The TSS Female Fighter of the Year plus 2023’s Indelible Moments

Our beautiful sport lives on.

We had one of the best years in boxing in 2023. Champions fought champions and drew large crowds everywhere from Tokyo to Los Angeles to Riyadh.

Women’s boxing led the way in the previous year and that seemingly inspired men to follow their path this year. What transpired was a landmark year for boxing.

Let’s start with the women.

The Fighter of the Year for women is Amanda “Real Deal” Serrano who fearlessly fought three times beginning in February against Mexico’s Erica Cruz. After 10 turbulent and bloody rounds Serrano emerged victorious to become the first undisputed featherweight world champion.

She also became the first Puerto Rican undisputed world champion.

In midsummer Serrano fought Brooklyn rival Heather Hardy and then capped the year with a title defense set at 12 three-minute rounds against Brazil’s Danila Ramos. Even more remarkable was in announcing the fight, she challenged all fellow female prizefighters to demand the right to choose three-minute rounds instead of two-minute rounds. Also, to fight 12-round championships instead of 10, as the men do.

Two dozen fellow fighters signed a petition to follow her lead.

Incidentally, Serrano defeated Ramos in the first 12 three-minute round championship fight since 2007.

“Thank you, I’m so honored,” said Serrano who was also selected Fighter of the Year for other publications.

And to further explain why we selected Serrano, she also signed to manage female fighters to guide their future.

Ever since Serrano was signed by innovative Jake Paul, a few years back, her career has skyrocketed. Together they are burning new paths and new fans for the sport of boxing.

Speaking of Jake Paul (pictured above with Amanda), the social media giant took part in a mega fight when he defeated MMA star Nate Diaz last August. The crossover event was a box office and pay-per-view success.

Paul and other social media stars proved there is a market for their brand.

The social media star slash boxer started the year 2023 with a decision loss to Tommy Fury, the half-brother of heavyweight champ Tyson Fury. In the age of maintaining perfect records Paul shrugged off the defeat and proceeded to entice MMA star Nate Diaz into the boxing ring. Once it was announced, the mixture of personalities was a perfect blend. The bad boy of MMA versus the “Problem Child” and nearly 20,000 fans gobbled up tickets to see the clash at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Another 450,000 purchased the pay-per-view.

Those are very good numbers for a non-title fight that generated a total near $30 million dollars.

Paul then followed that up with an electrifying single punch knockout win over pro boxer Andre August in the first round this past December 15. The win over an actual pro boxer in the cruiserweight division added even more credibility to his abilities as a boxer and promoter.

Other Impactful Events

Beginning in February, Shane Mosley Jr, the son of a Hall of Fame boxer, helped bring pro boxing to their hometown of Pomona, California in an event that harkened to the days of the Olympic Auditorium, the Inglewood Forum and even the Hollywood Legion Stadium. It had that nostalgic local feel.

Mosley and a bevy of other local fighters put on one of the best smaller cards of the year. Perhaps the best fight on a Golden Boy Promotions card saw former world champion Luis Nery and top super bantamweight contender Azat Hovhannisyan brutalize each other for 11 nonstop rounds. It was intense and definitely a contender for Fight of the Year with Nery winning by stoppage.

In March we saw super middleweight rivals David Benavidez and Caleb Plant finally meet each other in the boxing ring to settle their feud on a Premier Boxing Champions card. For years each fighter verbally attacked each other’s abilities and finally met on March 25, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. They settled their feud in the ring with Benavidez defeating Plant and each gaining more respect for each other.

In April, the biggest money-making fight of the year saw Ryan Garcia and Gervonta “Tank” Davis meet at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and sell 20,000 tickets worth $27 million in revenue. Plus, more than 1.2 million pay-per-views were purchased. All told, more than $100 million was generated. Each fighter topped $30 million with Davis winning by knockout.

It was the most successful boxing event of the year.

Though Garcia lost his undefeated status he remains a huge draw in the prize ring. The win by Davis proved that offensive fighters are bigger draws than defensive fighters. Both Garcia and Davis proved to be the present-day version of Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy “Hitman” Hearns from the 80s. A rematch in the future would certainly break the cash register.

