It’s time to take stock of 2022 in boxing.
This time we decided to increase the number of nominations from 13 to 14 – added “coach of the year” and “female fighter of the year”, but the “event of the year” was abandoned.
Results of 2022 in boxing from vRINGe.com
About the method of determining the winners of the results of the year: members of the editorial staff made up their top 3 for each nomination (1st place – 3 points, 2nd – 2 points, 3rd – 1 point).
It is for this reason that in two nominations there are two winners each, and in one of the nominations the duel won, which did not receive a single first place.
FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Dmitry Bivol
The undisputed favorite won an unconditional victory. How could it be otherwise, because in May Bivol threw off the throne the leader of the P4P rating – Canelo Alvarez himself.
In November, the WBA Super light heavyweight champion took down his mandatory challenger, ex-world champion Gilberto Ramirez, in a spectacularly easy fashion.
Applicants: Naoya Inoue, Ken Shiro, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney, Jesse Rodriguez.
Note: hereinafter in the “applicants” are applicants who scored at least one point during the voting.
How they voted: unanimously.
FIGHT OF THE YEAR
Jermell Charlo – Brian Castagno 2
There were enough beautiful fights this year, so the first and second places were separated by only 2 points.
Fights like Nontshinga vs Flores are the best way to draw fans’ attention to the “small” weight categories.
But the first place went to a more status fight. Charlo and Castaño, on the second attempt, nevertheless determined the absolute champion of the first middleweight.
Applicants: Sivenati Nontshinga – Hector Flores, Lee Wood – Michael Conlan, Erickson Lubin – Sebastian Fundora.
How they voted: Vitko, Osipov, Pilipenko – Charlo versusCastagno; Goryunov – Nontshinga versus Flores; Trick – Lubin versus Fundora.
KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR
Lee Wood – Michael Conlan
The trio of top contenders (Wood – Conlan, Cordina – Ogawa and Plant – Dirrell) left all the nominees far behind, and the winner beat the main contender (Cordina – Ogawa) by only 1 point.
The fight Wood vs Conlan simply could not remain without a victory in the “results of 2022 in boxing”, because he was rightfully nominated immediately in three categories (another fight of the year and for the will to win).
The WBA featherweight champion Wood was knocked down in the starting round, lost to all three judges on the cards until the decisive three minutes, but not only knocked out Conlan’s challenger, but literally threw him out of the ring.
It was unforgettable!
Applicants: Kenichi Ogawa – Joe Cordina, Caleb Plant – Anthony Dirrell, Gervonta Davis – Rolando Romero, Isaac Cruz – Eduardo Ramirez, Terence Crawford – David Avanesyan.
How they voted: Pilipenko, Trick – Wood versusConlan; Goryunov, Osipov – Plant versus Dirrell; Vitko – Ogawa versus Cordina.
PROSPECT OF THE YEAR
Kishon Davis
After the editors made a change in the selection of contenders for victory in this nomination (no more than 5 years as a professional), the main favorite – lightweight Frank Martin – automatically disappeared.
He was replaced by divisional colleague Davis, who declassified seasoned ex-challenger Juan Carlos Burgos with ease in December.
Middleweight prospect Ramos was supposed to intervene in the race, but he lacked a little activity (he hadn’t entered the ring since May).
Note: from next year, the “ceiling” for applicants is no more than 3 years in professionals.
Applicants: Oslais Iglesias, Jared Anderson, Jesus Ramos, Austin Williams, Adam Azim.
How they voted: Goryunov, Osipov, Trick – Davis; Vitko – Ramos; Pilipenko – Iglesias.
FIGHTER DISAPPOINTMENT
Josh Taylor and Montana Love
The first nomination for the results of 2022 in boxing, in which the editors did not decide on a clear favorite. Interestingly, both “winners” are from the same weight category – super lightweight.
The “pound” absolute of the division Taylor had only one fight, in which the middle man Jack Catterall controversially passed.
And one of the discoveries of last year, Love completely passed Gabriel Valenzuela with a scratch, and then managed to lose by disqualification to Steve Spark. In both fights, he was on canvas.
