As the year comes to a close and boxing begins to wind down, former cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew has revealed his picks for fight of the year, as well as the biggest upset of the year.
Speaking on his DAZN column, Katie Taylor’s epic win over Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden was Bellew’s choice for fight of the year. Not only was the scrap action packed, it made history as the first female headlined boxing card at the iconic venue.
“I was in New York City for Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano, and what I witnessed was breathtaking.”
“For ten rounds, these two fantastic women fought like their entire lives counted on it and they took women’s boxing to another level.”
“The fight turned in many ways in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden, but it was Taylor that emerged victorious in an instant classic. I’m praying that the pair do it again next year in Dublin.”
Fans will hope that a rematch in Croke Park can be finalised for 2023 and Taylor can finally have her homecoming in Ireland, having remarkably never boxed there as a professional.
As for upset of the year, Bellew opted for Dmitry Bivol’s win over pound for pound star Canelo Alvarez back in May.
“Nobody expected Bivol to win.”
“Canelo went into that bout as the undisputed ruler at 168lbs and he’s already beaten Sergey Kovalev at light-heavyweight in 2019. Bivol wasn’t supposed to have a chance and I didn’t really give him one either.”
“What took place was simply brilliant as Bivol took the fight to Canelo from the start with the Mexican unable to answer what was coming his way.”
A rematch between Canelo and Bivol is said to be in the works for 2023, with Bivol looking to come down in weight to challenge for the Mexican’s undisputed 168lb titles – however Álvarez is sure to want a crack at the light heavyweight belt again instead.
Two worthy picks in their respective categories for what was a year in the sport with plenty of high points.