Boxing Awards: Countdown to the 5 bravest fights of 2024

go through Paul Jones: With awards season in full swing and 2024 in the rearview mirror, I'm counting down the 5 bravest performances in boxing in 2024 and handing out hardware to honor the fighters who got us here.

[⚠️WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC BOXING IMAGES THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND DISTURBING. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.]

No. 5. The bravest performance

Photo © DAZN on X
Nominated by: Bektemir Melikuzyev

• Date: April 20, 2024
• Where: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY)

ranking competitors, Bektemir Melikuzyevand the undefeated challenger, Pierre Hubert DIBOMBE, April in Haney vs. Garcia The undercard of the WBA Intercontinental Super Middleweight Championship. A bloody mayhem ensued, in part as Melikuzyev and Dibombe each suffered deep lacerations to their eyes, caused by an accidental head-butt and close encounter of. Although DIBOMBE maintained a manageable advance in the first round, MELIKUZIEV suffered a horrific advance due to a nasty clash of heads with DIBOMBE in the fifth period, leaving the self-proclaimed “bully” to The eyelids bled profusely on the way down. Fortunately for Melikuziev, he had amassed enough money in the early rounds and was on the cards when the fight was terminated by ringside doctors in the eighth round due to an accidental headbutt. Easily ahead. When the final scorecards were read, it was no surprise that MELIKUZIEV defeated DIBOMBE via technical unanimous decision.

No. 4. The bravest performance

Photo © World Boxing Association/@wbaboxingofficial

Nominated by: Jono Carroll

• Date: July 24, 2024
• Location: IBA Colosseum (Serpukhov, Russia)

In an interesting battle, JOno Carrollversus the former Olympic gold medalist, albert batgazyevIn a fight for the WBA (interim) super featherweight title, Carroll got off to a hot start in the first period and even knocked out Barty Gaziev in the third round. However, Battalgaziev systematically beat Carroll for the rest of the fight, landing heavy blows to Carroll's head and body, culminating in a brutal body shot in the ninth round Ending the night for the Irish.

After the fight, Carroll quipped: “I had to take a break from modeling.” That's an understatement considering the boxing transformation Bartergaziyev gave Carroll. Because of Carroll's bravery, and his ability to persevere with his eyes nearly swollen open—something we haven't seen since Guerrero vs. Berto in 2012—Carroll is in our ranked fourth on the list.

Photo © Jae C. Hong/AP

‏ No. 3. Strongest performance

Photo © NETFLIX
🥉Third place: Amanda Serrano

• Date: November 24, 2024
• Where: AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)

Our third player, Amanda Serranopush it to the maximum Taylor VS. Sierra Leone – II (Women’s Boxing Fight of the Year), Fighting Katie Taylor During the last three rounds, her right eye was severely scratched. Although Serrano was locked in a fight with Taylor in the 10th round, it was Serrano's ability to elevate his performance in the clutch moments – the Boricua legend landed 285 of 734 punches. times (according to COMPUBOX data, the punching rate is 39%). Bloodied, but Serrano once again proved his mettle here, losing to Taylor on a controversial decision. [thrice]) — many believe Serrano will win this fight.

‏No. 2. The bravest performance

Photo © Esther Lin/PBC
🥈Runner-up: Sebastian Fundola

• Date: March 30, 2024
• Where: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, NV)

The registration at our second to last office was filled in late, Sebastian FundolaDefeated the former WBO world champion, Tim Tsyo, The split decision in March became one-half of the bloodiest battle of 2024, TSZYU vs FUNDORA.

Photo © Esther Lin/PBC

“THE TOWERING INFERNO” landed a total of 1,100 punches in this game despite severe cuts and bleeding on his face and body, which at times obscured his vision, including FUNDORA's nose and mouth leaking like a faucet , successfully punched more than 700 punches. “The place is complete. The game left fans clamoring for a rematch of what was a “very exciting” game.

‏No. 1. The bravest performance

Photo © @MIKAELALAUREN76/Instagram

🏆Winner: Michaela Lauren

• Date: November 30, 2024
• Location: InterContinental Hotel (Vienna, Australia)

Finally, the bravest performance of 2024 came from a former world champion, Michaela Lauren,Sweden. In the championship game in November, the opponent was the defending champion, Michaela KotaskovaLauren, 48, proved she was indeed a fighter, fighting to the final bell despite having a badly swollen face. Lauren's swelling was reportedly due to cracks in her skull, caused by several accidental headbutts as early as the first round.

To make matters worse, the young Kotaskova beat Lauren, and the cumulative effect of Kotaskova's punches and inadvertent head collisions left Lauren's face almost unrecognizable after the game. Like the main character in the movie “Like a Man”.

Although Lauren quipped after the game that she “looked…[ed] “It was like a freak show” and her grit was undeniable, taking on an undefeated top-ranked contender 13 years her junior, at an age when more people are more worried about themselves 401K instead of trading leather. It is for these reasons, and the tremendous physical harm that MIKAELA LAUREN endured, that she The bravest performance of the year! 

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About the author:

Paul Jones! is a long-time boxing writer and ringside photographer for Boxing News 24. His articles, photos and reviews have appeared in numerous online outlets (such as Boxing News 24/7, Round by Round Boxing, Boxing Insider and Medium.com) as well as print and academic journals.
Please email or send him a tip: prjones1@hotmail.com.