Applicants: Chris Colbert, Jorge Linares, Felix Cash, Saul Alvarez, Hasim Rahman Jr.
How they voted: Vitko and Pilipenko – Taylor; Osipov – Love; Goryunov – Kolbert; Trick – Linares.
BATTLE DISAPPOINTMENT
Saul Alvarez – Gennady Golovkin 3
The long-overripe trilogy did not in any way resemble the two brightest matches of 2017-2018, but looked like some kind of friendly sparring. But at stake was the title of absolute super middleweight champion.
The fight did not answer all the questions, but added new ones: did Canelo also pass his career peak? Or is it just a loss of motivation / underestimation of the opponent / the consequences of an injury?
Applicants: Frank Sanchez – Christian Hammer, Lawrence Okoli – Michal Ceslak, Edgar Berlanga – Steve Rolls, Pat McCormack – Christian Andino, Rene Mark Quarto – Daniel Vayadares.
How they voted: Goryunov, Osipov, Trick – Alvarez versus Golovkin 3; Vitko – Sanchez versus Hammer; Pilipenko – Okoli versus Cheslak.
MISMATCH OF THE YEAR
Tyson Fury – Derek Chisora 3
The mismatch defense of the WBC heavyweight title, which Britons Fury and Chisora pulled off, took first place as expected. After all, the fighters had already met twice before, and there was no smell of intrigue either in the first fight or in the second.
If you try hard, you can find an excuse for the champion – Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua alternately refused to fight him in December, and Fury did not want to stand idle without fights.
Applicants: Jaime Munguia – Gonzalo Coria, Terence Crawford – David Avanesyan, Erislandy Lara – Gary O’Sullivan, David Morrel – Kelvin Henderson, Murat Gassiev – Carlows Welch, Isaac Cruz – Yuriorkis Gamboa.
How they voted: Pilipenko, Trick – Fury vs Chisora 3; Vitko – Crawford vs Avanesyan; Goryunov – Lara vs O’Sullivan, Osipov – Munguia vs Koriya.
MOST UNEXPECTED RESULT (APSET)
Hector Luis Garcia – Chris Colbert and Lucas Brown – Junior Fa
The second (and last) nomination for the results of 2022 in boxing, in which we have not determined one winner. It’s funny that at the same time, the entire editorial board noted the upset, which was made by the long-decommissioned age heavyweight Brown (knocked out the champion of Oceania in Fa lovers in the opening round), but no one awarded this fight the first place.
The second winner is super featherweight fighter Garcia, who, as a late replacement, indicatively easily beat top contender Colbert, taking away the status of a mandatory contender in the WBA line.
Applicants: Roshi Warren – Francisco Pedrosa, Dmitry Bivol – Saul Alvarez, Jurmain McDonald – Evan Holyfield, Martin Bakole – Tony Yoka.
How they voted: Goryunov, Osipov – Garcia versus Colbert; Vitko, Pilipenko – Warren – Pedrosa; Trick – Bivol versus Alvarez.
THE MOST Dubious JUDGES’ DECISION (BULLSHIT)
Ilunga Makabu – Tabiso Mchunu
2022 was not full of highly biased decisions, and if questions about refereeing did arise, it was most often in competitive fights.
The first place in the ranking “results of 2022 in boxing” went to the fight for the WBC world heavyweight title between Makabu and Mchunu. The organizer of the show, the odious promoter Don King, was left with the reigning champion – Ilunga was given a very controversial victory.
Perhaps the most screaming verdict of the year was Rozický’s home victory over Peralta within the same weight, when the “winner” himself apologized for the frankly biased refereeing and promised his opponent a revenge (which, however, did not take place). But the status of the battle is still not the same.
Applicants: Josh Taylor – Jack Catterall, Ryan Rozitsky – Yamil Peralta, Daniel Dubois – Kevin Lerena, Alberto Puello – Botirjon Akhmedov.
How they voted: Pilipenko – Makabu versus Mchunu, Goryunov, Osipov – Rozitski versus Peralta, Trick-Taylor versus Catterall.
BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR
Hector Luis Garcia
The current WBA champion at 59 kg won a well-deserved victory in this category. Indeed, last year, almost in the status of a no-name (and in the role of a late replacement), he took the title of mandatory challenger from Chris Colbert, and then no less confidently deprived the belt of Roger Gutierrez.
These two victories allowed Garcia not only to get ahead of the fly prodigy Jesse Rodriguez in the 2022 boxing results poll, but also to get a PPV fight with the star Gervonta Davis.
Applicants: Jesse Rodriguez, Fernando Martinez, Jay Opetaya, Vincent Astrolabio.
How they voted: Vitko, Pilipenko – Garcia; Goryunov, Osipov – Rodriguez; Trick – Opetaya.
RETURN OF THE YEAR
Errol Spence
Before Spence really had time to move away from the accident in 2019, he was forced to miss the whole of 2021 – retinal damage threatening early termination of his career deprived the unified champion of the fight with the legendary Manny Pacquiao.
But last April, Errol didn’t just return to the ring – he beat WBA Super welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas in unification, adding a third title to his collection.
Applicants: Josh Kelly, Keith Thurman, Gennady Golovkin, Tony Harrison
How they voted: unanimously.
FOR THE WILL TO VICTORY
Lee Wood (in a duel with Michael Conlan)
WBA featherweight champion Wood won his second victory in the 2022 boxing results poll – following the “knockout of the year”, he won first place in the “will to win” nomination. And this time with a solid margin from the pursuers.
It was a really fabulous duel, which lacks only one thing – continuation. This, fortunately, is fixable.
Applicants: Mairis Briedis – Jay Opetaya, Luis Ortiz – Charles Martin, Sunny Edwards – Felix Alvarado, John Ryder – Daniel Jacobs, Sivenati Nontshinga – Hector Flores.
How they voted: Vitko, Goryunov, Osipov, Trick-Wood versus Conlan, Pilipenko – Briedis versus Opetaya.
TRAINER OF THE YEAR
Derrick James
Despite the presence of solid rivals, James confidently took first place.
He was helped in this by the unified welterweight champion Errol Spence (won the unification of Yordenis Ugas), the undisputed light middleweight champion Jermell Charlo (won the unification of Brian Castaño) and lightweight Frank Martin (passed in the prospect clash of Michel Rivera).
Bob Santos also had a solid year – his fighters of the second featherweight and super lightweight divisions Hector Luis Garcia and Alberto Puello took the WBA title, and middleweight Carlos Adames became the “interim” WBC champion.
Applicants: Robert Garcia, Bob Santos, Gennady Mashyanov, Ismael Salas.
How they voted: unanimously.
WOMEN FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Clarissa Shields
In October, Shields became the absolute world champion for the third time, defeating her only worthy middleweight rival Marshall in a bright confrontation, whom she lost to amateurs back in 2012.
An incredible year for women’s boxing has given us another iconic name. Natasha Jonas in 2021 failed to take the title of absolute lightweight champion from Katie Taylor. And last year, she immediately went up two weight categories and took the vacant WBO belt, and by the end of the year she had two more victorious unifications.
Perhaps, on this occasion, next year it would be necessary to add another nomination – a breakthrough of the year among women.
Applicants: Natasha Jonas, Shantel Cameron, Katie Taylor, Nina Hughes.
How they voted: unanimously.
Previous results:
— vRINGe.com sums up 2021: Editors’ and Readers’ Choices
— vRINGe.com sums up 2020: Editors’ and Readers’ Choices
— vRINGe.com sums up 2019: editors’ and readers’ choice
— vRINGe.com sums up 2018: editors’ and readers’ choice
— vRINGe.com sums up 2017: editors’ and readers’ choice
— vRINGe.com sums up 2016: editors’ and readers’ choice
— vRINGe.com sums up 2015: editors’ and readers’ choice
— Results of 2014 according to vRINGe.com
— Results of 2013 according to vRINGe.com
Source: https://vringe.com/news/161851-itogi-2022-goda-v-bokse-ot-vringe-com.htm?rand=141343
