AWARDS: FEATURING NAOYA INOUE, TERENCE CRAWFORD, JOSEPH PARKER & MORE 

By: Jay Calderon

W‍‍‍‍‍‍ell, it's that time of year when one reflects on the last twelve months. That time when one gets a strong desire to give his or her personal take on all that was boxing for 2023.

Fans had quite the ride this past year, with tons of upsets, a couple of ridiculously impressive, resume-boosting performances and whole lot more.

So, no need for much more rambling. Here are my Year-End Awards for 2023:

FIGHTER OF THE YEAR:
NAOYA INOUE

In many respects, this was the trickiest pick of the year for me. I'm sure most level-headed people agree. Not just because it was close (for different reasons) between Naoya Inoue and Terence Crawford, but because the pick I make will likely upset half the people reading.

But, I don't see that as a problem.

In 2023, we had two fighters that really went out there and chased greatness, with both showing up in their biggest moments and showcasing the best versions of themselves. That's not a problem; that's a luxury.

If you think Crawford was the fighter that accomplished the most (or accomplished the most meaningful goals), you're not wrong. You might just put value in different aspects of the game than some. Perhaps you value the big names in the biggest fights, pound-for-pound match ups over much else.

That's fair.

I made my decision based on the skills I saw in Inoue moving up to a new division and immediately taking out two unified champions. One of whom was a very highly rated, undefeated tactician in Stephen Fulton that many expected to cause the Japanese fighter issues.

Either way you lean, I'm not arguing with you. To be fair, I'm a very big Terence Crawford fan and went back and forth with this decision. Ultimately, I chose Inoue.

That said, when these decisions are hard, you can't really be wrong. It just means boxing is getting it right. It means fighters are pushing to make the best fights they can, and are delivering on the night.

HONORABLE MENTION
- TERENCE CRAWFORD
- DEVIN HANEY

FIGHT OF THE YEAR:
LUIS NERY DEF. AZAT HOVHANNISYAN, 11TKO

In general, I would argue boxing had a decent year, particularly in terms of making meaningful fights. We didn't get everything we wanted, but we seemed to have a solid fight at least every 45 days or so.

Yes, it could be better. Still, for boxing, that's not a terrible clip.

However, in terms of the action the fights produced, few were able to quite capture the action and drama of Luis Nery's victory over Azat Hovhannisyan from back in February.

To me, every great fight has a few components in common. Naturally, you need fighters willing to engage, fighters willing to stand and trade when needed. Equally important, in my opinion, you need fighters that have chins that can hold up to much of the onslaught. Still, you want to feel as though the fight might end at any moment.

You also need to add at least a small level of skill in there. It can't be a great fight if they don't know how to properly, y'know, fight.

Nery and Hovhannisyan contained much (if not all) of that in spades, and, deserve the Fight of the Year honor for their efforts. They both had to go through the gears, had to dig deep, and had to make adjustments on the spot. All while trying to punch the other guy's head off and taking shots for their trouble.

If you haven't seen the fight, it's worth a viewing.

HONORABLE MENTION
ARTUR BETERBIEV DEF. ANTHONY YARDE, 8TKO
LEIGH WOOD DEF. JOSH WARRINGTON, 7TKO
O'SHAQUIE FOSTER DEF. EDUARDO HERNANDEZ, 12TKO

PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR:
TERENCE CRAWFORD DEF. ERROL SPENCE, 9TKO

When it comes to this particular selection, it's hard to go against the guy that put in a career-best effort in the biggest fight of his career (and one of the biggest fights of the year as well).

For half a decade, fight fans have wanted to see a showdown between Welterweight titlist Terence Crawford and then-champion Errol Spence. Aside from both being pound-for-pound level competitors, both were unbeaten and in the prime of their respective careers.

After years and nearly theres and almosts, the fight was finally signed for July of 2023, and hardcore boxing enthusiasts were staunchly on one side or the other, adding to the buzz of the bout.

On paper, both seemed evenly matched with the bookmaker's effectively giving you pick 'em odds (though, Crawford was a small favorite by most accounts). Fans everywhere seemed to back those numbers up, with the viewing public mostly split down the middle.

On fight night, Crawford made those numbers seem foolish.

From the very beginning, Crawford seemed a step ahead, and a level above. Spence looked unsure of how to respond -- or even get going -- as Crawford used subtle movement and quick, accurate shots to make his counterpart pay at every moment.

After three rounds, one got the sense that Crawford was going to pick his man apart, and the duration of the contest would be determined by just how badly Terence wanted a stoppage. This fight was running on Crawford's time.

Spence fought back bravely, but was simply too limited and ultimately too beat up to make it out of the ninth frame.

Crawford had put in a career-defining performance.

HONORABLE MENTION
O'SHAQUIE FOSTER DEF. EDUARDO HERNANDEZ, 12TKO
JOSEPH PARKER DEF. DEONTAY WILDER, 12UD

KO OF TH YEAR:
JUNTO NAKATANI DEF. ANDREW MOLONEY, 12KO

Skip to the 1:15 moment of the video below:

HONORABLE MENTION
ALEXIS ROCHA DEF. GEORGE ASHIE, 7KO
BRIAN MENDOZA DEF. SEBASTIAN FUNDORA, 7KO

UPSET OF THE YEAR:
ZHILEI ZHANG DEF. JOE JOYCE, 6TKO (+600 UNDERDOG)

Technically speaking, from a statistical/betting odds standpoint, bigger upsets occurred this year.

