Opinions and Observations: Usyk-Verhoeven

When Oleksandr Usyk selected Rico Verhoeven as his next opponent, he signaled that he was no longer taking boxing as seriously as he once did. Although a decorated kickboxing champ, Verhoeven had virtually no professional boxing experience. On paper he was completely unworthy to fight for a heavyweight title. Usyk, whose career was full of fights against champions and top contenders (usually on the road), believed that he had earned an easy payday. With Verhoeven he could make another boatload of money without having to put himself through the psychological ringer against another top challenger. At least, that was the idea.

Observing Usyk in the ring on Saturday, one could tell that he didn't approach Verhoeven with the same level of rigor that had been customary throughout his career. He entered the fight at a career-high 233.25 lbs. and he didn't look particularly great on his feet. Missing were his use of angles and timing, both offensively and especially defensively. He was getting hit with long-range shots from Verhoeven that he had usually been able to evade. 

Now it's true that as he walked into the ring, there was a significant attack on Ukraine by Russia, and no doubt that played on his mind. But even if you grant him some mercy, the fact is he was getting hit in the face round after round by hard punches. One kept expecting Usyk to round into form, but that didn't happen. 

Verhoeven (left) and Usyk in an exchange
Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson/Matchroom

Here is where we give credit to Verhoeven and one of his lead trainers for the fight, Peter Fury. Fury was the architect of Tyson Fury's upset victory over Wladimir Klitschko and is a master at exploiting fighters' weaknesses and tells in the ring.  

Fury and Verhoeven had an agreement. Whenever Usyk landed something hard, Verhoeven would come charging back with power punches. Fury noticed that Usyk was accustomed to taking quick breaks after landing flush shots. Against almost all of his other opponents Usyk's sharpshooting has been enough to control them, to make them retrench, but that's where Fury and Verhoeven decided to work. 

The third round was instructive in my opinion. Usyk landed several stunning uppercuts, but instead of taking a step back to reset, Verhoeven was determined to come forward, apply pressure and let shots go. He wouldn't be a compliant opponent or make silent non-aggression agreements.  

Usyk was dealing with a fighter who was playing by a different set of internal rules. Verhoeven didn't let Usyk's power or precision spook him. He wouldn't step back to recalibrate. He was relishing the back-and-forth exchanges and believed in his preparation and offensive attack. He not only thought that he could win; he believed that he had the tools to do so. 

No doubt Verhoeven was having more success than almost anyone believed was possible AND Usyk looked far off his best, but it's also important to remember that boxing is scored round by round. In truth, there were several close rounds in the fight. For instance, in the third and the eighth, I thought that those were clear Usyk rounds, but the DAZN broadcast was by then clearly on the Verhoeven train. The broadcasters got caught up in a potentially historic upset and were no longer watching the action unfold three minutes at a time. 

The bout featured open scoring, and the judges were seeing the fight much closer than the broadcasters were. After the tenth round, two of the judges had the fight level and one had Verhoeven up by two points. I thought that those scores were far more appropriate than DAZN's 8-2 lead for Verhoeven. Yes, Usyk looked off his best, but he was winning his fair share of rounds. 

The 11th included drama and controversy. In an exchange during the last minute of the round, Usyk angled himself to get a clear shot at Verhoeven and he connected with a devastating right uppercut. Verhoeven fell to his knees and his body eventually slunk under the bottom rope. He beat the count and ref Mark Lyson was also nice enough to give him ample time to replace his mouthpiece. 

With only seconds left in the round after the restart, Usyk fired off a series of power punches against a defenseless Verhoeven. The bell sounded to end the round and then Lyson decided to wave off the fight. 

The stoppage was unwarranted. Not only did Usyk continue to fire shots after the bell, but Verhoeven deserved the opportunity to come out for the 12th round. Sure, he was badly hurt, but that's why there are breaks between rounds. Those 60 seconds could have done him a world of good. Ultimately Lyson short-circuited a definitive conclusion to the fight. If Usyk would have stopped Verhoeven in the 12th, then fair play to him, but Verhoeven should have been afforded every opportunity to fight his way out of it. 

Usyk after the victory
Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson/Matchroom

Prior to Saturday's fight, Usyk had frequently stated that he only wanted to fight three more times. 39 years old and a lifetime spent on the road, Usyk had already been planning his retirement. From a style perspective, Usyk has always been a master of timing and footwork, the types of skills that can diminish more quickly than a big knockout punch. Maybe Usyk has one more great night ahead of him, but it's also possible that a fighter as attuned to the elements as Usyk is has observed his own slippage. 

