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Boxing in 2025 stood at the intersection of elite competition and unprecedented commercial power, producing a year defined as much by financial scale as by action in the ring.
With global promoters leveraging new markets, particularly in the Middle East, and pay-per-view models expanding across digital platforms, fight purses reached historic levels.
Heavyweight clashes, pound-for-pound super fights, and high-profile crossover events all played a role in reshaping the sport’s economic landscape.
Established champions such as Oleksandr Usyk, Canelo Álvarez, and Anthony Joshua continued to command premium earnings, reflecting their consistency, global appeal, and championship pedigree. At the same time, the inclusion of celebrity-driven bouts involving Jake Paul underscored boxing’s evolving business model, where audience reach and engagement can rival traditional merit-based matchmaking. Long-standing rivalries, notably Eubank Jr. vs Conor Benn, also proved that narrative and legacy remain powerful financial drivers.
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This ranking of the top 10 boxing matches of 2025 by total reported earnings highlights how venue selection, broadcasting rights, sponsorship deals, and fighter marketability combined to produce record-breaking purses.
Jake Paul vs Julio César Chávez Jr. – Earnings: $12.5 million
The bout between Jake Paul and Julio César Chávez Jr. took place in June 28, 2025 in the United States, continuing boxing’s crossover trend between social-media stars and legacy fighters. Chávez Jr., a former WBC middleweight champion and son of Mexican legend Julio César Chávez Sr., entered the fight with experience but an inconsistent recent record. Jake Paul, meanwhile, framed the bout as another step toward boxing legitimacy.
The fight went the distance, with Paul controlling the pace behind a disciplined jab and cleaner combinations. Chávez Jr. showed flashes of durability but struggled to sustain pressure. Judges awarded Paul a unanimous decision victory, extending his winning streak and reinforcing his commercial appeal.
While purists debated the competitive value of the matchup, the fight delivered solid pay-per-view numbers and demonstrated Paul’s continued ability to draw audiences and sizable purses despite skepticism from traditional boxing circles.
Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach Jr. – Earnings: $15.75 million
In one of the most anticipated boxing events of the year that happened on March 1, 2025, Gervonta “Tank” Davis retained his WBA lightweight title in a result that left fans divided and analysts debating the scorecards.
Fighting before a sold-out Barclays Center crowd in Brooklyn, Davis and challenger Lamont Roach Jr. battled to a majority draw on Saturday night. Two judges scored the contest 114-114, while the third had it 115-113 in favor of Davis, allowing the champion to keep his belt.
The outcome marked the first non-victory of Davis’s career, moving him to 30-0-1. Roach left the ring at 25-1-2, having delivered what many considered the best performance of his career. Talk of a potential rematch surfaced almost immediately.
Controversy followed the final bell. In the ninth round, Davis briefly took a knee, but the referee did not rule a knockdown. Davis later said hair product had gotten in his eyes. Had the moment been scored, Roach may have edged the cards.
Chris Eubank Jr. vs Conor Benn II – Earnings: $19.6 million
Chris Eubank Jr defeated Conor Benn by unanimous decision in a middleweight bout billed as Fatal Fury on April 26, 2025, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Fighting as the reigning IBO middleweight champion, Eubank Jr produced a disciplined performance, earning the verdict on the scorecards and extending a rivalry that had been years in the making.
The matchup had originally been scheduled for October 8, 2022, at The O2 Arena, but was postponed after Benn tested positive for clomifene. That delay intensified public interest in the eventual 2025 meeting, where Eubank Jr’s composure and accuracy proved decisive.
A rematch followed on November 15, 2025. This time, Benn delivered a commanding performance, controlling the action from the opening rounds and dropping Eubank Jr twice in the twelfth. He won by unanimous decision with scores of 119–107, 116–110 and 118–108, securing a cathartic victory. Afterward, Benn declared the rivalry finished.
Artur Beterbievvs Dmitry Bivol II – Earnings: $20 million
Artur Beterbiev defeated Dmitry Bivol in a highly anticipated rematch, billed as The Last Crescendo, on February 22, 2025, to retain the undisputed light heavyweight championship. The fight delivered 12 competitive rounds at a high pace, with both fighters showcasing their skills and resilience in a contest that kept fans on edge throughout.
Beterbiev emerged as the more effective and busier fighter, landing powerful shots that tested Bivol’s defense and consistently working the body. Bivol had flashes of success, at times pinning Beterbiev against the ropes and generating scoring moments, but he struggled to maintain rhythm or mount sustained pressure against the champion.
