Zona de Boxeo

In professional boxing, the heavyweight division, going back to the days of John L. Sullivan, is the straw that stirs the drink. By this measure, the fight on May 18 of this year at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was the biggest prizefight in decades. The winner would emerge as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 when Lennox Lewis out-pointed Evander Holyfield in their second meeting.

Oleksandr Usyk left no doubt that he is the best heavyweight of his generation and one of the greatest boxers of all time with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury tonight at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But although the Ukrainian won eight rounds on all three scorecards, this was no runaway. To pirate a line from one of the announcers, Fury had his moments in every round but Usyk had more moments.

Lucas Bahdi Forged the TSS 2024 Knockout of the Year

Here are our awards for the best in women’s boxing. But first, a rundown on the state of the sport.

The Aug. 10 match in Las Vegas between Knockout artists Vergil Ortiz Jr and Serhii Bohachuk seemingly had scant chance of lasting the 12-round distance. Ortiz, the pride of Grand Prairie, Texas, was undefeated in 21 fights with 20 KOs. Bohachuk, the LA-based Ukrainian, brought a 24-1 record with 23 knockouts.

Years from now, it’s hard to say how Turki Alalshikh will be remembered.

Oleksandr Usyk is the TSS 2024 Fighter of the Year

Here in our annual end-of-year report, we pay homage to the boxing notables who left us in the past year in a two-part story. May they rest in peace.

Here is the concluding segment of our annual, two-part, end of year necrology where we pay homage to boxing notables who left us last year.

By TSS Special Correspondent RAYMOND MARKARIAN — It’s difficult to understand the mind of a fighter. At its core, a life filled with danger in the boxing ring is stranger than the normalcy of everyday work. Throw a punch or send an email, and you live with the consequences. Most boxers begin their journey at a young age, driven by self-promotion and personal ambition. But Dante Kirkman is not like most aspiring fighters.