What a year for boxing fans! 2023 was a year with potential that wholeheartedly delivered. Some bouts came later than expected, but that did not overshadow the joy we had as boxing fans; the year kicked off with Benavidez v Plant and ended with one of the most significant crossover Heavyweight cards in boxing history with Queensbury/DAZN Ridyah season, which aided in closing the chapter one of the most significant years in boxing in my lifetime, we were treated to something special this year but not just with the substantial bouts but also with the middle and lower tier cards.
On the contrary, we’ve been subjected to some disappointments, be it controversial decisions or bouts that were not made due to the usual politics with boxing. Therefore, my objective is to give a comprehensive and objective round-up of boxing in 2023 similar to years past from a fan and boxing poster perspective and highlight some of the good, bad, and ugly of our favorite sport this year. And lastly, highlight the wish list of fights that would keep us all intrigued going into the coming year of 2024, which we can only hope to be an incredible year as boxing returns for the year.
KO OF THE YEAR:
Let’s get it started, APR 08, 2023, Sebastian Fundora vs. Brian Mendoza (PBC/Showtime). It ended in a devastating knockout in a fight that was supposed to be a showcase for Fundora after his fight of the year candidate of 2022 with Erickson Lubin. Fundora is an interesting fighter, an extreme anomaly for 154 lbs. He is the tallest and longest boxer in the top 10 in the history of the Super Welterweight division.
Fundora doesn’t use his physical advantages to win fights. He gives up his reach and height to rumble on the inside. That style was shown to be flawed, and it cost him vs Mendoza. Brian Mendoza did very little of note in the first six rounds of his fight against Sebastian Fundora on Saturday night.
All of that was undone by a couple of crushing blows that catapulted his career to new heights. At Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, Mendoza won via seventh-round knockout after Fundora was knocked down with a powerful left hook and an overhand right.
The 29-year-old from Albuquerque, New Mexico, advanced his career with an incredible upset win despite being a huge underdog. CompuBox reports that Fundora outlanded Mendoza in all but the opening round and landed more punches than the fighter in every round.
Mendoza, though, remained unfazed by Fundora’s prosperity. As the bout climaxed, Fundora threw a plodding, southpaw jab a bit too long, allowing Mendoza to throw the huge left hook that won the fight via knockout. Fundora stated, “For one second, I turned off, but I guess that’s boxing, right?” Fundora remarked after that. “It occurs. You simply get struck by a punch.”
HONORABLE MENTION:
JUL 25, 2023 Naoya Inoue vs. Stephen Fulton (Top Rank/ESPN). Let me preface: this was a call to prove hype for me personally. Inoue not only proved me wrong, but he also proved me a believer in particular vs. Fulton. Pre-Fulton, Inoue was running over, quite frankly, D-level and or past-it boxers.
Fulton was the step-up, Fulton, who is in his prime, fundamentally the “perceived” superior boxer. That was proven to be completely inaccurate. This fight was the antithesis of competition. Inoue won the WBC and WBO super bantamweight titles by putting on a clinic in his fourth weight class.
Even though Naoya Inoue has excelled throughout his career as a three-division champion, his dominance over unified 122-pound champion Stephen Fulton Jr. on Tuesday morning catapulted him into a completely new league.
At Tokyo’s Ariake Arena, the 30-year-old Inoue dominated from beginning to end in front of his devoted home fans. However, it was the ease with which he methodically destroyed Fulton, one of the sport’s most complete champions.
Fulton was forced to play defense from the beginning and could never earn Inoue’s respect with a productive offense. Inoue not only gave Fulton a bloody nose in Round 3 but also easily defeated the unified champion at any range, even pursuing him in motion and using four punch combinations to knock him out.
CompuBox indicates that Inoue outlanded Fulton 114 to 47 and that Fulton was severely injured throughout. However, how effortlessly he could use his strength up to a fourth weight class kept raising the bar for the remainder of Inoue’s career.
PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR:
If it weren’t for Terrance Crawford, Inoue would also have the performance of the year, but due to its implications, historical context, and it being against another Top 5 p4p boxer, Inoue would be in the running for performance of the year. JUL 29, 2023 Terence Crawford vs Errol Spence Jr.(PBC/Showtime).
