Boxing

The DAZN Panel - Who is the frontrunner for the 2024 Fighter of the Year?

DAZN Staff

DAZN

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2024 is coming to an end and it is that time of the year where multiple awards are handed out to celebrate achievements within the boxing world.

DAZN News will discuss multiple categories in the coming weeks and one of those will be Fighter of the Year.

Here, we look at the fighters who our team believe should be frontrunners for the title.

Chris Walker (DAZN News Boxing Editor)

Oleksandr Usyk was a big winner in one of boxing’s most eagerly anticipated fights as he produced a stunning second half performance to outpoint Tyson Fury.

Nick Ball and Daniel Dubois have found ways to reach the top of the sport in impressive outings during the last year, but the winner on boxing’s grandest stage is my pick.

This call may look silly and slightly premature on December 21, when Usyk could lose to Fury, but for now, as we decide on a frontrunner, Usyk is slightly ahead of Dubois and Ball, but this may need a small adjustment in a few weeks.

Read next | Brutal knockouts, nasty grudges and an undisputed champion - the best fights of 2024

Matt Astbury (DAZN News)

For me it has to be current IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois .

Not too long-ago Dubois was the butt of many jokes in the heavyweight division. After being stopped by Oleksandr Usyk, it looked like he would never reach the dizzying heights of boxing’s most glamourous weight class.

However, in 2024 he has become one of the most sought-after fighters in the division. An eighth-round stoppage win over Filip Hrgovic in June saw him become the IBF mandatory challenger before being upgraded to full champion.

Then came his first defence three months later against Anthony Joshua at a sold-out Wembley Stadium. Dubois rose to the occasion, knocking down his domestic rival multiple times before the contest was finally ended in the fifth .

This destructive performance was Dubois’ coming-of-age party and is now set for a career defining 2025. Not a bad turnaround for someone who in the past has been labelled a ‘quitter’ by several respected voices in the world of boxing.

AJ-Dubois post fight_21092024 Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

Tony Bellew (Former world champion and DAZN boxing analyst)

Without knowing what’s going to happen when Oleksandr Usyk faces Tyson Fury again, it is hard to pick as Usyk is my selection if he makes it two from two against Fury.

Daniel Dubois has impressed me and what about Nick Ball ? It’s quite hard making a pick because there has been some really great performances this year.

If Usyk beats Fury again then it is him, but I will go with Nick Ball if Fury gets revenge. He should hold wins over Rey Vargas, Raymond Ford, and Ronny Rios, and that isa brilliant year.

Usyk_18052024 Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Mark Lelinwalla (DAZN News)

Naoya Inoue is going for his third spectacular knockout of the year, December 24, when he clashes with mandatory challenger Sam Goodman in Tokyo.

It is this breakneck activity and the monstrous fireworks he manufactures each time that have me inclined to award the reigning undisputed super bantamweight world champion with the 2024 Fighter of the Year honors.

However, I reserve the right to change that distinction to the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury rematch.

If Usyk is as clear and convincing as the first time around, he should be given Fighter of the Year, no questions asked.

If Fury can make enough adjustments to produce either a boxing masterclass or punctuating KO, I would be compelled to give him the honor also.

Gareth Jones (DAZN News Editor)

Katie Taylor may have only fought once this year. But it is not about how many times you fight; it is about the impact of those fights – in and out of the ring.

Not many rematches live up to the hype and thrill of the original bout. But the Katie Taylor / Amanda Serrano rematch equalled if not bettered their original epic.

Taylor again demonstrated her boxing intelligence and sheer bravery and toughness in seeing off a superb and explosive Serrano.

For that fight to upstaged ‘the most watched fight of all time,’ which featured one of the world’s biggest influencers and a boxing icon, is some feat and says it all.

Add to that, it was the biggest ever pay day for a women’s fight, and Taylor’s impact goes far beyond the punches. This is a fighter who has risen the profile and pay packets of the female fighters following in her footsteps.

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