The yr simply ended was, in lots of, if not most, respects, an excellent yr for skilled prizefighting. We noticed extra high-stakes match-ups, extra nice fights, and extra excellent performances than anybody actually has a proper to count on from twenty first century boxing. There’s all the time room for enchancment, all the time disappointments, and all the time match-ups that did not materialize, however the backside line is boxing got here by means of in 2023 in a means we haven’t seen for fairly a while. All we are able to do is hope the optimistic traits proceed in 2024. Within the meantime, right here’s our tackle the yr simply completed and the fights and fighters that deserve our plaudits. Test it out:
Upset of the Yr Nominations:
Liam Smith TKO4 Chris Eubank Jr.
Zhilei Zhang TKO6 Joe Joyce
Rafael Espinoza MD12 Robeisy Ramirez
Tyson Fury SD10 Francis Ngannou
Chantelle Cameron MD10 Katie Taylor
Joseph Parker UD12 Deontay Wilder
Winner: Rafael Espinoza
Robeisy Ramirez was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, the final man on the planet to beat Shakur Stevenson, and a world champion coming off huge wins over Abraham Nova and Isaac Dogboe. Phrase was he was additionally a prime candidate for a doable high-stakes showdown in opposition to one of many hottest abilities within the sport, Naoya Inoue. “Whoever they put in entrance of me,” stated Ramirez after defeating Dogboe final April, “I would like all the good fights.” Against this, Rafael Espinoza, whereas being undefeated, had but to face a ranked contender. Secure to say, completely nobody foresaw a twelve spherical scorcher, probably the greatest fights of current years, and an in depth choice going to the unknown Mexican. However that’s precisely what occurred. It’s again to the drafting board for Ramirez, whereas Espinoza enjoys his new-found standing as one of many prime males within the featherweight division.
Spherical of the Yr Nominations:
Luis Nery KO11 Azat Hovhannisyan, Spherical 11
Jaime Munguia UD12 Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Spherical 5
Leigh Wooden TKO7 Josh Warrington, Spherical 7
O’Shaquie Foster TKO12 Eduardo Hernandez, Spherical 11
Jesse Rodriguez TKO9 Sunny Edwards, Spherical 6
Joe Cordina SD12 Shavkatdzh Rakhimov, Spherical 2
Artur Beterbiev TKO8 Anthony Yarde, Spherical 7
Winner: O’Shaquie Foster TKO12 Eduardo Hernandez, Spherical 11
We noticed some scintillating three minute episodes of motion this previous yr, however none might prime Foster and Hernandez’s masterpiece of dramatic carnage because the defending champ unleashed a vicious assault and appeared on the cusp of stopping a dazed and bloodied Hernandez, solely to abruptly discover himself on the ropes because the gutsy Mexican by some means reversed the momentum. Each males had been significantly harm, however each by no means stopped throwing and touchdown large pictures, and when the bell lastly rang, DAZN commentator Gabe Rosado shouted, “That’s Spherical of the Yr, child!” We concur.
Knockout of the Yr Nominations:
Naoya Inoue TKO8 Stephen Fulton
Brian Mendoza KO7 Sebastian Fundora
Zhilei Zhang KO3 Joe Joyce
Anthony Joshua KO7 Robert Helenius
Junto Nakatani KO12 Andrew Moloney
Leigh Wooden TKO7 Josh Warrington
Winner: Junto Nakatani KO12 Andrew Moloney
In his second ring look outdoors of his native Japan, Junto Nakatani received his second world title with an unforgettable, one-shot demolition of Andrew Moloney that was instantly hailed as a prime candidate for Knockout of the Yr. Moloney confirmed his toughness all through the one-sided battle however Nakatani was clearly not content material to cruise to a factors victory. As an alternative the heavy-handed southpaw cemented his standing as a must-watch expertise with a vicious knockout, his completely timed overhand left loudly detonating on Moloney’s jaw and immediately rendering him helpless. “They want medical consideration in there straight away!” shouted ESPN announcer Joe Tessitore. “That was as brutal of a single punch as you’ll ever see!” Sounds just like the Knockout of the Yr to us.
Efficiency of the Yr Nominations:
Rafael Espinoza MD12 Robeisy Ramirez
Leigh Wooden UD12 Mauricio Lara
Terence Crawford TKO9 Errol Spence
Naoya Inoue TKO8 Stephen Fulton
Jesse Rodriguez TKO9 Sunny Edwards
Devin Haney UD12 Regis Prograis
Amanda Serrano UD12 Danila Ramos
Teofimo Lopez UD12 Josh Taylor
Winner: Terence Crawford TKO9 Errol Spence
For years, Errol Spence and Terence Crawford had been clearly the 2 greatest welterweights within the sport, however for numerous causes the match-up everybody all to see just couldn’t be made. After which, lastly, on July twenty ninth on the T-Cellular Area in Las Vegas, Terence Crawford gave struggle followers a really magnificent efficiency in opposition to his prime divisional rival. The bout started as a extremely aggressive affair earlier than Crawford landed a flush proper hand to attain a knockdown on the finish of spherical two. From that second on, it was clear Crawford was placing in a really particular efficiency; the timing and accuracy on show had been merely excellent. “Terence Crawford’s a very good counter puncher, [but] that is on one other degree tonight,” famous commentator Al Bernstein. One other knockdown adopted in spherical seven and within the ninth the one-sided beat-down was halted by the referee. Spence was undefeated, coming off a powerful win over Yordenis Ugas, and universally thought to be a fixture on the pound-for-pound rankings. With these information in thoughts, the style by which Crawford dominated him was extraordinary and is clearly the Efficiency of the Yr.
