This year it was Oleksandr Usyk who dominated the Fighter of the Year stakes but who will win the gong at the end of 2025?
Lucas Ketelle: My early pick is Shakur Stevenson. He fights in February. If he fights three times in 2025 with two of the wins being notable, I see him as the frontrunner.
Owen Lewis: Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. He’s the elite fighter most comfortably outclassing his opponents this year and might have earned the honor in 2024 if not for the extraordinary Oleksandr Usyk. Next year, I think he’ll continue fighting at the wonderful standard he’s set and won’t have to contend with a resume like Usyk’s in 2024.
Declan Warrington: Naoya Inoue. He’s at the peak of his considerable powers, and plans to fight three times in 2025. There doesn’t appear to be a realistic opponent capable of beating him, which means there’s every chance he’ll record another three knockouts and remind the world, every time, of how cultured, dangerous and ruthless a fighter he is.
Lance Pugmire: Shakur Stevenson. With a February bout on the schedule, a match with William Zepeda ready to follow and perhaps a dream date with perhaps retiring Gervonta Davis to close the year, Newark’s three-division champion has a golden opportunity to participate in the quality bouts his career has lacked while letting his superior skill shine.
Bernard Neequaye: I’m tipping David Benavidez if he’s able to go past David Morrell in February and manages to get a fight with the winner of Artur Beterbiev versus Dmitry Bivol. That would set Benavidez up for a great year.
Eric Raskin: Naoya Inoue is always in the mix and is set up nicely in 2025 to fight three or possibly even four times — and, it follows, to win three or four times. So, he’s the safe bet. But I’ll also toss out a longshot: Daniel Dubois. The opportunity will be there. If he beats Joseph Parker (a medium-sized “if”) and Oleksandr Usyk (a gigantic “if”), it doesn’t matter what Inoue or anybody else does.
Matt Christie: Naoya Inoue to rubberstamp his Hall of Fame credentials with four victories of unquestionable quality. The winner of Beterbiev-Bivol II, if another another big fight follows, could also be in the running.
Elliot Worsell: I’ll go for Jesse Rodriguez. He’s so young and so good and seemingly determined to create his legacy the old-fashioned way. There’s no slowing him down and I don’t see a way anybody beats him, either.
Tris Dixon: It’s also “Bam” for me, not just because of how he fights, but he seems to be one of the few headliners who is actively seeking the biggest challenges.
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