Japanese boxing star Naoya Inoue has been named ESPN's Fighter of the Year after a 'Monster year' that included a TKO victory over Stephen Fulton and another win inside the distance, making him the undisputed champion at 122 pounds. Devin Haney, who had an impressive year with a 'thrilling win over Loma' to remain undisputed and a shutout victory over Prograis to become a two-division champion, was named the runner-up for the second year in a row. In MMA, Edson Barboza's victory over Sodiq Yusuff after nearly being knocked out in the first round earned him the 2023 Comeback of the Year award from @mma_orbit, solidifying his reputation as @EdsonBarbozaJR. Boxing also saw Jaime Munguia and Sergiy Derevyanchenko put on ESPN's 2023 Fight of the Year, with the runner-up being the bout between 'Luis Nery-Azat Hovhannisyan.' Oscar De La Hoya and Eric Gomez of '#GBP' (Golden Boy Promotions) were recognized for their work in promoting both of these acclaimed fights, which DAZN described as an 'INSTANT classic'.
DAZN’s 2023 Fight of the Year 🥊 @jaimemunguia15 vs. @SDerevyanchenko was an INSTANT classic https://t.co/sSwGCMEChN
#ESPN' @MikeCoppinger recognizing the great job @OscarDeLaHoya & @MakeAWar Eric Gomez have done, awarding #GBP with the Fight of the Year award, & the runner up fight too! It's called winning, without #RobertoDiaz! That's right! #Boxing https://t.co/vIh5xsfH6E
Congrats to Jaime Munguia and Sergiy Derevyanchenko on winning ESPN’s 2023 Fight of the Year. The runner-up was another fight promoted by @OscarDeLaHoya, Luis Nery-Azat Hovhannisyan. https://t.co/tPAKi45rEA https://t.co/f6kCPyM1J6
He was almost out in the first, but fought back to win the decision. 😮💨 Edson Barboza’s comeback over Sodiq Yusuff earns himself the 2023 @mma_orbit Comeback of the Year! 🏆 Congratulations, @EdsonBarbozaJR. 👏 https://t.co/Od8ZxCqLF5
Congrats to Devin Haney, who is ESPN’s Fighter of the Year runner-up for the second consecutive year. He’s building an incredible resume, and his ‘23 was even better with a thrilling win over Loma to remain undisputed and then a shutout over Prograis to become two-division champ.
Congrats to @naoyainoue_410 on a Monster year! Between his total dominance over Stephen Fulton via TKO and another win inside the distance to become undisputed at 122, the Japanese star is ESPN’s Fighter of the Year: https://t.co/tPAKi45Zu8 https://t.co/bRECRr3cwg