In a bout that has been talked about since 2018 due to it being seen as a 50/50 fight between two of the best boxers on earth. Crawford being seen as the better boxer but a smaller man, and Errol Spence Jr. being the dominant Welterweight with the superior resume. None of that proved to matter. Crawford walked through Spence like a hot knife through butter in an utter beat down.
In order to take the 147-pound belts from Spence and add it to his WBO crown, Crawford took down the fighter twice in Round 7 and again in Round 2. In Round 9, the 35-year-old Crawford lost his cool against a swollen and bloodied Spence.
He was firing off unanswered shots when referee Harvey Dock mercifully stopped the bout at 2 minutes, 32 seconds. The 33-year-old Spence objected to the stoppage, but it seemed like he lost every round but the first one.
After Spence was felled for the first time in his career in Round 2, Crawford took complete control of the fight. Crawford lined up a southpaw jab for a quick takedown by applying pressure to Spence’s body with his left hand.
Despite this, Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) never gave up, consistently moving forward with his southpaw jab. He suffered a cut over his right eye in Round 3, and for the rest of the fight, he seldom made a meaningful punch. Terrance Crawford put on one of the greatest performances in boxing history.
HONORABLE MENTION:
In a highly anticipated bout, DEC 9, 2023, Devin Haney vs Regis Progrias (Matchroom/DHP/DAZN). Haney, being the pugilist that he is, was considered the clear favorite over the perineal Jr. Welterweight champion in Prograis.
There was a contingent that favored Regis for the sake of context. Still, unfortunately, there is a sect of boxing fans that make comments rooted in variables independent of boxing logic. Devin Haney, the former undisputed lightweight champion, shot himself into fame with a pound-for-pound improvement in his debut bout at 140 pounds.
In front of a packed Chase Center, the 25-year-old Haney (31-0, 15 KOs), who is based in Las Vegas, made his way back to his birthplace of San Francisco on Saturday to win a second world title in as many divisions with a masterful stoppage of WBC junior welterweight champion Regis Prograis.
Haney won 120–107 on the scores of all three judges. She stopped Prograis (29–2, 24 KOs) in the third round and was outstanding the entire time.
Haney was so good that he only let the 34-year-old Prograis land 36 punches in 12 rounds, breaking Shakur Stevenson’s previous record, which he set only a month ago when he stopped Edwin Des Los Santos from landing 40 total punches to win the WBC lightweight title, which Haney decided to forfeit.
Even though Haney was already well known for his superhuman defense, he elevated his status in the city where he was born and raised until he was seven years old. Furthermore, Haney punishes people severely, in contrast to Stevenson.
Throughout the fight, he repeatedly buckled Prograis’ legs and maintained control from bell to bell. Haney not only solidified his place in the boxing world as a great fighter, but he also guaranteed himself a place as a top 5 p4p boxer.
UPSET OF THE YEAR:
Rising Jr Welterweight and slick boxer Gary Cully went into a lateral step/showcase type bout to further show his skill but ended up getting both hurt and stopped 20 May 2023 Gary Cully vs. Jose Felix Jr. (MTK Global/DAZN). Dublin’s spirits were dashed when Mexico’s Jose Felix Jr. produced a vicious third-round knockout, shocking home favorite Gary Cully. But Felix of Sinaloa, who won his 31st inside-distance career race, converted his dream possibility into a nightmare.
For the first two rounds, he had hardly been involved in the battle; however, in the third, everything changed. The referee allowed the attack to go on for too long before intervening to stop it after downing Cully twice, throwing him against the ropes and putting him in grave danger.
Cully was skipping up on his toes behind a tall guard right away. Felix, on the other hand, appeared small in contrast to his opponent’s enormous build. Cully, a southpaw, was
probing most of the opening round with his long jab but managed to break through with a long left hand in the last moments of the fight.
Given that his five prior opponents have only endured 13 rounds combined, many predicted that the 6′ 2″ Cully would end the fight early. He was boxing effectively, but Felix was at ease, remaining evasive and occasionally hitting a straight right hand to the body.
