As 2024 comes to a close, it's time to honor the best that
boxing had to offer during the year. Here is the 14th edition of the Saturday
Night Boxing Awards. The 2024 awards are given to best fighter, fight,
knockout, round, upset, trainer, promoter, network and referee of the
year.
Fighter of the Year: Oleksandr Usyk
Usyk scored two victories over lineal heavyweight king Tyson
Fury to become the first undisputed champion in the division since
Lennox Lewis. Usyk knocked down Fury in a memorable ninth round during their first
fight and was perhaps seconds away from stopping him. In the rematch Fury stayed on his feet all 12 rounds, but Usyk, as in the first fight, prevailed
in the second half of the bout to win on the scorecards.
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| Photo courtesy of Leigh Dawney/DAZN |
Usyk is now a two-time winner of the Saturday Night Boxing Fighter of the Year, also winning in 2018. He's also the first heavyweight to claim the award. The former undisputed cruiserweight champion has now reigned supreme in two divisions. Despite significant size disadvantages, Usyk' brand of technical boxing and relentless drive have led to him becoming the top dog at heavyweight.
Previous SNB Fighters of the Year:
2023: (tie) Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue2021: Saul Alvarez
2020: Teofimo Lopez
2019: Saul Alvarez
2018: Oleksandr Usyk
2017: Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
2016: Carl Frampton
2015: Floyd Mayweather
2014: Naoya Inoue
2013: Adonis Stevenson
2012: Nonito Donaire
2011: Andre Ward
Fight of the Year: Otabek Kholmatov-Raymond Ford Jr.
This fight was for a vacant featherweight title and on paper neither boxer seemed like a deserving candidate for the opportunity. Kholmatov entered the fight as a little-seen 12-0 boxer without any real signature wins in his developmental fights. Ford in the recent past had escaped without defeat in a split decision win against Edward Vazquez and a draw against Aaron Perez.
But this fight is why on paper needs to remain "on paper" at times. Kholmatov and Ford fought an absolute barnburner in March.
Entering the fight, Kholmatov was supposed to be the heavier hitter with 11 knockouts in his 12 wins while Ford made his reputation as an athletic, technical boxer. Yet in this fascinating fight, the script was flipped twice. In the early rounds, it was Kholmatov who dominated boxing from range, peppering Ford from distance and landing terrific power shots. Ford couldn't defend Kholmatov's power punches from range and looked flummoxed throughout the first half of the fight.
Then Ford took the drastic step of taking the fight on the inside, a range where he had spent little time during his professional career. Slowly but surely, Ford started to have success with uppercuts on the inside and piercing right hooks. Ford had a huge deficit to climb in the fight, but he kept chopping away. In the 12th, Kholmatov boxed from distance believing that as long as he stayed on his feet, he would win the fight. But in the second half of the round, Ford landed a blistering combination with Kholmatov against the ropes. Kholmatov tried to hold, but he fell over. The ref ruled it a slip, but Kholmatov was badly hurt.
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| Ford (left) and Kholmatov in an epic battle Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank |
When the action resumed, Ford went on the hunt and landed a crushing right hand that made Kholmatov stumble from one side of the ring to the other along the ropes. He was so damaged from the shot that he banged into the corner post and became entangled with the ropes in the corner. Seizing the opportunity, Ford followed up with a cracking left hand while Kholmatov was defenseless. Although there were only a few seconds left in the fight, referee Charlie Fitch called it off.
Kholmatov-Ford featured everything one could ask for in a title fight. Kholmatov set a ferocious pace in the early rounds and dazzled with his boxing gifts and power punching from the outside. And when Plan A didn't work for Ford, he took big risks against the supposed power puncher and let his hands fly on the inside. His adjustment was one of desperation, but he realized what he was up against. On the outside, Ford couldn't compete. But like a champion, he understood that winning meant everything. And if he needed to take a big risk to win, then that's what the situation required. He went right in the kitchen and pulled out all the stops to become a champion. And that's what prizefighting on the highest level is about.
