NEW YORK, NY — The beat continued here as we close 2025, baseball reviewed the best I could and my passion this time is boxing with a year of strength. Also the year of a Saudi Arabia promoter Turki Al-Sheikh, DAZN streaming network as the leader, and Dana White seeking to abolish the Muhammad Ali Boxing Act.
And the continued controversy of three blind mice at ringside with judges scoring. Hey, a knockout or stoppage leaves the scorecards out of the hands of inefficient scoring. Promoters in a frenzy to highlight the young superstars who gravitate fans and earn record purse money.
It was a memorable year for the sport of boxing in 2025 and there’s much more to look forward to heading into the new year – Image Credit: The Ring Magazine
Boxing again was a year of the unusual, fights that were attention grabbers, though mainstream media views this as a circus and warrants limited interest. We are informed via social media, blogs, and Youtube creators as I am one of them with a weekly broadcast @KeepItInTheRing.
Yes, a plug to comment and subscribe to my channel. Promise you wonât be disappointed, then again reading about the fights has been regulated to an unfortunate tragedy or mishap that plants a dark eye on the sport.
And the circus of Jake Paul and MVP Promotions. His appeal and record number of viewers on Netflix, a streaming network that ventured into boxing. In Paul’s two fights, Mike Tyson could have gone with the script and a devastating knockout at the hands of two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
With the mega-fight streamed worldwide on Netflix earlier this month, Jake Paul had no answer for the talented Anthony Joshua – Image Credit: Esther Lin/Most Valuable Promotions
Joshua ended his year with a fatal car accident in Nigeria, avoiding tragedy and sustained minor injuries. Two of his confidants lost their lives and Joshua hopes to lure rival Tyson Fury out of retirement in the new year, a long awaited fight in the United Kingdom that will draw over 80,000 at Wembley Stadium.
Pay-per view fights are costly, another dilemma. Fans subscribe to a network and pay additional PPV fees to watch, much to explain why? But the promoters rack in revenue and to them that matters because a loyal fight fan will watch.
Al-Sheikh and White formed a new league, Zuffa Boxing, that can change the landscape. One champion and attempt to rid the alphabet soup sanctioning organizations (WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO) in each division, promoting young and established stars. A title under the Ring banner and a belt known as Zuffa.
Dana White and Turki Al-Sheikh partnered together this past March to create a new boxing promotion called TKO – Image Credit: TKO
It could work, White always has a vision and boxing needs the revision because confusion and naming a legitimate champion in every division can be to those in the know, including this writer of the beat. Unifying titles never holds.
Oscar De La Hoya, the Hall of Famer and Golden Boy Promoter, continues to rant and rave, advocate for betterment of the sport in a feud with UFC honcho White who ventured into boxing and staged Canelo Alvarez versus Terence Crawford that drew massive numbers—over 41 million globally on Netflix in September.
Crawford dethroned Alvarez, the Mexican icon losing his undisputed super middleweight titles in quest to become top pound-for-pound fighter. Alvarez is on the sideline, Crawford has since announced his retirement and leaves a legacy. Retirement for a fighter? We have heard that too many times.
I donât buy his removal from the active ranks, money is too good to deny. Crawford, like the others, will miss the allure of fans rooting for another knockout performance. And we witnessed 47-year old Manny Pacquiao, an eight-division Hall of Famer, return after four years. He almost got another title and came up short in his quest fighting to a 12-round majority draw while opposing WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
Yes, Netflix is a leader, as is Paul who continued to propel females including former unified champion Amanda Serrano. He built boxing gyms in Puerto Rico and parted some earnings to assist youngsters with goals in inner cities to become champions. Paul, though with a broken jaw, will take a hiatus and think twice about getting in the ring again with an established heavyweight.
Outside of his own career in the ring, Jake Paul has helped propel the sport in major ways for women along with building gyms in Puerto Rico – Image Credit: Esther Lin/Most Valuable Promotions
Crawford revolted against the WBC and trashed the title, a dispute of sanctioning fees. So that title is vacant, the super middleweight division is open with viable contenders, Unfortunate, though, others relinquished belts including the once undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Boxing needs unity, putting all the belts on one champion remains a task and leads to more confusion, though for some unexplained reason, Usyk is still considered undisputed. The heavyweight champion has always been the face of the sport.