Memorable Moments in 2023

Another potential Fight of the Year saw Jaime Munguia of Mexico and Ukraine’s Sergey Derevyanchenko clobber each other for 12 rounds in a brutal display. Their blows were concussive and could be heard and felt throughout the Toyota Arena in Ontario, Calif. Munguia remained undefeated but needed a knockdown from a body shot to emerge victorious. Fans gasped when the battle between the two warriors finally ended.

In June, we saw the return of Teofimo Lopez meet undisputed super lightweight champion Josh Taylor of Scotland in Madison Square Garden. After struggling against decent but not super-talented opposition, the Brooklyn fighter Lopez unleashed his incredible array of fighting ability against champion Taylor. The boxing world was surprised and Lopez proved to be the talented star forgotten but not gone. The world awaits the “Takeover’s” next fight and hopefully against another star.

The year got even better in the heart of summer.

Welterweight champion Terence Crawford had chased Errol Spence Jr. for years in attempting to decide the true world champion of the 147-pounders. Both were undefeated and both claimed to be the true welterweight champion. They finally met in late July at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was five years in the making and after nine one-sided rounds Crawford proved too strong and dominated Spence with three knockdowns before the fight was mercifully stopped.

Crawford’s victory made him an undisputed welterweight world champion. He had already achieved undisputed world championship status as a super lightweight and the win over highly regarded Spence was the cherry on top of the banana split. The Nebraska fighter takes my vote as the best fighter pound-for-pound in the world.

Another pound-for-pound fighter Saul “Canelo” Alvarez returned to Las Vegas. The undisputed super middleweight champion was challenged by undisputed super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo. Challenge accepted. The twin brother from Texas saw Alvarez in person fight a year earlier. He determined Canelo was beatable and made it public that he wanted to fight the Mexican redhead. The two met at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in September and the world saw the weight difference proved too much even for the talented Charlo. The match also proved that a motivated Alvarez is a dangerous foe.

In October, in a less ballyhooed matchup, newly crowned WBC super featherweight titlist O’Shaquie Foster defended his title against top contender Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez in Cancun, Mexico. Because the referee correctly restricted Foster from clinching as a defensive tactic, the Texan was forced to battle inside and out against the powerful Hernandez and another Fight of the Year candidate erupted. It was a good one. After 12 exciting and awe-inspiring rounds, Foster finally stopped Hernandez at 2:38 of the final round to cap the title fight. It was extremely fun to watch.

In November, following Thanksgiving Day, undefeated fighters David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade met in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Once again Benavidez proved that brilliant fighting skills are simply not enough. He pummeled Andrade and proved to be the best fighter other Canelo Alvarez in the super middleweight division. The performance also added to his market appeal and could lead to a clash with the big dog Alvarez.

And what about Devin Haney.

Fresh from a close win over Ukraine’s super talented Vasyl Lomachenko, the Las Vegas-based Haney brashly challenged super lightweight titlist Regis Prograis. It was a dangerous challenge against a powerful champion and looked to be a very tough match. It wasn’t. Behind a beautiful left jab, Haney kept Prograis at a suitable distance and dropped the champion in the third round with a lightning right. After the knockdown Haney cruised to victory. The buttery smooth fighter has established credibility as a true artist in the prize ring. Currently he’s in talks to meet Ryan Garcia in a super lightweight clash in March. Both have a history in the amateurs with each beating the other. Now they’re pros.

Finally, a few days before Christmas, the heavyweights were on display with many of the best signed and ready to confront each other in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was a roster of the best heavyweights in the world not named Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk. But with Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Joseph Parker, “Big Baby” Miller and others, it was an extravaganza that showcased the excitement of the heavyweight division. Knockouts were the theme and they were in abundance. The heavyweights are back.

Let’s not forget Japan’s “Monster” Naoya Inoue who became undisputed super bantamweight world champion with a knockout win over Marlon Tapales just three days ago. If not for Crawford’s dominating win over another pound-for-pound fighter in Errol Spence, the Japanese star would be this reporter’s Fighter of the Year.

Inoue deserves recognition as one of the most exciting fighters in this decade.

There were several other prize fights that appealed to the public and foreshadowed another great year for boxing. Though Showtime Boxing television ended, the sport continues to prove boxing will never die. Pro boxing has existed since the 1600s and will continue to have an audience.

Lookout 2024.

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