Welcome to The Queensberry Rules’ annual year-end boxing awards, continuing throughout this week. Here’s how we do it around these parts:
The major categories are Knockout of the Year, Fight of the Year and Fighter of the Year. For each category, we give five finalists, with video and/or relevant info. On the second day after a category is introduced, we’ll give you the winner and explain why.
Up now: 2018 Knockout of the Year nominees. On deck: Fight of the Year nominees and Knockout of the Year winner.
THE FINALISTS (IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)
Naoya Inoue vs Juan Carlos Payano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsvverU6Fvs&feature=youtu.be
If ever you weren’t convinced Inoue is a prodigy, him knocking out a top-5 divisional opponent in mere moments, and doing it like that, should’ve disabused you.
Dereck Chisora vs Carlos Takam
Chisora both gaveth and tooketh big knockouts in 2018, and the fans were better for it.
Oleksandr Usyk vs Tony Bellew
In a stellar year, this was the finest single moment for Usyk. Ka-pow.
Teofimo Lopez vs Mason Menard
Poor Mason Menard keeps being on the wrong side of KO of the Year nominees. Cool points for the slow-motion fall and celebratory Teofimo flip.
Dillian Whyte vs Dereck Chisora 2
And with that perfect left, thus ended the exceptionally violent rivalry between the aforementioned Chisora and Whyte.
THE HONORABLE MENTIONS (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)
Vasyl Lomachenko vs Jorge Linares
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqd1rfn241o&feature=youtu.be
Dillian White vs Lucas Browne
Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs Adonis Stevenson
Harlem Eubank vs Petar Alexandrov
Amir Khan vs Phil Lo Greco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bAeA1I57d4
Hurricane Futa vs Vage Sarukhanyan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAN48Do15G0&
Jermall Charlo vs Hugo Centero, Jr.
Alvin Lagumbay vs Keita Obara
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA1nr90_Jeo
Deontay Wilder vs Luis Ortiz
Murat Gassiev vs Yunier Dorticos
David Lemieux vs Gary O’Sullivan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaU0HzqLUKg
Alexander Povetkin vs David Price
David Allen vs Nick Webb
Danny Garcia vs Brandon Rios
