With the 2025 boxing calendar now halfway complete, BoxingScene is checking in with its staff to identify the early frontrunners for our annual awards. Today, we consider Round of the Year.
More BoxingScene 2025 midyear awards:
Elliot Worsell: Although tempting and obvious to go for the most action-packed round, I’ll go for Round 8 of Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol II. That, for me, was the moment when Bivol finally found his groove and started pulling away in the fight. It demonstrated the brains and brilliance of Bivol and it put paid to all of Beterbiev’s earlier success.
Lance Pugmire: I’m going to choose the most eventful round of the year thus far, which contained the March 1 knockdown that wasn’t by junior lightweight titleholder Lamont Roach Jnr of lightweight belt holder Gervonta Davis, which preserved a draw for the unbeaten “Tank” and sends us to an August 16 rematch between the pair.
Accurate or not, the perceived favoritism of Davis by referee Steve Willis – who a) should have ruled the ninth-round hard right and sudden left to the head a knockdown; and b) should have dinged popular pay-per-view draw Davis and trainer Calvin Ford for wiping the fighter’s eyes after he took a knee – shows how bias shapes outcomes among the sport’s arbiters, who too often make rulings and score based on what’s “supposed to happen.” Hopefully, the Davis-Roach episode is a teaching point that can improve the sport moving forward.
Owen Lewis: I’ll go off the beaten path: David Benavidez-David Morrell Jnr, Round 4. Towards the end of the round, the light heavyweights traded right hands, and Benavidez appeared to rock Morrell into the ropes. But Morrell’s did even more damage, putting Benavidez on shaky legs and spinning him around into the corner. Faced with as much danger as he would stare down all night, Benavidez refused to hold, fighting off the ropes – and even grinned at Morrell. The competitive tension drained out of the fight after that round, as Benavidez pulled away. But for those 30 seconds or so, the fight was everything we hoped it would be: two big punchers testing each other’s chins and never taking a backwards step.
Jason Langendorf: I was at T-Mobile Arena for Benavidez-Morrell, so I’ll second Owen’s assertion: The place erupted in the fourth with the best back-and-forth action of a quality fight between two top light heavyweights.
But for my money, nothing else beats the drama of Round 6 of Joshua Buatsi-Callum Smith last February. Buatsi appeared nearly ready to go as Smith ripped left hands to the body and hammered straight rights upstairs for a minute straight. Buatsi somehow managed to hang on, and then, as the clappers sounded with 10 seconds left in the round, instantly shifted the momentum: a left hook to the temple that Buatsi pulled out of a hat staggered Smith and may have saved him from a stoppage. It didn’t prevent Smith from lifting an interim title off Buatsi after 12 rounds, but it was the peak moment in a grueling battle at the top of the 175lbs division.
Tom Ivers: I’m going to go with Round 12 of Chris Eubank Jnr-Conor Benn on April 26. It was a fight that lived up to the hype, and they did both their famous fathers proud. Heading into the 12th, Eubank looked exhausted – probably from the weight cut and restrictions of the rehydration clause – and I thought there might be a chance that Benn would stop him. Eubank found energy from somewhere only God knows and poured on the pressure, even hurting Benn in the final seconds. Benn didn’t shy away either, and gave as good as he got, but Eubank was just too much for him. It was an epic ending to a brilliant fight.
Lucas Ketelle: Fabio Wardley-Justis Huni, Round 10. After being outboxed for most of the fight, Wardley pulled a rabbit out of his hat with a knockout for the ages. A right hand from Wardley stopped Huni – the sort of stunning moment that fight fans live for.
