THE TREND OF GIVING FANS WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE CONTINUED IN 2024 WITH A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT PROMOTIONS
EVENT OF THE YEAR
By Michael Rosenthal
2.
5.
1.
4.
1. ANTHONY JOSHUA VS. FRANCIS NGANNOU Joshua vs. Ngannou was a major event largely because of a previous fight, one in which the former UFC champion stunned everyone by putting Tyson Fury down and nearly beating him in his boxing debut. Everyone asked: Could Ngannou do it again? Uh, no. Ngannou was dropped three times and stopped in the second round on March 8 in
4. TERENCE CRAWFORD VS. ISRAIL MADRIMOV Crawford was attempting to win a major title in a fourth division on August 3 in Los Angeles. And he would do it in Riyadh Season’s first card outside of Saudi Arabia, which added to the significance. “Bud” succeeded, eking out a unanimous decision over the then-WBA junior middleweight titlist. That was only part of the story, however. The show
Nery fared no better than anyone else on May 6 in front of more than 50,000 at the Tokyo Dome. “The Monster” got up from a shocking opening-round knockdown and stopped him in five rounds to build on his reputation as a generational talent. 3. TYSON FURY VS. OLEKSANDR USYK I Fans waited a long time
vacated by Oleksandr Usyk. And a rejuvenated Joshua hoped to start a third reign as champion. In the end, it was all Dubois. He put Joshua down four times before knocking him out in the fifth round. 6. DOUBLE BILL IN TOKYO Japanese promoters got creative in October, staging seven world title fights over
also featured Isaac Cruz, Jose Valenzuela, David Morrell, Andy Ruiz, Jarrell Miller and Martin Bakole. The stars were out in Hollywood. 5. DANIEL DUBOIS VS. ANTHONY JOSHUA Dubois vs. Joshua was significant on an international level. It was huge in the U.K., as 96,000 people packed Wembley Stadium to witness the clash of Londoners on September 21. The storylines were compelling. Dubois, coming off a knockout of Filip Hrgovic, had been awarded the IBF title
Riyadh, which seemed to end his brief career as a relevant boxer. 2. NAOYA INOUE
for this. The boxing world hadn’t had an
two consecutive days in Tokyo. On October 13, Seiya Tsutsumi, Kenshiro Teraji, Shokichi Iwata and Seigo Yuri Akui won championship bouts. And,
6.
3.
undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis two decades earlier. Fury vs. Usyk would change that on May 18 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a new hub of boxing. And millions worldwide would tune in to witness the historic event. The fighters didn’t disappoint. Usyk scored a technical knockdown while dominating Fury in Round 9 and won a split decision in a rousing bout. The rivalry was just getting started.
VS. LUIS NERY The gifted Inoue
on October 14, Junto Nakatani, Phumelela Cafu and Anthony
achieved superstardom with one breathtaking knockout after another,
Olascuaga did the same. Fans couldn’t have asked for much more. ALSO NOTABLE: Rival promotion companies Queensberry and Matchroom pitted
including one over Marlon Tapales to
become an undisputed champion in a second division four-plus months earlier. Inoue’s elite status and an experienced challenger known for his punching power made this a can’t- miss event, although
some of their best fighters against one another in the unusual “5v5” event in Riyadh.
50
51
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker