Tim Tszyu, Devin Haney and Anthony Joshua lead the way among those who won’t be sorry to see the end of 2024

It hasn’t been sweetness and light for everyone in the last 12 months. The BoxingScene writers name some of those within boxing who will be glad to see the back of 2024.

Who most needs 2024 to end?

Kieran Mulvaney: Boots Ennis and Vergil Ortiz. Just a couple of years ago, both men appeared to have the world at their feet. But Ennis simply hasn’t fought enough, had to take on an entirely unnecessary rematch, and was dragged for allegedly turning down an opportunity to face Ortiz, who has done extremely well to rebound from illness concerns but escaped with an arguable gift against Serhii Bohachuk. Both men will be looking to have a more positive 2025.

Lucas Ketelle: Devin Haney. His loss to Garcia is now a no-contest, but he never returned to action in 2024. Haney went from a pound-for-pound fighter to one people now have major questions about. 2025 gives Haney, at the very least, a chance to refresh.

Owen Lewis: Tim Tszyu. The hardcore boxing fan’s favorite fighter at the end of 2023, Tszyu spent 2024 getting his skull split open by an errant Sebastian Fundora elbow and running headlong into the worst of Bakhram Murtazaliev’s offense in a truly concussive stoppage loss. I’d understand if Tszyu lost his zeal for the sport entirely after a year like this. I hope he rests and heals up and enjoys a significantly less chaotic 2025.

Matt Christie: Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. The year of Oleksandr Usyk will surely remind both of what they missed out on by failing to fight each other while at their peaks.

Declan Warrington: Tim Tszyu, who may never quite recover. I remain confident he’d have beaten Keith Thurman, who he was scheduled to fight in April until injury ruled Thurman out. I also believe he’d have beaten Sebastian Fundora, his late-notice replacement, if he hadn’t been cut as he had, or if he’d prepared to fight such a different nature of opponent all along. The fallout from that night contributed to him losing to Bakhram Murtazaliev, even more damagingly, in October. Tszyu was on course for a fine career. He instead finds himself needing to rebuild in perhaps the most dangerous division of all.

Jason Langendorf: Oscar De La Hoya. The lone boxing superstar who remains on Golden Boy’s roster is Ryan Garcia, a fighter currently waiting out a ban from the sport for failing a drug test who has openly clashed with company head De La Hoya. Also gone (and also still feuding with DLH) is Canelo. Jaime Munguia, for better or worse, is out, too. Worse, Golden Boy has struggled to fill venues and market the best fighters it has left. Can anyone explain why the promotion isn’t working night and day to make Gabriela Fundora an icon? Well, at least De La Hoya can shamelessly plug the women’s undisputed flyweight champion in his proprietary magazine… Ah, yes. That’s gone, too.

Lance Pugmire: Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Left to take a mismatch rematch, Ennis looked worse and defensively vulnerable in defeating Karen Chukhadzhian in November, and then after saying he’d feel more comfortable at 154 pounds, he scurried away from Vergil Ortiz while also veering from a defense against two-division champion Teofimo Lopez. Inexcusable.

Tris Dixon: Some great answers above, but I’ll go for Ben Whittaker. The Liam Cameron debacle was a real stain on a career that seemed ready for lift-off but now needs a fresh starting point.

Eric Raskin: I’ll join the others who’ve said Tim Tszyu. Nothing went his way this year. He badly needs a long break and a fresh start.

Elliot Worsell: Tim Tszyu. Everything that could have gone wrong for him, did go wrong. But that doesn’t mean he can’t come back stronger.