Struggle of the Yr Nominations:
Jesse Rodriguez TKO9 Sunny Edwards
Rafael Espinoza MD12 Robeisy Ramirez
Joe Cordina SD12 Shavkatdzh Rakhimov
Jaime Munguia UD12 Sergiy Derevyanchenko
Luis Nery KO11 Azat Hovhannisyan
Leigh Wooden TKO7 Josh Warrington
O’Shaquie Foster TKO12 Eduardo Hernandez
Devin Haney UD12 Vasyl Lomachenko
Winner: Rafael Espinoza MD12 Robeisy Ramirez
As you may see there have been no scarcity of candidates for 2023’s greatest struggle, and deciding on a winner was not with out its challenges. However in the long run, the extreme, back-and-forth motion all through, and the excessive drama of a remaining spherical, fight-deciding knockdown, make Rafael Espinoza’s upset choice victory over Robeisy Ramirez our selection for 2023’s Struggle of the Yr. The competition was an absorbing three half drama, with the early rounds belonging to the unheralded Espinoza as he fearlessly got here ahead and let his arms go, repeatedly beating Ramirez to the punch and placing him on the defensive. All had been greatly surprised and questioning when Ramirez would assert himself and put the upstart challenger in his place. The reply to that query was spherical 5, when Espinoza hit the canvas courtesy of a proper hook from the Cuban and was lucky to outlive the spherical. The momentum had clearly shifted as now it was Ramirez seizing the initiative and out-working the plucky underdog, however, amazingly, Espinoza got here again in rounds ten and eleven to arrange a do-or-die remaining spherical. The drama reached a fever pitch when Espinoza obtained revenge for his fifth spherical fall, unleashing a continuous two-fisted assault that despatched Robeisy to the canvas and determined the result, Espinoza profitable by majority choice. What a struggle! We simply have one query: when’s the rematch?
Fighter of the Yr Nominations:
Naoya Inoue
Devin Haney
Terence Crawford
David Benavidez
Jesse Rodriguez
Winners: Terence Crawford & Naoya Inoue
The Struggle Metropolis has by no means had co-winners for Fighter of the Yr, however there’s a primary time for every little thing, and it isn’t an unprecedented occasion. Maybe essentially the most memorable such incidence occurred in 1981 when each Salvador Sanchez and Sugar Ray Leonard obtained Fighter of the Yr honors from The Ring. The logic was onerous to disclaim and few had been arguing; each fighters had a powerful case to be thought to be the very best within the sport on the time, and each had scored large wins that yr. Sanchez handed dominant tremendous bantamweight champ Wilfredo Gomez his first pro loss, whereas Leonard, in one of many greatest fights of the last decade, stopped Thomas Hearns within the 14th spherical to assert undisputed supremacy of the welterweight division.
The scenario on the finish of 2023 is strikingly comparable. Each Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue are close to the very prime of everybody’s pound-for-pound rankings, and each recorded extremely important victories. Like Leonard earlier than him, Crawford secured the undisputed championship at 147 kilos by defeating a rival who additionally sported a world title belt and was thought to be one of many prime fighters on this planet, pound-for-pound. In the meantime, Inoue moved up in weight but once more so as to add extra belts to his assortment of world championships, stopping undefeated Stephen Fulton by eighth spherical TKO. In each circumstances, the profitable fighters had been regarded as going through daunting challenges, and in each circumstances they executed their sport plans with flawless precision to win with relative ease. And in each circumstances, the victories are actually historic. That is for sure the most important win of Crawford’s profession, whereas Inoue now boasts world titles in 4 completely different weight divisions.
Each fighters have their respective fan bases insisting that their idol deserves, completely, the Fighter of the Yr laurel, however we fail to spot a lot level in arguing in opposition to both champion. As an alternative, to us it makes extra sense for struggle followers to pause and actually recognize how fortunate we’re to have two such distinctive athletes performing in our sport on the highest degree. Naoya Inoue and Terence Crawford each scored breakthrough wins in 2023 that assure their names will probably be within the Corridor of Fame, and might be talked about alongside these of previous all-time greats. And so each need to be hailed as 2023’s Fighters of the Yr. Case closed.
Previous TFC Fighters of the Yr:
2022: Jesse Rodriguez
2021: Oleksandr Usyk
2020: Teofimo Lopez
2019: Naoya Inoue
2018: Oleksandr Usyk
2017: Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
2016: Joe Smith Jr.
2015: Roman Gonzalez
2014: Naoya Inoue
