Some bad luck has been a part of the problem, but there have been some poor picks and it was just nice to spend a bit of time enjoying the sport without making selections.
There have been some big fighters out in the time between picks, and the stronger backing being put forward by Turki Alalshikh in partnership with DAZN means the days of having one fight per year as one of the top names is over. The likes of Brian Norman Jr, Devin Haney, Naoya Inoue will be out in big events later in the year, while the announcement of the David Benavidez vs Anthony Yarde headliner for November is already building excitement.
In previous years June, July and August have tended to slow down as far as the Boxing events are concerned, but the investors in the sport want to make it more of a year-round spectacle. That has helped with some of the headline acts that have been out, including another big Ring card in New York City last weekend, and having all of the Heavyweight World Titles on the line in mid-July underlines the point.
Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois II may not have picked up the back pages of the sporting world as it would have done if the British representative was Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury, but this is still a big fight.
The undercard is disappointing to say the least, while the Boxing world will also have a very keen interest in a returning Manny Pacquiao as he bids to become World Champion again.
There is a big rematch on that card between Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tszyu, while Bam Rodriguez looks to Unify before also joining the Night of Champions card that Riyadh are putting together for November.
It is a busy weekend for fight fans to say the least.
2024 was a positive year for the Boxing Picks, but it has been tough work in 2025.
There are still five months of the year to go and with some big fights to come, but picking up some momentum is key out of the short break taken. This is not going to be easy, but there is time to put back to back years on the board with a positive return and that has to be the focus through the remainder of the calendar year.
Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois II
Having won the Undisputed Heavyweight Title when beating Tyson Fury for the first time, Oleksandr Usyk is looking to become a two-time, four belt World Champion in the box office Division in Boxing.
He is 38 years old now and it has long felt that Father Time would be the one opponent that would eventually get the better of Oleksandr Usyk, although there has not been any sign of decline in his performances.
The Ukrainian is not the most active of fighters and since beating Tony Bellew in late 2018 he has fought twice in the same calendar year just once. That was last year when getting the better of Tyson Fury twice, but now Oleksandr Usyk returns to London for the first time in four years to turn back another British fighter in what is expected to be the sole outing of 2025.
It is another rematch and does mean Usyk has not taken on anyone outside of Anthony Joshua (twice), Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury (twice) since beating Dereck Chisora back in 2020.
This is a much different Daniel Dubois compared with the one that Oleksandr Usyk beat in Poland in 2023, although the former continues to take a lot of confidence from what he felt was a legitimate Knock Down in the Fifth Round. The referee called it a low blow, and the feeling it was low, but Daniel Dubois and his team believe they were robbed and should have been in the Undisputed bout against Tyson Fury instead of the unbeaten World Champion.
A win over Jarrell Miller to close out 2023 rebuilt some of the confidence and Daniel Dubois followed up with victories over Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua. The performances look to be improving after each of those fights, which means his team are very confident that Daniel Dubois has the right mentality to fulfil his dreams, but he had to withdraw from a fight with Joseph Parker earlier this year and that means Dubois has actually been out of the ring for longer than his opponent.
You have to give Daniel Dubois a lot of respect for the way he has bounced back from that defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, especially as many felt he had given up on the night. His trainer, Don Charles, has instilled plenty of belief in his fighter and is another deserving of respect, but this is a huge challenge for the younger fighter.
Unlike the last three opponents beaten, Oleksandr Usyk has strong footwork and countering ability to give Daniel Dubois problems.
Making him reset before throwing can just wear down Dubois, while the expectation is that the latter is going to employ different tactics compared to that night when beaten in Poland. This time Daniel Dubois will likely want to get on the front foot and try and bully Oleksandr Usyk, but the Ukrainian has seen almost everything in Boxing.
Fighters can age overnight, which is always going to be a concern with Oleksandr Usyk, especially with the tough nights he has been through, but the Champion hasn't shown many signs of slippage.
Daniel Dubois could have some early successes, but Oleksandr Usyk has been improved in rematches with Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury having had the previous Rounds to build up his knowledge of the opponent. The wins produced by Dubois will have this team shouting out how different their fighter is compared with two years ago, but this is the ultimate challenge in the Heavyweight Division.
There is a feeling that Oleksandr Usyk can weather an early storm and that may just break the heart of the challenger.
Pop shotting, countering, making Daniel Dubois think and think again, while keeping the feet moving and forcing Dubois to dance to his tune can see Oleksandr Usyk turn the screw, much as he did two years ago. I think Daniel Dubois will want to show how much stronger he is mentally and physically, but the gas tank may end up running close to empty when either an accumulation of shots puts him down or a careful referee steps in to stop what may feel like an increasingly one-sided contest.
