It was the year of idle kings at the elite level of men's boxing in 2025.
Terence Crawford only boxed once in the calendar year for the sixth time in succession. However, it was a victory and legacy-clinching display worth waiting for as Crawford masterfully dethroned super middleweight king Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez to become a three-weight undisputed champion.
Crawford announced his retirement in the afterglow of the Canelo triumph, a perfect mic drop with nothing left to prove. It's fair to wonder how many more times we will see another of this century's pound-for-pound greats in Oleksandr Usyk.
The Ukrainian maestro turned in a spiteful performance as he dropped and stopped Daniel Dubois inside five one-sided rounds at Wembley, beating the British heavyweight quicker and even more comprehensively than he did in their initial 2023 encounter.
That meant Usyk unified all the major belts for a second time, but his July outing in London was his only fight of 2025. He has since vacated the WBA title, and the heavyweight belts are likely to become more fragmented during 2026 as Usyk targets a fight with Deontay Wilder.
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Although faded, adding the American knockout artist to a resume featuring two wins apiece over Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury carries an obvious completists appeal for the greatest big man of his era.
At light heavyweight, Dmitry Bivol claimed deserved revenge over his great rival Artur Beterbiev in February as the Russian pair fought another epic 12-rounder in Riyadh. The rubber match remains to be made after Bivol spent the rest of 2025 nursing injuries.
The exception among the pound-for-pound elite was Japanese sensation Naoya Inoue, who maintained his dominance at super bantamweight by reeling off four victories. Over-matched late replacement Ye Joon Kim was dispatched in four rounds in January before Inoue had to climb off the canvas to win a Las Vegas thriller against Ramon Cardenas in eight.
Murodjon Akhmadaliev was tipped by many observers to be Inoue's sternest test to date at 126 pounds, the fourth division in which 'The Monster' has reigned. In reality, the gifted Uzbek boxer absorbed a lopsided points decision. In December, Alan Picasso endured a similar fate to Akhmadaliev, reaching the final bell but rarely suggesting he might make a dent in Inoue.
Matchroom Boxing/Mark Robinson
Such activity for an all-conquering champion in the modern era is to be applauded and cherished. It's a body of work that gives Inoue a decent claim to being crowned the best in the sport in 2025. The purist's impulse is to reward the boxer who has given the public what they want time and again. Fans will always reflect on a special time watching the great Inoue take on all comers.
But a sober reflection says that, aside from the impressive level of activity, Inoue didn't do anything he wasn't supposed to do this year. He was a heavy favourite against all of his opponents aside from Akhmadaliev, whose pre-fight ambition quickly deserted him.
By contrast, Crawford did something truly astonishing against Canelo. Taken, this is not the version of Alvarez that blazed his way through a succession of undefeated champions to begin his dominance of the 168-pound division, but Crawford's accomplishment is truly historic.
If that was the final time he laces his gloves, what a way to go out. 'Bud' is a five-weight world champion, the sixth male fighter to have such a haul alongside Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Manny Pacquiao. Pretty good company.
Crawford, who first became a world champion when he defeated Ricky Burns at lightweight in 2014, is the first man to be undisputed in three divisions since the great Henry Armstrong in 1938.
Historical context alone cannot account for an annual award, but boxing against an all-time great in a division 33 pounds heavier than the one in which he first reigned must be appreciated for the astonishing feat it is. Canelo did not box badly on the night; he simply faced a man on another plane in terms of tactics, skill and execution. Crawford did not adopt elusive tactics; instead boxing at mid-range to sting Canelo cleanly and often.
It's notable that, among the weight-hoppers listed, world-title wins in the heaviest division they ruled generally arrived with some helpful matchmaking. De La Hoya burgled a decision over Felix Sturm to win the WBO middleweight title, while a shopworn Antonio Margarito was never likely to be anything other than cannon-fodder in between a rampant Pacquiao and the vacant WBC super welterweight crown.
Crawford, by contrast, took on his biggest challenge and produced a masterpiece. That's what greatness looks like, and that's why he is the AllSportsPeople' Men's Fighter of the Year for 2025, his second time earning the honor.
AllSportsPeople' Men's Fighter of the Year
Dmitry Bivol (2022) | Terence Crawford (2023) | Oleksandr Usyk (2024) | Terence Crawford (2025)