It's only been six months, but 2022 has already seen some great fights which could be considered Fight of the Year contenders.
Below, members of the DAZN team pick the best fight from the past half-year. Do you agree with their picks?
Christopher Walker
Fight of the half year - Leigh Wood TKO12 Michael Conlan
Not just the best fight of 2022 up to this point, but one of the greatest fights to ever take place in a British ring. At one point, it appeared that fans were in for an early night after Conlan dropped the WBA champion in the opening round, but what took place afterwards will live long in the memory.
The Nottingham man pushed forward but he was largely dominated by the challenger as he failed to get to grips with Conlan. A dubious count given to the Belfast man in the fight’s penultimate round pushed Wood towards the finish line and he closed the show in the following session as Conlan was knocked out before falling out the ring. A stunning finish to an incredible contest.
Matt Astbury
Fight of the half year – Katie Taylor SD Amanda Serrano
At the end of April, a historic moment for the sport of boxing took place, two women headlined a boxing event at the iconic Madison Square Garden.
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano went head-to-head for the undisputed women’s lightweight title and it delivered. The whole week of build-up had everything from face offs between Eddie Hearn and Jake Paul, to WWE superstars appearing at the weigh-in.
Then the fight itself lived up to expectations. Both women gave it all in the ring that night and the final round was one of the best I’ve seen in recent memory. Taylor came out on top in the end via the judges’ scorecards, but the fact fans are now clamouring for a rematch shows how much of success this fight really was.
Steven Muehlhausen
Fight of the half year – Katie Taylor SD Amanda Serrano
As soon as the fight was announced, you knew history would be made with the number one and number two ranked pound-for-pound fighters along with it taking place at the iconic Madison Square Garden.
National television appearances, soldout press conferences and weigh-ins added to what would be two magical moments when Taylor and Serrano entered the ring. From there, Taylor and Serrano put on a fight to remember despite critics wanting them to fail.
Taylor and Serrano slung leather for ten rounds with neither taking a back seat. Serrano rocked Taylor on more than one occasion while Taylor had Serrano on the ropes plenty of times as well.
They fought to the final bell with the crowd on their feet chanting in unison to cap off a monumental week and fight with Taylor getting the narrow split decision to remain the undisputed women’s lightweight champion.
George Lacey
Fight of the half year - Katie Taylor SD Amanda Serrano
The most watched female headlined boxing broadcast ever in history didn't fail to deliver.
Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano was a barn-burner from start to finish. Over 10 rounds, Taylor reaffirmed her position as the pound-for-pound number one fighter in women's boxing with a historic display at the home of boxing, Madison Square Garden.
Mark Lelinwalla
Fight of the half year - Katie Taylor SD Amanda Serrano
The first women’s headlining boxing main event at Madison Square Garden didn’t just live up to the hype. It exceeded it in resounding fashion.
The historic bout had everything you’d want in a championship tilt, with Taylor asserting herself early and Serrano blasting the Irish sensation to the brink of a stoppage in a hellacious fifth round only for the undisputed women’s lightweight champion to battle back in the sixth. The give and take made for heart-pounding action through 10 rounds that you just wish could have been 12 and three minutes each instead of two.
At the end, judges awarded Taylor with a split-decision.
There was no doubt that a raucous MSG crowd and those watching at home had just bared witness to a historic and instant classic fight. And for me, a fight of the half-year.