SPORTS FACTS AND FIGURES 9: NAOYA INOUE BEATS TERENCE CRAWFORD IN THE RING FIGHTER OF THE YEAR AWARD
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 09 Jan 2024
Terence Crawford was beaten by fellow undisputed as the Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year 2023. Crawford may have accomplished the single greatest performance in the boxing ring of 2023, but it was not enough for him to be recognized as the Fighter of the Year, according to Ring Magazine. Instead, the prestigious award went to fellow two-division undisputed champion Naoya Inoue.
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Inoue "The Monster" defeated Stephen Fulton earlier in July 2023 to become the new WBC and WBO superbantamweight champion, before he finished Marlon Tapales in December 2023 to become the undisputed titlist of the division.
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Terence Crawford's lone fight last year was against Errol Spence Jr., with both protagonists entering the ring undefeated and fought to decide the first undisputed welterweight champion in the four-belt era of boxing. "Bud" Crawford showed the world one of the greatest performances in the history of boxing, and knocked Spence Jr. down three times going to a ninth-round TKO victory.
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He became the first male boxer to become an undisputed champion in two divisions, and was immediately followed by Naoya Inoue, who also reached the goal against Tapales.
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In 2023, Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. faced off in one of the most awaited boxing matches of the 21st century. The pair were fighting to achieve welterweight history, in the process maintaining their undefeated records, as the fight was forecasted to be tightly fought.
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But Crawford proved himself to be the master in the division in a moment of truth fight against Spence Jr., started to dominate the skirmish from the opening bell and stopped "The Truth" in Round 9.
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Just a month that passed after the mega fight, Spence Jr. activated the rematch clause in their fight contract, leading to discussions about which weight the second bout could be scheduled at. According to talkSport boxing editor, Michael Benson, Crawford has now confirmed that he will be facing "The Truth" Spence next.
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The Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday and the Lakers won by a score of 106-103. Four-time NBA champion and all-time scoring leader LeBron James led the Lakers assault with 25 points.
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Anthony Davis finished the winning game with 22 points, ten rebounds, one assist, three steals and one block while shooting 10 out of 15 from the field in 39 minutes. During the game, Davis made NBA history by overtaking Latrell Sprewell for 105th spot on the all-time scoring list.
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Davis is now averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.6 blocks per game with shooting percentages of 55.6% from the field and 32.4% beyond the three-point arc in 34 games.
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Sports History: January 9, 1942. In his 20th title defense, Joe Louis stopped Buddy Baer by 1st round KO during their rematch to retain his world heavyweight boxing title at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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