Although two-division boxing supremacy Terrence Crawford has only fought once in 2023, Crawford is very confident that he believes he can sweep the Fighter of the Year award.
"I'm the only fighter to beat the P4P top 5 this year, and the way I beat Spence is unmatched," Crawford said. The 2023 Fighter of the Year is, of course, me. Some people might say, I've only played one, but that one is more important than any of them. ”
Crawford is succinct and believes that a game is worth more than any other.
In fact, Crawford is very confident and even conceited, and is known as a boxing actuary. He is a lonely self-admiring type of boxer, and his popularity is not very good. But this does not hinder his greatness, he can become a 3-level boxing champion and a 2-level overlord, which is indeed extraordinary. The brutal knockout of Spence in nine rounds was really eye-catching.
Since Crawford knocked out Spence, he was quickly ranked as the No. 1 boxer by major media, and he still dominates the list.
However, Japan's "The Monster" Inoue Naoya brutally knocked out Filipino boxing champion Tapales in 10 rounds the other day, becoming only the second fighter in boxing history to unify the two divisions after Crawford. It is worth mentioning that Naoya Inoue is a world champion in 4 classes, one more than Crawford.
Perhaps Crawford sensed the crisis and came forward to say that. Is it Naoya Inoue or Crawford? It's a controversial topic.
Who is the best fighter of the year? But ESPN, a well-known American media outlet, gave Crawford a lot of face. After Naoya Inoue's victory, Crawford was still in No. 1 position. Naoya Inoue is ranked 2nd, and in 3rd place is the triple crown winner Usyk.
No. 4 is Boxing champion Bivol, and No. 5 is Alvarez. In sixth place was former 135-pound supremacy Devin Haney, in seventh place was light heavyweight triple crown champion Beterbiev, and in eighth place was Tank Davis. At No. 9 is Shakul Stevenson, and at No. 10 is the No. 2 heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
The rest can only stand aside, after all, the top ten boxing P4P are all top masters.
Is Crawford the Fighter of the Year, or is it Naoya Inoue? He had two fights in 2023, both of which were very impressive, with a brutal knockout of double champion Fulton in July to claim two belts at 122 pounds, and then a knockout of Tapalais in December to become the 122-pound hegemon. Such an achievement is truly admirable.
2023 is coming to an end in the blink of an eye, so let's look forward to some big battles in 2024, such as the rematch between Crawford and Spence, the legal match between Naoya Inoue and Neri, and the battle between Usyk and Tyson Fury. [Text/Fighting Jianghu]