Boxing and its fighters have a habit of surprising us. Stars emerge from relative obscurity, underdogs triumph in big fights, startling progress is made by an up-and-comer, or a fading star steps back into the light. Who will be your surprise package of 2025?
Lucas Ketelle: Daniel Dubois. He had his best year as a pro and he might not yet even be in his prime, but realistically Dubois could be one of the best 10 fighters in the world and we are overlooking him.
Owen Lewis: David Morrell. Yes, he’s in a dream fight with David Benavidez, but I don’t think many are projecting future fights for Morrell afterwards with the same optimism and zeal as they are for Benavidez. David B., to his credit, has given Canelo the virtual finger and sought legacy fights in another weight division. Morrell could take the opportunity to fight Bivol or Beterbiev that Benavidez is seeking by beating his fellow David in February.
Declan Warrington: Bakhram Murtazaliev. He’s in perhaps the most dangerous and competitive weight division of all, but lacks the marketability of Terence Crawford, Vergil Ortiz, his former opponent Tim Tszyu and others, which makes the prospect of him making a statement and emerging from their shadows more than possible.
Lance Pugmire: Joseph Parker. He’s looked so good in defeating former champion Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia, and now he gets the opportunity to return as a heavyweight champion in February against new champion Daniel Dubois, who’s apparently looking ahead to an Oleksandr Usyk rematch. Parker may lack the knockout power that fans of the division crave, but he knows how to box and outsmart the competition, and if he gathers that IBF strap, he’s positioned for major bouts throughout the year.
Bernard Neequaye: My dark horse this year would definitely be Daniel Dubois. He managed to beat Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua within the year despite being overlooked in most cases. Dubois’ story is a really interesting one and at age 27, his future is bright.
Eric Raskin: Nobody’s really talking about Brandon Figueroa at the moment — with good reason, as he hasn’t been active at all the last three years. But I’d make him a favorite to get his revenge on Stephen Fulton in February. And he’s as marketable and fan-friendly as they come. It’s high time for “The Heartbreaker” to break out.
Matt Christie: Not a surprise package but a fighter few are now mentioning when it comes to stars of 2025 is Dmitry Bivol. Though I agreed he was just pipped by Artur Beterbiev last year, I’d make him favorite in the rematch. Victory there and the stage at 175 is his.
Elliot Worsell: No idea if he would be considered a dark horse or not, but I’ll pick Hamzah Sheeraz. He had a great 2024 and I predict he will have an even better 2025. He just seems a nightmare for any middleweight to fight and all he needs now is that breakout win.
Tris Dixon: Bakole and Kabayel. Neither are fashionable names in the heavyweight division but both are a problem, and should they come through their respective fights against Ajagba and Zhang respectively, that would be a fun fight.
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