior of the year, but also would lead to solemn consideration, where the career “Buda” is one of the biggest boxers.
Rolando “Rolly” Romero, if he lands in Manny Pacquiao and wins
Losers with a knockout from Gervont “Tank” Davis in 2022 and Isaac Cruz in 2024 left Romero as an opponent, not a future candidate for Fighter of the Year. However, he upset the apple stroller, defeating Ryan Garcia with a unanimous decision in May and is high on the list of potential Pacquiao opponents during his next fight.
The Pacquiao manager, Sean Gibbons, mentioned Romero by name and aims to the Philippine legend to return to the ring before the end of 2025 with aspiration to break his own record as the oldest warrior who became a welterweight champion (Pacquiao ends on December 47), the fight with Master WBA has a lot of sense.
As for the fight itself, Romero still has a significant power to hit and looked enormous against Garcia. While the fight against Garcia was not Barnburner in any episode of imagination, Romero showed several recent wrinkles in his game and defended the left hook very well against Garcia’s trademark. If he could beat Pacquiao, he would have a prize claim.
Katie Taylor, if he faces Chantelle Cameron
After closing the book about the Amanda Serrano trilogy with a clear win in July, Taylor can finally go on and chase another opponent. The fight, which is the most sensible for the undisputed welterweight master, is a rubber match with Cameron, the only warrior who defeated Taylor in his professional career.
The fight is simple to do when Cameron has signed a contract with Jake Paul’s most valuable promotions and debuting promotional on Taylor-Serrano 3 Undercard, a unanimous decision on Jessica Camar.
Cameron defeated Taylor by the decision of the majority in May 2023 and lost a narrow decision in the rematch in November 2023. Given the strictly imported nature of the first two meetings, the third fight is an obvious choice. If Taylor could win impressive, it would be challenging to ignore the Fighter of the Year conversation.
Nayya Inoue, if he defeats Murodjona Akhmadalieva and take another fight in December
This year, “The Monster” was crazy with the knockout Ye Joon Kim and Ramon Cardenas and will take the third fight in 2025, when he will face Akhmadaliev on September 14. While the very victory over “MJ” may not make Inoue be the fourth fighter of the year, the fourth fight in 2025 will certainly put him in the conversation.
Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the general entertainment authority of Saudi Arabia, announced the plans of the December battle card, in which Inoue defended his unquestioned Junior Junior Championships in WBC, David Picasso, who decides to most against Kyonosuke Kameda on Barrio-Mario.
If Inoue can go 4-0 with four knockouts this year, he could come out with distinction.
Moses Itauma, if he faces the 10 best bulky scales
Ituma is only 20 years aged, but he has gone from the perspective to compete in the blink of an eye. His annihilation of Dillian Whyte in the first round of August 16 was a terrifying example of his potential. Between the Mike Balogun’s two -level couple in May, the heavyweight herd of Ituma glides through the roof. In 2025 he dealt with in less than six minutes of fighting, and return before the end of the year is very likely.
Ituma mentioned the fight against the strong Jermaine Franklin for a lap. However, with Franklin fighting now on Canelo-Crawford Undercard, Ituma will have to look for an opponent elsewhere, and the fight against TOP-10 can be a strenuous way.
Filip Hrgovic, who defeated David Adeleye to Podkard Itauma-Cyte, makes sense. Or Itauma can continue to fight the former momentary champion of Zhilei Zhang, who lost to Agit Kabayel in February. If Ituma fights with any best weight and wins, it will be challenging to exclude it from the conversation.
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, if he defeats Fernando Martinez
Rodriguez added to his collection of belts in smaller weight classes in 2025 with an impressive stop of the 10th round of Phumelele Cafu in July to become the Bantamweight WBO champion. He was already the owner of the WBC title. The 25 -year -old Rodriguez is still impressive on his newborn career and is to face the owner of the IBF Martinez title in November on the arranged Ring IV card, headed by David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde.
