With the rise of new stars in the United States and the broadcasting environment undergoing substantial changes, the previous 12 months in boxing have felt transitional. Nonetheless, it has been a year filled with memorable and great contests.
Terence Crawford, who established his all-time great status with a one-sided knockout of welterweight opponent Errol Spence in July, was among them. In the category below, Teofimo Lopez returned to form with a brilliant performance to dethrone undisputed light-welterweight champion Josh Taylor in June.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, arguably the sport’s biggest star, had a mediocre year by his standards, with victories over John Ryder and Jermell Charlo. He is still the super middleweight champion, but
Janibek Alimkhanuly cemented himself as the middleweight champion, while Tim Tszyu maintained his lead in the light middleweight division.
He won a fight that many expected he would lose before moving up to face Regis Prograis in the 140-pound division. Shakur Stevenson fought twice but continues to disappoint fans with his approach, making him as difficult to watch as he is to beat.
In the lower weight classes, Naoya Inoue dominated Stephen Fulton in the summer and then unified the 122-pound weight class by defeating Marlon Tapales.
Heavyweights, on the other hand, have had a poor year, with Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk fighting only once – and not against each other. However, with Saudi Arabia now firmly behind the division and the year ending with the huge “Day of Reckoning” show, that’s all that’s left.
Crawford has joined the ranks of the sport’s legends.
Crawford’s immense talent is demonstrated by the fact that his long-awaited superfight against Spence was so one-sided. Spence had been dominating at welterweight for the most part of a decade, but he appeared out of place in the ring with the Omaha switch-hitter. Crawford’s victory secured his place as the best of his era and validated his credentials as an all-time great. It’s difficult to award fighter of the year based on a single victory, but many will crown Crawford because such sheer greatness is unusual. A seemingly useless rematch with Spence will follow in early 2024.
