Boxing fans across the world have been entertained by several outstanding performances in the ring throughout the year. With athletes like Jarmell Charlo Ko, Dmitry Bivol, and Naoya Inoue showing their best forms in the ring, the boxing world has witnessed some of its best athletes face off in highly contested battles.
That said, like every other year, some matches would get a not-so-bad rating, but some would ring throughout, not just in the stands outside the boxing ring but also in the news media. Fans worldwide, and even punters, including those who take part in online sports betting, always look forward to these types of matches. Simply put, there are boxing matches, and there are ‘BOXING’ matches. The latter gets everyone talking all year long.
While the year hasn’t ended yet, and everyone can expect to get some first-class action from this sport, we’ve come up with the most exciting boxing fights of the year. Here they are, starting from the sixth.
6. Sebastian Fundora vs. Erickson Lubin
Coming sixth on our list is the fight between Sebastian Fundora and Erickson Lubin. Notably, one outstanding feature of this match has to be the turnaround that Fundora brought to the match after Lubin brought such fierce momentum into the ring. After losing through a knockout loss to Jermell Charlo back in 2017, Erickson Lubin bounced back to win six consecutive junior middleweight matches, including knocking out Jeison Rosario in his former bout.
Looking nearly invincible, he came up against a less successful Fundora, to his dismay. The tall, skinny, but tough contender in Fundora brought so much fierceness to the ring from the beginning, beating Lubin to the extent that Lubin’s cornermen were compelled to stop the match. Moreover, Fundora had to overcome a knockout to add more to this outstanding victory, bringing Fundora into a new status in the boxing season.
5. Shakur Stevenson vs. Oscar Valdez
Oscar Valdez came into this match as a proven item, having been at the Olympics twice and a highly respected athlete with several dominating wins over the last six or seven years. No doubt, one of his most outstanding victories was the 10th-round knockout of the dreaded Miguel Berchelt in 2021. All these accolades, however, accentuate Stevenson’s performance much more.
Stevenson’s performance was so outstanding during the match that Valdez was also made to look like a novice. The silver medal holder from the 2016 Olympics used his skills and velocity within the ring, leaving Valdez searching desperately for cover. Regardless of how you want to assess the match, Stevenson’s performance was outstanding and brought a lot of joy to boxing fans.
4. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs. Jesse Rodriguez
Rodriguez’s 2022 heroics started in February when he climbed up two divisions after a few days’ notice to effortlessly outpoint Carlos Cuadras to win a title in the WBC. The following months showed Rodriguez was only beginning his heroics. Four months later, Rodriguez agreed to defend his belt against the fierce Sor Rungvisai, who had pulled out of the February fight against Cuadras due to illness.
Jesse Rodriguez outclassed Sor Rungvisai in a seemingly unbelievable match, stopping the veteran boxer in the match’s eighth round during the fight in San Antonio. In just two fights, Rodriguez went from being a fighter under consideration to the status of a potential star athlete.
3. Nonito Donaire vs. Naoya Inoue
In this boxing match which took place in Saitama, Japan, Donaire shocked the boxing world and boosted his excellent resume by making Inoue fight through broken bones in his face to keep his 118-pound belt. However, Donaire’s injuries had healed at the second meeting, and the match didn’t augur well for Inoue.
It wasn’t any contest as Inoue overwhelmed Nonito Donaire, pushing him to the floor within the first round and dealing him off with a finish in the second round to reach the top of some pound-for-pound rankings. The Japanese star had a breathtaking performance to meet many fans’ expectations globally.
2. Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano
Castano and Charlo faced off in one of the most exciting fights last year in a back-and-forth tussle that failed to see an undisputed champion at the end. The fights ended in a draw. However, the rematch of that match occurred on May 14 this year–and it was no doubt a different story entirely.
A motivated Jermell Charlo refused to let the fierce Argentine have a field day, outboxing him for over nine rounds in the game before finally finishing him spectacularly in the tenth round. Charlo came out with all four belts and preeminence in the boxing division. Pound-for-pound lists almost could never do without including him, as he climbs on and on in the lists. With such a splendid performance, Charlo’s performance during this match in California is undoubtedly one of the best in his professional boxing career.
1. Dmitry Bivol vs. Canelo Alvarez
Here’s our number one match on this list of the most exciting boxing matches in 2022. Agreed, Bivol was the bigger fighter. But sizes don’t win boxing matches. (Ask Sergey Kovalev). Nearly everyone would have chosen Alvarez to come away with the win, but Bivol pulled a remarkable surprise. The Russian boxed circles around his puzzled opponent, using his skills in the game to deal with punishments against his opponent while avoiding much in return.
The result was a nearly one-sided win against Canelo Alvarez. Although all judges scored the fight 115-113, casual observers would claim that the match wasn’t as close. Bivol delivered a masterclass during that fierce match at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Conclusion
The above matches have stunned the boxing world from the beginning of the year. Yet there’s much more to look forward to for the rest of 2022. Several exciting matches are scheduled to take place, with major athletes like Canelo Alvarez, Jake Paul, and Anthony Joshua getting set to get back on the stage.
