Boxing review of 2019: Brits on top as Joshua, Fury, Taylor and Saunders head for huge 2020
BRITISH boxing’s 2019 could easily have been spoiled by shock losses, doping scandals, dodgy scorecards and a biting attack.
But the magnificent skill and courage from our brave men and women in the ring means we enter 2020 full of hope.
Can reinstated heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua become undisputed king of the world?
What else can Scotland’s excellent unified 10st sensation Josh Taylor achieve?
And will Tyson Fury get the result he deserves in the Deontay Wilder rematch?
We boast a handful of pugilists at the very top of the hardest game of all — and a huge selection of prospects.
And, thanks to all these brilliant gladiators, amateur boxing gyms and tournaments are buzzing with children desperate to emulate their long list of diverse heroes.
There were several tragedies in 2019 — and those warriors will never be forgotten.
But the sport is at the peak of its health-and-safety initiative — and lost souls, reformed criminals and children are still turning their lives around in the ring.
Here is how the year unfolded and apologies to loads of the brilliant fighters, unsung heroes and journeymen who failed to make the cut — but are the cherished lifeblood of the sport.
FEB 23: Chris Eubank Jr ended the career of James DeGale, the first Team GB Olympic gold winner to go on and claim a world title, by unanimous decision.
MAR 30: David Price was expected to beat Kash Ali in a heavyweight tune-up — but not by disqualification when Ali decided to bite chunks out of the Liverpool giant in a real low point for the sport.
MAY 18: Billy Joe Saunders beat Shefat Isufi to become a two-weight world champion.
Yet 2019 joins 2018 as another forgettable year for the brilliant southpaw, whose talent is slowly but surely going to waste.
JUNE 1: In one of the most seismic shocks in boxing history, a squat 19st Mexican called Andy Ruiz Jr beat adonis Anthony Joshua inside seven brutal rounds that left the world doubting AJ’s entire career.
Could he ever bounce back from this?
On that undercard, Irish superstar Katie Taylor snatched Delfine Persoon’s WBC lightweight crown away on a cruel majority decision — to become the undisputed queen.
The fight was seminal for women’s boxing, a classic regardless of gender.
But plenty of people had the Belgian winning — and a rematch must happen to cement the Irish icon’s legacy.
JULY 1: Daniel Dubois crushed Nathan Gorman by fifth-round stoppage to stamp a much-needed sense of importance back on the British heavyweight title.
The Peacock-gym prodigy is a real throwback, winning four fights this year (and should make that five tomorrow night against Kyotaro Fujimoto) and, at just 22, he wants major titles in 2020.
JULY 20: Dillian Whyte beat Oscar Rivas by unanimous decision at the O2.
But it emerged he had been rushed through an emergency doping hearing on the morning of the fight — and his reputation was tarnished for six months until UKAD quashed the case.
AUG 24: Anthony Yarde, without a serious title or opponent on his record, dared to face Sergey Kovalev in his Russian backyard.
The UK thought their boy had done it in round eight — however the Hackney ace was stopped in the 11th, exhausted, but with his stock hugely inflated.
SEP 14: Tyson Fury beat Otto Wallin on his second Las Vegas trip by unanimous decision — but only after surviving two gory cuts around his right eye that needed 47 stitches.
OCT 26: Another fight-of-the-year contender unfolded in front of our spoilt eyes when Scotland’s Josh Taylor beat American star Regis Prograis by split decision in the World Boxing Super Series final for the WBA Super & IBF super-lightweight titles.
NOV 16: Another real barnstormer almost slipped under the radar when two Scottish bantamweight stars did the country proud. Lee McGregor beat Kash Farooq on a split decision for the British and Commonwealth bantamweight titles in a cracker.
NOV 23: Brave John Ryder gave away home advantage and 6in in height to take on the 6ft 3in super- middleweight WBA champ Callum Smith.
The underdog could not have done much to convince the judges — but Smith was handed very generous cards to retain his belts.
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DEC 7: AJ shed a stone, rolled up his sleeves, listened to expert trainer Rob McCracken and regained his belts by outpointing Ruiz Jr in the rain-lashed Saudi Arabia desert.
Casual fans and pay per view buyers might not have been bowled over by the cautious performance.
However, it was exactly what the Brit icon needed to do to regain his titles — and end the year on a huge high.