Even when he stood back up, it was evident that something was off in his head. He thus absorbed a massive left hook that caused him to stumble backward.
Felix didn’t let the towering southpaw off the hook; instead, he was square on him. The referee failed to see that Cully’s trainer, Katie’s father, Peter Taylor, had already thrown in the towel. Cully was hit with several more massive hooks before the referee eventually dismissed it. Cully suffered the fate of being walked off.
HONORABLE MENTION:
In a ridiculous and horrendous performance with career implications and a legacy pending bout DEC 23, 2023, Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker (Queensbury/Bombsquad/DAZN). Let me lead by saying that I want to keep my analysis of Wilder brief because his performance is less about him and more about Parker.
We know who Wilder is and always has been. He is a boxer with a jab and a big right hand, nothing more and nothing less. He is not versatile by any means. He is who he is; he looked like a shell of himself on a large platform vs. Parker, No Jab, low work rate, and excuses of having a low fire for the bout.
Wilder needs to retire. Moreover, Parker did his job; he learned and analyzed Wilder’s tendencies to perfection. He and his team stripped Wilder butt naked in the face of the boxing world; Parker took away Wilder’s right hand by stepping in and timing the right hand on defense and staying locked in on Wilder’s progressions and tendencies. He was outstanding, and I give him flowers for his outstanding performance.
FIGHT OF THE YEAR:
In a bout billed as the chess match of the year between two of the best pure boxers in the world the boxing world clashed just that as spring rolled into summer, MAY 20, 2023 Devin Haney vs Vasiliy Lomachenko (Top Rank/Dibella/ESPN) gave boxing’s its 2023 fight of the year without question.
In a fight that quite frankly went as expected, There wasn’t much better than the bout that took place in Las Vegas on Saturday night between Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko for boxing fans seeking top-tier excitement.
Following twelve intense rounds of action, Haney prevailed with a contentious unanimous decision, retaining his title as the unchallenged lightweight champion.
There were several swings in momentum during the bout, with Haney starting off strong and demonstrating a commitment to landing punches to Lomachenko’s body, particularly with his right hand.
As a fighter specializing in jabs, Haney heavily depended on his most well-known weapon against his most formidable foe. The fight’s most dominant rounds were 10 and 11 when Lomachenko quickened his tempo and frequently landed the straight left on Haney.
Loma was outstanding in the championship rounds like he typically is, but on the contrary, he flat-out lost the first half of this bout; Haney was punishing him to the body and was more effective early.
Despite the fact that Lomachenko seemed to be in complete control of the bout late against a worn-out Haney, Haney came through in Round 12, doing enough to win according to all three official scorecards.
Haney and Lomachenko gave boxing one of the greatest boxing matches of all time; I commend them both, one in Loma for taking the opportunity presented and two for Haney staying at 135 despite his struggles to make weight for an integral legacy bout.
HONORABLE MENTION:
In a fight that gave us everything you want in a slugfest in not just a fight of the year quality bout but also upset of the year candidate, decorated Cuban star Robeisy Ramírez ran into Rafael Espinoza for a featherweight classic 9 DEC 2023 Robeisy Ramírez vs. Rafael Espinoza (Top Rank/ESPN). There is no denying that 2023 was the most incredible year in boxing history when the two featherweights fought for the title in December.
Dream fights were not only arranged after years of their failure to come to pass, but there was frequently excellent action in the ring. When it came to defending his WBO featherweight title against Espinoza, Ramirez was the clear favorite. But it was obvious from a distance that Espinoza would not be making things simple for the two-time Olympic gold medallist.
Espinoza gave Ramirez everything he could handle in the first several rounds. Still, in the fifth round, Ramirez turned the tables, scoring a tremendous takedown that left Espinoza on rubber legs and flowing over. He got to his feet and climbed into the ropes.
Ramirez would have most likely received the stoppage if the round had been extended. Relatively, Espinoza was spared by the bell and battled through the subsequent several rounds with obvious weakness.