Previous SNB Fights of the Year:
2023: Nery-Hovhannisyan2022: Wood-Conlan
2021: Fury-Wilder III
2020: Zepeda-Baranchyk
2019: Inoue-Donaire
2018: Chisora-Takam
2017: Joshua-Klitschko
2016: Vargas-Salido
2015: Miura-Vargas
2014: Coyle-Brizuela
2013: Bradley-Provodnikov
2012: Pacquiao-Marquez IV
2011: Rios-Acosta
Knockout of the Year: Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez KO 7 Juan Estrada
After having been dominated in the first five rounds of the fight, including getting dropped in the fourth, Juan Estrada started to turn the tide in the sixth. He scored a knockdown from a beautiful three-punch combination to start the round and now suddenly the old master didn't look out of his depth against the younger, faster Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez.
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| Rodriguez sends Estrada to the canvas Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott/Matchroom |
Estrada continued to press the action after the knockdown. In the seventh he marched forward and went looking for Rodriguez with lead right hands. But Estrada had started to go to the well too often. As the round continued, he missed with two lead right hands, which Bam ducked under. Bam then followed up with a blistering left uppercut to Estrada's unprotected body and "El Gallo" crumbled to the canvas. The fight was over.
Not only was Bam's counter uppercut impressive in terms of technique, but consider that he landed it against the best opponent of his career. Furthermore, he unfurled the punch not during a period of dominance, but when Estrada was in the ascendency. The punch was a fight-changer and a fight-ender, a beautiful shot against a terrific boxer. Kudos to Bam Rodriguez. This knockout was the signature win of his skyrocketing career.
Previous SNB Knockouts of the Year:
2023: Junto Nakatani KO 12 Andrew Moloney2022: Leigh Wood TKO 12 Michael Conlan
2021: Gabe Rosado KO 3 Bektemir Melikuziev
2020: (tie) Alexander Povetkin KO 5 Dillian Whyte and Gervonta Davis KO 6 Leo Santa Cruz
2019: Nonito Donaire KO 6 Stephon Young
2018: Naoya Inoue KO 1 Juan Carlos Payano
2017: Zolani Tete KO 1 Siboniso Gonya
2016: Hassan N'Dam KO 1 Alfonso Blanco
2015: Yenifel Vincente KO 3 Juan Dominguez
2014: Andy Lee KO 5 John Jackson
2013: Stephen Smith KO 5 Gary Buckland
2012: Juan Manuel Marquez KO 6 Manny Pacquiao
2011: Takashi Uchiyama TKO 11 Jorge Solis
Round of the Year: Tyson Koki-Deok No Yun I Round 1
What an insane round of boxing! More to the point, an absolutely insane 30 seconds! These two super middleweights aren't household names, but they produced special stuff in the first round of their fight in June.
With about 2:15 to go in the first round, No Yun (South Korea) lands a lead right uppercut to the head that instantly drops Koki (Japan) to the canvas. It's a hard shot and Koki takes a couple of really deep breaths upon making it to his feet.
When the action resumes, No Yun charges after Koki and traps him in the corner. He unloads the kitchen sink on Koki who looks like he's ready to go. No Yun presses for the stoppage and leaves his feet to land a right hand. But Koki meets him with a perfect counter left. No Yun is stopped in his tracks and collapses to the canvas. His upper body is motionless on the ground but both feet shake uncontrollably. If you want an example of a knockout short-circuiting a fighter, here's a great example.
Koki looked seconds away from being stopped and pulled out the perfect punch during a barrage of incoming fire. It was breathtaking stuff. The two did fight later in the year with No Yun gaining revenge and winning by seventh-round stoppage, but please, take a look at the first round of their first fight. Jaw-dropping.
