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There is nothing in sports like a great boxing match. A game-winning drive in the Super Bowl can't match the drama of two warriors going back and forth in blistering exchanges in the middle of the ring, nor can a walk-off home run or any other singular game-winning moment in another sport.

Great boxing matches are tests of the fighters involved, as they give and take punishment round after round. Every year, boxing produces dramatic fights that stir up a variety of feelings in an observer, and 2025 was no different.

The panel of CBS Sports combat experts had plenty of great fights to choose from for our Fight of the Year, but the winner was never in doubt during the voting process as we landed on a clash between two rivals with deep family history who put on an all out war in April.

Let's take a look at 2025's Fight of the Year and the runners up.

More Best of Boxing in 2025: Fighter of the Year | Knockout of the Year

Winner: Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn (April 25)

One of the things that can elevate a fight is the idea of "stakes." There are tons of great fights every year happening in small venues and various countries around the world. But with big stakes comes added drama. Most of the time, that means a world title on the line, but others, it's something deeply personal. Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn's fathers had a pair of iconic matches in the United Kingdom in the 1990s, and the sons had discussed a fight for years. Originally, Eubank and Benn were set to fight in 2022, only for Benn to fail a drug test, scrapping the bout and deepening the bad blood between the two men and their families.

The fight finally came together in April, and it delivered all the action and drama of something a Hollywood screenwriter would dream up. Eubank arrived at the arena with his father after years of a bitter familial feud, adding fuel to the pre-fight proceedings. Benn was as outsized as many expected, as he came up multiple divisions to face his rival. Eubank was docked roughly $500,000 after missing weight by 0.05 pounds, and had a massive size advantage.

Despite Benn being smaller, having a much weaker resume and not being viewed as on the same level of Eubank in pure boxing skills, he quickly made it clear he was not going down easy. Benn was the aggressor from the opening moments of the fight, winging wide power shots and even stunning Eubank in the third round.

Eubank fired with power and technique, Benn responded with speed and aggression and the fight swung back and forth repeatedly as the men jawed at each other between frantic exchanges.

In the end, Eubank scored a deserved unanimous decision win, taking the fight 116-112 on all three official scorecards. But Benn never went down -- and never backed down -- in the biggest fight of his life. A rematch only made sense, and Benn dominated the November clash. But it was the first meeting that will live on in the minds of boxing fans for years to come. As I told colleague Brian Campbell, Eubank vs. Benn 1 may be the fight of the decade.

Honorable mentions

Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 (Feb. 22): If Eubank vs. Benn was the Hollywood ideal of what a boxing match looks like, the rematch between Beterbiev and Bivol was something closer to the ideals of a boxing purist. Beterbiev and Bivol are two of the best fighters in the world and have been far and away the best light heavyweights on the planet for years. Beterbiev won their first meeting to become undisputed champion by keeping up a high pace even as Bivol faded down the stretch.

Bivol vowed to correct that mistake in the rematch, and he did just that. In fact, after Bivol won the early rounds and Beterbiev came back ferociously in the middle of the fight, it was Bivol who controlled the late rounds to scrape by with a majority decision victory to claim undisputed status.

It was a technical and fast-paced clash between two of the best of the best and deserves to be ranked among the best fights of 2025.

Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas (May 4): Inoue entered the ring on May 4 as a -10000 favorite and the undisputed junior featherweight champion. For this fight to be on the list, you know some sort of titanic drama unfolded. In the case of Inoue vs. Cardenas, the drama came when Cardenas landed a blistering left hook in the second round that sent Inoue crashing to the canvas. In that moment, it seemed as though Inoue's return to fighting on American soil was about to be spoiled.

Cardenas continued to sit down on heavy counter punches, which have proven to be the one flaw in Inoue's game as he's established himself as arguably boxing's pound-for-pound king. Despite the fantastic challenge from Cardenas, Inoue eventually broke down the challenger and his right hand continued to dent Cardenas until the fight was stopped in Round 8.

Inoue vs. Cardenas brought the drama of a near-titanic upset and showed the mettle of both challenger and champion in a true Fight of the Year contender.

Others receiving votes: Kenshiro Teraji vs. Seigo Yuri Akui (March 13), Junto Nakatani vs. Sebastian Hernandez (Dec. 27), Fabio Wardley vs. Justis Huni (June 7)