2023 was an interesting year for Boxing fans from the beginning to the end. The fans got to see matchups they had wanted to see for years. With interesting and exciting matches this year and fights like Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk announced, next year is going to be even better. On that note, let’s have a look at some of the most notable moments of 2023. Whether good or bizarre, these moments definitely entertained the boxing fans.
Ryan Garcia vs. Gervonta Davis
It is crazy that Ryan Garcia vs. Gervonta Davis took years to happen. For years, these two were considered two of the most high-profile young lightweights in the sport. They finally clashed on April 22 at the T-Mobile Arena in the US. In the biggest test of their careers, Gervonta was the one who prevailed. “Tank” won the fight via knockout, giving Garcia his first ever career defeat.
Davis going to jail after victory over Garcia
Gervonta Davis’ win over Ryan Garcia was one of the biggest wins of his career. He is very close to greatness, but his own mistakes are holding him back. Earlier this year, Davis received a petition related to a 2020 hit-and-run that injured four people. He was able to get the deal before facing Garcia and received 90 days of house arrest and three years of probation. However, about a month after defeating Ryan, he was forced to go to jail for breaking the terms of his probation.
Garcia and Oscar De La Hoya gets into a lawsuit
Ryan Garcia returned to the Boxing ring earlier this month to face Oscar Duarte and he got a knockout win. This victory came amid a lawsuit with his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya. The 50-year-old sued Garcia in June for reportedly trying to get out of his contract. Currently, the pair’s future is uncertain. However, the young boxer publicly mocked both Oscar and his co-promoter, Bernard Hopkins, in a press conference.
Benn spent the whole year on sidelines
Conor Benn was convicted of using clomiphene before his bout with Chris Eubank Jr. in late 2022. Moreover, he attempted to avoid a suspension by instead fighting outside Britain. Benn later fought in September, but was refused a license to fight in the UK by the British Boxing Board of Control against Chris Eubank. He is one of the biggest rising prospects in the sport but, his career is currently uncertain.
Triller Fight Club’s crazy return
Triller Fight Club is the organization that helped launch Jake Paul’s boxing career as well as promote the comeback of 58-year-old Evander Holyfield. The company went on hiatus in 2022 and 2023, instead opting to promote BKFC events. However, in November, the company had a big event to return to, headlined by a borderline criminal exhibition between James Toney and Donovan Ruddock. To make it more odd, they even had Beanie Man perform at the crazy event.
Mayweather and Gotti’s dramatic exhibition
Floyd Mayweather has made regular exhibition appearances since his retirement in 2018. While most of these cases have been ones that resembled more of a sparring session than anything else, that was not the case with John Gotti III. Their exhibition was declared a no-contest, after excessive trash talk and dirty fighting from both men. However, Gotti III decided to continue fighting after the referee waved off the bout, throwing several shots at Mayweather. They almost caused a scuffle in the ring.
2023 was a tough year for Broner
Adrien Broner was out of action since 2021 following his win over Jovani Santiago, but he made big plans for 2023. He signed with upstart BLK Prime promoters, who around the same time signed Terence Crawford for a one-off bout. Unfortunately for Broner, he had several fights fall through and left the company. Later, he signed with Don King and scored a decision victory over attorney Bill Hutchinson in June. He has been inactive since then, except for a close fight in September. 2023 was definitely a tough year for him.
Joshua and Wilder fought on the same card
Nothing represents boxing better than a “Day of Reckoning” card. Despite talks of Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder for most of 2023, they failed to reach an agreement. However, following the postponement of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, they reached an agreement with the Saudis. However, they are still not scheduled to fight each other. Instead, Joshua faced Otto Wallin on December 23 and scored the victory, while “The Bronze Bomber” faced Joseph Parker and suffered a dominating loss.
The Ridiculous PRIME card
The PRIME card was the nickname for the Misfits Boxing event, which featured the returns of KSI and Logan Paul. Both social media influencers own a hydration company of the same name and had a fight on the same night in October. In the co-main event, “The Maverick” scored a disqualification win over Dillon Danis. The headliner saw KSI lose to Tommy Fury via controversial decision, giving him the first defeat of his career.
Francis Ngannou nearly defeated Tyson Fury
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou was one scorecard away from giving Tyson Fury the first defeat of his career. “The Predator” left the promotion to pursue a boxing match with Fury in October 2023. The match was held in Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Ngannou nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. He dropped “The Gypsy King” and gave him a small cut. However, Fury still managed to stand still and win by a controversial split decision.
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