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 

Saturday Night at the Fights

Matchroom Boxing hosted an evening of pugilism in Philadelphia on Saturday that featured many of their top American boxers. Four were victorious and one would suffer his first defeat. There's a lot to dissect from these performances, so let's jump right in!

Boots vs. Karen

Jaron "Boots" Ennis fought a mandatory defense, and rematch, against Karen Chukhadzhian. The two first met in January 2023, which resulted in a one-sided unanimous decision win for Ennis. The most notable aspect of the fight was that Karen was able to take Boots the distance. In the interim, Karen had done very little to warrant becoming a mandatory challenger for Boots' welterweight title, yet here they were. Would the rematch be any different? 

Actually, it was. Karen was far more aggressive on Saturday, spending significant portions of the fight on his front foot. When they fought last year, Karen was happy to play it safe on the outside, but in the rematch, he was far feistier. 

Boots started off well and really focused on commanding the action with his jab. But as the rounds started to pile up, the same criticisms of Boots in past fights manifested: he sacrificed too much defense for offense, he was loading up on big shots for a knockout, and in a new twist, it looked as if the physicality of the fight was taking a bit of a toll on him (there was a lot of holding and grappling; Karen was deducted a point for holding). 

Boots did score a knockdown in the fifth from a barrage of power punches and he landed plenty of eye-catching shots throughout the fight. To my eyes, the fight was never in doubt for him, but Karen was far from intimidated. During several portions of the back-half of the fight, Karen connected with blistering right hands and left hooks. Although not a puncher, these were clean and impressive shots that exposed Boots' defensive shortcomings. Boots was so concerned with getting the knockout that he wasn't interested in defending what was coming back at him. As a result, he tasted a lot of leather. Boots did win a unanimous decision (119-108, 117-110 and 116-111), but it was far from a clean victory. 

Photo courtesy of Matchroom Boxing

As I've stated in a previous column about Boots, he might happen to have an incredible chin, so we can't say with certainly that he is a knockout waiting to happen. But at the very least, Karen won three and four rounds on two scorecards. That was not an accident of judges being overly generous. The point of boxing is to win, and Boots' porous defense is making it harder for him to be victorious. Boots remains an offensive dynamo, but there are two sides to the sport. 

Boots didn't seem thrilled by his performance in the aftermath of the fight. I think that now he realizes the margins are much thinner at the top levels of boxing. What worked stopping lesser fighters is no longer the same. This is a pivotal moment in his career. Does he want to be a fun action fighter or does he aspire to something more, like greatness? If it's the latter, then there's a lot of work to be done. 

Bam vs. Guevara

Every now and then, you see something so sublime in boxing that you have to check a replay to make sure that your eyes didn't deceive you. In the third round Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez trapped Pedro Guevara in a corner and then Guevara just folded to the canvas in an instant, and the fight was over. What was the shot that landed? What was so forceful? Did Bam slip in a quick uppercut? 

Photo courtesy of Matchroom Boxing

Ringside, a number of the media initially thought that it was a right uppercut that did the damage, which would have been impressive in that it wasn't Bam's dominant back hand, the left. But what actually happened was even more breathtaking. With Guevara right in front of him along the ropes, Bam shifted his weight and momentarily went orthodox to land the right uppercut from that position. It was the backhand, but it was now the right hand from the orthodox stance. In real time, this switch was practically imperceptible, but Bam was so effortless and fluid with his movement. It's another example of Bam having elite footwork in the pocket. 

Guevara was no mug. He had always gone the distance before. His losses had all been by split or majority decision. He has been a rugged contender. And here he was wiped out in the third round. This was next-level stuff by Bam, who was making a junior bantamweight title defense. And however seasoned Guevara might have been, he did not anticipate Bam's final uppercut, nor did he see it coming. He was outfought and outthought by a master boxer. It was thrilling stuff. 

Ford vs. Gonzalez

Raymond Ford made his junior lightweight debut on Saturday against a credible B-level fighter in Orlando Gonzalez. What amazed me about Ford's performance was how his style has morphed from his early years in the sport. During his development fights, he was a classic boxer who used his legs and hand speed. He was not a big puncher and if anything, he was accused of over-moving at times and not sitting down on his shots. 

