top of page

The BWAA Announces Its 2025 Bernie Award Winners

May 6
3 min read

Thomas Hauser Big Winner in the 2025

BWAA Bernie Writing Awards

BoxingScene.com repeats as overall winner


Thomas Hauser was the big winner in the 2025 Boxing Writers Association of America’s Bernie Writing Awards.


Between his first, second and third place finishes, Hauser captured five spots in the top three.


His two first-place finishes in the categories of Boxing Event Coverage and Boxing Investigative Reporting were for The Guardian. His second place for Boxing News Story and one of his third-place finishes for Boxing Feature (Under 1,500 words) were also for The Guardian. Hauser’s other third-place finish for Boxing Feature (Over 1,500 words) was for The Ring.


The other first-place winners were:


Eric Raskin, Boxing Column, BoxingScene.com

Lance Pugmire, Boxing News Story, Boxing Scene

Tris Dixon, Boxing Feature Under 1,500 words, Boxing Scene

Michael Rothstein, Boxing Feature Over 1,500 words, ESPN.com


BoxingScene.com captured 11 places in the overall voting.


The BWAA’s 101st Annual Awards Dinner is Thursday, June 25 at the Edison Ballroom, 240 W. 47th St., New York, NY. Cocktails commence at 7 pm while the dinner and awards start at 8:00. Tickets are $275 per person.


For further information, contact BWAA president Joe Santoliquito at:  jsantoliquitoBWAA@yahoo.com


The complete list of all the winners and Honorable Mention finishers is as follows:

 

 2025 BERNIE WRITING AWARD WINNERS 

BOXING EVENT COVERAGE 


First Place

THOMAS HAUSER, “The Saudi Boxing Juggernaut Comes 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, Boxing Scene; 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


The judges for the 2025 Bernie’s were: 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 Sports Content, New York Daily News.

10 Comments


Joy Williams
Nov 04

Recognising excellence through awards is a great way to celebrate the creativity, dedication, and hard work of talented professionals. The BWAA's announcement of its 2025 Bernie Award winners highlights the importance of acknowledging outstanding contributions and inspiring others within the industry. For readers who enjoy finding great deals while shopping for everyday essentials or special gifts, online shopping vouchers can be a convenient way to save money. Thanks for sharing this exciting awards announcement!

Like

DmFirst222
Nov 03

Celebrating the 2025 recipients also brings attention Khelv Register to the range of talent and perspectives within sports media. Recognition can encourage journalists to keep developing their craft and producing work that connects sporting achievements with the wider community.

Like

DmFirst222
Nov 03

Awards like these provide a meaningfulKhelv Login opportunity to celebrate the journalists whose work informs and engages sports fans. It is encouraging to see excellence in sports coverage receive recognition, especially in a field that depends on accuracy, insight, and compelling reporting.

Like

Dmfirst054
Nov 03

Congratulations to all the 2025 Bernie Award winners! Recognizing outstanding work in the field of sports writing6E Club highlights the dedication, research, and storytelling that bring important athletic moments to readers.

Like

Петро Дяп
Oct 25

Totally agree with the author, this topic is super relevant right now. Some time ago I came across https://silukr.org and now I often use it as a reference for finding useful information. For related questions, I also occasionally check https://whatiscfdtrading.org/ which is another solid source. Has anyone else used them? What do you think of their content? Personally, it saves me a ton of time.

Like

Recent Posts

Archive

Follow Us

  • Grey Facebook Icon
  • Grey Twitter Icon
  • Grey LinkedIn Icon
bottom of page