Bernie Writing Awards

BOXING EVENT COVERAGE 

First Place

THOMAS HAUSER, “The Saudi Boxing Juggernaut Come to Times Square,” The Guardian, May 3, 2025

Second Place

ELLIOT WORSELL, “We Know Oleksandr Usyk Feels, But Is He Actually Human?” BoxingScene.com, July 20, 2025

Third Place

JIMMY TOBIN, “An End Appropriate in Magnitude: Terence Crawford Dominates Saul Alvarez,” InbetweenRounds.com, September 14, 2025

Honorable Mention:  

Manouk Akopyan, The Ring; Tris Dixon, Boxing Scene; Jason Langendorf, Boxing Scene; Kieran Mulvaney, BoxingScene.com; Dan Rafael, danrafael.substack.com; David Weinberg, 973ESPN.com

BOXING COLUMN

First Place

ERIC RASKIN, “The Golden Age of Women’s Boxing – And the Consequences That Await,” BoxingScene.com, March 27, 2025

Second Place (Tie)

OLIVER FENNELL, “Use Your Delusion,” Boxing News, October 30, 2025

DAN RAFAEL, “Tales from an Unforgettable July 4th Boxing BBQ for the Ages,” danrafael.substack.com, July 2, 2025

Third Place (Tie)

NORM FRAUENHEIM, “Remembering the Writer, Fighter and Charming Curmudgeon Michael Katz,” Boxing Scene, January 29, 2025

ELLIOT WORSELL, “Pay-Per-View, Paywalls and Now Real Walls Keep the World Out,” BoxingScene.com, May 9, 2025

Honorable Mention:

Matthew Aguilar, Fights ATW; Tris Dixon, Boxing Scene; David Greisman, BoxingScene.com; Lee Groves, The Ring; Andreas Hale, ESPN; Ryan Songalia, BoxingScene.com; Don Stradley, Donstradley.blogspot.com

BOXING NEWS STORY

First Place

LANCE PUGMIRE, “Everything We Know About the New TKO Boxing League – From Payments to Potential Problems,” Boxing Scene, March 19, 2025

Second Place

THOMAS HAUSER, “BoxRaw’s Sparring Club,” The Guardian, August 9, 2025

Third Place

DAN RAFAEL, “Iconic Two-Time Heavyweight George Foreman Dies,” danrafael.substack.com, June 7, 2024

Honorable Mention:

Alan Dawson, Uncrowned.com; Tris Dixon, BoxingScene; Norm Frauenheim, The Boxing Hour; David Greisman, BoxingScene.com; Don Stradley, The Ring; Elliot Worsell, Uncrowned.com

BOXING FEATURE (Under 1,500 words)

First Place

TRIS DIXON, “They Called Me Mr. Eddie,” Boxing Scene, October 27, 2025

Second Place (Tie)

OLIVER FENNELL, “Elite Operator,” Boxing News, August 7, 2025

NORM FRAUENHEIM, “Quiet Man: Bam Rodriguez, a Dad with More to Fight For,” The Boxing Hour, November 22, 2025

Third Place (Tie)

THOMAS HAUSER, “The Thrilla in Manila Fifty Years Later,” The Guardian, September 30, 2025

RYAN O’HARA, “The Battle of Eras: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Terence Crawford,” Fights Around the World, October 1, 2025

Honorable Mention:

Manouk Akopyan, The Ring; David Greisman, BoxingScene.com; Lee Groves, The Ring; Eric Raskin, BoxingScene.com; Joseph Santoliquito, Philadelphia Inquirer; Don Stradley, The Ring

BOXING FEATURE (Over 1,500 words)

First Place

MICHAEL ROTHSTEIN, “Heather Hardy’s Bouts Are Behind Her, but a Bigger Fight Lies Ahead’,” ESPN.com, April 18, 2025

Second Place

TRIS DIXON, “The Heart and Soul Behind a Boxing Wonderland,” Boxing Scene, September 25. 2025

Third Place (Tie)

THOMAS HAUSER, “Michael Katz: A Remembrance,” The Ring, January 4-5, 2025

SEAN NAM, “Brawl for All: How Clout Chasers Ruined Boxing,” The Baffler, June 2025

Honorable Mention:

Gordon Marino, Examined Life; Lance Pugmire, Boxing Scene; Don Stradley, donstradley.blogspot.com; Elliot Worsell, BoxingScene.com

BOXING INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

First Place

THOMAS HAUSER, “The Tragic Cautionary Tale of Paul Bamba,” The Guardian, March 28, 2025

Second Place

ALAN DAWSON, “This Is a Power Grab: What Boxing Insiders Really Think About Planned Revisions to Ali Act,” Uncrowned.com, August 19, 2025

Third Place

TRIS DIXON, “Investigating Boxing’s Unhealthy Relationship with Performance Enhancing Drugs,” Boxing Scene, February 26, 2025

Honorable Mention:

Abraham Gonzalez, FightsATW.com; Ryan O’Hara, Fights Around the World; Eric Raskin, BoxingScene.com; Elliot Worsell, Uncrowned.com

2025 BERNIES JUDGES:

RON BORGES, Former Boston Globe and Boston Herald, IBHOF

TOMMY DEAS, USA Today Sports Network

STEVE FARHOOD, Former Showtime Boxing Commentator, Former Ring Magazine Editor, IBHOF

BERNARD FERNANDEZ, Philadelphia Daily News (retired), former BWAA President, IBHOF

ANTHONY CARTER PAIGE, WFAN (retired), former BWAA President

KYLE WAGNER, Director of Content, Sports,  New York Daily News