This year, female boxing was really huge. Despite the fact that not everyone enjoys this sport, female boxing has become increasingly popular—something that didn't seem conceivable when the sport was still trying to get legitimacy, let alone hope to draw sizable crowds at live events and PPVs.
We saw lots of different stars such as Alycia Baumgardner, Amanda Serrano, Mikaela Mayer, Savannah Marshall, and other excellent female fighters pull in huge crowds and a lot of fan attention while putting on some great action fights. But the choice for the best one should be between Katie Taylor (22-0, 6KOs), Claressa Shields (13-0, 2KOs).
Taylor, a true celebrity and the current undisputed lightweight champion, competed this year twice. The most interesting fight was in April 2022, when the unbeaten 36-year-old Irishwoman took on Amanda Serrano in what some deemed to be The Fight of the Year, regardless of gender. Taylor had to battle hard to earn the close decision victory that left us all wanting more, but the bout lived up to the huge anticipation.
The self-declared "Greatest Woman of All Time," Claressa Shields, competed in two bouts this year, one of which, like Taylor's, was a major occasion. Shields defeated Ema Kozin in February in Cardiff, Wales, winning the ten-round UD. However, this fight served only as a warm-up for a crucial contest against the undefeated Savannah Marshall, which would serve as a middleweight unification battle. The 27-year-old Shields backed up all of her trash-talking, and her scorching abilities dazzled Marshall and the crowd, earning her the unanimous decision victory that she so richly deserved.
It is also worth telling a few words about a rising Australian star, Skye Nicolson. The 27-year-old overcame Krystina Jacobs by unanimous decision to win the Commonwealth featherweight championship while competing for the first time in her native nation. Nicolson is aiming for world title victories now that she has achieved regional success. The unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano is the Australian's only goal as a result. Nicolson declared after her most recent victory: "I want the world title fights, I want the belts next year".
Image Credit: Sky Sports