But something changed with Ford over 2024. In March he was being outboxed by Otabek Kholmatov and Ford made a bold decision to take the fight on the inside. He wound up scoring a memorable 12th-round stoppage to win a world featherweight title. In June, he was being outworked by pressure fighter Nick Ball in the first half of their fight and yet it was Ford who became the pressure fighter in the second half. Although he dropped a razor-thin split decision in that fight, the newfound belief in his inside fighting and power was evident. 

On Saturday he fought Gonzalez as a walk-down power puncher. There was little of the lateral movement or fancy footwork from Ford's earlier career. Instead, Ford was coming in the front door all night behind bombs. He landed two picture-perfect knockdowns with right hooks in the second and eighth rounds. The lead hook in the eighth was so spectacular that I had to resist the urge to stand up and applaud. The knockdown was that sublime. That hook so damaged Gonzalez that he spent the rest of the fight running and holding. He was no longer interested in engaging. 

Photo courtesy of Matchroom Boxing

Ford wound up winning by a virtual shutout on the cards. I thought that his gas tank looked a little better than it had in previous fights. Although his effort may not have been full-throttle every round, he was still piling up points. More impressively, he looked very comfortable with his style, like he had finally found himself in the ring. He may not be a true one-punch knockout guy, but he has enough power and hand speed to trouble anyone at 130 lbs. 

Coe vs. Gallegos

If you ever want to watch a fight where it all goes wrong for a top prospect, you could start here. Khalil Coe was on the fast track at light heavyweight and entered Saturday's fight at 9-0-1 with seven knockouts. In his last three fights, he was a destroyer, ending each bout within two rounds. 

From the opening bell, Coe looked fresh. He had the power and speed advantage over Manuel Gallegos, who had not fought in over a year. In Gallegos' last fight, he was knocked out by Diego Pacheco in four rounds at super middleweight. All of this seemed to be set up to make Coe look good.

Coe was landing some hellacious shots early, but then a funny thing happened: Gallegos wouldn't go down. And then he kept firing back. Hitting Coe with crisp counter right hands and left hooks to the body, Gallegos seemed to be enjoying the slugfest. 

Instead of making adjustments, Coe doubled down on going to war. How was this guy still here? I will try even harder to stop him. But Gallegos kept pressing forward and dropped Coe with a left hook to the body in the fifth. Coe came up firing, which galvanized the crowd. Both exchanged huge shots, but it looked like Coe got the worst of it. 

By the sixth, Coe's legs didn't look like they once did. And Gallegos took control of the fight. A flurry of power punches dropped Coe in the seventh. Additional power punches dropped Coe in the eighth. And Coe was now a shell of himself. Nobody seemed interested in stopping the fight even though Coe was taking a vicious beating. A final left hook to the body dropped Coe in the ninth and the ref finally waved the fight off. 

This fight didn't have to play out the way it did. Although there was no guarantee that Coe would have won if he had chosen to box more and not go to war, he certainly would have had more of a chance. He had been a decorated amateur boxer after all. It wasn't always about power with him. But Coe wound up playing into Gallegos' hands. Coe was certain he would win a war of power punching. 

It was this belief, and a lack of respect for his opponent, that led to his demise. Coe could have tried to make Gallegos earn it the hard way, but there Coe was landing a huge shot and just staying right in the pocket, expecting Gonzalez to hit the canvas, and completely surprised when Gonzalez fired off a blazing counter. This pattern played out throughout the fight. Like Boots' performance, it was an example of a fighter who had developed bad habits. Coe believed too much in his power and not enough in what his opponent could do. He paid the price. 

Williams vs. Garrido

Austin "Ammo" Williams suffered a physically devastating defeat in his last fight against Hamzah Sheeraz, where he was dropped in the 10th and stopped in the 11th. For his comeback fight, he was matched up against little-known Gian Garrido, a fighter who had recently been knocked out in a six-rounder. This was supposed to be a get-well fight for Williams. But, if we are being honest, Ammo... didn't look too well. 

The ledger will show that Williams won Saturday's fight by fifth-round stoppage, and in truth, his power punching really came alive during that round. But prior to that, he looked listless. His legs were ponderous. He struggled to put punches together and at points Garrido was much quicker. At the end, Williams' sharper punching was the difference, but he looked far from a recent middleweight title challenger. 

