Last September, right as the bell kicked off round nine of Terence Crawford’s super middleweight showdown with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Crawford came out looking like a man on a mission. The first eight rounds? Tight. Competitive. Crawford probably edged most of them, but not by much—he knew he had to step it up. “I had to make sure I set a tone,” he said later. And then he did. Those next three minutes were some of the sharpest of his career. Crawford just took over, out-landing Canelo 33 to 10, according to CompuBox, and that burst basically carried him to the biggest win of his life. It was the kind of victory you don’t forget, and it landed Crawford, at 38, Sports Illustrated’s Male Fighter of the Year.

Usually, one win doesn’t cut it for Fighter of the Year, especially with the competition out there. Naoya Inoue, the undisputed super bantamweight champ, went 4-0 in 2025 and just steamrolled Alan Picasso a month ago. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez picked up two big wins in 115-pound title unifications. Inoue and Rodriguez, like Crawford, are both considered top five pound-for-pound.

But sometimes, a single win is just that important. Crawford beating Canelo was one of those moments. He jumped up two weight classes—really, three, if you count that he’d only fought once at 147 before leaping to 168—and took on Canelo, a guy who’s always been more comfortable at that weight. Canelo still had his spot in boxing’s top 10, even if his last fight against William Scull was a little flat. Most people figured size and strength would be too much for Crawford, especially since he barely squeaked by Israil Madrimov at 154 the year before.

But no, Crawford handled business from the start. Early on, he stung Canelo with jabs. Later, he just stood in the pocket and hammered him with power shots. The fight didn’t end with some highlight-reel knockout like his win over Errol Spence Jr. two years ago, but honestly, try telling anyone this win wasn’t even bigger.

And if this really is it for Crawford—he said he’s retiring in December—he’s going out the way every fighter dreams. Undefeated. Undisputed in three weight classes. Pound-for-pound number one. And SI’s top boxing honour is riding shotgun. Maybe boxing’s seen better fighters in other eras, but in this one? Not many.

Runner Up: Naoya Inoue

Mayer, at 35, pulled off a late-career comeback with two of her best performances ever. She got payback at 147 pounds, beating Sandy Ryan clearly in a rematch of their close 2024 fight, and then dominated 154-pound champ Mary Spencer—even though Mayer spent most of her career at 130. She just bullied the bigger woman. Those wins put her in line for huge unification fights in 2026 and put her right back among the sport’s biggest names.

She barely edged out a stacked field. Claressa Shields became the undisputed heavyweight champ this year. Mizuki Hiruta defended her 115-pound title four times. Gabriela Fundora kept knocking everyone out at 112. Elif Nur Turhan showed up as the next big puncher in women’s boxing.

But Mayer made herself impossible to ignore. She’s had some tough years, losing close ones to Alycia Baumgardner and Natasha Jonas, which left her career in limbo. The move up in weight changed everything—she brought real power with her to fill out her 5'9" frame. This upcoming year? Even bigger. She’s got a shot at unified 147-pound champ Lauren Price, or maybe a rematch with her old rival Baumgardner. Both are huge fights.

Runner Up: Mizuki Hiruta

Death, taxes, and Robert Garcia turning out top fighters. His gym had another monster year. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez added two more belts at 115. Vergil Ortiz got the hardest win of his career against Israil Madrimov, then followed it up with a statement knockout over Erickson Lubin. Raymond Muratalla grabbed a piece of the 135-pound title, and Óscar Duarte moved a step closer to a shot at 140. The best fighters seek out Garcia, and he just keeps making them better.

Runner Up: Shingo Inoue

After years of frustrating negotiations, Bivol and Beterbiev finally met again in February in Saudi Arabia, just four months after their epic 2024 clash. Beterbiev barely grabbed the decision in the first one and started strong in the rematch, looking like he might win even more convincingly. But Bivol flipped the script in the second half with slick footwork and clean, punishing combos. One judge had it a draw, but the other two gave it to Bivol, crowning him the undisputed light heavyweight champ.

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

Last June, Norman Jr. defended his 147-pound title for the second time and gave fans the biggest moment of his career so far. He flew out to Japan to take on Jin Sasaki, and from the start, he pretty much owned the fight. Then, in the fifth round, Norman lunged in and smashed Sasaki with a brutal left hook—dropped him cold, right in the centre of the ring. That was the kind of performance Norman needed to really put his name out there, especially with the welterweight division so wide open.

Runner Up: Fabio Wardley knocks out Justis Huni.