A few years ago Tyson Fury struggled against MMA fighter Francis Ngannou (another novice boxer). Fury did return to give Usyk a terrific first fight. But then let's also remember that Fury wasn't willing to take it on the inside against Usyk in either bout. He wasn't physically or mentally ready to go to the same places that he did in the two Wilder rematches. 

Usyk's now in a similar position that Fury was, that bargaining phase: I can take my foot off the gas. I don't need to train as hard as I once did. This neophyte isn't a match for me. 

Usyk has always had edges in intangibles, including intelligence, stamina, conditioning, self-belief, and resilience. But without them, he's a different proposition in the ring. And once those little edges dull, it's extremely hard to get them back. 

I doubt that we'll see Usyk have too many more easy nights against real competition. No heavyweight is going to be disturbed by Usyk's performance against Verhoeven. Whatever aura Usyk once had, there is now a division full of fighters who will enter the ring against him with more hope and belief. So, if ever there's an example of a bad win, it's this. Usyk has diminished his standing.  

After Saturday's performance, the heavyweight division will now have declared open season on the champ. It's one thing for a fighter to envision his own sunset, but it's an entirely different scenario when his opponents are licking their chops to take him there.

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook  

Opinions and Observations: Usyk-Dubois 2

I have a theory about Oleksandr Usyk's heavyweight campaign: he's as good as he needs to be. Most of his fights have been competitive on the scorecards. Chisora ran him close. The Fury fights featured intense two-way combat. Even Anthony Joshua had stretches of good rounds in the middle parts of both fights. To my eyes, Usyk deserved to win all of those fights, but I never had a feeling of outright domination, or that he absolutely needed a stoppage to win. 

Usyk first fought Daniel Dubois almost two years ago. And with the exception of Dubois landing a crushing body punch that may or may not have been low, the fight was uneventful. Usyk eventually made Dubois take a knee in the ninth round to end the fight. Dubois didn't absorb a life-changing beating in that fight, but he couldn't handle Usyk's pressure and cerebral approach. Dubois spent so much of the fight staring at Usyk, waiting, unable to act. 

But Dubois came roaring back with stoppage wins over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua, picking up a share of the heavyweight title in the process (Usyk had relinquished that particular belt). Entering Saturday's rematch with Usyk, a fight for undisputed status at heavyweight, Dubois had every reason to feel more confident in the ring. 

Usyk posing after victory
Photo courtesy of Queensberry Promotions

Almost immediately it was clear that the rematch would be far different than their first fight. Where Dubois was practically paralyzed by Usyk's mesmeric footwork in their first outing, on Saturday, he went hunting for him. He was going to lead with power shots. He wanted to flush Usyk out of the center of the ring and let his big hands do the talking. 

And while Saturday's fight only lasted five rounds, the reason that Usyk had to sit down more on his power shots is because Dubois forced him to. Dubois was landing hard right hands, Usyk needed to return the favor with left hand counters, notably at the end of the second round and in the last minute of the third. 

In the final sequences of the fight on Saturday, Dubois had Usyk close to the ropes and was charging forward behind right hands. Usyk then uncorked a menacing counter right hook to the top of Dubois' head for the first knockdown of the fight. Upon beating the count, Dubois wasn't interested in taking a step back to regroup. Within seconds, a wild exchange ensued with both guys throwing big shots. Usyk evaded a right hand and with Dubois out of position, he unfurled a vicious rear left hook. Fight over. 

Over two fights, Usyk has proven that he has mastered Dubois in the ring. However, he really needed to dig into his bag of trick to get there on Saturday. For instance, in many of Usyk's heavyweight fights, he rarely featured his right hook. Yet on Saturday, this punch was required. And it wasn't because he was just having fun in the ring; he had to neutralize a charging, confident Dubois. 

Usyk so often has won at heavyweight by hunting and pecking, a jab here, a touch left hand there. His punches weren't always thrown with spite or malice. But on Saturday, Usyk dispensed with pleasantries. He understood this wouldn't be a fight won by cute ring generalship, angles, and feints. No, here he needed thunder. And he produced it. 

I think that Usyk answered any final lingering questions about him as a heavyweight on Saturday. He has more than enough power to get the job done. And more specifically, he's not afraid of using that power, of going for it. Saturday's victory was not one of guile. He won a mano-a-mano battle with one of the biggest punchers in the heavyweight division. He had the better accuracy and the larger punch variety when it counted. The final punch was also a perfect encapsulation of Usyk's skill in the ring. He made Dubois miss by evasive maneuvers and then ended things with a rear hook. He didn't doubt if that was the right punch at the right time; he threw it with maximum ferocity. 