Previous SNB Rounds of the Year:
2023: O'Shaquie Foster-Eduardo Hernandez Round 112022: Mauricio Lara-Emilio Sanchez Round 3
2021: Kenshiro Teraji-Masamichi Yabuki Round 9
2020: Jose Zepeda-Ivan Baranchyk Round 5
2019: Anthony Joshua-Andy Ruiz Round 3
2018: Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury Round 12
2017: Anthony Joshua-Wladimir Klitschko Round 5
2016: Edwin Rodriguez-Thomas Williams Jr. Round 2
2015: Edwin Rodriguez-Michael Seals Round 1
2014: Thomas Williams Jr.-Cornelius White Round 1
2013: Tim Bradley-Ruslan Provodnikov Round 12
2012: Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Round 12
2011: Hernan Marquez-Luis Concepcion I Round 1
Upset of the Year: Bruno Surace KO 6 Jaime Munguia
When matchmaking goes wrong. Super middleweight contender Jaime Munguia wanted to fit in a fight at the end of the year in front of his hometown Tijuana fans. His team selected little-known French fighter Bruno Surace, who prior to this bout had never boxed outside of France as a professional and only had four knockouts in his 27 fights.
In the early going all went to plan. Munguia scored an impressive knockdown in the second round with a left hook to the head. And he continued to pile up points as the fight progressed. Although Surace was losing rounds, he did flash some quick counters at points, but he didn't let his hands go with enough frequency to make a dent on the scorecards.
In the sixth, Munguia pushed Surace back to the ropes. He threw a left hook-left uppercut combination with both punches missing. And then he lingered in the pocket. Surace exploded off the ropes with a throwaway jab and then a crushing right hand to Munguia's completely unprotected chin. Munguia hit the canvas hard. He attempted to beat the count but stumbled trying to get to his feet. The ref waved it off. It was an outcome that no one saw coming. But on this night, Surace saw the perfect opening, and he seized it.
Previous SNB Upsets of the Year:
2023: Brian Mendoza KO 7 Sebastian Fundora2022: Hector Luis Garcia UD Chris Colbert
2021: George Kambosos SD Teofimo Lopez
2020: Robert Helenius TKO 4 Adam Kownacki
2019: Andy Ruiz TKO 7 Anthony Joshua
2018: Rob Brant UD Ryota Murata
2017: Caleb Truax MD James DeGale
2016: Joe Smith Jr. KO 1 Andrzej Fonfara
2015: Tyson Fury UD Wladimir Klitschko
2014: (tie) James de la Rosa UD Alfredo Angulo and Tommy Karpency SD Chad Dawson
2013: Jhonny Gonzalez KO 1 Abner Mares
2012: Sonny Boy Jaro TKO 6 Pongsaklek Wongjongkam
Trainer of the Year: Robert Garcia
Pretty much everything went right for Robert Garcia in 2024. His signature fighter, Jesse Rodriguez, had a huge win over Juan Estrada. Vergil Ortiz gutted out a close victory over Serhii Bohachuk despite hitting the canvas twice. During the final third of the fight, Garcia implored Ortiz to stop looking for a knockout and insisted that Ortiz's jab and punch volume would be the way to win. And he was correct.
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| Jesse Rodriguez and Robert Garcia Photo courtesy of Robert Garcia |
In perhaps Garcia's most impressive display of the year, he was able to convince slugger Jose Valenzuela to backfoot Isaac Cruz to win a junior welterweight title. This was a radical change for Valenzuela and while the results weren't always fluid over the 12 rounds, he followed the game plan and won his first world title. Garcia's only notable loss of the year was Jose Ramirez dropping a competitive decision to Arnold Barboza.
Garcia also continues to produce exciting young prospects, such as Alberto "Chop Chop" Gonzalez and Art Barrera. Lindolfo Delgado at 140 lbs. is another fighter who is knocking on the door of a championship opportunity. Overall, Garcia demonstrated in 2024 what a trainer can do best: prepare a fighter for the opponent in front of him and be able to make key adjustments in the corner. It was a great year for the veteran trainer, who was the 2011 SNB Trainer of the Year and the SNB Trainer of the Decade for 2010-2019.
Previous SNB Trainers of the Year:
2023: Brian McIntyre et al.2022: Derrick James
2021: Eddy Reynoso
2020: Teofimo Lopez Sr.
2019: Eddy Reynoso
2018: Anatoly Lomachenko
2017: Derrick James
2016: Shane McGuigan
2015: Peter Fury
2014: Freddie Roach
2013: Kenny Porter
2012: Robert McCracken
2011: Robert Garcia
Promoter of the Year: Riyadh Season
Masterminded by Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority for Saudi Arabia, Riyadh Season has become in just under two years the dominant big-fight promoter in the sport. In 2024, Riyadh Season was able to produce the first heavyweight undisputed fight in over 20 years, throwing whatever money was necessary to ensure that Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk not only happened, but transpired on Saudi Arabian soil. They also held the rematch as well.
