The FightPost 2023 End of Year Awards
The end-of-year awards are plenty. Every media outlet does them, some with a little more substance than others. There are glaring omissions. Embarrassing additions. Strange and bizarre categories, litter the Internet, and devalue plenty. But it would be rude if FightPost didn’t play along. Hopefully, we can add a touch of credibility to the overcrowded field.
We are prominently an outlet that promotes women’s boxing. Our awards will focus on that area, and we will stick to the British scene.
Fighter of the Year: Chantelle Cameron
Chantelle Cameron ended her year on a loss. The undefeated record was no more, and her undisputed super-lightweight world titles are now in the hands of Katie Taylor. But what came before should not be forgotten.
In May, Cameron went to Dublin last May, and in many ways, she was up against it. Taylor was on home soil. The narrative was very much around her. The emotional homecoming that many hoped would end in fairytale fashion. But Cameron was inspired and won a thoroughly deserved points decision over the previously unbeaten and undisputed world lightweight champion.
Taylor may have got her revenge in the rematch six months later, but the initial victory, and more specifically, the manner of that victory, can’t and shouldn’t be dismissed. Against all the odds, Cameron went to the lion’s den and broke a nation’s heart.
It was, by some distance, the best performance by a British female fighter. It was, by some distance, the most important victory by a British female fighter. In truth, it was extremely difficult to think of a more deserving winner. Chantelle Cameron is the FightPost Fighter of the Year for 2023.
Fight of the Year: Chantelle Cameron vs. Katie Taylor 1
Two fights stand out in 2023. Either fight would be a more than worthy winner. Make your choice, pick your poison. Two great fighters that history will be more than kind to.
Chantelle Cameron and Katie Taylor served up two all-time classics. There was blood, guts, and thunder. A patriotic vocal Irish faithful were treated to two nights and two incredible fights that will live long in the memory. They are now tied at one win each. A third fight should be natural. The fighters and their sport need that decider.
In regards to the fight of 2023, I preferred the first fight in May. A cleaner fight. A better fight. A more dominant performance by the winner. The original incarnation of Cameron vs. Taylor is the FightPost Fight of the Year for 2023.
Performance of the Year: Rhiannon Dixon
It would be incredibly easy to give Chantelle Cameron a third award. That performance in May very much on away soil would be more than worthy of any plaudit. But sometimes, there are times when you have to shine a light elsewhere.
In September, Rhiannon Dixon travelled to London to face the toughest test to date in her professional career in the former world title challenger Katharina Thanderz. With the vacant European lightweight bauble on offer, Dixon rose to the occasion and won virtually every second of their ten-round contest. A seriously impressive display and a real indication that Dixon can deliver on the highest stage in her sport in the next twelve months.
It was a night when the former White Collar fighter showed her promise and her class. Dixon said pre-fight it would be her coming out party. She was right. Dixon leaves 2023 unbeaten in nine fights and with the Commonwealth and European titles on her resume. Don’t rule out her leaving 2024 with a world title to her name.
For her impressive victory over Katharina Thanderz, Rhiannon Dixon wins the FightPost Performance of the Year for 2023.
Prospect of the Year: Tori-Ellis Willetts
The former Team GB star Tori-Ellis Willetts turned professional earlier this year. Willetts wanted to be fast-tracked from the get-go, and with three wins to her name already, 2024 could be a very big year indeed for the bantamweight prospect. You just know if a world title was offered right now, she would take it.
The former amateur standout could only be a few wins away from being in that world title mix. Willetts is unlikely to turn down such an offer if it comes. Willetts is incredibly ambitious and seemingly has the talent to match those lofty ambitions.
Tori-Ellis Willetts might have gone under the radar a little in her debut year, but things could be very different this time next year.
Comeback of the Year: Louise Orton
Louise Orton had just the one fight in 2023, and with the greatest respect to her opponent Bojana Libiszewska, it isn’t a victory that will linger long in the memory. A routine win that ended her twenty-month hiatus from a sport that nearly broke her. Arguably, it had.
But that win is much more important than it would appear on the surface. You have to judge where Orton was at the start of the year, and then look how she ended it. When you do, you’ll know why Louise Orton fully deserves the FightPost Comeback of the Year award.
I have told her story enough times in depth on this platform. We don’t need to go there again. But Orton started the year at rock bottom. The love for her craft had left her. She couldn’t even bear to watch it anymore. A sport that takes so much. For Orton, it had taken everything.
But Orton showed resilience beyond the call of any duty. Eventually, she found her fight. The unbeaten super-featherweight hopeful can now enter 2024 with renewed hope. In many ways, she is back.
Tip for the Top: Hannah Robinson
Hannah Robinson could have turned professional nearly two years ago. Everything was in place, but her decision to stay amateur a little while longer will serve her well.
The two-time National Champion has gained international experience and now looks set to make a major impression when that professional debut arrives early next year. Highly-touted by many in her sport and world champions like Natasha Jonas and others seek her out when they need top-class sparring. There is a reason why they do.
Jamie Moore will train Robinson on her professional journey and sharing a gym with Chantelle Cameron is almost a dream-like environment to learn her trade. Robinson will likely fight in the super-lightweight ranks and she is the FightPost tip for the top. A blue-chip prospect who is strongly tipped to reach the pinnacle of her sport.
Lifetime Achievement: Jane Couch
Jane Couch has given everything. More than any fighter should ever have to give. Couch will soon find her way into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Very few fighters deserve it more.
In a previous time of ignorance and more, Couch wanted to fight. The establishment wouldn’t let her. She took them on. She won. But even then, her fight had only just begun.
Her time in the sport was often a painful process. But equally, a rewarding one. Five world titles and an MBE followed. Couch is one of the most important fighters in women’s boxing history. Make no mistake, the revolution in her sport on these shores, started with her.
Jane Couch is the first recipient of the FightPost Lifetime Achievement award. But in all seriousness, how could it have been anyone else.
Photo Credit: Matchroom Boxing/Getty Images
FightPost: Boxing & MMA News 