Moment of the year The remarkable drama of Tyson Fury getting up off the canvas in the 12th round against Deontay Wilder in their heavyweight world title fight in Los Angeles. The odds were against the Briton, but after losing 10 stone in the build-up to the fight, the “Gypsy King” put in a brilliant performance and was ahead on two of the judges’ cards going into the final round – until a right hand, left hook combination floored him, seemingly ending the contest. But as referee Jack Reiss began his count, Fury regained his feet and even battled back in the final minute. The result was a split draw, but many felt Fury had done enough to claim victory.
Performance of the year Five stand out, and I am unable to pick a favourite. Fury in Los Angeles. Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, who was brilliant in unifying all the world cruiserweight titles in Moscow against Russia’s Murat Gassiev. It took a special performance from Josh Warrington to defeat Lee Selby at Elland Road to claim the International Boxing Federation featherweight title. Vasyl Lomachenko was sensational against both Jorge Linares and Jose Pedraza – like the Matrix avoiding punches in the latter bout. And Katie Taylor was increasingly brilliant in four fights. The Irishwoman may well become the greatest female boxer in history.
Unsung hero Ben Davison, the 26-year-old trainer of Tyson Fury. Davison lived with his charge for almost a year as he helped Fury shed weight and cope with his mental health issues. Then, when it counted, he displayed a wise head on young shoulders in the corner against Wilder. Davison’s position was repeatedly challenged, but he showed he was up to the task and has a great future in the sport.
One thing boxing got right in 2018 The decision by Jose Sulaiman, the World Boxing Council president, to introduce weight monitoring of boxers out of competition. He has introduced “surprise weigh-ins”, with boxers not allowed to exceed more than 20 per cent of their weight class, regardless of division. “Weight cutting is the most dangerous thing in the sport, outside the fighting itself,” Sulaiman said. That includes heavyweights. “Tyson Fury a year ago would have struggled. The weight loss takes a toll on your body – midterm and long-term. On your kidneys, your liver, your heart.”
One thing boxing got wrong in 2018 Two pay-per-view events on the same night in the same country, when Warrington fought Carl Frampton in Manchester, and Dillian Whyte fought Dereck Chisora in London. It was senseless and just punished the fighters. Also, we cannot gloss over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez being given a six-month ban for testing positive for banned substance clenbuterol, then, just months later, signing up to the biggest individual deal in sporting history when the sports streaming service DAZN acquired the rights to air the Mexican’s next 11 fights in five years, worth a staggering $365 million (£288.5 million). The first of those bouts was this month when Alvarez crushed overmatched British super middleweight Rocky Fielding in three rounds in New York.
Sum up the year in five words Boom time for the sport Favourite interview There are two, a week apart. Being with Wilder in his gym in Alabama where he talked openly about how he would be prepared to carry a child and experience pregnancy, and then Tyson Fury in his three-storey Hollywood Hills training camp home, while he was eating a 4lb baked potato and dry tuna that he said was like sawdust because there was no mayonnaise in the house. Both were intimate, open interviews with two truly extraordinary characters.
One prediction I got right That Anthony Joshua would not fight Wilder and the world would not witness a unification of the heavyweight division. There is a chance it may be the same in 2019. It sounds weird, but it often happens in heavyweight boxing because of the huge money stakes, rival promoters and broadcast deals.
One prediction I got wrong That Selby would beat Warrington. I found it hard to give Warrington a great chance, but upsets happen, and it is one of the reasons why sport is so thrilling. It was not my only bad call. I picked George Groves to beat Callum Smith in their super middleweight title bout, but the latter was brilliant in the Middle East as he stopped his opponent in the seventh round.
Biggest challenge for boxing in 2019 There is a danger that the market is being saturated by too many events. Build-ups are important, and big matchups need time to breathe. As far as fights go, the sport may suffer in 2019 if Joshua, holder of three of the world-title belts, does not face either Tyson Fury or Wilder. There is a very real possibility that he may not. It only confuses the mainstream sports watching public.
This article first appeared in The Daily Telegraph
See also:
Gareths podcast with guest Tyson Fury
Fighting Spirits with Gareth A Davies – Episode 1: Tyson Fury