Boxing News’ Battle of the Calendar year for 2022: Leigh Wood vs. Michael Conlan – Boxing Information
1 Leigh Wood W KO 12 Michael Conlan
Bookended by two of the most extraordinary moments of the calendar year, the March battle concerning featherweights Wooden and Conlan was the variety of fight you exhibit newcomers to the sport in the hope they will adhere all-around. It all commenced with Conlan registering a substantial knockdown in spherical one particular with an almighty left hand, after which the Irishman went on to deliver some of the finest boxing of his profession. That was right until Wooden caught up with him, even so, and concluded the fight quite spectacularly in spherical 12, sending Conlan out of the ring with a straight appropriate cross.
2 Sivenathi Nontshinga SD 12 Hector Flores
The best blend of large-octane motion and tight scorecards, this September struggle at gentle-flyweight among Nontshinga of South Africa and Flores of Mexico was nip and tuck from very first bell to very last. Held in Hermosillo, Mexico, a really fitting backdrop, Flores recovered from a second-spherical knockdown to force Nontshinga tricky throughout, but it however was not quite sufficient to prevent the South African using a split choice and heading home with the vacant IBF mild-flyweight belt.
3 Kenshiro Teraji W TKO 7 Hiroto Kyoguchi
Light-weight-flyweights Teraji and Kyoguchi achieved at Tokyo’s Saitama Super Arena in November and together confirmed that there is no increased sight than that of fighters in the lower excess weight classes rattling by means of their punch repertoires at breakneck speed. With momentum shifts in abundance, Teraji and Kyoguchi not only sent a struggle for the ages but, in round five, also gave us arguably the spherical of the yr. That spherical, a microcosm of the combat, saw each fighters harm just before rallying again pretty exceptionally.
4 Sebastian Fundora W RTD 9 Erickson Lubin
Known as the “Towering Inferno”, Sebastian Fundora is a 6’5 southpaw super-welterweight whose fashion and dimensions make him a nightmare for any individual to combat. In April, even so, he pretty much satisfied his match in the sort of Erickson Lubin, who, immediately after staying floored himself in spherical two, arrived again to poorly harm and drop Fundora in a wild and eventful spherical 7. But, in the close, it was Fundora who prevailed when Lubin retired on his stool following 9 rounds.
5 Jermell Charlo W KO 10 Brian Castano II
Charlo and Castano met for the 1st time back in 2021 and both came absent disappointed when the fight was declared a draw after 12 rounds. Eager to fix that, they reconvened in May possibly of this yr and this time left nothing at all to opportunity, with both gentlemen combating tougher than before and Charlo, in certain, dominating some meaty exchanges before dropping Castano twice in the 10th spherical. The win settled their rivalry and also verified Charlo’s location at the prime of the tremendous-welterweight tree.
6 Joe Joyce W KO 11 Joseph Parker
While he had a program, and though he showed a impressive sum of courage and sturdiness on the evening, heavyweight Joseph Parker was however unable to make a dent in Joe Joyce when the pair locked horns in September. In its place, Joyce, as is his custom made, set his radar on Parker from the very initially bell and just ongoing marching ahead undeterred till, in round 11, he finished matters with a spectacular left hook.
7 Fernando Martinez W UD 12 Jerwin Ancajas
No stranger to entertaining fights, knowledgeable Filipino Jerwin Ancajas was associated in not a person but two of them in 2022, both equally in opposition to the same opponent: Fernando Martinez. The pair achieved for the to start with time in February and this combat, the better of the two, ended with Martinez, an unbeaten Argentinean, getting the unanimous choice immediately after 12 rounds of nonstop action. Martinez then managed to repeat the trick in the Oct rematch, beating Ancajas at the time again by conclusion to keep his IBF tremendous-flyweight belt.
8 Jai Opetaia W UD 12 Mairis Briedis
The generally-ignored cruiserweight division has thrown up some common slugfests in new yrs and July’s struggle in between Opetaia and Briedis in Australia was, as it turned out, a welcome addition to this craze. With no worry of travelling, Briedis, the champion, took his title to Opetaia’s home place only to then leave with out it just after 12 stirring rounds of action which saw the Latvian at last satisfy his equivalent in the physicality stakes and Opetaia, previously mysterious, appear of age on the significant stage.
9 Andy Ruiz W UD 12 Luis Ortiz
A pleasurable brawl involving heavyweight contenders, the outcome of this September struggle ultimately hinged on Andy Ruiz’s capacity to secure a few knockdowns en route to the closing bell. The initially two knockdowns transpired in the next round, when Ruiz dropped Ortiz with a huge appropriate hand, and the similarly pivotal 3rd knockdown arrived in the seventh, when a extra cuffing proper hand this time did the destruction. Every single of those people flashpoints tipped an in any other case back-and-forth contest in Ruiz’s favour and Ortiz, however he had his times, was in the end remaining asking yourself what could have been.
10 Dmitry Bivol W UD 12 Saul Alvarez
Although probably not the most action-packed struggle of the calendar year, the May clash concerning Bivol and Alvarez was certainly a person of the greatest, the two in terms of its magnitude and the competencies exhibited by Bivol, the victor, on the night time. Considered an upset by most, Bivol was as very good as punch-best in Las Vegas and Alvarez, irrespective of his star attraction and his prior results in reduce body weight classes, uncovered this newest action up to light-weight-heavyweight a bridge much too far.
British Battle of the 12 months
1 Leigh Wood W KO 12 Michael Conlan
2 Joe Joyce W KO 11 Joseph Parker
3 Jordan Gill W KO 9 Karim Guerfi
4 Josh Warrington TKO 7 Kiko Martinez
5 Chris Billam-Smith W UD 12 Isaac Chamberlain
6 Denzel Bentley W UD 12 Linus Udofia
7 Josh Taylor W UD 12 Jack Catterall
8 Sam Gilley TKO 9 Drew Brown
9 Tyler Denny W UD 10 River Wilson-Bent
10 Ijaz Ahmed D 12 Quaise Khamedi
Female Fight of the Year
1 Katie Taylor W SD 10 Amanda Serrano
2 Claressa Shields W UD 10 Savannah Marshall
3 Delfine Persoon W UD 10 Elhem Mekhaled
British Female Battle of the Yr
1 Claressa Shields W UD 10 Savannah Marshall
2 Ebanie Bridges W UD 10 Maria Cecilia Roman
3 Sandy Ryan W UD 10 Erica Anabella Farias
Woman KO of the Yr
Savannah Marshall KO 3 Femke Hermans
Feminine Prospect of the Calendar year
Ellie Scotney
