Barring another person scoring a surprising upset, the race for Fighter of the Yr could also be Oleksandr Usyk’s to win or lose.
Usyk scored one of many largest victories of 2024 in Might, when he received a break up determination over Tyson Fury to change into the undisputed heavyweight champion. Their rematch is scheduled for December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
There are nonetheless 4 months remaining on this 12 months, and practically as lengthy till Usyk-Fury II takes place, however that doesn’t imply it’s too early to look at the Fighter of the Yr race.
We already know who shall be combating in September. It’s unlikely that rather more of observe shall be added to October’s calendar, given the time wanted to coach for a struggle and market the occasion. Within the coming weeks, we’ll probably hear from promoters and networks about their schedules for November and December.
What meaning:
We will eradicate a number of fighters from rivalry simply primarily based on the truth that they received’t be performing a second time this 12 months, and that their first and solely win received’t be sufficient.
For instance, meaning no second set of honors for Terence Crawford, voted the Fighter of the Yr in 2014 by the Boxing Writers Affiliation of America. Crawford’s lone look of 2024 shall be his shut however stable victory over Israil Madrimov on August 3 for a junior middleweight title.
And we are able to take a look at the fighters who can have carried out a number of instances, however whose victories simply don’t carry sufficient weight for the award.
Meaning tremendous middleweight champ Canelo Alvarez, named Fighter of the Yr in 2019 and 2021 by each The Ring journal and the BWAA, isn’t going to be acknowledged for a 3rd time for his Might victory over Jaime Munguia and his probably win over Edgar Berlanga in a pair weeks.
Naoya Inoue was the plain selection in 2023 after he received the undisputed junior featherweight championship over the course of two fights, dominating unified titleholders Stephen Fulton and Marlon Tapales. However he received’t repeat in 2024 primarily based on his TKO of prime contender Luis Nery in Might and his struggle with second-tier challenger TJ Doheny on Sept. 3. Even when he provides a 3rd struggle towards the likes of Sam Goodman or Murodjon Akhmadaliev, that might make for a superb 12 months, simply not a Fighter of the Yr.
Nor will Junto Nakatani, in any other case a pound-for-pound expertise, get the honors regardless of three appearances — one thing too uncommon on this period of inactivity — bringing a sixth-round technical knockout over Alexander Santiago for a bantamweight world title, a first-round knockout of Vincent Astrolabio and an upcoming Oct. 14 protection towards Petch CP Freshmart.
This has not been an awesome 12 months in boxing. Not when so many fighters are so inactive. And never when so most of the fights we did obtain simply haven’t moved the needle.
All of which turns into painfully clear when reviewing the checklist of 2024’s prime fighters and what they’ve executed. Lots of their campaigns can be seen simply as “good” or merely “stable” have been this most different years.
Let’s look, then, at that checklist, which we’ve damaged down into the highest candidates, some honorable mentions, and some unlikely eventualities — large upsets towards overwhelming favorites — that might in any other case create an apparent winner.
Prime Candidates:
Oleksandr Usyk: Usyk appeared to be headed towards defeat in Might, with Tyson Fury hurting him time and again to the physique. However Usyk adjusted, wobbled Fury, dropped him within the ninth spherical and had Fury in bother. The choice was shut, although not controversial. Usyk acquired the sting on two of the three judges’ scorecards. This victory alone over Fury, one of the best heavyweight in recent times, made Usyk the undisputed champ and would make him the highest candidate for Fighter of the Yr even have been it his sole look in 2024. There’s a rematch scheduled, although, and one other clear win over Fury this December would affirm Usyk as the straightforward decide. That may be Usyk’s second time profitable the award; he was honored by The Ring and the BWAA in 2018 for his three last appearances at cruiserweight, when he received choices over Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev to change into the undisputed champ at 200, then got here from behind on the scorecards to cease Tony Bellew.
Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitriy Bivol winner: The winner of this struggle will change into the undisputed mild heavyweight champion. Beterbiev additionally fought in January, taking out former tremendous middleweight titleholder Callum Smith in seven rounds; Smith had seemed good beforehand in his two latest appearances at 175. Beterbiev and Bivol have been initially supposed to fulfill in June. When Beterbiev pulled out with an damage, Bivol stopped undefeated however unheralded Malik Zinad. Bivol received Fighter of the Yr as soon as earlier than, in 2022 for his determination wins over Canelo Alvarez and beforehand unbeaten Gilberto Ramirez.
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez: Rodriguez blasted by way of the highest junior bantamweight on the earth, and a longtime pound-for-pounder, when he knocked out Juan Francisco Estrada in June. Up to now that’s Rodriguez’s sole look for 2024, but it surely was fairly a powerful victory in fairly a powerful trend. Rodriguez could struggle as soon as extra this 12 months. Relying on who he faces and the way he does, Rodriguez’s case could get even stronger.
Honorable Mentions
Though we dominated out Inoue and Nakatani for Fighter of the Yr earlier on this column, every might nonetheless benefit honorable mentions for a good 2024.
Inoue: That is wholly depending on whether or not Inoue wins his second look of 2024, as he’s anticipated to do, after which notches a 3rd win towards an excellent challenger earlier than the 12 months is out. Inoue’s victory over Nery in Might noticed the junior featherweight champ come off the canvas to cease an excellent opponent. Inoue’s bout this Tuesday towards Doheny doesn’t strengthen his case, although it’s an appropriate means for Inoue to stay busy. If Inoue finishes the 12 months by persevering with to scrub out the 122-pound division, maybe towards Goodman or Akhmadaliev, then this can go down as a good 12 months for “The Monster,” who in any other case has already overwhelmed one of the best on this weight class however isn’t bodily prepared but to maneuver on to the subsequent.
Nakatani: Nakatani has finally begun to cross over into wider consciousness, significantly after his highlight-reel knockout of Andrew Moloney in 2023 at junior bantamweight. That struggle received Nakatani a world title in a second weight class. However this column is about this 12 months. Earlier in 2024, Nakatani earned a title in his third, division stopping bantamweight beltholder Alexandro Santiago in six. Then Nakatani blasted by way of contender Vincent Astrolabio in lower than a spherical. For his subsequent outing, Nakatani will face the 76-1 Petch CP Freshmart, who has fairly the padded document and whose lone loss got here towards Takuma Inoue in 2018. Inoue has since gone on to win a world title at 118.
There are another names that additionally might deserve acknowledgement for a superb 12 months — relying on what they do subsequent in 2024 — even when their wins received’t put them in rivalry for prime honors. They embrace:
Daniel Dubois: In June, Dubois stopped unbeaten contender Filip Hrgovic on cuts for an interim heavyweight belt. On September 21, Dubois — who was since upgraded to the total IBF titleholder — will defend towards Anthony Joshua. Joshua has received 4 straight since struggling back-to-back losses to Usyk and has been ranked the third-best heavyweight behind Usyk and Fury.
Gervonta “Tank” Davis: Up to now, Davis has solely fought as soon as in 2024, however he scored a high quality win along with his eighth-round knockout of unbeaten light-weight contender Frank Martin. It’s a disgrace that Davis was unable to land fights with fellow titleholders Vasiliy Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson. Wins over both would’ve propelled Davis towards the highest of this checklist. As a substitute, Davis is predicted to return within the coming months towards a foe whose identify has not but been decided. If that struggle winds up being towards Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela — who upset Isaac Cruz in August for a junior welterweight title — then a second win for Davis would make for a fairly good 12 months.
Fernando Martinez: Martinez has additionally solely fought as soon as thus far this 12 months, and that win was an excellent one, seeing him go to Japan to win a transparent determination over Kazuto Ioka, lengthy one of many prime 115-pounders round. Martinez unified two world titles within the course of. It’s doable that the 2 males might have a rematch on New Yr’s Eve, and one other victory for Martinez would solely strengthen his case for being among the finest fighters of 2024.