Can someone out there identify who holds what in each division? Look it up, an astute boxing observer canât identify the real champion. Pound-for-pound best is a mockery, however thatâs how it works and leads to interesting discussion that keeps boxing on the move.
The pound for pound best across boxing makes for a debate each and every time for fans around the globe – Image Credit: Netflix
Regardless it was a good year for many fighters, promoters, and fans got to see matchups that were delivered, thanks in part to The Turki, Eddie Hearns of Matchroom Boxing, De La Hoya of Golden Boy, and the PBC with limited streams on Amazon Prime.
Top Rank Boxing and ESPN parted ways after a decade, Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum leaves the year without a network a talented roster including 23-year old Xander Zayas of Puerto Rico, the youngest to hold a title, winning the WBO 154-pound belt in July at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.
David âThe Mexican Monsterâ Benavidez is in the pound-for-pound mix, a champion at light heavyweight. The Mexican-American plans next to fight on Cinco De Mayo weekend in early May, once a date for Alvarez and establishing himself as the potential successor though more associated with American heritage.
Regardless, Benavidez has power and intends to win a title in three weight classes, with intentions to move to cruiserweight and challenge WBO champion Gilberto Ramirez. Say goodbye to any potential matchup with Benavidez and Alvarez.
Ryan Garcia is not a legend as the controversial fighter at weights of 140 and 147 has no legacy until he holds a championship belt, losing his return bout in early May in Times Square, a closed and private event that became a disaster for the Turki and Ring of Fury.
Garcia will oppose and challenge Barrios in February for his title.
In his return to the ring in over a year back in May, Ryan Garcia took a loss to Rolly Romero in Times Square NYC – Image Credit: Geoffrey Knott/Matchroom Boxing
Teofimo Lopez came on strong on the same Ring card, stole the show and defeated Arnold Barboza Jr., retaining the WBO interim status (another inept title) at super lightweight. His mega fight for supremacy awaits January 31 opposing Shakur Stevenson in New York City at MSG. A win and Lopez possibly looks at challenging Devin Haney for his WBO welterweight title (147) soon because there has been constant talk. No doubt that Lopez has the power and speed, his mentality is all about focus.
And talk in boxing makes fights, social media propelled more interest as fighters challenge and exchange words on various platforms. It will continue in the year ahead.
An early projection for 2026 is Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson at Madison Square Garden shaping up as a fight of the year candidate – Image Credit: Matchroom Boxing
Other standouts this year in no particular order and looking at more in 2026, note the prevailing list of Latino representation as the culture shift continues:
Erislandy Lara (Cuba), the oldest champion at 42, holding the WBA middleweight title, Carlos Adames (Dominican Republic) WBC middleweight title, Sebastian Fundora (Mexican-American) WBC junior middleweight champion, and Vergil Ortiz Jr. (Mexican-American) WBC interim junior middleweight champion which leads to confusion.
Rolando Romero, the WBA welterweight champion, Subriel Matias (Puerto Rico) WBC junior welterweight champion, Issac âPitbull” Cruz (Mexico) Interim WBC junior welterweight champion, and Raymond Muratalla (Mexico) IBF lightweight champion. Where troubled Gervonta Davis still holds a belt, Emanuel Navarrete (Mexico) holds the WBO junior lightweight title, and Eduardo Nuñez has the IBF title in division.
Out of the gate in 2026 on January 10th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Subriel Matias will go toe-to-toe with Dalton Smith – Image Credit: Top Rank Boxing
Featherweight and WBO champion Rafael Espinoza (Mexico), and Jesse âBam Bamâ Rodriguez (Mexico), the WBA and WBC Junior bantamweight champion, seeking to move up and oppose a pound-for-pound best Naoya Inoue of Japan.
Pardon the punches missed, a recap is a task if names were bypassed. It was that type of year for boxing, The divisions of junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight, junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight all made headlines this year. And the welterweight division once dominated with Crawford has made an impact. Jaron âBootsâ Ennis arrived as an interim junior middleweight champion.
Our fighter of the year candidates at Latino Sports for 2026 are David Benavidez and Terence Crawford – Image Credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing
Fighter of the Year: Debate of course, David Benavidez or Terence Crawford for his accomplishment and dethroning Alvarez.
Keep punching, more to come in the new year and thanks for your continued support and reading content. Happy and Healthy New Year and Keep It In The Ring.
Rich Mancuso is a senior writer and columnist at LatinoSports.com – X: @Ring786, Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
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