It’s beginning to look a lot like … a-stacked-December-of-unmissable-boxing-action-across-the-globe, everywhere you go.
Those were the lyrics to Bing Crosby’s 1951 seasonal hit, weren’t they?!
I mean, it would make sense. After all, 1951 saw Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta in the infamous “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” fight, Ezzard Charles vs. Jersey Joe Walcott in a controversial heavyweight world title fight, two middleweight title fights between Randy Turpin and Sugar Ray Robinson, and Joe Louis’ farewell to boxing when he was stopped by Rocky Marciano.
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Crosby might have been onto something. Sure, when the dust settles decades from now, 2025 probably won’t be rubbing shoulders with that fabled 1951 slate — but that doesn’t mean boxing won’t give it a bloody good go across the final month of the calendar.
So, let’s rummage through the festive schedule and pick out five of the absolute best coming up in the run-up to Christmas and beyond.
5. Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua, Dec. 19
I’m sorry.
No, I really am.
Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) vs. Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) isn’t going to be a competitive boxing fight — this fact doesn’t care about your feelings. But as we know, boxing is just another complex arm of the entertainment industry, and there can be no doubt that this will be the most-viewed and most-talked-about fight of the December slate — by a considerable distance.
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It’s a freak show. It’s confusing. It’s offensive. It’s brilliant. It’s probably going to be extremely dangerous. It’s boxing. It can be all of these things at once.
You might have to hold your nose to watch it, but I guarantee that a healthy majority of those saying they won’t be tuning into Netflix on Dec. 19 will change their mind before the first (and probably only) bell tolls in Miami.
4. Shabaz Masoud vs. Peter McGrail, Dec. 6
The super bantamweight landscape gets a shot in the arm as Peter McGrail and Shabaz Masoud lock horns in Monte Carlo this Saturday, headlining Matchroom’s annual jaunt to the Riviera.
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Liverpool’s McGrail (12-1, 6 KOs) has spent the past year stitching his career back together with quiet fury. Since that shock derailment at the hands of Ja’Rico O’Quinn two years ago, he’s rattled off four on the bounce, the latest a disciplined, banana-peel-dodging 10-round win over Ionut Baluta.
Now comes the real prize: A shot at the European title.
Standing in his way is Rochdale’s unbeaten Shabaz Masoud (14-0, 4 KOs), a fighter who drifted under the radar until November 2024, edging out the previously undefeated Liam Davis in a razor-tight split decision that announced his arrival at the top table.
Two rising talents. One immaculate setting. And a belt that could change either man’s trajectory overnight.
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3. Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz vs. Lamont Roach Jr., vacant WBC interim super lightweight title, Dec. 6
After the Gervonta “Tank” Davis debacle from earlier this year, Lamont Roach Jr. gets another chance to receive his flowers on a big night of PBC action.
Mexican star and former world champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz is the man matched with reigning WBA super featherweight world champion Roach, with the interim WBC super lightweight title on the line.
It’s a high-stakes crossroads fight between Cruz’s crowd-pleasing aggression and Roach’s technical precision — and a major opportunity for both men to position themselves for a full world title shot in a stacked 140-pound division.
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Cruz and Roach share a rare distinction: They’re two of only three fighters — along with Ivan Meraz — to go the distance with WBA lightweight champion Davis, but will be both be aiming to leave “Tank” in their rear-view mirrors as they seek recognition of their own, away from the circus of the Baltimore fighter’s career.
2. O’Shaquie Foster vs. Stephen Fulton, WBC super featherweight title, Dec. 6
It’s champion vs. champion on the Pitbull vs. Roach undercard, as the WBC kings at featherweight and super featherweight collide for O’Shaquie Foster’s 130-pound crown — a matchup that feels like it’s been simmering forever.
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Originally pencilled in as the co-main for the ill-fated Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach Jr. rematch, then Sebastian Fundora vs. Keith Thurman, Foster vs. Fulton finally gets its moment under the bright lights in San Antonio and it feels worth the wait.
For Foster (23-3, 12 KOs), this is the chance to slap a marquee name onto his résumé.
For Stephen Fulton (23-1, 8 KOs), it’s a rebirth mission: A fresh start at a fresh weight after the Naoya Inoue masterclass that left him rebuilding both physically and spiritually. Fulton insists that loss was “the best thing that happened” to him; he now gets the chance to prove this point.
“Shock” Foster isn’t revered for his one-punch menace, but he’ll fancy the idea of testing the durability of the smaller man, hunting for only his second stoppage win since 2020. Fulton, meanwhile, brings the slickness, the nous, and the motivation of a fighter with something to reclaim.
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Another razor-tight pick’em on a stacked card — and exactly the kind of fight that could steal the show.
1. Naoya Inoue vs. David Picasso, undisputed super bantamweight title, and Junto Nakatani vs. Sebastian Hernandez, WBC and IBF bantamweight titles, Dec. 27
Now, this may be bending the rules slightly, but I do what I want around these parts — Riyadh’s Night of the Samurai on Dec. 27 can be treated in isolation to some degree, as we eagerly anticipate an all-Japan superfight in 2026.
Naoya Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) and Junto Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) must come through their respective challengers David Picasso (32-0-1, 17 KOs) and Sebastian Fernandez (20-0, 18 KOs) in the quartet’s maiden voyage to Saudi Arabia, and if they do, it’ll be full steam ahead for Inoue vs. Nakatani next year.
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Inoue and Nakatani are both bonafide pound-for-pound superstars.
We’re just one hurdle away from Naoya Inoue (pictured) vs. Junto Nakatani.
(STR via Getty Images)
Inoue, the sport’s reigning boogeyman, doesn’t so much climb weight classes — he conquers them. Every division he’s touched has bent to his rhythm and it’s become a futile task trying to concoct a game plan to disrupt the 32-year-old “Monster.”
But Nakatani won’t come into this superfight with the mindset of another victim. At flyweight he was a problem. At super flyweight, a revelation. And at 118 pounds, he’s looked even more frightening, ready to jump to featherweight. At just 27 years old, could the timing be perfect for “Big Bang”?
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It’s impossible to overestimate the impact that a meeting between these two superstars will have in Japan. But first, both must get their jobs done in Riyadh.
For context, a BetMGM wager on both Inoue and Nakatani to win on Dec. 27 sees miserly odds of -1000. So, please forgive me for looking into the future…