SPORTSCLOPEDIA 5: NAOYA INOUE AND DMITRY BIVOL ARE TOP CANDIDATES FOR 2022 FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 31 Dec 2022
Naoya Inoue, age 29, of Zama, Kanagawa, Japan and Dmitry Bivol, age 31, of Tokmak, Kirghiz SSR, formerly of Soviet Union, are the top candidates for the 2022 Fighter of the Year Awards.
* * *
Inoue stopped Nonito Donaire by second round TKO on June 7, 2022 at Super Arena, Saitama, Japan to retain his WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles and won Donaire's WBC bantamweight title. Then he fought for the undisputed title winning over Paul Butler by eleventh round KO on December 13, 2022 at Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan to defend his WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles and won his WBO bantamweight title
* * *
Bivol defeated 2021 Fighter of the Year Canelo Álvarez by unanimous decision on May 7, 2022 at T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.A. and successfully retained his WBA (Super) light-heavyweight title. Then he also won over previously unbeaten Gilberto Ramírez again by unanimous decision on November 5, 2022 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emiratesto defend his WBA title.
* * *
The Ring magazine was published starting 1922 and has named a Fighter of the Year since 1928. The awardees are chosen by the magazine editors. The yearly Award winners are as follows:
1928: Gene Tunney
1929: Tommy Loughran
1930: Max Schmeling
1931: Tommy Loughran (2)
1932: Jack Sharkey
1933: no award given
1934: Tony Canzoneri and Barney Ross
1935: Barney Ross (2)
1936: Joe Louis
1937: Henry Armstrong
1938: Joe Louis (2)
1939: Joe Louis (3)
1940: Billy Conn
1941: Joe Louis (4)
1942: Sugar Ray Robinson
1943: Fred Apostoli
1944: Beau Jack
1945: Willie Pep
1946: Tony Zale
1947: Gus Lesnevich
1948: Ike Williams
1949: Ezzard Charles
1950: Ezzard Charles (2)
1951: Sugar Ray Robinson (2)
1952: Rocky Marciano
1953: Bobo Olson
1954: Rocky Marciano (2)
1955: Rocky Marciano (3)
1956: Floyd Patterson
1957: Carmen Basilio
1958: Ingemar Johansson
1959: Ingemar Johansson (2)
1960: Floyd Patterson (2)
1961: Joe Brown
1962: Dick Tiger
1963: Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali)
1964: Emile Griffith
1965: Dick Tiger (2)
1966: Muhammad Ali (2) (originally not awarded due to his controversial political and religious beliefs but was retroactively awarded in 2016)
1967: Joe Frazier
1968: Nino Benvenuti
1969: José Nápoles
1970: Joe Frazier (2)
1971: Joe Frazier (3)
1972: Muhammad Ali (3) and Carlos Monzón
1973: George Foreman
1974: Muhammad Ali (4)
1975: Muhammad Ali (5)
1976: George Foreman (2)
1977: Carlos Zarate
1978: Muhammad Ali (6)
1979: Sugar Ray Leonard
1980: Thomas Hearns
1981: Sugar Ray Leonard (2) and Salvador Sánchez
1982: Larry Holmes
1983: Marvin Hagler
1984: Thomas Hearns (2)
1985: Marvin Hagler (2) and Donald Curry
1986: Mike Tyson
1987: Evander Holyfield
1988: Mike Tyson (2)
1989: Pernell Whitaker
1990: Julio César Chávez
1991: James Toney
1992: Riddick Bowe
1993: Michael Carbajal
1994: Roy Jones Jr.
1995: Oscar De La Hoya
1996: Evander Holyfield (2)
1997: Evander Holyfield (3)
1998: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
1999: Paulie Ayala
2000: Félix Trinidad
2001: Bernard Hopkins
2002: Vernon Forrest
2003: James Toney (2)
2004: Glen Johnson
2005: Ricky Hatton
2006: Manny Pacquiao
2007: Floyd Mayweather Jr. (2)
2008: Manny Pacquiao (2)
2009: Manny Pacquiao (3)
2010: Sergio Martínez
2011: Andre Ward
2012: Juan Manuel Márquez
2013: Adonis Stevenson
2014: Sergey Kovalev
2015: Tyson Fury
2016: Carl Frampton
2017: Vasiliy Lomachenko
2018: Oleksandr Usyk
2019: Canelo Álvarez
2020: Tyson Fury (2) and Teófimo López
2021: Canelo Álvarez (2)
Fighter of the Decade
1910s: Sam Langford
1920s: Benny Leonard
1930s: Henry Armstrong
1940s: Sugar Ray Robinson
1950s: Sugar Ray Robinson (2)
1960s: Muhammad Ali
1970s: Roberto Durán
1980s: Sugar Ray Leonard
1990s: Roy Jones Jr.
2000s: Manny Pacquiao
2010s: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Numbers in brackets showed the number of times a boxer has won the award as of that year.
Happy New Year!
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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