By Jake Donovan COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
FORMER TITLISTS, WRITTEN-OFF CONTENDERS AND EVEN A CANCER SURVIVOR PUNCHED THEIR WAY BACK INTO THE SPOTLIGHT IN 2024
NICK BALL (21-0-1, 12 KOs) 2024: 2-0-1 (1 KO) TITLE WON: WBA FEATHERWEIGHT
BILLY DIB (49-6, 27 KOs) 2024: 1-0
DANIEL DUBOIS (22-2, 21 KOs) 2024 : 2-0 (2 KOS) TITLE WON: IBF HEAVYWEIGHT Few expected Dubois to re-emerge as a threat after a ninth-round knockout loss to Ring heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in August 2023. A 10th-round knockout of unbeaten Jarrell Miller in December of that year instantly breathed new life into the Londoner’s career. The 2024 extension began on June 1 with an eighth-round stoppage of unbeaten contender Filip Hrgovic. Dubois claimed the interim IBF title and was upgraded to full titleholder status before his greatest feat to date – a five-round destruction of former two-time unified titlist Anthony Joshua that came in front of an absolutely massive crowd at Wembley Stadium for Riyadh Season’s U.K. launch. Dubois scored four knockdowns and notched his third-straight KO victory in one of the year’s biggest upsets.
ANGELO LEO (25-1, 12 KOs) 2024: 3-0 (2 KOS) TITLE WON: IBF FEATHERWEIGHT The former WBO 122-pound titlist was all but forgotten about after a ring absence of more than two years. After signing with ProBox TV, a win in late 2023 and two more in 2024 paved the way for another title shot. All he had to do was beat the best featherweight in the world. On August 10, Leo welcomed IBF titlist Luis Alberto Lopez to his hometown of Albuquerque for the occasion. A competitive fight ended with a left hook that put Lopez flat on his back and Leo atop the featherweight rankings.
PEDRO TADURAN (17-4-1, 13 KOs) 2024: 1-0 (1 KO) TITLES WON: IBF STRAWWEIGHT The resurgence of the Philippines’ Taduran came the hard way – on the road and against unbeaten Ginjiro Shigeoka, who, at the time, was The Ring’s No. 1-rated strawweight. Taduran showed no fear in their July 24 clash in Shiga, Japan. He left Shigeoka limp and defenseless along the ropes to force a ninth- round stoppage and regain the IBF title he’d lost more than three years prior. Taduran’s only other win in a title fight was when he claimed the belt in 2019. A draw with Daniel Valladares and back-to-back defeats to countryman Rene Mark Cuarto left him as a castoff. Nearly three years later, Taduran is The Ring’s No. 2-rated strawweight.
MASAMICHI YABUKI (17-4, 16 KOs) 2024: 2-0 (2 KOS) TITLE WON: IBF JUNIOR FLYWEIGHT
The former IBF featherweight titlist was once told that he only had another six months to live after he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Three years later, Sydney’s Dib made the unlikeliest of ring returns at age 39. It was only for one night and versus a made-to-order opponent in Germany’s Atilla Kayabasi (12-17, 7 KOs), but the fact that Dib even climbed through the ropes one last time was the true victory. The result was an eight-round unanimous decision for the Australian on December 12 in Hamburg. It came more than 11 years after the end of his featherweight title reign.
Liverpool’s Ball was considered unlucky to settle for a split draw in his March 8 bid for Rey Vargas’ WBC featherweight strap in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Two knockdowns weren’t enough to get the win and the belt. Flip the sixth round on judge Rey Danseco’s scorecard, and Ball has a starting point for 2024 Fighter of the Year instead of a comeback tour. Nevertheless, the unbeaten 27-year-old immediately regrouped for another stiff test versus WBA featherweight titlist Ray Ford. The mindset led to a hard-fought split decision win to claim the belt on the June 1 Queensberry vs. Matchroom “5v5” card in Riyadh. Ball was rewarded with a homecoming headliner in October – a 10th- round knockout of Ronny Rios at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena.
Yabuki’s knockout defeat to countryman Kenshiro Teraji in
their March 2022 rematch left the suggestion that Yabuki was a one- hit wonder. After all, his September 2021 knockout to win the WBC title came versus a Covid-recovering version of Teraji. Four knockouts later, the 32-year-old banger is back atop The Ring’s junior flyweight ratings. Two came in 2024, including his ninth-round knockout of two- time titleholder Sivenathi Nontshinga in Tokoname. Yabuki floored the visiting South African three times to lift the IBF 108-pound belt for his second title reign.
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