And if that wasn't enough, Alalshikh also made the undisputed light heavyweight fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. The Riyadh Season cards overall have produced a lot of entertainment. The featherweight title fight between Raymond Ford and Nick Ball was one of the best fights of the year.
Alalshikh has also been a big supporter of the heavyweight division, giving fighters like Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker and Agit Kabayel significant opportunities to further their respective careers. He has already featured heavyweight uber-prospect Moses Itauma on his cards.
Riyadh Season is certainly not the first big venture to enter boxing throwing around a lot of money. But what's been to their credit is that they have been able to get big fights to happen. Furthermore, Alalshikh has convinced many of the sport's top promoters to work together on a consistent basis, which has been a significant benefit to the sport and its fans.
Previous SNB Promoters of the Year:
2023: TGB Promotions in conjunction with PBC2022: No Award Given
2021: Premier Boxing Champions
2020: Top Rank
2019: Matchroom Boxing
2018: Premier Boxing Champions
2017: K2 Promotions
2016: Matchroom Boxing
2015: Golden Boy Promotions
2014: Matchroom Boxing
2013: (tie) Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank
2012: Golden Boy Promotions
2011: Top Rank
Network of the Year: DAZN
2024 is the year where everything started to come together for DAZN. Although they have had strong years in the past, in 2024 they finally realized that by opening their doors to more promoters, they can become the premier destination for the sport. In addition to Matchroom and Golden Boy, DAZN is now the boxing home for Salita Promotions, MVP Promotions, OTX, Red Owl Boxing, and several other entities. Not only has this new programming offered far more boxing content for their subscribers, but it has helped fill the crucial void for providing developmental opportunities for emerging talents.
DAZN also has become the official home Riyadh Season cards, which have provided several of the biggest fights of the year. Late in the year, DAZN announced that they will become the exclusive home of Queensberry Promotions. Somehow, one network has helped convince Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren to play nicely in the same sandbox. Now that's quite a feat!
Previous SNB Networks of the Year:
2023: Showtime2022: ESPN
2021: Showtime
2020: ESPN
2019: DAZN
2018: Showtime
2017: Showtime
2016: Sky Sports
2015: No award given
2014: ESPN
2013: Showtime
2012: BoxNation
Referee of the Year: Thomas Taylor
In the past I have given this award to a referee who had a terrific singular performance during a notable fight. But for 2024, I have decided to go in a different direction. Thomas Taylor, from California, works big fights all over the world. He is clearly among the most respected referees in the sport. But I am not giving this award because he has attained a specific status. After all, more than a few high-profile referees aren't particularly good at their job; it's just that the right people like them. Taylor is not in this category. He's reached his place in the sport on merit.
Taylor doesn't have a particular signature style during fights. Usually, he's invisible. His footwork is terrific. He can be forceful when he needs to be. He's not one to allow a lot of fouling. What he does exceptionally well is ensuring that a fight stays under control while not making himself the story, which is perhaps the highest praise that can be given to a referee.
Look at all the big fights he worked in 2024: Rolly Romero-Pitbull Cruz, Canelo-Munguia, Benavidez-Gvozdyk, Nakatani-Astrolabio (in Japan), Lara-Garcia, Munguia-Bazinyan, and Beterbiev-Bivol (in Saudi Arabia). That's quite a year and there's been nary a peep of criticism about his performances in any of them. Taylor is proof that there are still meritocratic elements in the sports. He's one of the best, and he's working many of the best fights that the sport offers. And that's how it should be!
Previous SNB Referees of the Year:
2023: No award given2022: David Fields
2021: Mark Lyson
2020: Michiaki Someya
2019: No award given
2018: Jack Reiss
2017: David Fields
2016: Raul Caiz Sr.
2015: David Fields
2014: Steve Smoger
2013: Tony Weeks
2012: Eddie Claudio
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