eSports Boxing Club. That’s a title that should ring loudly in the ears of anyone who has been watching the development of Undisputed closely throughout the years. After a name change and playing nearly 100 hours of its Early Access build, the 1.0 Version has arrived. It’s pretty great, all in all. But, something in the back of my mind still yearns for a proper Fight Night sequel.
‘Undisputed’ Is Tactical, ‘Fight Night’ Is All-out War
Undisputed hit Version 1.0 on October 8, 2024, and it brought a variety of updates to make the game better than it had ever been before. The speed of punches felt fantastic and the animations had been improved. Alongside a variety of other, more subtle tweaks. Things seemed to be moving in the right direction. And they are! Unless you decide to play online. Currently, the online scene of Undisputed is a terrifying hellscape of spammers and griefers.
Videos by VICE
Ghost punches knock players out from across the ring due to desync issues. Bugs and glitches that turn Deontay Wilder into a non-stop power-punching spammer that never runs out of stamina. Things are a bit rough for Undisputed at the moment. It’s fun to play with friends, that’s for sure, but against randoms? Forget about having any sort of fun.
It’s a shame because I have genuinely loved my time with Undisputed. It’s a tactical boxer’s dream. Each match feels as rewarding as you want it to. You can come out throwing bombs, or you can piece apart an opponent with tactical precision to bring the match to a close. The sweet science has hardly felt better than it does here. But Steel City Interactive needs to put the pedal to the metal before Undisputed becomes the laughingstock of combat sports. It sucks to admit, but its Mostly Negative Steam reviews are brutally honest.
So, as I sadly watch this Undisputed ship sink while being engulfed in flames until the next update, I decided to boot up Fight Night Champion. And wouldn’t you know it? It’s still extremely good.
It’s Time for ‘Fight Night’ to Make Its Return
Fight Night is a series that means a lot to me. It’s why I wanted an Xbox 360. Fight Night: Round 3 was the most graphically intense game on the market at that time. Watching a boxer’s face deform after a massive power punch was something my mind couldn’t handle, and the action was an all-out slugfest. Commentary, even to this day, is great. The graphics haven’t aged as gracefully as I remember, but they’re still passable by 2024 standards.
Fight Night Champion took the series down a more gritty and realistic avenue. Its story mode was incredible and still deserves a playthrough now. The roster was stacked with the best in the business. The fighting was polished to perfection. There’s a reason why the online community is still active 13 years after its initial release. I can’t help imagining what a modern Fight Night game, powered by Frostbite, could look and feel like.
Does the prospect of a boxing game made by EA Sports frighten me a little? Yes, absolutely. A microtransaction-ridden hellscape doesn’t sound great. But neither does being knocked out by a boxer from across the ring. There’s plenty of potential for an all-time great here, especially if they can capture the magic of previous Fight Night games. As long as they don’t introduce illnesses like they recently did in FC 25.
Until EA decides they want to do something with a franchise that has been sitting dormant for far too long, I can at least jump into some Fight Night Champion and punch my woes away.
