It has been an exciting year for boxing fans all over the world. We’ve been treated to entertaining fights throughout 2024. Some of the sport’s biggest names stepped on the ring this year in front of a record crowd. We also saw an MMA fighter go toe-to-toe with an all-time great.
As we anticipate more blockbuster matchups in the coming year, we look at some of the best fights that made 2024 memorable.
Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk: Ring of Fire
No fighter had the honour of being called the “undisputed champion” in the four-belt era. That was until unified WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO, and the ringer heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk took on WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. The stakes were clear: the winner would become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis and the first to unify all four world title belts. And what more could boxing fans have wished than for the two best heavyweight fighters in the world to battle it out in front of a sold-out crowd in the Desert?
Originally scheduled to be held in late December, facial injuries sustained by Fury meant fans had to wait until May to witness history. But the fight was worth the wait, with both fighters going at it for 12 rounds.
Usyk started strong, with the judges ruling the first round in his favour. Fury began to gain momentum, landing a series of uppercut punches in the fourth and sixth rounds. But the Russian had the best fight in the final stretch, including several power punches and a knockdown in round 9.
With no clear-cut winner after the final round, the fight’s result was ruled in favour of Usyk via split decision.
Fury will have a shot at revenge when both fighters face each other again on December 21, with the American deemed the slight favourite to win the rematch. Sports fans can find important information on how to bet on the big fight and other boxing events on TrustnBet. A trusted US sports betting resource.
Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngamnou: Knockout Chaos
One of the most talked about matchups of the year saw Francis Ngannou take on two-time former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Ngannou shocked the world with an impressive performance against then-WBC champion Tyson Fury. The former UFC heavyweight champion won the fight via split decision after Fury survived a third-round knockdown during the fight.
The win was enough to earn Ngannou a fight against Joshua, with some believing he could give the British boxer a run for his money. But the highly anticipated matchup ended quicker than some would have predicted.
Billed as “knockout chaos,” the fight quickly lived up to its tag. Joshua handed the 6’4” 257 lb fighter his first reality check with a straight right-hand punch, knocking down Ngannou in the first round. The Cameroonian survived the count but was again downed by Joshua in the second round. The Olympic gold medalist hit Ngannou again with another right-hand punch, leaving his opponent on the floor for minutes.
That’s the last we’ve seen Ngannou on the boxing floor, although he did return to the MMA ring in October, defeating Renan Ferreira in his PFL debut. As for Joshua, he wrapped up the year with a fight against Daniel Dubois in September (more on this later).
Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia: This One Counts
Considering the controversies surrounding this bout, this shouldn’t count as one of the best fights of the year. But it’s hard to ignore what we witnessed when Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia stepped into the ring at the Barclays Center, NY, on April 20.
The fight marked the first time Haney and Garcia faced each other as professionals. They faced each other six times as amateurs, holding a 3-3 record, and this marked their first meeting since the quarterfinals of the USA Youth National Championships 2015.
That’s enough history for an exciting clash, and fans were not disappointed. The build-up was as entertaining as the fight itself. Garcia forfeited $600,000 after missing weight, and there were several confrontations between the two.
But the score had to be settled in the ring, and the boxing world got treated to 12 rounds of punches. Haney got knocked down three times in rounds 7, 10, and 11 but shook things off until the end. Garcia would win the fight by majority decision after landing 106 punches to Haney’s 87.
The fight ruling was later overturned to a “No Contest” after Garcia’s test for a PED came back positive on the day of the fight. Garcia had to forfeit $1.2 million and was suspended for a year by the New York State Athletic Commission, which means he will not see the ring until at least next fall.
Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois
It was announced in the summer that Dubois had been elevated to IBF champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his belt. His first title defence was a tough one: against Anthony Joshua.
Two of Britain’s finest boxers faced off in front of a sold-out Wembley crowd for IBF heavyweight supremacy, and this fight is one we will not forget so soon.
Sportsbooks and most top pundits considered Joshua the heavy favourite going into the fight. But they were in for a shocker, with Dubois surprisingly dominating the entire fight. He knocked down his compatriot at the end of the first round. Joshua beat the count but was visibly unstable, a sign of bad things.
Dubois knocked out Joshua again in the third round, but the latter survived the count yet again. But defeat seemed almost inevitable at this point, and Dubois landed the final blow 59 seconds into the fifth round, knocking out Joshua and retaining his IBF title. Dubois landed 79/196 punches throughout the fight to Joshua’s 32/117.
Many boxing fans consider Dubois’ win the biggest upset of the year.
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