Williams may need to take some time out of the ring to get back to his best. Saturday was not an issue of ring rust or inactivity. Sometimes a fighter just doesn't look right and I hope that his team was watching his performance closely. He needs a break. 

***

Overall, it was a terrific night at the fights, with much revealed about these boxers. From the frustrating to the sublime, there was so much to absorb, so much talent to watch of all varieties, so much intrigue. It was a wonderful night at the fights, and I was as happy as ever to experience it.

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 

Notes from the 5x5 Card

Daniel Dubois faced significant adversity in Saturday's fight against Filip Hrgovic. In the early rounds of the match, he repeatedly was rocked by Hrgovic's right hand. And these were not love taps; Hrgovic was launching missiles at Dubois' head. But unlike his performance against Oleksandr Usyk, Dubois refused to yield on Saturday. He kept firing. As the fight progressed, it was Dubois' right hand that caused the real damage. He opened cuts over both of Hrgovic's eyes. And the fight was eventually stopped due to the cuts in the eighth round, giving Dubois an impressive come-from-behind stoppage.  

Perhaps no fighter elevated his stock in the Riyadh Season cards more than Dubois. He scored stoppage wins against the durable Jarrell Miller in a firefight and now against Hrgovic. Not long ago Dubois was thought to be pretty close to a never-was. Although he had always possessed heavyweight power and had an ideal physical build for the division, he was missing self-belief and the ability to handle adversity. 

Dubois (right) taking the fight to Hrgovic
Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson/Matchroom Sport

Dubois now knows that he has the tools and power to turn around a fight. This self-belief has been a welcome development in his career. His defense is still so poor that one wonders how long his chin will hold up, but as long as it does, he will be a legitimate threat in the heavyweight division, and a possible titleholder depending on future matchups.  

As for Hrgovic, he turned in a poor performance on multiple levels. In his 2022 shootout with Zhilei Zhang, Hrgovic moved all around the ring to stave off Zhang's threat. But against Dubois, Hrgovic felt no need to use his legs. He was hitting Dubois so easily and with such thunder that he fought like he expected Dubois to drop at any minute. As a result, Hrgovic stayed in range and saw no reason to use any evasive tactics against Dubois. Consequently, he took several huge bombs that led to the cuts.  

Furthermore, Hrgovic was so content to land the right hand that he felt little need to incorporate other aspects of his offensive arsenal. He didn't realize that Dubois was taking the shots without too many problems and had adjusted to their power. Hrgovic threw few combinations and there were scant left hooks or uppercuts at any time. There is a school of thought that says don't change if something is working, but Dubois was increasingly gaining confidence and having his own success. By the time the seventh round had ended, Hrgovic looked like a truck had hit him. He fought like he didn't respect Dubois' abilities in the ring, but the last laugh was on him.  

*** 

Years from now, it's possible that Hamzah Sheeraz's 11th-round TKO victory over Austin Williams will be a mere footnote in an illustrious career. Sheeraz certainly looks like he has the ability to do great things in the sport. But make no mistake; Sheeraz faced a lot of challenges in this fight, and he overcame them with aplomb. Williams tried to bomb Sheeraz from distance early in the fight and landed a terrific straight left hand in the first round that shook Sheeraz. Later in the fight, Williams tried to rough up Sheeraz on the inside and had periods of success with this approach.   

Despite Williams having several good moments in the fight, Sheeraz ultimately picked him apart at every range. Using his sledgehammer jab and his massive reach, Sheeraz controlled Williams from the outside. On the inside, Sheeraz landed blistering uppercuts that made Williams reconsider his decision to come forward. On numerous occasions, Sheeraz tagged Williams with hard right-hand counters as Williams was trying to get out of the pocket. Sheeraz also displayed a nasty straight right hand that had pinpoint accuracy.  

Sheeraz looks to be a good bet to win a title at middleweight. And with his 6'3" frame, he might have success in multiple weight classes before his career is done. I still think that there are some holes in his defense, especially in tracking shots from long range, but if he uses his height and reach well, he can minimize that issue as he progresses in the sport. I think that a fighter like Wladimir Klitschko had a similar issue. But Wlad would also become one of the longest-reigning champions in the division's history. Sheeraz is an offensive juggernaut. And if he sticks to his strengths and continues to master fighting tall, he could have a wonderful future in the sport. But be aware of long-range bombers. There aren't many out there, but they lurk.   

