Undisputed Review — A New Contender in the Ring?

Since EA pulled the plug on its beloved Fight Night franchise, the video game world has been pretty barren of great boxing sims. Barring the odd Rocky movie tie-in and more whacky spins on the sport, an boxing-glove-shaped itch has developed amongst fans that desperately needs to be scratched.

Enter Undisputed, a boxing sim from indie UK studio Steel City Interactive, which definitely channels a lot of the energy, vibe, and mechanics of the Fight Night franchise, but does do some interesting things new that boxing purists will enjoy; however, it does also take a few knocks due to some rough edges.

While Undisputed doesn’t have the big franchise name behind it (just yet), it does have a lot of boxing clout with some notable licenses and likenesses in the game. The game features the likes of Tyson Fury, Canelo Alveraz, Deontay Wilder, and some other fighters from past and present, fleshing out the experience and giving gamers a real boxing roster to tuck into. Each fighter is meticulously detailed and the effort in all of their appearances, ring entrances, and facial animations has to be appreciated.

Of course, you can create your own fighter and take on the career mode from there, which is where most gamers will be spending their time. The customisation elements of Undisputed really shine, as you’re able to tinker with your boxer’s speed, defence, attack, cardio, and other attributes, while also specialising in certain traits, such as the Untouchable attribute, where your dodge speed is increased, or being more aggressive with your offensive punches. On top of that, you can curate your own team, picking different coaches, cutmen, and managers, allowing you to send your career in a direction that best suits you and your play style.

As for the fighting itself, Undisputed utilises a similar control layout to that of Fight Night games, with the analogue sticks controlling punches, with different movements and orientations of them adjusting for hooks, uppercuts, or jabs. You can also block and dodge, allowing you to leave your opponent open for counter-punches. The problem is that the hit detection and stamina meter leave a lot to be desired.

It’s kind of a double-edged sword, though, because the physics-based punching system is the best route for a game like this, but due to some of the animations and timing of punches, you can end up awkwardly missing or landing punches that clip off the opposition in unrealistic ways. Add in the fact that your stamina depletes very quickly, you can only go in for a few jabs or a shot or two before you need to retreat; so realistically, you’re very rarely able to complete the back-and-forth combos you have in your mind.

On the bright side, this is something the developers may actually be able to patch, as giving a lot more leeway and longevity to your fighter’s stamina should be a relatively easy tweak; along with a bit of polish to the way in which punches land.

Overall, Undisputed is a really good-looking game with a lot of passion poured into it. It’s loosey-goosey fighting has a solid foundation, but some polishing up to the way punches are thrown and land will go a long way to make Undisputed a serious contender. Pure boxing fans will find a lot to enjoy though, with a beefy career mode and enough fighter-centric tinkering to allow you to overindulge in the boxing world.

Undisputed is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.