BOXING

How Oleksandr Usyk earns BWAA Fighter of the Year, other winners announced

Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

The Boxing Writers Association of America on Monday released the results of its annual awards naming the best fighter, fight, trainer and manager of 2024, as well as several supporting honors.

Lineal, unified and de facto undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, who defeated Tyson Fury twice in 2024, was named the BWAA Sugar Ray Robinson Fighter of the Year.

Usyk was also involved in what may be the BWAA’s other most prestigious award, the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier Fight of the Year, which went to his first meeting with Fury. Usyk battled and defeated Fury over 12 rounds on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Who is Oleksandr Usyk, the 'strange one' who has defended his boxing world  titles against Britain's Anthony Joshua | World News | Sky News

The Eddie Futch Trainer of the Year award went to Robert Garcia, who runs his eponymous boxing academy in Oxnard, California. In 2024, Garcia guided emerging pound-for-pound junior bantamweight star Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez and new junior middleweight interim titleholder Vergil Ortiz Jnr, among others, while helping construct the perfect game plan for Jose Valenzuela to upset Isaac Cruz in August.

Egis Klimas was named the BWAA’s Cus D’Amato Manager of the Year. Klimas manages Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko, who bounced back from a 2023 defeat to Devin Haney with a win over George Kambosos Jnr to win a lightweight title last May in Kambosos’ native Australia.

Oleksandr Usyk wins WBO and WBC belts after win over Mairis Briedis - BBC  Sport

Additional BWAA 2024 awards winners include Bruce Silverglade (Good Guy); Marv Albert (Broadcast); Brad Goodman (Meritorious Service); Prichard Colon (Courage in Overcoming Adversity).

Full list of BWAA awards winners and nominees are as follows:

Sugar Ray Robinson Fighter of the Year: Oleksandr Usyk

Artur Beterbiev

Daniel Dubois

Zurdo Ramirez

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez

Oleksandr Usyk

Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier Fight of the Year: Oleksandr Usyk W 12 Tyson Fury I

Raymond Ford KO 12 Otabek Kholmatov

Derek Chisora W 10 Joe Joyce

Vergil Ortiz Jnr W 12 Serhii Bohachuk

Kenshiro Teraji W 12 Carlos Canizales

Oleksandr Usyk W 12 Tyson Fury I

Eddie Futch Trainer of the Year: Robert Garcia

Don Charles

Freddy Fundora

Robert Garcia

Rudy Hernandez

Yuri Tkachenko

Cus D’Amato Manager of the Year: Egis Klimas

Keith Connolly

Egis Klimas

Vadim Kornilov

Brian Peters

Marvin Kohn Good Guy: Bruce Silverglade

Russ Anber

Sam Jackson/Andrew Roberts

Steve Pratt

Bruce Silverglade

Don Turner

Sam Taub Broadcast: Marv Albert

Marv Albert

Jim Gray

Dave Harmon

Mauro Ranallo

James “Smitty” Smith

Barney Nagler Long and Meritorious Service: Brad Goodman

Brad Goodman

Randy Gordon

Henry Hascup

Don Majeski

John Sheppard

John McCain & Bill Crawford Courage in Overcoming Adversity: Prichard Colon and family

Prichard Colon and family

Billy Dib

Vanes Martirosyan

Christy Martin

Write A Comment

Verified by MonsterInsights