Liam Paro: Paro captured a junior welterweight world title in June with a unanimous determination victory over Subriel Matias, who had knocked out everybody he’d ever confronted — even his earlier loss to Petros Ananyan was avenged two years later by TKO. Paro went into hostile territory towards Matias and didn’t simply survive; he received convincingly, even when he needed to make it by way of some problem to get there. If Paro is ready to add one other high quality win, then he deserves an honorable point out. That chance might are available a unification bout with Devin Haney, which is a chance for later this 12 months. Some will see a win over Haney as meaningless, given how Haney seemed towards Ryan Garcia. And it’s true, Haney did look flawed and susceptible, although that vulnerability got here towards a foe who was stronger due to deliberately lacking weight and attributable to the usage of performance-enhancing medicine. Nonetheless, if Paro finishes 2024 with wins over Matias and Haney, plus two world titles in his assortment, that ought to go down as a fairly good 12 months.
Tyson Fury: That is if, and provided that, Fury wins demonstratively in his rematch with Usyk. Some could bristle at together with a fighter who misplaced earlier within the 12 months. Nonetheless, a dominant victory for Fury would reestablish him because the true king of the heavyweight division, primarily writing over the shut loss to Usyk of their first assembly. Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman went 1-1 towards one another, however Lewis is seen as being the winner of their rivalry by advantage of his rematch win.
Unlikely Upsets In opposition to Overwhelming Favorites
There aren’t many circumstances of somebody being Fighter of the Yr primarily based solely on one large upset.
Maybe the newest instance is George Foreman, chosen by the BWAA in 1994 due to his one-punch come-from-behind KO of Michael Moorer. (The Ring went with Roy Jones Jr., whose three victories that 12 months included a second-round TKO of Thomas Tate in a middleweight title protection after which a unanimous determination over James Toney to seize a brilliant middleweight belt.)
Maybe Buster Douglas would’ve received in 1990 had his lone struggle that 12 months been his historic knockout of Mike Tyson. Alas, Douglas returned to the ring later that 12 months and was promptly dispatched by Evander Holyfield.
Glen Johnson’s knockout of Roy Jones Jr. in 2004 was additionally beautiful, but it surely in all probability wouldn’t have been sufficient provided that Jones had been knocked out by Antonio Tarver simply 4 months beforehand. However, Johnson was certainly named the highest fighter that 12 months by each The Ring and BWAA. That’s as a result of his three-fight marketing campaign noticed him outpoint Clinton Woods for a vacant mild heavyweight belt, knock out Jones after which take a break up determination over Tarver to change into The Ring’s champion at 175.
Wanting on the remaining schedule for 2024, two of one of the best fighters on the earth — Inoue and Canelo — are going through opponents seen as having little likelihood at victory. Meaning these odds-on favorites received’t have the ability to use these bouts to make their case for Fighter of the Yr. But when these underdogs rating a exceptional upset?
TJ Doheny: If TJ Doheny have been to beat Naoya Inoue on Sept. 3, that win alone — Doheny additionally defeated a 7-0-1 prospect in Might — would give him a really robust case.
Edgar Berlanga: The identical will be stated for Berlanga defeating Canelo on Sept. 14. Berlanga has seemed as if he’d in any other case reached his limits at tremendous middleweight. It will be surprising if he have been by some means in a position to do what different, far-better 168-pounders couldn’t.
And yet another identify for us to doubtlessly embrace:
Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela: If Valenzuela faces “Tank” Davis later this 12 months, he wouldn’t be as a lot of an underdog as Doheny is towards Inoue or Berlanga is towards Canelo. But a win over Davis would completely make Valenzuela a prime candidate for Fighter of the Yr honors. Davis is seen as among the finest all-around fighters on the earth, somebody with large energy, boxing potential and ring savvy. Valenzuela already has one very stable win along with his August break up determination over Isaac Cruz for a junior welterweight title. Including a win over Davis wouldn’t be the cherry on prime; it might be a complete rattling freezer stuffed with ice cream.
Comply with David Greisman on Twitter @FightingWords2. His ebook, “Combating Phrases: The Coronary heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is on the market on Amazon.
