There are five world champions being considered for the ‘2024 Fighter of the Year’.
Heading the list is the WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF, and IBO World Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, 23-0 with 14 stoppages, of Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine.
Usyk defeated WBC World heavyweight champion ‘The Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury, 34-2-1 with 24 stoppages, of Morecambe, UK, twice. In June, Usyk unified, defeating WBC champ ‘The Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury by a split decision. In the rematch in December, he won by unanimous decision over Fury.
WBC, WBO, IBF, WBA, and IBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, 21-0 with 20 stoppages in Khasavyurt, Russia, unified the title in October. He defeated the previously unbeaten WBA and IBO champion Dmitrii Bivol, 23-1, with 12 stoppages in Tokmak, KYRG, by a disputed decision. In January, he stopped Callum ‘Mundo’ Smith, 29-1, in Liverpool, UK.
WBA and WBO Super World cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, 47-1 with 30 stoppages, of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. He won the WBA title, defeating previously unbeaten Arsen ‘Feroz’ Goulamirian, 27-0, in Yerevan, Armenia, in March. In November, he defeated WBO champion Chris ‘The Gentleman’ Billam-Smith, 20-1, of Bournemouth, UK.
WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO super middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, 62-2-2, with 39 stoppages, of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. In May, he defeated previously unbeaten Jaime Munguia, 43-1, of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. In September, he defeated previously unbeaten Edgar ‘The Chosen One’ Berlanga, 22-1 with 17 stoppages, of New York, NY.
IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO super bantamweight champ Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue, 28-0 with 25 stoppages of Yokohama, Japan. In June, he stopped Louis Nery, 35-2, with 27 stoppages, of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. In September, he stopped TJ Doheny, 26-4, of Portlaoise, Ireland, and Bondi Junction, New South Wales, Australia.
There you have it, five nominated for the ‘2024 Fighter of the Year.’ Usyk and Beterbiev lead the list. Ramirez, Alvarez, and Inoue follow.