Usyk's journey through cruiserweight and heavyweight has been a thrilling ride of triumph over different styles. He's beaten huge punchers (Gassiev, Joshua, Dubois), technical boxers (Hunter, Briedis, Fury), and awkward guys with power (Glowacki, Huck). He's had fights where he's led wire-to-wire, where he was down and needed to come on strong in the second half, and where he needed to change the direction of the fight after ceding control. What remains is 24-0 with 15 knockouts, and more importantly, 13-0 in world championship fights. 

I've probably run out of superlatives regarding Usyk. I've written at length about his intestinal fortitude, his self-belief, his technical skills, his supreme ring IQ, and other factors. But it was nice to see him slug it out on Saturday, to remind everyone that he's much more than technical wizardry. Along with his superior set of skills, he can get nasty. And it was a great lesson to those who think bull rushing Usyk is the way to go. If he is threatened, his self-preservation will kick in, and that's not going to wind up well for the opponent. There's a reason why Fury and Joshua didn't want to stir this beast with frenetic action. They saw what could happen, even if they chose not to articulate it in interviews. They were more measured. They made it 12. Dubois ignored the warnings. He got splattered.

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook  

The 2024 Saturday Night Boxing Awards

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. 

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 Inoue

2022: Dmitry Bivol
2021: 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. 

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-Hovhannisyan
2022: 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.  

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 Moloney
2022: 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 11
2022: 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 Fundora
2022: 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.  

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 PBC
2022: 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: Showtime
2022: 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 given
2022: 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

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook 

Opinions and Observations: Usyk-Fury 2

Let's start at the end of the 10th round. On my card, I had Usyk and Fury tied. I thought that Fury had won both the 9th and 10th rounds, landing uppercuts with each hand and several clean jabs. The fight was on the table. Fury was on the ascendency and then...

By the halfway point of the 11th round, I wrote down a note that "Fury couldn't sustain his momentum and was now backing up again." I thought that Usyk won the 11th in a round where Fury didn't do too much. In the 12th they both landed some significant power punches, but I thought that Usyk's had more of an effect. In the end, I scored the fight for Oleksandr Usyk 115-113. The judges all had it for him 116-112. 

Usyk
Photo courtesy of Leigh Dawney/DAZN

In many ways Tyson Fury was better on Saturday than he was during their first fight in May. He spent no time lingering on the ropes. He fully respected Usyk and his punching power. He was able to make adjustments. The uppercuts in the 9th and 10th were among his best punches of the fight. His balance looked better. His hand speed was sharp. 

But in the most important way, on the judges' scorecards, Fury still was second best. The major difference between the two on Saturday was that Fury just couldn't sustain a consistent offensive attack. There were rounds, sequences and moments where he was the best in the ring, but those periods were not enough to put him over the top. 

At 36, Fury can no longer go pedal-to-the-metal for 12 rounds. Although Usyk is one year older, he has led a cleaner lifestyle. He's always in shape. And those small margins were enough in both fights. When reserves were needed, Usyk had a more abundant supply.

And Fury's choices on Saturday made this point crystal clear. Although many believed that Fury would take a page out of his rematch with Deontay Wilder and go hunting on the inside, fighting like the bigger man, that's not what he decided to do against Usyk. For most of Saturday's fight he was in midrange. It takes a lot of energy to track down an opponent, to rough him up and cuff him around. Fury did just this against Wilder in 2020. It was one of the signature performances of his career. 

However, four years later, not only wasn't he successful with this approach, he also didn't even try it. Maybe he was spooked by Usyk's abilities in the ring, or perhaps he just couldn't go to the well like that at this stage of his career. Either answer isn't good: a fear of his opponent's attributes or doubt regarding his own conditioning.

Fury after the fight
Photo courtesy of Leigh Dawney/DAZN

Still, Fury had his moments. He wasn't embarrassed. He stayed on his feet and put forth a solid effort. It probably would have been enough against many top heavyweights in the division, but not Usyk. 

It was a strange tale of two halves for Usyk. He spent most of the first half of the fight shooting straight lefts to the body. It was a wise strategy in theory, but it's arguable at how effective it was. Although he was consistent in his approach, his singular focus made him linger a little too much in the pocket, enabling Fury to connect with strong counters and lead shots during the first five rounds. Check out a counter left uppercut that Fury landed in the beginning of the fifth. I have no doubt that's one of the best shots Usyk has ever been hit with.