When this Heavyweight World Title was announced, the rumour mill ramped up about the kind of fights we would be getting on the undercard.
Instead it is something of a disappointment and falls short of the undercard that was put together for the Chris Eubank Jr-Conor Benn fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Solomon Dacres is returning after being Stopped by David Adeleye in the First Round last December and he is in with another unbeaten Ukrainian in Vladyslav Sirenko.
The latter is stepping up his level in some respects, while Dacres has plenty to prove.
It could end up being a shoot out in the Heavyweight Division and the power of Vladyslav Sirenko could see him come out on top.
Another Heavyweight contest on the undercard features Lawrence Okolie as he looks to move another step closer to challenging for a World Title.
There is plenty of reason to believe the World Titles could fragment over the next several months, especially if Oleksandr Usyk is the main event winner. Lawrence Okolie is Ranked highly by the WBC and he can retain his place in those Rankings by seeing off Kevin Lerena.
The South African has been floating between Bridgerweight and Heavyweight having begun his career at Cruiserweight and Kevin Lerena is perhaps best known for putting Daniel Dubois down three times in the First Round in December 2022.
Ultimately it was Dubois who rallied for a Third Round Stoppage, but Kevin Lerena did manage to go the distance with Justis Huni last year.
He will look to make things tough for Lawrence Okolie and there is always a concern that the British fighter will resort to his jab and grab tactic that can be so infuriating to watch.
Ultimately Lawrence Okolie has to look to make a statement and it does feel like he has the power and the set up to land a few big shots on Kevin Lerena and force a Stoppage in the contest.
A legend returns to the ring on Saturday night and it is no surprise that Manny Pacquiao has been offered the chance to win a World Title in his comeback.
Rumours have long been running that Manny Pacquiao wanted to return to the ring, but four years have passed since he was pretty well beaten by Yordenis Ugas. He looked like a fighter that had seen Father Time catch up with him, but at 46 years old, Pac Man believes there is still something left in the tank.
He is returning to a Welterweight Division that is lacking a true number one and the feeling is that he is taking on the weakest of the three World Champions.
Mario Barrios had lost consecutive fights to Gervonta Davis and Keith Thurman in 2021 and 2022, but he picked up the WBC Interim World Title when getting the better of the aforementioned Ugas in September 2023. Even then, he has not really convinced as a World Champion since being elevated to full status and Barrios has not been out since November 2024.
Despite all of that, Mario Barrios is the fresher and much more active fighter and he should have all of the tools to break down an all-time great.
Like so many great Champions of the past, Manny Pacquiao refuses to accept that his greatness has dipped and that he can turn back the clock. He might even start out pretty well, but Pac Man looked well past his best in his last bout and the time spent away from the ring cannot have done him any favours at all.
When at his best, Pacquiao would have rolled past Mario Barrios, but at this stage of their respective careers, the World Champion should be able to turn the screw and potentially force an empathetic Stoppage.
The chief support on this card is a rematch between Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tszyu and this is likely going to be a fascinating fight to watch.
Many have criticised Tim Tszyu's team for not withdrawing their fighter after he suffered an awful gash in the first fight- that withdrawal would have come at a time when the Australian could return home with his World Titles, but instead the Tim Tszyu career has just left the rail tracks.
Winning the rematch would rejuvenate the career, but this is a very tough fight and it is one that is likely going to have plenty of action attached to i.
Picking a winner looks tough and this is a bout worthy of viewing without landing on one side.
Matchroom are also running a card this Saturday in Texas and the lead is Bam Rodriguez who is looking to Unify World Titles.
He has already had another bout announced on the Night of Champions in Riyadh in November and that can be risky, but Bam should have too much for Phumelela Cafu, the WBO World Champion.
The chief support is an intriguing Super Middleweight bout between Diego Pacheco and Trevor McCumby.
The latter gave Caleb Plant all he could handle, but was eventually Stopped in the Ninth Round, and that has given Trevor McCumby another opportunity.
It will also give Diego Pacheco the motivation to put a stronger performance on the board than Plant, even if the latter has lost his way a little bit after suffering an upset loss last time out. That result should focus Pacheco, who believes he is the best Super Middleweight out there and looking to earn a shot at the winner of Canelo-Bud Crawford.
Fans will only call for that if Pacheco can continue to impress and he has the tools to secure a mid-fight Stoppage.
MY PICKS: Oleksandr Usyk to Win Between 7-12 @ 3.75 William Hill (1 Unit)
Vladyslav Sirenko to Win Between 1-5 @ 2.10 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Lawrence Okolie to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Mario Barrios to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.50 Bet365 (2 Units)
Diego Pacheco to Win Between 5-8 @ 3.50 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Boxing 2025: 18-50, - 25.37 Units (83 Units Staked, - 30.57% Yield)