*** 

In a fight where little happened in the first four rounds, the fifth round between Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang was certainly consequential. Wilder started to unleash menacing right hands, the types of punches that have knocked out dozens of opponents.  

But in a matter of seconds all of that ended. As Wilder threw a right, Zhang countered with a lightning-quick right hook that spun Wilder around. Seizing the moment, Zhang delivered a Howitzer of a right hook as Wilder was defenseless, sending him down for a hard knockdown. Although Wilder beat the count, referee Kieran McCann saw how damaged Wilder was and waved off the fight. 

Zhang dropping Wilder with his right hook
Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

As Riyadh Season has been great for Dubois, it's been terrible for Wilder, who in his previous fight lost a wide decision against Joseph Parker. His performance was so poor in that fight that many boxing observers (and Wilder himself!) questioned if he still had the fire and drive needed to compete at the highest levels of the sport. Saturday showed further signs of aging for Wilder. There were so many moments where he pawed Zhang with his jab and had him perfectly lined up for a right hand, but he wouldn't pull the trigger. When he finally did in the fifth round, he was beaten to the punch by a 41-year-old opponent.  

Riyadh Season was a mixed bag for Zhang. Although he knocked down Parker in his last fight twice, he threw few punches throughout large stretches of the bout. He wouldn't let his hands go with regularity and was simply outworked. Against Wilder, he was marginally busier. And when he did have his moment, he pounced on it, which hasn't always been the case in his career. 

Zhang remains a huge threat to any heavyweight who wants to stand in front of him. However, the blueprint to beating him is out there. He lacks the foot speed and stamina to go hard for 12 rounds. But if a fighter wants to slug it out, he'd like his chances against anyone. 

*** 

Coming off a memorable 12th-round stoppage victory over Otabek Kholmatov in a Fight of the Year contender, featherweight champion Raymond Ford started Saturday's fight with little of the fire he displayed in his previous bout. He was repeatedly beaten to the punch by Nick Ball early in the fight. And although Ford seemingly possessed an advantage in athleticism, he declined to use it. Instead, he decided to trade with Ball in the pocket.  

Now there are two possible explanations for Ford's sluggish start. He had previously talked about moving up to 130 lbs., yet he stayed at 126 for this fight because of the opportunity. And he certainly fought like a guy who didn't have a great training camp. But I also believe that there is another explanation for his early-round performance: he fell in love with his power. Ford didn't jab much early in the fight. Instead, he tried to bomb Ball out of the fight with left hands. Now Ford is many things in the ring, but he's not really a knockout puncher (just 8 knockouts in 16 fights). Unfortunately for Ford, Ball has a terrific chin AND he wanted to work much more than Ford did. With Ford tethered to the pocket, Ball landed all sorts of eye-catching power shots. 

Ball's (left) aggression gave Ford problems
Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

In the second half of the fight, Ford found a perfect synthesis for success. Using his legs more to create angles but continuing to focus on power shots, he pasted Ball frequently with crushing single shots and combinations. Ford demonstrated how advanced he is with his left hand, pulverizing Ball with straight lefts to the head and body and lighting him up with several breathtaking uppercuts.  

The 12th round was one to savor as both went at it with full fire. Although Ball had dropped most of the latter rounds of the fight, he gave everything he had in the final frame and scored with some terrific sequences of power punches. And yet Ford had his own spectacular moments in the round, landing crushing uppercuts and straight lefts. 

Ultimately, Ball won a split decision with two of the judges giving him seven rounds while Ford won seven rounds on the other card. It was a tale of two halves, with a couple of swing rounds that made the judges' scorecards defensible. Ball is now a world champion and although Ford left a lot to be desired in the first half of the fight, he demonstrated his world-class ability in the latter rounds. He has a real chance to win a title at 130 lbs.  

*** 

It's unusual to see a 33-year-old undefeated champion add a lot to his repertoire at such a late stage of his career. Yet Dmitry Bivol took the opportunity of a tune-up fight with Malik Zinad to feature several new additions in his toolbox. We are so used to seeing Bivol use lateral movement and quick feet to be evasive, but Bivol fought Zinad as a walk-down pressure fighter. 

Bivol almost never stopped coming forward. When Zinad unloaded with power punches, Bivol didn't take a quick step back as has usually been his custom throughout his career. No, he held his ground and took most of the punches off his arms or gloves. This was not Bivol's traditional defense, and yet he was having a lot of success with it. At one point, Zinad had landed only 14% of his punches, a very low percentage, and in line with most of Bivol's opponents.  

I kept thinking when watching Bivol fight on Saturday that he had been studying an opponent whom he had recently beaten: Canelo, who may be among the best in the sport in taking shots on his arms while refusing to give up ground on his way in. I wouldn't put it past Bivol. He's a student of the sport. What's even more interesting is that it's unlikely that Bivol would want to fight in this style against his next opponent, unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, who is one of the best come-forward fighters in the sport. So, let's just chalk up Saturday's performance to Bivol working on new things, and somehow also showing a mastery of them. Oh, by the way, he won by sixth round stoppage (also not a traditional Bivol thing!).  

*** 

Saturday's card began with an English light heavyweight showdown between Willy Hutchinson and Craig Richards, who performed well in a loss to Bivol in 2021. Hutchinson didn't have Richards' resume, but he had self-belief, youth, and an aggressive style. Throughout the first half of the fight, Hutchinson dominated with power and craft. Switching stances frequently, Hutchinson hit Richards with everything in his arsenal.  

It wasn't truly a fight until the last half. Hutchinson started to tire and Richards, as often his custom, belatedly let his hands go. Although Richards wound up not winning many rounds in the fight, he did land several bombs in the late rounds. Hutchinson, who had never been past seven as a pro prior to Saturday, had to deal with fatigue, an opponent who could take his punches, and navigating through some scary moments in the ring.  

But he did. By the 12th Hutchinson had steadied the ship and he wound up winning a wide unanimous decision. Hutchinson doesn't yet look like a 12-round fighter to me, but he's still just 25 and this experience should do him a world of good. Like many power punchers, he never really had to learn to pace himself because he was blowing opponents out in the early rounds. But if he wants to complete his matriculation in boxing, that will be his crucial final step in being a serious contender at light heavyweight. Despite his gas tank issue, it was a solid performance. He took advantage of the global stage and announced that he's a player in the division. He has fire in both hands and he's ready to go!  

And now we are as well.  

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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Opinions and Observations: Kholmatov-Ford

By the fifth round in Saturday's fight, Raymond Ford and his coach Anthony Rodriguez decided to scrap their initial game plan. Although Ford had climbed the ranks in his pro career as an outside fighter, flashing hand speed and athleticism from range, that wasn't working against Otabek Kholmatov. Kholmatov had the longer reach, but perhaps more importantly, he landed his best power shots when he extended his arms, especially a looping left hand. And for whatever reason, Ford had trouble defensing those long-range, odd-angled bombs. 

So, Ford and Rodriguez made the bold play to try to beat Kholmatov on the inside. And there were moments and rounds in the fight where Ford unloaded blistering combinations and body shots from up close, getting the better of the action. Ford was able to stem the tide of a runaway Kholmatov victory, but he didn't completely turn it. Many of the rounds were close. Even with Ford on the inside, Kholmatov won his share of rounds in the second half with volume and quick combinations to the body. Going into the final round of the fight, Ford was down by three points on two scorecards and up by one on the third.

Kholmatov (right) started the fight well from range
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Rodriguez provided Ford with perfect instructions throughout the fight. Combining motivational exhortations with specific technical and strategic points, Rodriguez helped Ford understand the task at hand and didn't sugarcoat his fighter's performance. He beseeched Ford to let his hands go more and not fight in spurts. Going into the last round, he implored Ford to win the round big. 

The first half of the 12th was strange in that neither fighter displayed the urgency needed to secure the victory. Kholmatov danced around the ring as if he had already had the fight locked up, which was an odd decision in that so many of the rounds were competitive. He fired off ineffectual combinations that had little steam on them. Although Ford was looking to land power shots, he mostly stalked and pressured without letting let his hands go with any type of abandon. 