The way Rodriguez still sends opponents is extremely opening eyes, and he will have the opportunity to take an invincible record of another warrior and closer to the undoubted 115 pounds. A lot would have to go on his way, outside of him, winning this fight so that Rodriguez take Fighter of the Year Honors, but “Bam” is always in conversation.
Shakur Stevenson, if he moves to 140 pounds or defends his 135 title before the best claimant
Stevenson has 2-0 in 2025 with the dominant victories over Josh Padley and William Zeda. His ability was never questioned, and his invigorating fight against Zepeda in July, oppressing nutsayers who claim that Stevenson’s fights are tedious. He hunted for fighting with Gervont Davis and Teofimo Lopez. With Davis closed to fight Jake Paul and Lopez still on the radio after Stevenson called for the fight for 140 pounds, Stevenson’s options for a great fight for closing 2025 are restricted.
There is always a possibility that he will visit the previously planned fight against Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield. They were to meet in February, but Schofield had to withdraw due to illness. Schofield returned in June when he destroyed Farmer Tevin to Undercard Jake Paul-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The fight between Stevenson and Schofield would now be much larger than it was originally planned.
Stevenson can also continue to fight the IBF Richardson Hitchins Hitchins Hitchins Health Master or compete in a 135-pound unification against the owner of the IBF Raymond Muratalla titles. None of these fights would make Stevenson Shoo-in for Fighter of the Year, but if he contributes to another dazzling performance, you never know.
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Boxing
Davies vs Collins & Heaney vs Warburton II Results: Full Fight Recap
Published
10 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
World Boxing News provides results and updates as Liam Davies faces Nathaniel Collins in the main event at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham.
Davies and Collins collide over 12 rounds for the EBU European featherweight title at the top of the Queensberry Promotions card.
Luke McCormack faces Kay Prospere for the vacant British super lightweight title, while Bradley Goldsmith takes on Amir Abubaker for the IBF International middleweight title.
WBN provides results and updates from every bout as they happen.
Results
All times are local BST.
23:11
Gerome Warburton defeated Nathan Heaney for the second time running as the middleweight put an exclamation mark on his first victory.
Heaney walks away from the sport having been an entertainer through a long carer, without reaching the heights of a world title.
22:04
Liam Davies improved to 19-1 after Nathaniel Collins retired at the end of the seventh round due to a cut over his right eye. Collins had also been dropped in the opening round as Davies successfully defended the European featherweight title.
21:22
Bradley Goldsmith improved to 17-1 with a seventh-round stoppage of Amir Abubaker to retain his IBF International middleweight title. Abubaker went down in the fourth and three times in the seventh before the finish at 2:42.
20:10
Lewis Richardson improved to 3-0 with a shutout six-round points victory over Ivan Trofimovich, earning a 60-54 decision.
19:56
Luke McCormack moved to 6-0 and claimed the vacant British super lightweight title with a tenth-round knockout of Kay Prospere, who was counted out after a right uppercut at 1:28.
18:55
Michael Hussain moved to 5-0 with a four-round points victory over Nabil Ahmed, earning a 39-38 decision.
18:11
Nelson Birchall moved to 12-0 with a third-round stoppage of Lewis Morris, who went down before the finish came at 1:12. Lasha Guruli also remained unbeaten at 5-0 after edging Hughie Wilson 77-75 over eight rounds.
17:22
Early action saw John Tom Varey and Reese Lynch claim four-round victories to move to 3-0 and 5-0 respectively.
TV Coverage
DAZN provides full worldwide coverage.
Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.
Boxing
Janibek Alimkhanuly Shifts Perspective on Hamzah Sheeraz: A New Dynamic in Boxing
Published
12 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
Janibek Alimkhanuly spent months trying to get Hamzah Sheeraz into the ring. Now that Sheeraz has vacated his WBO super middleweight title, Janibek is asking fans to stop saying the former champion ran from him. That is generous. It also leaves Janibek with less to say about a fight he wanted badly.
