Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
By Pablo R. Jones: With awards season in full swing and 2024 in the rearview, I’m counting down boxing’s 5 bravest performances in 2024 and handing out the hardware to honor the fighters who got us here.
(⚠️WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC BOXING IMAGES THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND DISTURBING. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.)
No. 5. THE BRAVEEST PERFORMANCE
Photo © DAZN in X
NOMINEE: BEKTEMIR MELIKUZIEV
• Date: April 20, 2024
• Location: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)
Ranked contender, BEKTEMIR MELIKUZIEVand undefeated challenger, PIERRE HUBERT DIBOMBE, faced each other in April in the HANEY vs. GARCIA card for the WBA Intercontinental Super Middleweight Title. What followed was a bloody disaster, due in part to MELIKUZIEV and DIBOMBE suffering deep lacerations to their respective eyes, which were caused by accidental headbutts and elbows exchanged in close quarters. Although DIBOMBE suffered a manageable cut in the first round, MELIKUZIEV’s gruesome cut in the fifth stanza, courtesy of a nasty clash of heads with DIBOMBE, was much worse, leaving the self-proclaimed “BULLY” bleeding profusely from his eyelid for the rest of the round. round. the fight. Fortunately for MELIKUZIEV, he racked up enough rounds in the early rounds and was comfortably ahead on the scorecards when the ringside doctor stopped the fight in the eighth round due to an accidental headbutt. And it was no surprise when MELIKUZIEV earned a unanimous technical decision victory over DIBOMBE when the final scorecards were read.
No. 4. THE BRAVEEST PERFORMANCE
Photo © The World Boxing Association/@wbaboxingofficial
NOMINATED: JONO CARROLL
• Date: July 24, 2024
• Location: IBA Coliseum (Serpukhov, RUS)
In an entertaining fight pitting the underdog, J.ONO CARROLLagainst former Olympic gold medalist, ALBERT BATYRGAZIEVfor the WBA (interim) super featherweight title, CARROLL started hot during the first quarter of the fight, even badly taking out BATYRGAZIEV in the third round. However, for the rest of the fight, BATYRGAZIEV systematically beat CARROLL, hitting him in the head and body, and finally ending the Irishman’s night in the ninth round with savage body shots.
After the fight, CARROLL joked, “I’ll have to put my modeling career back for a while.” That’s an understatement considering the boxing makeover BATYRGAZIEV gave CARROL. Because of CARROLL’s bravery and his ability to persevere despite having both eyes almost swollen shut (something we haven’t seen since GUERRERO vs. BERTO in 2012), CARROLL earned the #4 spot on our list.
Photo © Jae C. Hong/AP
No. 3. THE BRAVEEST PERFORMANCE
Photo © NETFLIX
🥉3rd PLACE: AMANDA SERRANO
• Date: NOVEMBER 24, 2024
• Location: AT&T STADIUM (ARLINGTON, TX)
Our third place, AMANDA SERRANOtook it to the max TAYLOR VS. SERRANO – II (FIGHT OF THE YEAR by Women’s Boxing consensus), fights KATIE TAYLOR with a nasty cut over his right eye during the last 3 rounds. Although SERRANO fought TAYLOR throughout their tenth round, it was SERRANO’s ability to improve his performance in the decisive moment that stood out: the Puerto Rican legend rattled off 285 of his 734 punches thrown (39%, according to COMPUBOX) after receiving a TAYLOR headbutt in round 8. And with 4 world titles at stake, and despite dealing with blood constantly dripping into his eye during the championship rounds, SERRANO showed here his was worth it once again coming up short in a controversial decision loss to TAYLOR (scores: 95-94 (three times)), a fight many believed SERRANO had won.
No. 2. THE BRAVEST PERFORMANCE
Photo © Esther Lin/PBC
🥈 FINALIST: SEBASTIÁN FUNDORA
• Date: March 30, 2024
• Location: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, NV)
Signing up for number 2 of our countdown is a late fill, SEBASTIAN FUNDORAwho beat the former WBO world champion, TIM TSZYU, by split decision in March, which served as half of the bloodiest battle of 2024, TSZYU vs. FOUNDER.
Photo © Esther Lin/PBC
Despite suffering nasty cuts and bleeding that covered his face and body, sometimes blurring his vision, including FUNDORA’s nose and mouth that were dripping like a faucet, ‘THE TOWERING INFERNO’ managed to shoot over 700 of the 1100 combined blows exchanged in this fight. . Equally important, FUNDORA’s historic victory, in which he outpointed TSZYU via split decision to become a unified super welterweight world champion (WBC/WBO), helped produce an instant FIGHT OF THE YEAR contender that was well deserving of a second place. place of completion. A matchup that left fans clamoring for a rematch of this “damn good” affair.
No. 1. THE BRAVEST PERFORMANCE
Photo © @MIKAELALAUREN76/Instagram
🏆WINNER: MIKAELA LAUREN
• Date: November 30, 2024
• Location: InterContinental Hotel (Vienna, AUST)
Finally, the bravest performance of 2024 came from former world champion, MIKAELA LAURENfrom Sweden. In a championship fight in November against the current champion, MICHAEL KOTASKOVLAUREN, 48, proved she is truly “a warrior”, fighting until the final bell despite suffering from horrific facial swelling. LAUREN’S swelling was reportedly due to a crack in her skull, which resulted from a handful of accidental headbutts she received as early as the first round.
To make matters worse, the young KOTASKOVA beat up LAUREN with the cumulative effects of KOTASKOVA’s punches and involuntary butting heads, leaving LAUREN’s face virtually unrecognizable after the fight, resembling a character from the central cast of the movie, The Elephant Man.
Although LAUREN joked after the fight that it “looked like a freak show,” her courage is undeniable, as she faced an undefeated, world-ranked contender 13 years her junior, at an age when more people They are more concerned about their 401K than about the leather trade. And it is for these reasons, in addition to the significant physical toll suffered by MIKAELA LAUREN, who tops the list with the THE BRAVEST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR!
* * * *
DID I DO IT RIGHT?
Let me know by leaving me a comment, sharing and retweeting this article on X and Instagram, and hitting the Like button on all social media platforms.
It would mean a lot to me.
* * * *
Do you want more articles like this? Follow Paul R. Jones! on X (Twitter) and Instagram @boxingepicenter to see more of his exclusive boxing content.
More must-reads from Paul R. Jones!
Counting down the 7 absolute best WTF boxing moments of 2023 that left social media in full swing!
3 BOLD boxing predictions for 2021: Pacquiao, Charlo, Bivol, Beterbiev, more!
About the author:
Paul R. Jones! is a long-time boxing writer and ring photographer for Boxing News 24. A scientist by day and writer by night, he covers the humorous, unconventional and absurdity of the sport of boxing. His articles, photographs and commentary have appeared in many online outlets (such as Boxing News 24/7, Round by Round Boxing, Boxing Insider and Medium.com), as well as print and academic magazines.
Email or send him a tip at prjones1@hotmail.com.
