Boxing in 2024: Usyk and Beterbiev shine as Saudi Arabia's influence grows

Riyadh Season now the home of the biggest fights in the sport

Tyson Fury, left, and Oleksandr Usyk during the WBA, WBC, WBO world heavyweight championship contest at the Kingdom Arena. PA

Oleksandr Usyk had the final word in boxing in 2024, and fittingly did so against Tyson Fury in a ring in Riyadh following 12 months where Saudi Arabia consolidated its leadership of the sport.

The kingdom put on numerous Riyadh Season cards, went on tour to London and Los Angeles, concluded deals with top promoters, signed up Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue and even purchased Ring Magazine.

The Saudi boxing project is thriving and the big cards keep coming. Artur Beterbiev edged out light heavyweight rival Dmitry Bivol in October and their rematch is already in the diary for February 22 atop arguably the strongest Saudi card yet. Beterbiev v Bivol once seemed like a pipe dream for fight fans but with Saudi backing, they'll fight twice in four months.

Usyk beat Fury twice to clinch all-time great status, while Daniel Dubois wiped the floor with Anthony Joshua to emerge as number two in the division. Both Fury and Joshua, once kingpins of heavyweight boxing, look spent and with nowhere to go - perhaps they will finally fight each other.

At cruiserweight, Jai Opetaia survived Mairis Breidis' last stand to establish himself as the division's leading light. Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez's cynical cherry picking means that super middleweight remains a non-event of a division, but there are signs of life below at 160lbs. Janibek Alimkhanuly remains number one, but the emergence of Hamzah Sheeraz and his imminent challenge of Carlos Adames for a version of the gold is a promising sign for a historic division that has been in hibernation for too long.

Go down again and the light middleweight category is arguably the sport's strongest. The pound-for-pound legend Terence Crawford debuted in the division and impressed in sweeping aside the tricky Israil Madrimov. Tim Tsyzu started the year in a strong position but finished it out in the cold after defeats to Sebastian Fundora and Bakhram Murtazaliev. Madrimov, Vergil Ortiz and Serhii Bohachuk are all players in a stacked weight class.

Jaron 'Boots' Ennis is the top dog at welterweight but remains in search of a signature win. Ryan Garcia electrified the 140lbs division with a stunning victory over Devin Haney but then tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Gervonta 'Tank' Davis, perhaps the biggest star stateside, continues to frustrate, having fought just once.

Inoue flattened Luis Nery, beat TJ Doheny, and will be out again against Sam Goodman in January, while down at super bantamweight, Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez is still the sport's outstanding 'little man'.

Oleksandr Usyk lands a left jab on Tyson Fury. Reuters

Usyk and Fury exchange blows. Reuters

Fury goes on the attack against Usyk. Reuters

Usyk and Fury trade in the middle of the ring. Reuters

Usyk and Fury trade in the middle of the ring. Reuters

Usyk and Fury stand in the ring during the announcement of the winner. AFP

Fury and Usyk embrace at the end. AFP

Oleksandr Usyk speaks to the media after his victory. Getty Images

Tyson Fury during a press conference following his defeat. PA

General view before the fight at Kingdom Arena. Reuters

Ukraine's Usyk arrives for the heavyweight world championship rematch. AFP

Ukraine's Usyk stands up for his national anthem. AFP

Fury arrives for the heavyweight world championship rematch. AFP

Team Usyk celebrate their win at the end. Getty Images

What next for Joshua and Fury?

Riyadh Season has shaken up the heavyweight division and it's been another stellar year for the big men. We've seen Fury and Usyk fight twice and also Dubois seize his opportunity and emerge as the up-and-coming force.

Both Joshua and Fury began 2024 with high hopes of ruling the division. However, two defeats to Usyk have left Fury contemplating retirement, while Joshua saw his promising comeback brutally snuffed out by Dubois.

At this point they've done everything in their careers apart from box each other. Should both continue to fight then perhaps 2025 is finally the year it happens. Neither really has anywhere else to go.

Canelo's star wanes

One fighter to remain outside of the Saudi orbit - for now at least - is Canelo. The Mexican superstar has had easily the least relevant year of his career since reaching the championship level.

There's been an air of indignance about his continued avoidance of difficult opponents in favour of easy paydays. This year those have come against Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga. David Benavidez and David Morrell, his main rivals at super middleweight, have long since realised he won't fight them and are now fighting each other at light heavyweight.

This year could see a return to the limelight for Alvarez, though, with Saudi boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh eager to make a superfight against Crawford. The bout would see Crawford move up through the weights to 168lbs and could headline another stateside Riyadh Season card.

Fighter of the Year - Artur Beterbiev

Because of the mild controversy surrounding the scoring of his victory over Bivol, calls for Beterbiev to be recognised with this honour have been a little muted. The fight was razor close, but Beterbiev stormed through the championship rounds to earn a split decision victory - the first time in his career he has needed help from the judges.

Whether you agree or not, it was the sort of fight that would justify all three possible outcomes. Beterbiev got the nod, and took Bivol's '0' to land all four light heavyweight belts and record the best single victory of any fighter in 2024.

When you consider Beterbiev, 39, began the year by thrashing Callum Smith and then had to recover from knee surgery before going straight into the toughest challenge of his career with Bivol, then he's most certainly a worthy pick as fighter of the year.

Fight of the Year - Ryan Garcia v Devin Haney

There were better technical fights, there were probably fights with more action - but none can match the sheer drama of this wild contest in Brooklyn, New York.

Garcia's well-documented mental health problems were on display throughout a madcap build-up where his behaviour was so erratic that there were widespread calls for the bout to be cancelled, and by the time fight night rolled around he was a massive underdog.

Haney certainly felt he was taking on damaged goods and exuded total confidence right up until the moment he ate a massive left hook about 30 seconds into the opening round.

At that point the crowd erupted as they sensed an upset was in the air, and the fight unfolded amid bedlam in the Barclays Center. Garcia floored Haney three times in a majority points win. Garcia's left hook was his equaliser as the previously unbeaten world champion Haney was put down in the seventh, 10th and 11th rounds. Scorecards of 112-112, 114-110 and 115-109 saw the decision go to Garcia.

The Californian did not win Haney's WBC light welterweight title, however, after missing weight for the contest. He also subsequently failed a doping test for the performance-enhancing drug Ostarine. Legal action has ensued but it would be a disaster if we never got part two of this rivalry.

KO of the Year - Fabio Wardley v Frazer Clarke, KO1

This rematch, on the undercard of the Beterbiev v Bivol Riyadh Season show, was expected to be another tense and lengthy affair.

The two men, after all, had beaten each other to a standstill across 12 rounds in their drawn first encounter.

An early blowout is always possible with heavyweights, however, and Wardley has that kind of explosive power that can change a fight very quickly. Here, he caught Clarke cold and then refused to let him off the hook with a ruthless finish.

Five fights for 2025

Beterbiev v Bivol 2: The first fight smouldered with technical skill and violence. Thankfully the rematch is already locked in.

Crawford v Ortiz Jr: It seems likely that we will get Crawford v Canelo, but matching the otherworldly skills of the Nebraskan with the freshness and aggression of Ortiz would make for a pleasing blend of styles.

Haney v Garcia 2: Controversy sells and this rematch has plenty of bad blood.

Fury v Joshua: It might lack a little glamour with no belts on the line but these two would still bring the sporting world to a standstill.

Inoue v Nakatani: Having signed up Inoue to Riyadh Season, it seems inevitable that a Saudi-backed card will land in Japan.