In Round 12, Ramirez appeared to be out of steam and had to hold on as Espinoza applied more pressure, with the fight very much in the balance. Then, with the fight seconds remaining, Espinoza knocked down Ramirez to complete the vast upset victory on the scorecards.
In a bout that started off slow with Leigh Wood came out with respect for Lara, 18 FEB 2023 Leigh Wood vs. Mauricio Lara (Matchroom/DAZN). In the twelfth round, against Michael Conlan, Leigh Wood had to overcome a significant deficit on the scorecards in order to secure the Hail Mary Knockout of the Year.
On Saturday, Wood trailed Mauricio Lara by knockout even though he seemed to be in the lead early in the second half of the bout. In front of his home fans in Nottingham, England, Wood lost the WBA world featherweight championship to Lara when he was stopped in the seventh round.
The match between Wood and Lara was anticipated to be explosive, and up to Lara’s fight-ending hook, there was plenty of action throughout the bout.
ROBBERY OF THE YEAR:
In the most unfortunate section of my piece, robberies, and without a doubt, MAY 13, 2023, Rolando Romero vs. Ismael Barroso (PBC/Showtime), this bout was not controversial by any means. Barroso Ismael Junior Welterweight Title Retrieved in Formal “Defeat to Rolando Romero” Due to the referee’s hurried decision, the 40-year-old Venezuelan lost out on a huge upset and possibly hundreds of millions of dollars.
Ismael Barroso lost the chance to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in the future and possibly the title of world champion. Barroso had a dream that had lasted almost two decades torn away from him in front of a few thousand admirers at the Cosmopolitan Hotel.
Still, it was a competitive bout. Romero appeared uneasy in his first bout since falling to Gervonta Davis via knockout in June of last year. With a sharp, left-handed blow in the third round, Barroso took Romero out.
Through the middle rounds, he kept Romero under constant attack with lefts. Barroso was up going into the tenth on the scorecards of all three judges. Barroso beat Romero in six of the first eight games, according to CompuBox. However, Barroso was undoubtedly controlling the story and winning the fight on points more so than the compubox.
Barroso will join the ever-growing pile of incompetent victims who will never learn. A career that started in 2005 and included club appearances in Venezuela, modest cards in Panama, and high-profile ones in the United Kingdom and the United States ought to have ended with a world title dangling around his waist in Las Vegas. He will be treated with the deference befitting a world champion. nevertheless, none of the benefits that accompany it.
HONORABLE MENTION:
This one will be controversial, but this fight was not a robbery in the traditional sense but a robbery of opportunity. 26 Aug 2023 Daniel Dubois vs Oleksandr Usyk (Top Rank/ESPN), In front of hundreds of his Ukrainian supporters in Wroclaw, Poland, on Saturday night, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Daniel Dubois in the ninth round of a dramatic match.
Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), competing for the first time since August of last year, outclassed his opponent but was felled in the fifth round after what Dubois and his crew believed to be a valid body shot. Referee Luis Pabon, nevertheless, declared it a low blow.
Before the battle resumed, Usyk was given some time to recover, and there was no count. I’ve seen the shot from a few angles, and that shot looks clean, but for the sake of objectivity, they’re different schools of thought on low blows. In my humble opinion, Usyk looked to be given a bit of a pass vs. Dubois, who later went on to quit vs. Usyk.
PROSPECT OF THE YEAR
Bruce Carrington, aka “Shu-Shu” Brooklyn native Carrington, 26, competed five times in 2023, winning all but two within striking distance. With his best-yet performance—a second-round TKO over Jason Sanchez—Shu-Shu wrapped up the year.
After dropping the veteran with a left hook in the last seconds, Carrington stunned him with a big overhand right. Carrington is an excellent size for the featherweight class at five feet eight inches.
He can also box, and he has demonstrated a deadly instinct. Carrington is obviously prepared for far more significant battles in the very competitive 126-pound class in 2024, where promoter Top Rank has plenty of talent. Before the year ends, Carrington might even get a shot at the championship. Carrington has a great deal of promise.
FIGHTER OF THE YEAR:
This category has three favorites: Devin Haney, Terrance Crawford, and Naoya Inoue. For 2023, it’s Naoya Inoue 26–0 with 23 KOs. All have holes in the arguments for why they ARE NOT Fighter of the Year.
