Who does not love a good underdog story? After all, every dominant boxer was an underdog once. There is something special that connects every boxing fan when a boxing underdog triumphs against all odds to shock the world. Moments like Leon Spinks defeating Muhammad Ali, Buster Douglas shocking Mike Tyson, Hasim Rahman brushing past Lennox Lewis are some of the stories that every boxing fan adores.

Even last year was filled with such glorious moments when boxers like Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk proved everyone wrong to script history. It looks like 2025 is going to be no different, as many underrated boxers are itching to make a name for themselves. They have nothing to lose and are ready to take the boxing world by storm. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Keyshawn Davis

The Businessman has already made his intentions of ruling the lightweight division known to the world. The undefeated youngster has issued an open challenge to the likes of Gervonta Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko multiple times, and this year, he has the chance to make it a reality. Keyshawn Davis had a solid 2024 and became the breakout star after defeating former two-division champion Jose Pedraza and ended the year with a second-round KO victory over Gustavo Lemos.

The 25-year-old will face WBO lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk on February 14 at New York’s Theater at Madison Square Garden. If Davis can capture the title, he will become a world champion in less than 4 years since making his professional debut. A title win will give the Norfolk native the much-needed boost to issue a challenge to the likes of Vasyl Lomachenko, Andy Cruz, and Gervonta Davis. Something that he has been chasing for a few years now. If the stars align, Keyshawn Davis can easily make 2025 his year.

Jared Anderson

Last year ended on a bad note for Jared Anderson, who suffered his first career defeat against Martin Bakole. A fight that even his promoter, Bob Arum, considered “stupid”. Anderson, who aims to be the best American heavyweight since Deontay Wilder was heavily exposed in the fight. To add to the mental problems and the 2023 arrest, the situation is rather bleak for the Toledo native.

However, Arum has attested to Anderson claiming that he is “up for the challenge,” and has become a real professional in the past few months. Arum has always rated his ‘Real Big Baby’ in high regard and considers him a future champion. If Top Rank and Arum can develop him in the right manner and stop him from making bad decisions and fights, he can emerge as the next big thing in 2025.

Frank Martin

Another fighter who suffered his first career loss in 2024. Frank Martin wanted to shock the world against Gervonta Davis but fell short after suffering an eighth-round knockout defeat. The Detroit-born fighter is a slick southpaw and has been trained under SPN’s 2022 Trainer of the Year, Derrick James. ‘The Ghost’ was undefeated in his first 18 fights before he faced ‘Tank’ last year. It was his first PPV fight. The fact that the fight was almost tailor-made for Tank does not help either. Now, he has to rebuild everything.

At just 29 years old, Martin has more than enough time to do that. Maybe losing the limelight a bit will also work in favor, as it will take away all that added pressure. Furthermore, he has already experienced what it is like to be an underdog, as he was +450 on betting websites against Gervonta Davis. He can only go up from here and who knows, maybe he can shock the world this year.

Shakhram Giyasov

Maybe Shakhram Giyasov needed WBA to intervene to get him the title fight that he has always wanted. Last year, Giyasov became the mandatory challenger for WBA welterweight titleholder Eimantas Stanionis, who became a super champion himself after the exit of Terence Crawford. Initially, both parties failed to reach an agreement, and the WBA decided to schedule a purse bid. However, with the impending deadline, both Giyasov and Stanionis’s camp reached an agreement and negotiated a deal.

While the WBA has not announced the date of the fight, we can expect it to be in early 2025. This is a huge opportunity for Shakhram Giyasov, who has won all 16 of his fights and has been undefeated. At 31 years of age, Wonder Boy’s entry to the sport was late, but he has the opportunity now to make it big, and with the reports of Jaron Ennis staying at 147 prevalent, we can expect some big fights in the future if the 31-year-old captures the WBA title.

Zhanibek Alimkhanuly

Another powerful champion who made his professional debut quite late. Considering that Zhanibek Alimkhanuly is already a unified middleweight champion, stating him as an underdog would be wrong. But even after retaining his IBF belt successfully in 2024, there is something that is stopping the Zhilandy native from reaching the next level. After all, Andrei Mikhailovich made him struggle a lot, which should not have been the case.

While the ‘Qazaq Style’ is being regarded as the next Gennadiy Golovkin, fans are still waiting to see that one-statement performance by him. Maybe this is the year when he will break every shackle and become a household name. Maybe he will defeat Erislandy Lara and Carlos Adames to become the undisputed middleweight champion. 2025 holds a lot of possibilities for Zhanibek Alimkhanuly, and it is finally time for him to grab everything he can.

Who do you think will be the biggest standouts among these names? Let us know your thoughts down below.