The tight race for the 2023 Fighter of the Year wasn’t the first timeNaoya InoueandTerence Crawfordwere considered top contenders for the prestigious boxing award.

Both were in the running nine years ago. In 2014, Crawford dominated Scottish standout Ricky Burns in Glasgow to earn his first world title (the WBO lightweight strap), defended it with a thrilling ninth-round stoppage of undefeated Cuban dynamo Yuriorkis Gamboa, and then earned the vacant Ring Magazine championship with a near-shutout decision over veteran Raymundo Beltran.

By the end of the same year, Inoue had become a two-division world titleholder at age 21. The Japanese phenom, who had won the WBC 108-pound belt with a sixth-round stoppage of Adrian Hernandez in his sixth pro bout, leapfrogged the flyweight division after one title defense and then annexed the WBO 115-pound strap with a two-round blowout of The Ring’s No. 1-rated Omar Narvaez. Inoue blasted the Argentine veteran (who had never been stopped in 46 previous outings) in his eighth pro bout, just 26 months into his pro career.

As impressive as Crawford and Inoue were in 2014, both were passed over for The Ring’s Fighter-of-the-Year award, which went toSergey Kovalev. The Russian light heavyweight punisher stopped two unbeaten challengers (Cedric Agnew and Blake Caparello) before scoring a shutout decision over living legend Bernard Hopkins to unify three world titles.

Other candidates includedManny Pacquaio, who avenged his controversial loss to Tim Bradley and dominated undefeated Chris Algieri; the streaking dynamic duo ofGennadiy GolovkinandRoman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez; as well asAmnat Ruenroeng– an unheralded Thai flyweight who shocked the boxing world by going 3-0 against the more-established and respected trio of Rocky Fuentes, Kazuto Ioka and McWilliams Arroyo.

For the record, my pick for 2014 Fighter of the Year was Crawford, who took home the Boxing Writers Association of America’s version of the honor (the Sugar Ray Robinson Award). However, it should be noted that the Ring Editorial Board’s vote for the 2014 Fighter of the Year award took place before Inoue challenged Narvaez on December 30.

In my first mailbag column (remember those?) of 2015, I revised my Fighter-of-the-Year choice and went with Inoue.

Yes, I know that’s wishy-washy and boxing pundits are not supposed to flip-flop, but the truth is that I couldn’t have gone wrong with either choice.

That was then. Nine years later, I believe the choice for Fighter of the Year is clear. Inoue deserves the honor.

He wasn’t just awesome during his two appearances in 2023, his big fights happened when they should have happened. No stalling, no “marination,” no politics. The former king of the bantamweights challenged the two best junior featherweights – both unified titleholders – in his first two bouts at the new weight class and he skillfully broke them down to late stoppages. Inoue ended 2022 as an undisputed champion and ended 2023 as an undisputed champion in another weight class. How often does that happen?

(Photo by Naoki Fukuda)

Crawford was celebrated for his one bout in 2023, and it was well-deserved. He didn’t just win the highest-profile, most significant single boxing match of the year, he dominated almost every second of the bout en route to a brutal ninth-round stoppage and the undisputed welterweight championship.

Crawford’s supporters among fandom and the media point out that the three-division champ beat the highest-rated fighter of any elite-level boxer during 2023, and that’s absolutely true.Errol Spencewas The Ring’s No. 1-rated welterweight and No. 4 in the pound-for-pound rankings (behind Oleksandr Usyk, Inoue and Crawford) going into the big July 29 showdown.

That’s why Crawford jumped to No. 1 in The Ring’s pound-for-pound rankings after he beat Spence, and the Nebraska native remains in that coveted position despite Inoue’s amazing showings againstStephen FultonandMarlon Tapales.

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

But that one incredible night in Las Vegas doesn’t mean Crawford had the best year. Top fighters other than Inoue had a banner 2023 with two fights, includingDevin Haney, who defended the undisputed lightweight championship with a controversial decision over Vasiliy Lomachenko and then shut out dangerous junior welterweight titleholder Regis Prograis, andDavid Benavidez, who outpointed fellow super middleweight standout Caleb Plant and then bludgeoned undefeated Demetrius Andrade to a sixth-round retirement.

