I mean, it would make sense. After all, 1951 saw Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Jake LaMotta in the infamous \u201cSt. Valentine’s Day Massacre\u201d fight<\/a>, 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\u2019 farewell to boxing when he was stopped by Rocky Marciano.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Crosby might have been onto something. Sure, when the dust settles decades from now, 2025 probably won\u2019t be rubbing shoulders with that fabled 1951 slate \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t mean boxing won\u2019t give it a bloody good go across the final month of the calendar.<\/p>\n So, let\u2019s rummage through the festive schedule and pick out five of the absolute best coming up in the run-up to Christmas and beyond.<\/p>\n 5. Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua, Dec. 19<\/p>\n I\u2019m sorry.<\/p>\n No, I really am.<\/p>\n Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) vs. Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) isn\u2019t going to be a competitive boxing fight \u2014 this fact doesn\u2019t 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<\/a> \u2014 by a considerable distance.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n It\u2019s a freak show. It\u2019s confusing. It\u2019s offensive. It\u2019s brilliant. It\u2019s probably going to be extremely dangerous. It\u2019s boxing. It can be all of these things at once.<\/p>\n You might have to hold your nose to watch it, but I guarantee that a healthy majority of those saying they won\u2019t be tuning into Netflix on Dec. 19 will change their mind before the first (and probably only) bell tolls in Miami.<\/p>\n 4. Shabaz Masoud vs. Peter McGrail, Dec. 6<\/p>\n 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\u2019s annual jaunt to the Riviera.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Liverpool\u2019s 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\u2019Rico O\u2019Quinn two years ago, he\u2019s rattled off four on the bounce, the latest a disciplined, banana-peel-dodging 10-round win over Ionut Baluta.<\/p>\n Now comes the real prize: A shot at the European title.<\/p>\n Standing in his way is Rochdale\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Two rising talents. One immaculate setting. And a belt that could change either man\u2019s trajectory overnight.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n 3. Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz vs. Lamont Roach Jr., vacant WBC interim super lightweight title, Dec. 6<\/p>\n After the Gervonta \u201cTank\u201d Davis debacle from earlier this year, Lamont Roach Jr. gets another chance to receive his flowers on a big night of PBC action.<\/p>\n Mexican star and former world champion Isaac \u201cPitbull\u201d Cruz is the man matched with reigning WBA super featherweight world champion Roach, with the interim WBC super lightweight title on the line.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a high-stakes crossroads fight between Cruz\u2019s crowd-pleasing aggression and Roach\u2019s technical precision \u2014 and a major opportunity for both men to position themselves for a full world title shot in a stacked 140-pound division.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Cruz and Roach share a rare distinction: They\u2019re two of only three fighters \u2014 along with Ivan Meraz \u2014 to go the distance with WBA lightweight champion Davis, but will be both be aiming to leave \u201cTank\u201d in their rear-view mirrors as they seek recognition of their own, away from the circus of the Baltimore fighter\u2019s career.<\/p>\n 2. O\u2019Shaquie Foster vs. Stephen Fulton, WBC super featherweight title, Dec. 6<\/p>\n It\u2019s champion vs. champion on the Pitbull vs. Roach undercard, as the WBC kings at featherweight and super featherweight collide for O\u2019Shaquie Foster\u2019s 130-pound crown \u2014 a matchup that feels like it\u2019s been simmering forever.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n For Foster (23-3, 12 KOs), this is the chance to slap a marquee name onto his r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n For Stephen Fulton (23-1, 8 KOs), it\u2019s 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 \u201cthe best thing that happened\u201d to him; he now gets the chance to prove this point.<\/p>\n \u201cShock\u201d Foster isn\u2019t revered for his one-punch menace, but he\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Another razor-tight pick\u2019em on a stacked card \u2014 and exactly the kind of fight that could steal the show.<\/p>\n 1. Naoya Inoue vs. David Picasso, undisputed super bantamweight title, and Junto Nakatani vs. Sebastian Hernandez, WBC and IBF bantamweight titles, Dec. 27<\/p>\n Now, this may be bending the rules slightly, but I do what I want around these parts \u2014 Riyadh\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s maiden voyage to Saudi Arabia, and if they do, it\u2019ll be full steam ahead for Inoue vs. Nakatani next year.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Inoue and Nakatani are both bonafide pound-for-pound superstars<\/a>.<\/p>\n We’re just one hurdle away from Naoya Inoue (pictured) vs. Junto Nakatani.<\/p>\n (STR via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Inoue, the sport\u2019s reigning boogeyman, doesn\u2019t so much climb weight classes \u2014 he conquers them. Every division he\u2019s touched has bent to his rhythm and it\u2019s become a futile task trying to concoct a game plan to disrupt the 32-year-old \u201cMonster.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n But Nakatani won\u2019t 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\u2019s looked even more frightening, ready to jump to featherweight. At just 27 years old, could the timing be perfect for \u201cBig Bang\u201d?<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/a12f0660-cfb1-11f0-a7ff-79745d298dff.jpeg\"\/)
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