After the full 12 rounds, the judges awarded Beterbiev a unanimous decision, with scores of 119–110, 116–112, and 115–113
Chris Eubank Jr. vs Conor Benn II – Earnings: $23.9 million
Chris Eubank Jr defeated Conor Benn by unanimous decision in a middleweight clash billed as Fatal Fury on April 26, 2025, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. The bout, contested for Eubank Jr’s IBO middleweight title, marked a long-awaited meeting between the two British fighters and delivered on significant anticipation from fans and the boxing community.
Eubank Jr controlled much of the fight with his experience, accuracy, and tactical approach, ultimately convincing the judges to award him the victory. Benn, despite showing determination and moments of aggression, was unable to consistently penetrate Eubank Jr’s defense or sway the judges.
The matchup had been originally scheduled for October 8, 2022, at The O2 Arena in London but was postponed after Benn tested positive for clomifene. After several years of delays and buildup, the fight finally took place in April 2025, allowing both fighters to showcase their skills on a highly anticipated stage.
Naoya Inoue vs Murodjon Akhmadaliev – Earnings: $24 million
Naoya Inoue secured the biggest payday of his career when he faced Murodjon Akhmadaliev on September 14, 2025, at IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan a bout regarded as one of the most anticipated matchups in the lower weight divisions. Inoue, who held the Ring Magazine, WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF titles at the time, entered as the clear A-side and one of the sport’s most dominant champions.
The total purse for the event was reported to be approximately $24 million, with a 75–25 split in Inoue’s favor. Under those terms, Inoue earned around $15 million, marking a new personal record. His previous highest purse had been the reported $7 million he earned against Ye Joon Kim, illustrating the commercial leap this fight represented.
Akhmadaliev, the former unified super bantamweight champion, received the remaining share roughly $5 million the largest purse of his professional career.
Canelo Álvarez vs William Scull – Earnings: $85 million
Canelo Álvarez returned to the ring against William Scull in May 2025, fighting in front of a passionate crowd in Mexico. Scull entered as a determined challenger, but Canelo’s experience and ring IQ were evident from the opening bell. The Mexican star controlled the fight with precise counterpunching, effective body work, and superior defense. Scull showed resilience but struggled to win rounds.
After twelve rounds, Canelo secured a comfortable unanimous decision victory.
Reports surrounding the earnings indicate that the fighter received close to $80 million, rather than the widely circulated $85 million figure.
Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul – Earnings: $140 million
Jake Paul faced Anthony Joshua in a heavyweight bout billed as Judgment Day on December 19, 2025, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The eight-round contest, fought with 10-ounce gloves and streamed globally on Netflix, drew widespread attention for its scale and spectacle, with reports placing the total purse at approximately $149 million. Announced in November, the matchup was met with criticism due to the fighters’ contrasting profiles: Joshua, a former two-time unified heavyweight champion, entered with major experience and physical advantages, weighing nearly 27 pounds more and standing five inches taller than Paul, the YouTuber-turned-boxer with a far shorter resume.
Joshua controlled most of the bout, using range, discipline and combination punching to apply steady pressure. He secured a sixth-round knockout, ending Paul’s challenge and reinforcing his own position in the heavyweight landscape. Paul sustained a broken jaw in the defeat and later required medical treatment, underscoring the risk he assumed in taking the step up in class.
Canelo Álvarez vs Terence Crawford – Earnings: $165 million
Terence Crawford defeated Saul “Canelo” Álvarez by unanimous decision on September 13, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, becoming the undisputed super middleweight champion and the first male boxer to claim undisputed status in three weight classes. Judges scored the fight 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113, concluding a performance that aired globally on Netflix.
Crawford controlled the bout with speed, precision and a disciplined tactical approach that limited Álvarez’s usual power advantage. Regularly shifting into a southpaw stance, he relied on jab variations, sharp counters and lateral movement to dictate distance and tempo. His positioning and footwork disrupted Álvarez’s attempts to set his feet and launch trademark combinations, leading to visible frustration from the Mexican star.
Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois – Earnings: $203.5 million
The highest-earning boxing fight of 2025 between Oleksandr Usyk defeated Daniel Dubois by fifth-round knockout on July 19, 2025, at Wembley Stadium in London to claim the undisputed heavyweight championship, becoming only the second two-time undisputed champion in the division’s history after Muhammad Ali.
The rematch, billed as Undisputed, revisited their first meeting in 2023, when Usyk also won by knockout. This time, he reasserted his dominance with precise timing, ring control and signature footwork that gradually dismantled Dubois’s offense.
The victory restored the titles Usyk briefly held between May and June 2024 and strengthened his standing as the leading heavyweight of his era. Analysts and commentators have increasingly compared his achievements and skillset to some of boxing’s all-time greats, with Ali’s legacy most frequently cited in discussions of his place in the sport.
Usyk’s win also carried symbolic weight. As a Ukrainian champion competing during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, his public support for his country remained a defining narrative surrounding the event.