For Inoue, his overall resume is blatantly mediocre, but that has nothing to do with his performances and accomplishments this year. Inoue moved up to his fourth weight class and fought by far and away his best level of competition in Fulton and Tapales, but still downright dominated and ended the bouts early just as he did vs. the low-level talent he was facing.
Inoue was fantastic this year in becoming undisputed in two weight divisions, becoming the second man to ever do so and subsequently becoming the fastest man to do so. He proved the doubters wrong and deserves to be a Fighter of the Year for 2023.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Devin “The Dream” Haney 31-0 15 KO’s. Haney has an argument for Fighter of the Year because he had the most challenging schedule of the year among Inoue and Crawford.
In addition, Haney has had the toughest schedule over the last four years, fighting seven straight former or world champions, defending his WBC title at lightweight six consecutive times, and defending undisputed twice.
In 2023, Haney fought legacy bouts in Vasyl Lomachencko in a contentious fight of the year fight of an elite technical display, winning against a perennial p4p boxer and one of the greatest lightweights of all time and subsequently moving up to Jr. Welterweight to challenge who is seen as the best at the division in Regis Prograis while putting on a dominate performance.
Haney gets far too much underserved vitriol that blatantly has very little to do with boxing, and for one, it’s a shame. Two, one would be hard-pressed to find a fighter, let alone a young fighter not yet in his prime, willing to fight absolutely everyone.
I would also like to highlight one of the ladies this year Katie Taylor 23-1 6KO’s. Taylor is more a rumbler than a highly technical boxer, meaning she has a style that creates close bouts; she stands in the pocket and takes shots; in a year where she took her first official loss, she didn’t sulk.
She jumped right back into the fire to avenge her loss. Following her May setback, Taylor was fighting for her legacy, relevancy, and to stay at the top of the sport.
With her tremendously entertaining victory over Cameron in the November rematch—a blood-and-guts battle from bell to bell—the Olympic gold medalist accomplished precisely that. The two bouts were close and competitive, which screams for a rubber battle, which boxing will hopefully provide in 2024.
Conversely, Taylor dispelled any doubts about her toughness and resilience by defeating a cunning opponent in a rematch.
THE NETWORK OF THE YEAR:
3 Golden Boy/Matchroom/ DAZN
DAZN started the year off with showcase bouts, which are their template for the most part, but as the year moved along, they stepped up and easily dominated the holiday season of 2023; DAZN gave us Lara vs. Wood, Taylor vs. Serrano vs. Cruz, Smith vs. Eubank 1, Bam’ Rodriguez vs. Cristian Gonzalez, Katie Taylor vs. Chantelle Cameron both 1 and 2 and, Alycia Baumgardner vs. Christina Linardatou and lastly the DAZN held down December in giving us Haney vs Prograis and the Ridyah Season card which was one of the most entertaining cards we’ve seen in years. DAZN had some excellent bouts, albeit most being showcase fights, but cheers to an outstanding year.
2 PBC/Showtime
PBC had a big year in its final year with Showtime. PBC gave us bouts we’ve wanted to see for some time with Crawford vs. Spence, Davis vs. Garcia, Benavidez vs. Plant, Benavidez vs Andrade, Tzsyu vs. Harrison, David Morrell bouts, which were showcase bouts, as well as Canelo fights, Rolly vs. Barroso, Tim Tszyu vs. Brian Mendoza. PBC did a great job in 2023 by easily giving us the best cards from top to bottom of the year.
1 Top Rank/ESPN
ESPN has been carrying boxing for the last three years, and they gave it to us overall again this year, even with their contemporaries stepping up.
