"Has to be a joke" - Fans find ESPY’s Boxer of the Year as controversial as UFC Fighter of the Year, with Terence Crawford winning it
Terence Crawford was crowned the Boxer of the Year by ESPY at the 2024 edition of the awards, much to the frustration of fans. 'Bud' had a historic 2023 season, defeating Errol Spence Jr. via TKO to become the first male boxer to win undisputed world titles in two weight classes.
But after negotiations for a rematch fell through, 'Bud' confirmed he would be moving from welterweight to super welterweight in search of more glory.
However, having not competed since July 2023, fans were left scratching their heads at how he received the Fighter of the Year award.
Many pointed to Oleksandr Usyk, who became the first undisputed heavyweight world champion since 1999 after beating Tyson Fury in May, as a worthy recipient.
Other fans suggested that Naoya Inoue deserved the award, who replicated Crawford's feat of becoming a two-division undisputed world champion in December.
Inoue defeated Marlon Tapales to become the undisputed super bantamweight world champion. 'Monster' then defended his crown against Luis Nery in May, knocking out his opponent in Round 6 after a dominant display.
ESPN Ringside took to X to announce 'Bud' as the winner of the award, writing this:
"Terence Crawford is the 2024 ESPY winner for Best Boxer"
See the post below:
Fans made their unhappiness known, with one fan reacting with the following:
"This has to be a joke"
See other fan reactions below:
Terence Crawford wants more undisputed gold at 154 pounds
Terence Crawford conquered boxing's 147-pound landscape, proving himself to be the world's best welterweight against fellow champion Errol Spence Jr., his toughest opponent to date.
'Bud' handed Spence Jr. his first career defeat when the pair clashed in a historic matchup. After becoming an undisputed welterweight world champion, Crawford has decided to move to super welterweight, hoping to secure more gold and the glory that accompanies it.
The Nebraska native will make his 154-pound debut against the heavy-handed WBA champion Israil Madrimov. The pair will clash in August, and ahead of the bout, 'Bud' shared his plans at super welterweights, saying this:
"There's potentially two belts on the line. If [Sebastian] Fundora doesn't fight me after this, I'm the WBO and WBA champion. If he does fight me, then that's three belts on the line. There's only one more to capture [after that]. So potentially, two or three fights, that's undisputed."
Watch Terence Crawford's interview below (3:00):