2023 Boxing Recap: Lopsided “Superfights” and Underrated Upsets
Big Action on Big Boxing Lines You Never Heard Of!
What a year it was for boxing. “Superfights” became a trend as we saw them take place every season. Unfortunately, most did not live up to the hype. They all had lopsided outcomes. Still, we saw the likes of Errol Spence Jr. and Naoya Inoue reach new heights as boxing superstars. But from a betting perspective, the real stars are likely the ones you never heard of. We uncover these in our 2023 boxing recap.
Boxing’s Biggest Results of 2023
The Biggest Winners: All Undisputed
Who delivered in spades in 2023? Depending on who you ask, it will either be Crawford or Inoue. Or maybe even Devin Haney. Either way, these undisputed champions became the biggest winners of the year.
Spence became an undisputed champion in a second weight class, welterweight, by finishing Spence. Despite being only at -150, Crawford beat the living hell out of his rival and looked more like a -1000 favorite. It was an entertaining albeit one-sided superfight.
Just a few days before Crawford’s crowning performance, Inoue moved up to super bantamweight and thrashed Stephen Fulton to capture the unified titles. Boxing lines opened the Japanese superstar at -250. But it was a one-sided showing and he is now a whopping -1400 favorite to beat Marlon Tapales and join Spence as a two-division undisputed champion.
Haney, on the other hand, became a two-division champion by whooping Regis Prograis to capture the WBC super lightweight title. This came just a few months after he defeated Vasiliy Lomachenko to defend his lightweight belts. The Lomachenko bout was close. But Haney’s line at -450 looked like a bargain with how easily he beat Prograis.
Katie Taylor achieved a similar feat by upsetting Chantelle Cameron at super lightweight. In doing so, she cashed as a +165 underdog and avenged her only defeat. Cameron turned her back earlier in the year at +225. While nowhere near the largest upsets in this 2023 boxing recap, their back-and-forth superfight is likely to lead to a trilogy fight in 2024. And the early odds are tighter than ever with Taylor favored at around -130.
Ngannou-Fury Headlines the Other “Superfights”
Speaking of superfights and upsets, Francis Ngannou almost did the unthinkable: beating Tyson Fury. The former UFC champion was as long as a +950 underdog when the match started. But not only did he drop Fury but he also came within one scorecard of pulling off what would have been the most shocking upset possibly since Buster Douglas finished Mike Tyson.
While he lost the match, Ngannou’s stock increased and some sanctioning bodies even ranked him in the top 10 following that showing. Fans can now expect Ngannou to continue to compete in high-profile boxing matches starting in 2024.
As for Fury, he will now take on Oleksandr Usyk to determine the undisputed heavyweight champion in February. Despite his close call, Fury is favored on the betting lines at around -250. It should mark the first of many more big fights for the boxing fight schedule in 2024.
While Fury-Ngannou was a thrilling bout, we can’t say the same for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Jermell Charlo’s superfight from September. We saw two undisputed champions fight each other. And while Alvarez opened as a -225 favorite, he easily defeated Charlo. The underdog could not back up his trash talk as he failed to do anything over 12 rounds. It was a snoozer.
Also earlier in the year, Gervonta “Tank” Davis made short work of Ryan Garcia. The highly-anticipated bout also did not draw much action as both boxers seemed tentative. But Davis needed just a few good body shots to put away Garcia as a -280 favorite.
The Biggest Boxing Upsets of 2023
We mentioned the biggest upsets in this 2023 boxing recap. So do the names Jose Felix, or Ezequiel Maderna ring a bell? The trio won as massive underdogs. Maderna finished Karol Itauma as a 16-1 dog while Felix won at 14-1.
Maderna was a journeyman going against the then-unbeaten English prospect. The Argentinian had lost four of his last five bouts heading to the fight. But he caught Itauma with a right hand and shocked the world.
Felix, on the other hand, fought the upstart Gary Cully in his backyard. Despite Cully’s streak of five straight knockouts, it was Felix who did the finishing. He knocked Cully down twice before his corner threw in the towel.
Last but not least, let’s show some love to more women: Miyo Yoshida and Franchon Crews-Dezurn. Yoshida took out Ebanie Bridges to capture the IBF bantamweight title despite coming in on a week’s notice and being a +500 underdog. Crews-Dezurn also outpointed Shadasia Green to recapture her WBC super middleweight title despite being a +450 underdog.
These upsets are just the tip of the iceberg. They’re also why the best boxing tips rarely tout wide favorites. You just never know.