However, in the final minute of the round, Ford connected with a blistering combination with Kholmatov against the ropes. The shots hurt Kholmatov who fell slightly forward. Ford gently pulled Kholmatov down to the canvas and referee Charlie Fitch determined that a knockdown shouldn't be awarded, that Ford's pull was the reason why Kholmatov went down. It was a coin-flip judgment: the kind that referees could call either way and be justified in their decision making. 

But once the action resumed, Kholmatov was still badly hurt. He went into full disengagement mode. As he tried to evade Ford along the perimeter of the ring, Ford shot a pulsating right hand that rattled him. Kholmatov stumbled along the ropes and banged into the corner post. He was completely turned around. Ford seized the opportunity and followed up with a blistering left hand with Kholmatov unable to defend himself. Fitch had seen enough and stopped the fight with seven seconds left. 

***

Kholmatov-Ford was unusual in that the fight was contested for a vacant title (in this case featherweight). So often vacant title fights pit a heavily favored fighter against an opponent far less deserving. This was one of the rare occasions where the boxers were evenly matched; they were both worthy of being a champion. Yes, Kholmatov certainly lost the bout, but the little-seen fighter from Uzbekistan (who entered the fight at just 12-0) showed that he had championship-level ability. Furthermore, although Ford was himself only 14-0-1 entering the fight, he demonstrated a multiplicity of dimensions that befit a world champ. 

And perhaps that's the biggest takeaway from Ford's performance. Not a pressure fighter by trade, he remained in the match by staying close to Kholmatov's chest, by being more coordinated on the inside. Not known for his power (just seven knockouts in his 15 prior fights), Ford put together the punches to get a needed stoppage. 

Kholmatov on the canvas seconds before the fight ends
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank

It had not been a straight line to the top for Ford. He had very tough fights during his development against Edward Vazquez (who subsequently gave Joe Cordina a rough time in a title fight) and Aaron Perez. Ford didn't scream out as "future champ" in those fights, but to be fair to him and his trainer, they went back to the gym and put in the work to improve. 

The reason why Ford was able to win Saturday's fight was that he had enough in his toolkit to make adjustments. Although he had never been known as a pressure fighter, he clearly had worked with Rodriguez in the gym for such a circumstance. When it was time to make the change, Ford didn't look lost in this style. He knew how to pressure, stalk, and get off combinations in close while limiting damage. 

Furthermore, when Ford needed a decisive ending to the fight, he didn't let the big moment get to him. He wasn't a deer in the headlights. He didn't smother himself or fight crudely, trying to accomplish something that was beyond his capability. He was clear-minded. He landed authoritative shots and when the moment was finally there in the fight's dying seconds, he didn't freeze. He seized it and forced the stoppage. 

It's this well-roundedness that speaks to Ford's future potential. Yes, he didn't fight perfectly. His pressure was inconsistent. He didn't display the volume needed to win enough rounds. It's also worth noting how porous his defense was from the outside. But he adjusted. He found something that worked and was able to win a title far removed from his preferred style. That's championship mettle. 

All parties need to be congratulated for Kholmatov-Ford. I will hold my nose here and congratulate the WBA for ordering the fight and for having these two as its top contenders. That is probably the best vacant title fight we'll see for some time. I also want to congratulate the promoters. Top Rank decided to feature this fight as a headline attraction and not bury it deeper on an undercard. They certainly could have. They had just signed Kholmatov and had no promotional piece of Ford. It's not like they had sunk a lot of time or money into either guy, but they believed in the fight and it delivered. 

Ford's promoter, Eddie Hearn, deserves a lot of credit as well. Ford was matched tough on his way up and didn't always look convincing, but Hearn stuck with him when perhaps others would have made a different choice. Ford has now become Matchroom's first U.S. world champion developed from scratch. 

And finally, let's congratulate Ford and Kholmatov. On another night Kholmatov certainly could have and would have been victorious. He displayed a terrific work rate, creative and unusual punches, and a surprising amount of athleticism and hand speed. I'm sure that he will have another opportunity for a title in the near future. But the ultimate victor was Ford, who just had a little more in his locker and all the intangibles one would want in a champion. He would not be denied. His determination and resolve led to an unforgettable night of boxing. When the chips were down and he was on his way to losing, he dug down deep and said, not tonight. It was example of boxing at its finest.    

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

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

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

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