Usyk sacrificed elusiveness for a specific goal, to wear Fury down. And in truth, Fury did fade, but I'm not sure if Usyk's body shots were the real culprit for that eventuality. To my eyes, it was only when Usyk returned to the head with straight lefts in the sixth did he start to cause real damage. Those were the punches that made Fury keep his hands more at home, to come forward less. 

Usyk won four of the final six rounds of the fight. In the seventh, eighth and eleventh, Fury didn't make a strong case for himself. Spending more time trying to be defensively alert than by taking chances on offense, he ceded too much ground. Whereas Fury was once a backfoot master (check out his performance against Wlad Klitschko), against Usyk, whenever he was backing up, he was in trouble. In retreat, Fury lost control of the action. He wasn't leaving the pocket to spring traps or to box from a distance; no, it was for self-preservation. He needed to stay away from Usyk's left hands. 

***

Usyk's march through the heavyweight division has been unusual. He wins with brains more than brawn. His agility, stamina, self-belief and powers of recuperation are unmatched among his contemporaries. He has an excellent left hand, which can be quite versatile, but he's not winning fights too often with his other punches. They are nice additions when he uses them. I thought that his right hook helped him in the eighth and ninth rounds during the first Fury fight, but the punch wasn't a factor on Saturday. His jab is not really a power jab and he rarely commits to it over 12 rounds. I can't remember an uppercut that he threw against Fury in either fight. Like Deontay Wilder, Usyk has a very limited offensive arsenal, but he even lacks Wilder's power. However, Usyk's record of success speaks for itself. 

Usyk has a deeper understanding than almost everyone in the higher weights about what professional boxing is. And the most important part is "professional." Usyk's training has never let him down. In fact, His agility and stamina have led to so many second-half victories in his fights. In addition, he is psychologically ready to fight his fight for 12 rounds. The mental pressure he exerts on his opponents is often more than the physical pressure. He is always poking and prodding, trying to find a different angle, or using his feet or arms to get an opponent off guard. He doesn't take rounds off.

Let's also not forget the "boxing" part of the equation. Defeating Joshua, Dubois and Fury, he's aware that his opponents have been trying to take his head off with huge punches (perhaps less so with Fury), but what Usyk understands is that as long as he stays on his feet, it's just a 10-9 round if he loses. And most heavyweights aren't conditioned or even capable enough to outbox him to win a decision. They can't match him over the duration of a fight. Anthony Joshua doesn't want to box for 12 rounds. Neither does Dubois. The older Fury certainly hasn't wanted to either. 

Although this era has featured several fantastic heavyweight fights, the major players in the division (with the exception of Fury) have not been a collection of technically gifted fighters. It's been mostly an era of knockout artists. But interestingly, it has been the better boxers who have ascended to the top. And as good as Fury has been in displaying his technical skills, 24 rounds have proven that he isn't at the same level as Usyk; he's just a step below. 

What's even more unusual about Usyk's reign at heavyweight is that as an older fighter he has beaten top opponents without knockouts. This isn't George Foreman KO'ing someone in his mid 40s or Wlad Klitschko taking guys out at 39 and 40 with his straight right. Usyk is winning the hard way – with his feet, with timing, with endurance. He has been the best athlete in every one of his heavyweight fights. Again, this isn't the typical way an older heavyweight wins. 

But Usyk somehow has made it all work. A style built so much on athleticism and agility will soon have to run its course. Maybe Usyk has another two or three fights left at this level. But when the inevitability happens, either retirement or decline, let's not forget how special Usyk's unique brand of heavyweight boxing has been. It's been mostly one punch, pressure, dogged determination and psychological steel against guys with huge physical advantages and much more power. On paper it doesn't add up. But that's why they fight the fights. Something special might be revealed. And in this case, with Usyk, it truly has.  

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

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Usyk-Fury 2: Preview and Prediction

The rematch for heavyweight supremacy between unified champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) and former lineal champ Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) takes place on Saturday at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. When they met in May, Usyk scored a memorable ninth-round knockdown and won by split decision. Saturday's victor will no longer be regarded as "undisputed" at heavyweight (thank you, IBF), but the winner of the match will be the top dog in the division. 

In assessing the rematch, I have two factors that lead me to pick Usyk: 1. His stamina advantage. 2. A belief in his ability to get the job done, no matter the circumstances. But make no mistake, Usyk certainly lost rounds in their first fight and also got hit with dozens of hard shots in the middle rounds. Despite the win, his victory was anything but smooth sailing. 

