2024 In Review

For ourseleves here at Queensberry, along with the sport of boxing as a whole, the year of 2024 was the gift that kept on giving.

Towards the end of 2023 I frequently used the term ‘game changer’ to describe what was upon us - and got a fair bit of ridicule for it - but even I didn’t quite comprehend the scale of what was about to become our reality.

Boxing didn’t so much receive a reboot, more a turbo-rocket placed under its bonnet.

It hasn’t all happened by accident because there has been a lot of hard work and very long hours put in by everybody concerned, but we couldn’t have dreamed of the cards that have been delivered without the vision of H.E. Turki Alalshikh and the sporting and cultural movement that is Riyadh Season.

If you think back to boxing in 2024, your mind will quickly focus on the Middle East and the magnificent city of Riyadh, which is now the epicentre of our sport.

Riyadh Season events have seen three Queensberry fighters become world champions over the course of the year, brought about two mighty undisputed world championship showdowns and twice put the best two heavies in the world in opposite corners to each other.

We had an unprecedented 5 vs 5 collision between Queensberry and Matchroom that was a resounding success for everybody, no matter what the final score. It captured the imagination as a concept and you will be seeing more of the same in 2025, without a doubt.

Riyadh Season also hit the road with incredible nights in LA and at Wembley, where records were once again shattered by an event featuring all-British fights.

Remarkably, what we have seen so far is just for starters and you only need to look at the evidence of the February 22 card to see where we are heading.

At Queensberry we also have the advent of our new broadcast partnership with DAZN to look forward to from April 1 when we will be sharing a platform with Matchroom and others.

In political-speak, I have thoroughly enjoyed working cross-party in conjunction with the Leader of the Opposition in Eddie. The collaboration can only go from strength to strength with us both on DAZN.

I probably cannot provide comment on every high point of 2024 without writing a book, so I will be selective and apologies to anything I overlook.

Simply getting the heavyweight champions together in the ring was an obvious highlight and although the outcomes of the original and the sequel were disappointing and not something I concur with, I do give full respect to Oleksandr Usyk as a very fine champion who is worthy of his entry into the history books.

Don’t write off Tyson from creating a couple more chapters of his own, if that is what he wants to do.

Wembley in September was special for many reasons. Daniel Dubois’ employing ultimate force to consign Anthony Joshua to the canvas was a huge moment in his career and the fact that he also took the unbeaten records of  Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic heading into the fight deserves enormous credit.

The star of Hamzah Sheeraz also shone at Wembley with his destruction of Tyler Denny following on from his statement victories over Liam Williams in our opening show of the year and Ammo Williams on the 5v5. Hamzah now gets to fight for the WBC world middleweight title against Carlos Adames on February 22.

Anthony Cacace is another very much worthy of an honourable mention, with him parting Joe Cordina from his IBF super featherweight world title and then taking on and beating Josh Warrington at Wembley.

Nick Ball is now the main man of the featherweight division and he put himself through 34 tough, tough rounds of world championship action across the year against Rey Vargas, Ray Ford and Ronny Rios.

I didn’t mince my words about him being robbed against Vargas and he then showed amazing resolve to edge out the champion Ford less than three months later.

You never have it all your own way and there were inevitably disappointments that occasionally punctuated the year. Liam Davies losing his IBO super bantam belt to Shabaz Masoud was unexpected, much the same as Mark Chamberlain taking his eye off the prize at Wembley against Josh Padley. Both were as good as booked in for world title fights. Like Willy Hutchinson and Raven Chapman, they will come again.

The introduction of Lawrence Okolie at heavyweight, along with the return of David Adeleye and the continued rise of our demolition man Fabio Wardley bodes well for 2025. It is a year when I expect major steps to be taken by Denzel Bentley, Sam Noakes, Andrew Cain, Pierce O’Leary, Ryan Garner and Chantelle Cameron. Hopefully many others too. 

I, for one, won’t forget 2024 in a hurry.