Best boxing fights of 2023: 10 times fans were SHOCKED with the action in the ring

As the year comes to an end, we take a look at some of the best fights of the year. Many boxing fans would be aware that boxing isn’t only about the hard-hitting knockouts. It is also about the technical prowess employed to defeat the opponent.

Therefore, in our count, we will look at some of the most proficient fighters to have graced the ring in 2023. These fights proved to be some of the most impressive and entertaining affairs in the combat sports world.

10) Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez vs. Cristian Gonzalez

Going into this fight Jesse Rodriguez was the youngest active world champion at 23 years old. As such, he was the favorite to win. Rodriguez had vacated his WBC super flyweight title to take on Cristian Gonzalez for the vacant WBO flyweight title. Gonzalez himself was coming into this fight with an impressive 9-fight win streak.

Unfortunately for Gonzalez, he was outclassed by Rodriguez throughout their fight. He tried to remain elusive with his lateral movement, but Rodriguez hunted him down to get the unanimous decision victory. Surprisingly, Gonzalez was able to land a hard punch in the sixth round, which broke his opponent’s jaw. However, Rodriguez, in true champion fashion, fought through the pain to secure the victory.

9) Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs. Joe Smith 

In this WBA cruiserweight title eliminator, Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez was able to put on arguably the best performance of his career according to many fans. He dominated Joe Smith and secured the unanimous decision victory. This was surprising since Zurdo came into this fight after a long hiatus of 11 months.

Smith took clean punches to the head and body that comprised dexterous combinations. This eventually rendered him incapable of thwarting the pressure put on by an agile Zurdo, who chased him around the ring with ease. As such, all three judges scored the fight 99-91 in favor of Zurdo.

8) Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Devin Haney

This fight was considered the biggest robbery of the year by many fans. The technical maestro, Vasyl Lomachenko was able to land more meaningful punches compared to his young counterpart. Especially, in the latter rounds, ‘Loma’ was able to dig deep, use his vast experience, and give Devin Haney the toughest fight of his career. It is to be noted that Lomachenko went up in weight and fought a much bigger fighter in Haney.

In the end, the undisputed lightweight champion was able to retain his titles, but only just. Even though the fight was scored unanimously in favor of Haney, many including Lomachenko’s team believed he had done enough to secure the victory. They even planned on appealing the verdict.

7) Katie Taylor vs. Chantelle Cameron

In this exciting fight, Katie Taylor was able to avenge her only loss in professional boxing. Moreover, she redeemed herself in the same arena she lost the first bout six months ago against Chantelle Cameron. Dublin’s 3Arena was full of Irish supporters going berserk at Katie’s triumph. This victory allowed Taylor to become a two-weight undisputed boxing champion.

As such, she is now the super-lightweight champion along with being the undisputed world champion at lightweight. This fight has further fueled the aspirations for a trilogy bout to settle the score, as both Cameron and Taylor have a win against one another.

6) Artur Beterbiev vs. Anthony Yarde

Coming in at number 6 is a light heavyweight masterclass by the undefeated Artur Beterbiev. The Russian Canadian champion has the distinction of being the only active champion to win all his bouts via knockout. As such, he continued his reign of terror when he took on a brave Anthony Yarde and stopped him in the 8th round of their thrilling fight. This victory allowed Beterbiev to retain his WBC, IBF, and WBO light-heavyweight belts. Moreover, he secured the 19th consecutive win of his career.

The 31-year-old Yarde was holding his ground throughout the fight and landed some vicious punches of his own. Unfortunately, his fate was sealed in the 8th round when he was dropped by two rights from Beterbiev. He managed to get up, but the unforgiving opponent’s charge was too much for his corner, who waved the fight off.

5) Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou

This was arguably one of the most surprising fights of 2023. Francis Ngannou, a former heavyweight champion from the UFC, laced gloves for the first time as he made his boxing debut against one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of the sport. Moreover, the fact that he dropped the current WBC heavyweight champion down in the third round would have you believe that he would eventually secure the victory.

This was the opinion of the majority of the fans, but Tyson Fury was given a split-decision victory against a so-called inexperienced boxer. Even in his loss, Ngannou came out the victor in many ways. He battered and bruised not just the body, but also the ego of a flamboyant Tyson Fury, who has been staying away from the spotlight since the fight.

4) Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo

Canelo Alvarez retained his super middleweight championships against the undisputed junior middleweight champion, Jermell Charlo. This fight may be considered a one-sided affair but it was a testament to the dominance of Alvarez in this weight class. Jermell Charlo moved up two weight classes to prove his might against a seasoned veteran of the game.

Unfortunately for him, Alvarez was able to walk him down and keep the pressure on throughout the fight. This pressure resulted in a 7th round knockdown of Charlo. In the end, all judges scored in favor of the Mexican, cementing his status as an all-time great, with 3 successful defenses of his undisputed championships.

3) Ryan Garcia vs. Gervonta Davis

This fight had two of the most popular young boxers go head to head in a much-anticipated fight. Moreover, both Gervonta Davis and Garcia were undefeated coming into this fight. Unfortunately, somebody’s “0” had to go. As such, it was Ryan Garcia who lost his undefeated status when he couldn’t get up after a hard punch to his body in the 7th round.

Garcia, who had a two-and-a-half-inch reach advantage couldn’t capitalize on his stature and was brought down in the second. He beat the count and pressed forward in the next few rounds, but was finally put to rest with an agonizing uppercut to the ribs in the seventh.

2) O’Shaquie Foster vs. Eduardo Hernandez

In a thrilling fight in Cancun Mexico, O’Shaquie Foster mounted an impressive defense for his WBC super featherweight title against Eduardo Hernandez. This was Foster’s first title defense after previously winning the title from Rey Vargas. Hernandez, the challenger had come into the fight on the back of six straight wins, all by knockout.

As such, his impressive record was justified for the most part as he was ahead on 2 judges’ scorecards heading into the final round. Unfortunately for Hernandez, he was knocked out in the final round. A comeback knockout certainly earns this fight a 2nd place on our best boxing fights list.

1) Jaime Munguia vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko

This fight was an absolute slugfest. As such, it kept the crowd on the edge of their seats for 12 straight rounds. Both fighters landed vicious shots in their enthralling exchanges. In this seesaw bout, the 26-year-old Jamie Munguia was able to edge in a unanimous victory.

He further credited Sergiy Derevyanchenko for his elusiveness, which made the fight all the more exciting. Finally, Munguia was able to drop Derevyanchenko with a brutal body shot in the last round of their fight. This, followed by a flurry of punches after his opponent got back to his feet turned the tide in his favor. The exchange between the 2 young fighters made it a contender for Fight of the Year, making boxing fans proud.

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