Boxing’s Long, Heavy Goodbye to 2025

Pretty soon, we will all be wishing our loved ones and friends a happy new year. And it is hoped 2026 turns out to be a better, happier, less emotionally trying year than the one that is almost about to reach its end. It’s easy to be somewhat down here on New Year’s Eve when looking back, because for sure, our beloved sport sure took some major hits this year.

The sad passing of some true boxing heroes was tough, in no particular order, and apologies if I’ve missed any fallen warriors here: George Foreman, Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Mike McCallum, Greg Haugen, Joe Bugner, Livingstone Bramble. And of course, the truly horrible and shocking death by suicide of Ricky Hatton.

A Year That Refused to Let Up

And here, as the hours sift away towards the new year, people are still stunned over the terrible car accident Anthony Joshua and two of his very good friends were a victim of in Nigeria earlier this week, with Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele sadly losing their lives. It’s only by sheer luck that AJ did not also lose his life.

So, no wonder we find ourselves hoping for a far different, less tragic 2026. This of course may be a poor way to look back at 2025, as plenty of good and great things did happen over the course of the past 12 months. But the pain so many people felt during moments of time in 2025 was incalculable.

Remembering the Names That Shaped the Sport

The loss of “Big George” was especially hard, as was the death of “Hitman” Hatton. Both were enormously popular, indeed beloved fighters and personalities, and both men did a heck of a lot of good work outside of the ring, the two former kings donating plenty to charities, with Hatton also selflessly giving some of his time to help other people suffering from mental health issues such as the depression that ultimately saw the British legend take his own life by hanging.

“Camden Buzzsaw” Qawi was also a much loved ring warrior, as was “Mutt” Greg Haugen. Dwight, who might just have played his part in the single greatest cruiserweight battle of all time, was 72 when he passed, while Haugen, one of the most colourful and also toughest fighters seen in the modern era, was just 64 when he lost his battle with cancer.

Here’s wishing Anthony Joshua a full recovery, whether he wishes to fight again or not, this far down the list of important things in Joshua’s life right now, and here’s wishing the entire boxing world a calmer, kinder 2026.