This year, they continued in that direction, giving boxing, Haney vs. Loma, Usyk vs. Dubois, Junto Nakatani vs. Andrew Moloney, Inoue vs. Fulton, Inoue vs. Tapales, Rafael Espinoza vs. Robeisy Ramirez, Yarde vs. Beterbiev, Marlon Tapales vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev Zhilei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce which was an outstanding fight Stevenson vs. De Los Santos and Josh Taylor vs. Teofimo, Lopez Emanuel Navarrete vs. Robson Conceicao. Top Rank delivered in 2023 once again
2024 BOXING WISHLIST:
Benavidez vs. Canelo– This is the most significant bout domestically, bar none; it’s a legacy fight for undisputed. It has a buzz, and it is long overdue.
Bivol vs. Beterbiev– This is about what is also long overdue. Boxing needs this bout.
Stevenson vs. Davis– This bout is brewing and should happen at 135 in 2024; Tank needs this bout desperately, as does Shakur, who looked awful in his last outing.
Fury vs. Usyk– This fight is already scheduled for Feb 17, 2024, but undisputed at Heavyweight has alluded boxing for over 20 years; it’s long overdue.
Wilder vs. Joshua– Despite Wilder looking to be absolutely done, this fight is what’s best for boxing; I have no faith in Wilder finding his fire again.
Plant vs. Charlo– Plant slapped the taste out of Charlo’s mouth this summer. They have a history; this fight needs to happen.
Haney vs. Teofimo Lopez/Sabriel Matias-Haney appears to be fighting Ryan Garcia next, which is a fight that will sell, but it’s a mismatch on paper and style. Matias will fight Haney but not Lopez, who has already stated that they will not fight Haney in 2024, which is par for the course.
Ennis vs. Stanionis– This is an excellent bout at 147, and both need this bout.
Hrgovic vs. Anderson– Hrgovic said Anderson was lunch recently. That is a 50/50 bout I’d like to see, and they both need a step up.
Opetetia vs. Breidis– There is quite a bit of avoidance going on at cruiser that needs to be discussed. This is an excellent fight for that division.
Jermell Charlo vs. Tim Tszyu– If Jermell returns to 154, this is the only bout he should take; if not, he should vacate.
Navarrate vs. Foster– I love this bout for 130
Jessie “Bam” Rodriguez vs. Julio Martinez– This is the bout to make at 112 (Flyweight)
END OF THE YEAR P4P LIST:
1. Terrance Crawford– Crawford had the best performance of his career by demolishing another top 5 p4p boxer outside of that. Crawford is the best pure boxer in the sport of boxing. He stands alone at number. He is both two times undisputed and undisputed p4p number 1 globally.
2. Naoya Inoue– Became a two-time undisputed champion dominantly. Inoue belongs in the top 3 of this list for the year he had in performances and accomplishments.
3. Oleksandr Usyk– Usyk was too inactive this year, which is why I dropped him to number 2; I also thought he was given a pass vs. Dubois, but he will still be one of the best boxers in the world if he beats Fury I believe that puts him at number one even over Crawford, his resume will be far superior and a two-time undisputed champ, we will find out soon.
4. Dimitry Bivol– Bivol has been on a hell of a run; his bout vs. Arthur was a mismatch, although Arthur came to fight and lost every round. Bivol needs Beterbiev, though he can’t live off of the Canelo bout any longer.
5. Devin Haney– The best boxer from 135 to 140, Haney became a p4p boxer this year, and his dominance of Prograis put him in the top 5 for me and many others; he is moving how a champion should; nothing but respect for Haney.
6. Saul Alvarez– Still one of the best boxers in the world, he slides yet again due to his level of competition; since the Bivol loss, he has taken three straight showcase bouts, which has him out of the top 5 and fighting a Munguia will have him slide further.
7. Artur Beterbiev – Next to Inoue, Beterbiev is the scariest fighter in boxing. That said, Beterbiev is indeed getting older and has been inactive. He has a potential trap fight against Smith, who is indeed soft but has the tools to hurt Beterbiev.
8. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez– Bam is the best flyweight in the world and has shown dominance at 112 thus far; he belongs on this list, and he’s earned it.
9. Errol Spence Jr – Errol got his ass whooped this year, but he still belongs on the list. He has done too much to get dropped off; time will tell how he recovers from this loss.
10-Teofimo Lopez– Lopez had a solid year and showed once again that he steps up to the task when it’s presented, and he did so vs Taylor.