Rafael Espinoza's victory over Robeisy Ramirez to become champion at Featherweight was a result that certainly has to be considered -- and it was a fight that had wider odds.

You could also argue Joseph Parker earning a relatively easy decision over the sizable favorite in Deontay Wilder might deserve the nod as well.

I wouldn't really contest those choices. The reason I'm going with Zhilei Zhang's win over Joe Joyce is simply due to the emphatic nature of the win.

Zhang didn't earn a close decision in a tough fight, or stomp out a unanimous decision in a boring fight. No, Zhang absolutely beat up and stopped a fighter that bragged about being unfazed by punches in the build up to their contest.

True, it was stopped on cuts, but cut or not, Joyce wasn't going to see that final bell. The same way he was stopped even sooner in their return. And similar to Parker upsetting plans for Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua, Zhang put a real dent in Joyce's chances of securing a showdown with Tyson Fury in the future.

Zhang didn't just upset the apple cart, he tipped it completely over -- and he did so in a more dramatic way than the others.

HONORABLE MENTION
RAFAEL ESPINOZA (+800) DEF. ROBEISY RAMIREZ, 12MDEC.
JOSEPH PARKER (+450) DEF. DEONTAY WILDER, 12UD

COMEBACK OF THE YEAR:
JOSEPH PARKER

Prior to the end of the year Day of Reckoning event, this category was a two man race between Leigh Wood and Chris Eubank, Jr. And to be fair, both deserve a shout. That said, Joseph Parker sealed the deal with his massive win (and upset win at that) over Deontay Wilder.

However, it wasn't just the Wilder victory.

This is an era when fighters hardly stay active, especially when they are attempting to rebuild or cash out later in their careers. However, Parker fought in January, May, and September before capping it off with the Wilder performance at the end of the calendar.

And he looked good every step of the way.

This was after getting blasted out by Joe Joyce in September of 2022. This is at a time when many assumed Parker's best days were behind him. This is nearly 40 fights deep in a career that hasn't always gone his way.

Parker may never touch another piece of gold in the sport, but in some sense, this rebound year was almost more impressive than his mostly-forgotten title reign.

Parker showed the sort of perseverance many fighters lack, and, even when they do have it, it usually leads to them getting hurt. In Parker's case, it paid off big time.

Now, the big man is poised for a pretty profitable 2024.

HONORABLE MENTION
LEIGH WOOD
CHRIS EUBANK, JR.

TRAINER OF THE YEAR:
BRIAN McINTYRE

PROMINENT RESULTS
- Terence Crawford def. Errol Spence, 9TKO

NOTE: Helped produce the Performance of the Year and crafted an excellent game plan that out his pupil in the running for Fighter of the Year with a single bout.

- Keyshawn Davis def. Anthony Yigit, 9TKO
- Keyshawn Davis def. Francesco Patera, 10UD
- Keyshawn Davis def. Nahir Albright, 10MD (later ruled a ND when Davis tasted positive for marijuana.)

NOTE: Kept his young charge busy, and allowed him to grow into more challenging fights as the year progressed. Helped Davis get through some stickier moments.

- Chris Eubank, Jr. def. Liam Smith, 10TKO

NOTE: Helped Eubank reverse the success of a shock loss and made him look like a completely different fighter in just eight months and a single training camp.

HONORABLE MENTION
BEN DAVISON
BILL HANEY

EVENT OF THE YEAR:
DAY OF RECKONING

It's pretty obvious the most stacked card of the year is going to be the event of the year. Perhaps in a better system, we would be accustomed to stacked cards. But, 2023 didn't really have many at all outside of Day of Reckoning, so the choice becomes easy.

For starters, the card had seven or eight fights that featured recognizable names. The show had upsets, top flight performances, a few solid stoppages and some world titles on the line as well. It was a solid mix of ingredients for a well run night.

For a few years now, fight fans had hoped to see some major show co-headlined by Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, with the idea that (if both were victorious) the pair would build towards a super fight off the back of said event. In fairness, we just wanted to see Joshua-Wilder, but boxing fans are smart enough to know all parties involved would try to milk this one.

While Wilder ended up dropping a decision to Joseph Parker and ultimately throwing those plans to waste, the event staged at least attempted to give fans what they wanted.

And, mostly, the show delivered. Here's hoping we see a bit more of that in 2024.

HONORABLE MENTION
GERVONTA DAVIS VS. RYAN GARCIA
TERENCE CRAWFORD VS. ERROL SPENCE
ARTUR BETERBIEV VS. ANTHONY YARDE

BREAKOUT OF THE YEAR:
O'SHAQUIE FOSTER

Lightly-heralded O'Shaquie Foster entered his vacant 130 pounds title bout with Rey Vargas a near 2-1 underdog in some books, in a bout many obviously expected the Mexican to win.

On that night in February, Foster not only upset the odds, but he didn't really have to struggle to do so. Foster routinely beat Vargas to the punch, had the veteran chasing the bout all night long, and eventually cruised to a unanimous decision win.

While impressive by itself, what cemented the deal for Foster having such a great 2023 was his maiden defense.

In October, traveling to Mexico as the champion to face Eduardo Hernandez, Foster was put through a real test against a hungry, hard-hitter. Down on two of the cards and having been hurt in previous rounds, Foster bit down in the twelfth and stopped Hernandez in a Fight of the Year candidate.

Foster showed you his skills and his will in the span of two quality performance, and announced himself on the world level.

HONORABLE MENTION
RAFAEL ESPINOZA
CHRIS BILLAM-SMITH

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