Terence Crawford Goes Out on Top As SI’s 2025 Fighter of the Year

Chris Mannix hands out his annual boxing awards, with the recently retired Crawford earning top honors thanks to a year-defining win over Canelo Alvarez.

Terence Crawford, who announced his retirement in December, goes out on top after an unbelievable win over Canelo Alvarez in 2025. / Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Last September, as the bell rang to open the ninth round of Terence Crawford’s super middleweight showdown with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Crawford emerged from his corner with a purpose. The first eight rounds of the fight had been competitive. Crawford had probably won most of them but they had been close enough to feel the need to push the pace. “I had to make sure I set a tone,” Crawford said. What followed was one of the sharpest three minutes of Crawford’s career, a one-sided whipping (33–10 in punches landed, per CompuBox) that sparked a surge that powered Crawford, 38, to the most significant win of his career. A win, as it turns out, that earned Crawford Sports Illustrated’s Male Fighter of the Year. 

A single win often isn’t enough for a Fighter of the Year nod, especially when the competition is stiff. Naoya Inoue, the undisputed super bantamweight champion, went 4–0 in 2025, wiping out Alan Picasso last month in another one-sided title defense. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez had two wins, both in 115-pound title unifications. Like Crawford, Inoue and Rodriguez are widely viewed as top-five pound-for-pound talents.

But when that one win is year-defining, we make exceptions, and they didn’t get any more defining than Crawford’s over Canelo. History was not on Crawford’s side when he moved up two weight classes—three, if you consider Crawford had fought just once at 147-pounds before making the jump to 168—when Crawford stepped in the ring with Canelo. A great big man generally beats a great small one, and Alvarez, despite a recent lackluster showing against William Scull, was still ranked in boxing’s top 10. Arguments for Canelo were easy: Size, strength, comfort in the weight class. Crawford was a slick boxer but his close win over Israil Madrimov at 154-pounds a year earlier suggested Alvarez’s advantages would be too much to overcome. 

Heading into the fight, it seemed like Alvarez had the clear advantage. But as the rounds went on, Crawford showed differently. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

They weren’t, not early, when Crawford stung Alvarez with stinging jabs, or late when Crawford stood in the pocket and buried Canelo with power shots. The end didn’t come with a signature finish, like Crawford’s win over Errol Spence Jr. two years earlier. But try convincing people this one wasn’t better. 

If this is the end for Crawford—he announced his retirement in December—then he exits on top. Undefeated, undisputed in three weight divisions, pound-for-pound No. 1, with SI’s top boxing honor on his way out the door. Boxing may have seen better fighters than Crawford. This era has seen few. 

Runner Up: Naoya Inoue

Women’s Fighter of the Year: Mikaela Mayer

Mayer, 35, completed a remarkable late-career revival with two of the best performances of her career, a decisive win at 147-pounds over Sandy Ryan in a rematch of a competitive fight in 2024 and a dominant performance against 154-pound champion Mary Spencer in a fight that Mayer, a longtime 130-pounder, battered the naturally bigger opponent. The wins set Mayer up for huge unification fights in ’26—and reestablishes her as one of the biggest names in the sport. 

Mayer edges out what was a very competitive field. Claressa Shields added “undisputed heavyweight champion” to her list of accomplishments in 2025. Mizuki Hiruta made four defenses of her 115-pound title. Gabriela Fundora continued to blast out all challengers at 112-pounds while Elif Nur Turhan burst onto the scene as the next big puncher in women’s boxing. 

Still, Mayer’s performances stood out. Mayer had a rocky few years, coming out on the wrong end of split decisions to Alycia Baumgardner and Natasha Jonas, losses that left her in boxing limbo. But the decision to move up in weight paid off, with power accompanying the pounds that filled out her 5' 9" frame. This year could be even bigger: A showdown with unified 147-pound champion Lauren Price or a rematch with archrival Baumgardner are high-profile, headlining fights. 

Runner Up: Mizuki Hiruta

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Trainer of the Year: Robert Garcia 

Death, taxes and Garcia ranking among the year’s top trainers. It was a banner year for Garcia’s stable. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez added two more belts to his 115-pound collection. Vergil Ortiz earned the toughest win of his career against Israil Madrimov, following it up with a spectacular knockout over Erickson Lubin. Raymond Muratalla earned a piece of the 135-pound crown while Óscar Duarte inched closer to his shot at 140. Top talent certainly seeks out Garcia. When they do, Garcia makes them better. 

Runner Up: Shingo Inoue

Fight of the Year: Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev II

After years of failed negotiations, Bivol and Beterbiev met for the second time in four months last February in Saudi Arabia in a rematch of a thrilling 2024 fight between the two 175-pound kings. Beterbiev, who squeezed out a decision in the first fight, got off to a fast start in the second and in the early rounds appeared poised to win more convincingly. But Bivol rallied in the second half of the fight, using superior footwork and sharp, cutting combinations to batter Beterbiev. One judge scored the fight even. Two others scored it for Bivol, crowning Bivol as undisputed light heavyweight champion. 

Runner Up: Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn I

Knockout of the Year: Brian Norman Jr. KO’s Jin Sasaki 

Last June, Norman Jr. earned the second defense of his 147-pound title—while collecting the signature moment of his career. Traveling to Japan to face Jin Sasaki, Norman was in control of a physical fight entering the fifth round, when he lunged and landed a devastating left hook that rendered Sasaki unconscious in the middle of the ring. It was exactly the kind of statement Norman needed to elevate himself in a wide-open welterweight division.  

Runner Up: Fabio Wardley KO’s Justis Huni

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