What Crawford did to Spence was thePerformance of the Year, even though, ideally, their showdown should have happened before the Pandemic (and both sides had a part in the fight’s delay).

Crawford’s beatdown of his welterweight rival narrowly (in my opinion) beat outInoue’s domination of Fulton, which was just slightly more impressive thanHaney’s 12-round masterclass against Prograis, which was just a little more noteworthy thanJesse Rodriguez’sskillful nine-round stoppageof fellow unbeaten flyweight titleholder Sunny Edwards.

Devin Haney dominated Regis Prograis during their WBC 140-pound title bout at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

I bring up young guns like the 25-year-old Haney, 27-year-old Benavidez and 23-year-old Rodriguez because they are the 36-year-old Crawford’s competition for 2024 Fighter of the Year, along with, of course, the 30-year-old Inoue.

Crawford’s peers have high-profile dance partners in play this year.

Benavidez has the inside track (thanks to his PBC and WBC affiliations) to undisputed 168-pound champCanelo Alvarez, still pound-for-pound-rated and still boxing’s biggest attraction. There’s also the highly rated and very riskyDavid Morrell Jr.lurking about in the PBC league.

Haney is aiming for his amateur rivalRyan Garcia, as well asGervonta "Tank" Davis, the two most popular Gen-Z boxers in the sport.

Rodriguez has targetedJuan Francisco Estrada, The Ring’s 115-pound champ and a future hall of famer.

Inoue’s challengers aren’t quite as significant, but they will be solid, and the superstar has announced that he will fight three times in 2024, starting with a mandatory defense againstLuis Nery, winner of the2023 Fight of the Year, in May (possibly at the Tokyo Dome). Former unified titleholderMurodjon Akhmadaliev, The Ring’s No. 3-rated junior featherweight, and wayward Filipino veteranJohn Riel Casimerowere named by Inoue’s co-promoter Hideyuki Ohashi as possible opponents in September and December. All three bouts are solid matchups, all three will be major events, one might land in the U.S. (if we’re lucky) or Saudi Arabia.

If Crawford hopes to outshine this quartet in 2024, it’s going to take more than ONE fight, especially if that one outing is his contractually obligated rematch with Spence.

Beating up the remains of the possibly shopworn Texan, who revealed that he recently underwent cataract surgery on his right eye in a since-deleted Instagram post on January 9, will net Crawford another fat payday but won’t do much for his legacy.

2024 can be another big year for Crawford, but he has to want it. (Photo by Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions)

If Spence’s surgery pushes their rematch back past April, Crawford, who’s been on a once-a-year schedule since 2020, should find a way out of that legal commitment. If Spence is good to go by spring, Crawford needs to smash him and immediately move on to the biggest, most significant matchup that is available, and he can’t allow boxing politics or egos to get in the way.

If Crawford can cut in front of Benavidez for a shot at Canelo, a dream match that both P4P players have talked about, he needs to go for it. If a jump to super middleweight is too far (or if the Mexican icon decides against it), The Ring’s No. 1-rated junior middleweight,Tim Tszyu, seems willing to take on all comers.

Crawford could also take a page from the book of Marvin Hagler, who he so closely resembles in boxing style, ability and mentality, and defend his undisputed championship against the best fighters of the weight class below him. Ring/WBO junior welterweight champTeofimo Lopezsaid he wants to fight Crawford during a recent interview with Boxing Social’s Michelle Joy Phelps, which triggered some nasty social-media retorts from Bud.

Should the enigmatic 140-pounder get past his scheduled February 8 title defense against Jamaine Ortiz, Crawford should welcome the 26-year-old’s challenge.

If Crawford’s 2024 ends with only a repeat victory over Spence, he can’t complain about being passed over again for Fighter of the Year.

[stars]