Yo what's up boxing fam...hope everyone has a great Xmas or whatever holidays you celebrate in your part of the world. Let's talk Fighter of the Year. 1.Inoue:Straight-up beast mode, KO'ing Fulton and claiming the unified super bantamweight titles – WBC and WBO. 2.Haney: Mixing it up by taking down Lomachenko and Regis, serious work in the ring. 3.Bud Crawfordutting on a clinic against Spence and probably the single best win this year... although just that one fight this year. So I can't put him at the top due to inactivity. 4. Benevidez:Holding it down, handling Plant and Andrade, solid wins even if they weren't champs. Honorable Mention: Tank Davis: Big in sales, but let's be real – beating Ryan Garcia ain't the same as taking down champs. In my book Inoue's at the top no doubt. Haney, Crawford, and Benevidez holding their own. And Tank well, good for the PPVs, but not quite Fighter of the Year material this year. What's your take fellas?
It's easily Crawford. Just due to the significance of Crawford-Spence, and Bud's performance. No one else has as strong a case. Inoue is runner up for Fighter of the Year. Followed by Haney in third place. Overall, destroying a merely okay fighter in Fulton doesn't carry the weight of destroying an elite fighter in Spence.
2 Horse Race in REED's Opinion, 3 Entrants Total...Naoya Inoue, Devin Haney, Emanuel Navarette... WHO You Beat, HOW You Beat Them and ACTIVITY All Matter in "Fighter of the Year" Arguments...If Inoue Beats Tapales w/Little to No Fuss, Becoming Undisputed in Another Weight Class, He's "2023 Fighter of the Year", Hands Down...If Inoue is LESS Than Stellar, Dev Gets the Nod, in REED's Book... Based On Sheer ACTIVITY, Navarette Cannot Be Ignored, He'll STEAL Votes From Others, But He Won't Win It... REED
Definitely Haney imo. I don't like giving it to someone who has only 1 win in the whole year, unless it s an earth shattering one like Leonard-Hagler
I'm valuing quality over quantity. Bud put on a virtuoso performance in the sport's biggest fight in 8 years.
I think Crawford is getting a bit too much credit to be honest. We (still) don't know what is Spence true worth as his opposition has been pretty average despite being a champion for so many years. Lomachenko was a much better win (even though the manner wasn't obviously).
If Crawford had one other big win in 2023 he'd be #1. But even if Spence was a huge win I wonder if Crawford beat the best version (pre-accident) Spence? How much did those injuries affect Spence? Are we overrating that win?
Haney is 1-1 this year in the eyes of most. How in the world is blowing out Regis on par with blowing out Spence?
ACTIVITY is Navarette's Case...Conceicao Isn't the BEST of the Best, But He's More Than a "Mid-Level Fighter" in REED's Opinion... REED
I think Loma beat Haney. But i feel the fight was close enough that it doesn't really lower the standing of haney. Crawford had a monumental performance against Spence. Still, i cant give him fighter of the year for 25 minutes pf boxing
That's cause your a simpleton and a narcissist. Unlike you, I'm mature enough to know my opinion is not the end of it all. Fan and media scorecards for this fight were pretty much split at the middle (or for Loma by a razor thin margin).
I dont see how sitting on your ass and doing nothing is better than arguably beating Lomachenko. Which is why i dont it as a case of Spence blowout vs Prograis blowout
agREED... Naoya Inoue 2023 Fighter of the Year...Devin Haney Wins it in Most Years, But Not THIS Year... REED
I'm sticking by my Crawford pick. The standard for FOTY isn't what it was 25 years ago when guys were fighting 3-4 times a year. Now that they only fight 1-2 times a year, it's possible to get the honor based on one performance, if that one performance is significant enough.
It's only between Crawford and Inoue for me. Might edge towards Crawford because its been a looooong time since you've seen a p4p'er dominate a fellow p4p'er in that style.
Interesting that there's seems to be no clear cut winner. Seems like usually, there's an obvious choice
You're Right, Standards HAVE Changed...But w/That, Awards THEMSELVES Should Also Be Changed, Tweaked and/or Added..."Fighter of the Year" has ALWAYS Been About Body of Work Within That Calendar Year...Terence Crawford Had the PERFORMANCE Of the Year... Naoya Inoue Moved UP to a New Weight Class, Wiped His Ass w/a Bigger, Younger, Taller, Stronger, Undefeated Unified Champion, In a Performance That Fell JUST Short of What Bud Did to Spence...JUST Short...Then, Inoue Followed That Performance w/a KO of a Former World Champion, Becoming Undisputed in the Process, to End the Year... Bud's Performance EEKED Inoue's, But There's NO Comparison for BODY of Work Within the Calendar Year, in REED's Opinion... REED
Which is a GOOD Thing.... Bud, Inoue, Dev and YES, Navarette, Are ALL Deserving of Nominations, for Various Reasons...That There's Even an ARGUMENT for 2023 "Fighter of the Year" Is a CLEAR Indication of the Type of Year it Was... REED