He’s not afraid of me. He didn’t run from me. He made his decision based on his own plans. He has his own goals! He’s my brother, and I ask everyone to stop saying he ran from me. He’s a great fighter, and I have nothing but respect for him! @sheeraz_hamzah 🫂 pic.twitter.com/uxZlegqSmH
— Janibek Alimkhanuly (@qazaqstyle) September 26, 2026
Janibek’s tone has changed since the purse bid. He was eager to fight, said money was not his priority, and publicly pushed Sheeraz to accept. Queensberry then bid $1,001,809 to stage the ordered defense, beating Top Rank’s $820,000 offer. Sheeraz’s 75 percent share would have been roughly $751,000. Days later, he gave up the belt.
That sequence deserves a closer look. Queensberry put a serious number on the fight, so the bid itself cannot be dismissed as proof that nobody valued it. But winning the right to promote a title defense means little to fans when the champion vacates before it happens.
Sheeraz has objected to Janibek receiving a mandatory shot after his failed drug test. He is entitled to explain that position. Fans are equally entitled to ask why the issue reached a purse bid before he surrendered the title. Janibek’s post supplies no answer.
Perhaps Janibek sees no benefit in branding Sheeraz a coward. Doing so would also make the opponent he chased sound less valuable. Calling Sheeraz a great fighter preserves the idea that this was an important contest, even after the belt and the fight slipped away.
The respect between them may be sincere. Janibek still gets no Sheeraz fight, and Sheeraz no longer has to defend his title against Janibek. A friendly photo does not change either result.
About the author
Boxing 24/7 Wire
Boxing247.com is an independent boxing news publication covering the sport since 2001. It provides original reporting, fight analysis, schedules, results, and informed coverage of major fighters and events worldwide, backed by more than 25 years of professional boxing journalism.
Boxing
Virginia Confirms Decision to Erase Prichard Colón Loss from Records
Published
13 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
Virginia has given World Boxing News its final answer on whether Prichard Colón’s last professional defeat can still be challenged, bringing an end to WBN’s long fight to have the result annulled and removed from his record.
WBN has pursued the possibility of changing the controversial disqualification defeat to Terrel Williams, with those efforts continuing following Colón’s death at age 33.
Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation previously explained that a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the result.
WBN pressed Eric Beidel, Communications & Digital Media Manager for the Department of Professional & Occupational Regulation, on whether any avenue remained to challenge the decision.
“And on that final question … as mentioned before, a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the results,” Beidel graciously responded after providing WBN with transparent answers throughout the investigation.
“In addition, a complaint about a regulatory violation must be filed within three years of the alleged violation.”
The Colón-Williams fight took place on October 17, 2015, meaning that deadline expired years ago.
Virginia Closes Appeal Route
Virginia’s response also addressed whether the result could instead be challenged through an appeal.
“The Administrative Process Act (APA) does create appeal rights to case decisions, but because DPOR never received a complaint in this instance, there was no case or decision that could be appealed under the APA.”
The deadline for filing a complaint about a regulatory violation has expired, while the absence of an original complaint means there is no case decision available to appeal under the APA.
For WBN, Virginia’s response ends a long fight to have the defeat annulled and removed from Colón’s professional record.

WBN’s Fight for Prichard Colón
It is no secret that WBN and Prichard were close before the most tragic night of his career ended all contact and left us on the outside for the years leading up to his death.
That never stopped WBN from reporting on Prichard, campaigning for change and hoping lessons from what happened to him could help prevent another fighter and family from enduring the same tragedy.
Virginia’s final response may end WBN’s attempts to have the result changed, but it does not end our commitment to Prichard.
Prichard Colón will not be forgotten.
WBN will continue to keep his name alive whenever and wherever possible with the WBN Boxer Pageand push to ensure his fight for life and everything that happened in its aftermath are never allowed to simply disappear from boxing’s memory.
This investigation ends here, but Prichard’s story does not.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.
Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.
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Davies vs Collins & Heaney vs Warburton II Results: Full Fight Recap
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