The knockdown in the first fight changed the trajectory of the match, with Fury not only losing a 10-8 round in the ninth, but also needing several rounds to regroup. But even still, the judges were far from convinced by Usyk's performance. He wound up winning 114-113, 115-112 and 113-114. Although I and many others had Usyk ahead by more rounds, the officials around the ring were the ones who mattered. 

Usyk and Fury at the final presser
Photo courtesy of Leigh Dawney/DAZN

In the first fight there were two factors that surprised me. I didn't expect to see Usyk spend as much time as he did on the front foot. With Usyk's evasive abilities, I thought that he would hatch a more circumspect plan of attack. But there he was throughout large portions of the fight backing Fury up to the ropes and unloading with straight left hands. 

I also was surprised by how much success Fury had in the center of the ring. Using his reach and wisely sacrificing power for accuracy, Fury landed several thudding power punches against Usyk who is supposed to be very hard to find. Even with Fury taking some steam off his fastball, his punches were definitely hard enough to cause damage. 

For the rematch, Fury is going to have to defend Usyk's left hand better. Although Usyk, a southpaw, is overly reliant on his left-hand, it's not a single type of left that he throws. Yes, he can go straight down the pipe with it, but he can also sling it, throw it with a hitch or change to an overhand left. The secret to Usyk is his creativity with his left hand. He can lead with it, he can walk an opponent into it, he can counter with it, he can also change the angle. Where it's coming from is anyone's guess. 

Fury has a couple of options for defending the left hand. He can smother it, getting in close enough range where Usyk's left won't have the same impact. Fury can circle to his left which will make it challenging for Usyk to land the left repeatedly. He can also park himself on Usyk's right side and force Usyk to try to beat him with his right. 

All of this sounds simple enough but the challenge for Fury is getting in those winning positions and this is where Usyk's advantages in endurance and athleticism come into play. Usyk won't be compliant in allowing Fury to take away his left. He will move laterally and reset to find better angles to land it. He also will work for 12 rounds to find ways to score with his money punch. And the first fight showed that Fury doesn't have the same type of stamina at this point in his career to go 12 rounds on the offensive. He takes breaks. He leans on the ropes. He wants to fight in flurries and spurts; Usyk will continue to work. Although Usyk is not necessarily high-volume, he's determined. He will be as busy as he needs to be to win rounds. 

Fury does have another choice, one that is less tactical. He can start with bombs from the opening round. Maybe he can't outbox Usyk, but maybe he won't even try. He has the punching power and reach to hurt Usyk. The challenge will be for Fury to finish the job if he has Usyk hurt, to not let Usyk, who has tremendous recuperative powers, off the hook. Fury might not have the agility to put shots together late in the fight for a stoppage, but he certainly could earlier in the bout. 

Ultimately, I'm siding with Usyk's ability to survive the threatening moments, to find a way to regroup and to draw a line in the sand. I expect him to face duress in the fight. He will have to think his way through the fight and somehow clear his head when the going gets tough, but that's what he does. 

Throughout his career at cruiserweight and heavyweight, Usyk has always found a way. Every fight hasn't necessarily been clean or pretty. He had to gut it out against Hunter, Briedis, Bellew, Chisora, Joshua and Fury. He didn't dominate any of those fights in my opinion, but he found ways to win. He’s terrific in a fight's second half and especially in the championship rounds. If it's close, I believe that he will find that extra gear to take him over the edge. 

I respect Fury's ability in the ring. He will always pose problems for Usyk. His reach, combinations and offensive creativity will lead to periods of success against Usyk. He has the punching power to stop him and supreme boxing skills. But I don't think that he has the agility to defeat Usyk over 36 minutes nor do I believe that he can outwill Usyk. Fury himself has excellent recuperative powers, determination and self-belief, but Usyk is certainly his match in those categories. If Usyk is seriously hurt, I believe that he will find a way to survive. 

Usyk has reservoirs of intestinal fortitude that can change the trajectory of a fight, even when it's not going his way. He was getting cuffed around in their first fight in rounds five and six, but he found a way to turn the tide, as he has always done in difficult matchups. I'm expecting an entertaining battle with both fighters displaying their world-class abilities. But down the stretch I expect Usyk to separate himself in another close fight. 

Oleksandr Usyk defeats Tyson Fury by a competitive decision, let's call it 116-112. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Panel, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

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