The Fight of the Year of the Week of the Year for 2024
Bad Left Hook bestows its annual honor on 2024’s Best Fight of the Year of the Week
As we watch another annum fall to the quadrennial 366-count, let us all greet the new boxing year with optimism by celebrating 2024’s Fight of the Year of the Week of the Year.
If you’re a Bad Left Hook regular, you’re likely familiar with the concept of a Fight of the Year of the Week, and have eagerly awaited the newest edition of what we gave you in 2022 and 2023. But, if you’re a relative newcomer to the site or the sport? Here’s a quick explanation of what this is all about.
A Fight of the Year of the Week is one that delivers fun and excitement, minus one or two of the usual elements found in an actual Fight of the Year contender. It raises the volume and the blood pressure of the announcing team, quickens the pulse of the viewer, but lacks a little something that would actually put it in consideration for the Fight of the Year.
If nobody got up from a knockdown? If the action was hot but the swings in momentum were limited? If the distance was a little too short for the drama to fully blossom? If two dozen people were in the building because it happened on the deep prelims for a mediocre main event? That’s a Fight of the Year of the Week. All the in-the-moment heat of a Fight of the Year, but without all the final ingredients to qualify for the ultimate honor.
And, despite what the name implies, there could be multiple FotYotWs in one week, or none at all for months at a time. It’s an assignation of love for the men and women who shine bright under a small spotlight. The fights that give that rare magic, the special transcendence that rewards a proper degenerate boxing fanatic for their time and attention to more than just social media hucksters beating up the elderly, or the 2-3 other major boxing showcases we get each year.
As each year concludes, we VERY SCIENTIFICALLY filter, sort, and rank the greatest of the FotYotW offerings through my memory and personal taste, and award one with the great honor of Fight of the Year of the Week... of the Year.
Main events from major promoters are not eligible. Neither are undercard fights for top level belts. Either can be a Fight of the Year of the Week, but neither can win Fight of the Year of the Week of the Year.
Who earns the honor this year? Read on to find out!
HONORABLE MENTION: Vladimir Hernandez vs Raul Garcia
Main Event: Lester Martinez vs Joeshon James, September 11th
Where can I (legally) watch it right now?: The embedded video above, or directly through the ProBox YouTube page here.
Admittedly, this is a bit of a cheat — Originally scheduled as an undercard fight in support of Lester Martinez vs Joeshon James, this one got a surprise promotion to main event on fight day when Martinez withdrew unexpectedly. Hernandez and Garcia delivered big in relief, giving us a thumping war of attrition that saw both men rise back up from violent knockdowns.
Be warned: The often questionable refereeing of Michael DeJesus may be the only reason this fight lasted long enough to earn FotYotWotY consideration rather than finishing up explosively in the 3rd round. But, if there’s a silver lining to be found for everyone but the fighter denied a reasonable attempt at a knockout, we did get seven more rounds and multiple knockdowns to enjoy.
HONORABLE HONORABLE MENTION: ProBox gave us another great one with their May 8th main event between Robbie Davies Jr and Sergey Lipinets. Not really appropriate to consider here given that it led the show, but definitely worth your time to watch Davies get his nose pulped so badly that it turned his white trunks pink.
2nd RUNNER UP: Lewis Crocker vs Conah Walker
Main Event: Tyler Denny vs Felix Cash, June 22nd
Where can I (legally) watch it right now?: DAZN (fight starts at about 2:39:30).
Arguably the best boxing match among this spotlight collection of fights, but that’s not to say that Crocker and Walker didn’t offer plenty of fireworks of their own. Strong stuff throughout, with the absolute best coming in the final three rounds.
Walker gave us a war against Cyrus Pattinson in August of 2023, and another in this one against Crocker just 10 months later. He’s booked to fight Harry Scarff in support on a Matchroom show on January 25th... Might be worth making a note on your calendar for it.
RUNNER UP: David Stevens vs Sergio Lopez
Main Event: Oscar Collazo vs Gerardo Zapata, June 7th
Where can I (legally) watch it right now?: The embedded video from Golden Boy’s YouTube page above, or through DAZN (fight starts at about the 47:00 mark).
Just before the bell rang, play-by-play man Beto Duran said: “I don’t know what we’re gonna get in this one.” Less than 30 seconds later, one man was disconnected from his senses, and one of the wildest one round fights of recent memory was already bringing thrills. You only get 2:15 of action here, so I’m reluctant to spoil any of it. Just watch.
The commentary team of Beto Duran and Gabriel Rosado called last year’s FotYotWotY, and they delivered big once again on the horribly overmodulated and poorly mixed DAZN microphones for this year’s runner up. Their work together doesn’t really need any additional salesmanship to earn your attention, but keep that track record in mind whenever they partner up in 2025 anyway.
THE 2024 FIGHT OF THE YEAR OF THE WEEK OF THE YEAR: Stephen McKenna vs Joe Laws
Main Event: Zak Chelli vs Callum Simpson, August 3rd
Where can I (legally) watch it right now?: The embedded video above, or via Peacock here in the USA. Peacock’s interface for finding old boxing shows is a hellish nightmare, though, so good luck with that!
We joke a lot about UK commentary’s frequent use of the adjective “spiteful,” but spite was oozing from the screen before Joe Laws took a single step of his ringwalk. Laws tore off a sombrero and luchador mask, then spent a full minute hyping or taunting the crowd (maybe both simultaneously?) to the backing of what sounded like Maroon 5’s “Me and My Broken Heart” as performed by a child’s programmable Casio keyboard, mixed with air raid sirens and Mauro Ranallo’s favorite Gladiator quote, before making a single step of progress towards the ring. Then, he broke out into a sprint to the backing of “Take Me Home Country Roads” in the vocal style of some generic UK soundalike of The Chipmunks.
In contrast, McKenna spent his entire ringwalk staring a hole through Laws while slow-walking his way in to a Johnny Cash song. When referee Victor Laughlin called for the men to touch gloves, they ignored him, then they ignored him again when he demanded “You touch them NOW!” And when a fed-up Laughlin finally yanked their gloves together, the men had to be pulled back apart by their attendants.
The fuse for this one was short, lit, and fast burning. Laws literally sprinted out at the bell to start winging haymaker hooks at McKenna, and it only took 18 seconds for the first man to hit the canvas for the first time. Every single punch of this fight was thrown with murderous intent, and it’s borderline miraculous either man had the energy to throw punches or the chin to stay vertical all the way to the 3rd and final round.
I have no idea what happened to make these men hate each other enough that they could put on this sort of fight... It has to be something that might, in another time and place, have led to the kind of generational feud that found their great-grandchildren at odds with each other 80 years later. Just do yourself a favor and watch it as soon as you have 20 minutes to spare.
And, be sure to check out the comments section below, where the best, sharpest, handsomest, and all around most delightful readership in the boxing world will no doubt very gently and politely share any other write-in nominees they may feel were overlooked here.