SPORTSCLOPEDIA 5: NAOYA INOUE AND DMITRY BIVOL ARE TOP CANDIDATES FOR 2022 FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

Naoya Inoue, age 29, of Zama, Kanagawa, Japan and Dmitry Bivol, age 31, of Tokmak, Kirghiz SSR, formerly of Soviet Union, are the top candidates for the 2022 Fighter of the Year Awards.

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Inoue stopped Nonito Donaire by second round TKO on June 7, 2022 at Super Arena, Saitama, Japan to retain his WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles and won Donaire's WBC bantamweight title. Then he fought for the undisputed title winning over Paul Butler by eleventh round KO on December 13, 2022 at Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan to defend his WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles and won his WBO bantamweight title

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Bivol defeated 2021 Fighter of the Year Canelo Álvarez by unanimous decision on May 7, 2022 at T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.A. and successfully retained his WBA (Super) light-heavyweight title. Then he also won over previously unbeaten Gilberto Ramírez again by unanimous decision on November 5, 2022 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emiratesto defend his WBA title.

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The Ring magazine was published starting 1922 and has named a Fighter of the Year since 1928. The awardees are chosen by the magazine editors. The yearly Award winners are as follows:

1928: Gene Tunney

1929: Tommy Loughran

1930: Max Schmeling

1931: Tommy Loughran (2)

1932: Jack Sharkey

1933: no award given

1934: Tony Canzoneri and Barney Ross

1935: Barney Ross (2)

1936: Joe Louis

1937: Henry Armstrong

1938: Joe Louis (2)

1939: Joe Louis (3)

1940: Billy Conn

1941: Joe Louis (4)

1942: Sugar Ray Robinson

1943: Fred Apostoli

1944: Beau Jack

1945: Willie Pep

1946: Tony Zale

1947: Gus Lesnevich

1948: Ike Williams

1949: Ezzard Charles

1950: Ezzard Charles (2)

1951: Sugar Ray Robinson (2)

1952: Rocky Marciano

1953: Bobo Olson

1954: Rocky Marciano (2)

1955: Rocky Marciano (3)

1956: Floyd Patterson

1957: Carmen Basilio

1958: Ingemar Johansson

1959: Ingemar Johansson (2)

1960: Floyd Patterson (2)

1961: Joe Brown

1962: Dick Tiger

1963: Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali)

1964: Emile Griffith

1965: Dick Tiger (2)

1966: Muhammad Ali (2) (originally not awarded due to his controversial political and religious beliefs but was retroactively awarded in 2016)

1967: Joe Frazier

1968: Nino Benvenuti

1969: José Nápoles

1970: Joe Frazier (2)

1971: Joe Frazier (3)

1972: Muhammad Ali (3) and Carlos Monzón

1973: George Foreman

1974: Muhammad Ali (4)

1975: Muhammad Ali (5)

1976: George Foreman (2)

1977: Carlos Zarate

1978: Muhammad Ali (6)

1979: Sugar Ray Leonard

1980: Thomas Hearns

1981: Sugar Ray Leonard (2) and Salvador Sánchez

1982: Larry Holmes

1983: Marvin Hagler

1984: Thomas Hearns (2)

1985: Marvin Hagler (2) and Donald Curry

1986: Mike Tyson

1987: Evander Holyfield

1988: Mike Tyson (2)

1989: Pernell Whitaker

1990: Julio César Chávez

1991: James Toney

1992: Riddick Bowe

1993: Michael Carbajal

1994: Roy Jones Jr.

1995: Oscar De La Hoya

1996: Evander Holyfield (2)

1997: Evander Holyfield (3)

1998: Floyd Mayweather Jr.

1999: Paulie Ayala

2000: Félix Trinidad

2001: Bernard Hopkins

2002: Vernon Forrest

2003: James Toney (2)

2004: Glen Johnson

2005: Ricky Hatton

2006: Manny Pacquiao

2007: Floyd Mayweather Jr. (2)

2008: Manny Pacquiao (2)

2009: Manny Pacquiao (3)

2010: Sergio Martínez

2011: Andre Ward

2012: Juan Manuel Márquez

2013: Adonis Stevenson

2014: Sergey Kovalev

2015: Tyson Fury

2016: Carl Frampton

2017: Vasiliy Lomachenko

2018: Oleksandr Usyk

2019: Canelo Álvarez

2020: Tyson Fury (2) and Teófimo López

2021: Canelo Álvarez (2)

Fighter of the Decade

1910s: Sam Langford

1920s: Benny Leonard

1930s: Henry Armstrong

1940s: Sugar Ray Robinson

1950s: Sugar Ray Robinson (2)

1960s: Muhammad Ali

1970s: Roberto Durán

1980s: Sugar Ray Leonard

1990s: Roy Jones Jr.

2000s: Manny Pacquiao

2010s: Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Numbers in brackets showed the number of times a boxer has won the award as of that year.

Happy New Year!