In many years, most years, the Fighter of the Year reveals themself well before the end of December. That’s especially true in recent ones, where Dmitry Bivol (2022), Canelo Álvarez (’19 and ’21) and Oleksandr Usyk (’18) had boxing’s most coveted honor sewed up before Thanksgiving. This year the debate didn’t just rage into the last month, but the last week, with Naoya Inoue making his closing argument on Dec. 26, stopping Marlon Tapales to earn undisputed status in the 122-pound division.
Emerging from a crowded field to earn Sports Illustrated’s 2023 Fighter of the Year: Devin Haney.
Jeff Chiu/AP
