2020 KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR AWARD:
Gervonta Davis’ inch-perfect left uppercut that drove through the point of Leo Santa Cruz’s chin and caused him to collapse on his back in San Antonio, Texas [above].
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Alexander Povetkin’s ruinous left uppercut that turned out Dillian Whyte’s lights in Brentwood [below]; Jose Zepeda’s shuddering left hand that brutally KO’d Ivan Baranchyk in Las Vegas; The cannoning right cross from Anthony Joshua that sent Kubrat Pulev down for the count in Wembley; Eleider Alvarez’s right hand that connected full force on Michael Seals in Verona, New York; Ryan Garcia’s short left hook that sent Francisco Fonseca crashing on his back in Anaheim, California; Damian Chambers’ right hand, bang on the button, that wiped out James Farrell in Liverpool; Felix Verdejo’s right hook-left uppercut-right hook combination that dropped Will Madera to the mat, with his right leg folded awkwardly beneath him; The perfectly timed right hand from Dalton Smith that felled Nathan Bennett in Brentwood; Joe George’s cracking left uppercut that decked Marcos Escudero in dramatic fashion in Uncasville, Connecticut; The hellacious left hook from Zelfa Barrett that poleaxed Eric Donovan in Brentwood; The massive right cross from Joe Smith Jnr, followed up by a stiff short left, that sent Eleider Alvarez sprawling through the ropes in Las Vegas; Filip Hrgovic’s right hand over the top that completely clattered Alexandre Kartozia in Struer, Denmark; The thumping overhand right from Robin Krasniqi that left Dominic Boesel flat on the floor in Magdeburg, Germany; Tommy Fury’s tremendous right uppercut, supplemented by a rapid three-shot burst, that deposited Genadij Krajevskij onto the canvas in Stratford; The clattering left hook-right hook combo from Fabio Wardley that wrecked Richard Lartey in Wembley; Shannon Courtenay’s spectacular right cross that twisted Dorota Norek off her feet and flung her into the ropes in Wembley; Roman Gonzalez’s booming right hand upstairs that caused Kal Yafai to crash hard on his back in Frisco, Texas; The powerful right from River Wilson-Bent that short-circuited Troy Coleman in Redditch.
2020 UPSET OF THE YEAR AWARD:
Teofimo Lopez w pts 12 Vasiliy Lomachenko
Lopez told everyone what was going to happen, but there were not many out there who believed him. Nevertheless, he proved the doubters wrong by solving the Lomachenko conundrum – and in style.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Jessica McCaskill w pts 10 Cecilia Braekhus; Jeison Rosario w rsf 5 Julian Williams; Alexander Povetkin w rsf 5 Dillian Whyte; Petchmanee CP Freshmart w pts 12 Wanheng Meenayothin; Roamer Alexis Angulo w pts 10 Anthony Sims Jnr; Petros Ananyan w pts 10 Subriel Matias; Jono Carroll w rsf 11 Scott Quigg; Robert Helenius w rsf 4 Adam Kownacki; Mike Plania w pts 10 Joshua Greer Jnr; Joshua Franco w pts 12 Andrew Moloney; Maxi Hughes w pts 10 Jono Carroll; Mario Abel Cazares w td 6 Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr; Robin Krasniqi w ko 3 Dominic Boesel; Marc Leach w pts 10 Qais Ashfaq; Rylan Charlton w ko 3 Joe Laws; Damian Bonelli w pts 6 Derrieck Cuevas; Rosendo Hugo Guarneros w rtd 8 Tommy Frank; Masayoshi Nakatani w rsf 9 Felix Verdejo; Ionut Baluta w pts 8 TJ Doheny; Lourdes Juarez w pts 10 Guadalupe Martinez Guzman; Tomoko Okuda w td 6 Miyo Yoshida; Antonio Louis Hernandez w rsf 4 Destyne Butler; Carlos Gongora w ko 12 Ali Akhmedov.
2020 EVENT OF THE YEAR AWARD:
Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury II
Before the coronavirus pandemic caused a sporting shutdown, Wilder and Fury renewed hostilities in a hugely anticipated Las Vegas rematch. Wilder entered the ring as the WBC heavyweight champion, but it was Fury who left with the belt after an emphatic victory.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Callum Smith-Canelo Alvarez; Vasiliy Lomachenko-Teofimo Lopez; Jermall Charlo-Sergiy Derevyanchenko & Jeison Rosario-Jermell Charlo (Charlo doubleheader); Leo Santa Cruz-Gervonta Davis; Sam Eggington-Ted Cheeseman (Matchroom Fight Camp I); Dillian Whyte-Alexander Povetkin (Matchroom Fight Camp IV); Daniel Dubois-Joe Joyce; Anthony Joshua-Kubrat Pulev; Tommy Frank-Rosendo Hugo Guarneros (Dennis Hobson’s drive-in boxing show).