EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe first half of the year has delivered plenty of memorable moments, from dramatic fights and incredible knockouts to unforgettable finishes and breakout performances by some of boxing's brightest young stars.Boxing could already have a leading candidate for fight of the year, while one of the biggest upsets unfolded on the same card in May. Several contenders have also emerged for KO of the year, and one prospect took a major step toward becoming a contender. Another prospect scored a victory that earned him a title shot later this year.With all that happened, and with six months in the books, it's time to look back at the moments that have defined the year so far. Andreas Hale and Nick Parkinson make their picks for best men's and women's fights, knockouts, upsets, performances and biggest boxing card from the first half of 2026.Best men's fightDaniel Dubois TKO11 over Fabio WardleyWhat appeared to be a steamroll job by Wardley, when he knocked Dubois down just 10 seconds into the fight, turned into an absolute thriller between two big heavyweights back in May in Manchester, England. Wardley had a flair for the dramatic in previous outings. Against Justin Huni in June 2025, Wardley was down on the scorecards 83-88, 82-89 and 82-89 before stopping Huni in Round 10. In October 2025 against Joseph Parker, Wardley was again down on the scorecards, this time by 92-98, 94-96 and 95-95, before pulling off another dramatic stoppage win, this one in Round 11. He would have no such luck against Dubois, who borrowed a little bit of that magic and turned the tables on Wardley.Dubois might have been seeing ghosts after touching the canvas twice in the first three rounds, but he showed immense maturity, steadied himself behind a jab and methodically pounded his way back into the fight before earning a stunning stoppage in Round 11. The victory crowned Dubois as the WBO champion. And guess what? They get to do it again later this year. -- Hale and ParkinsonBest women's fightLani Daniels TKO9 over Shadasia GreenTwo talented, strong women met in New York in April with different missions. Green's was to prove that she deserved a fight with ESPN's No. 1 pound-for-pound, Claressa Shields, and Daniels wanted to show that she was still a threat after moving down two weight classes. Both put on an exciting super middleweight battle for the fans. But it was Daniels who just had more gas in the tank against the hard-hitting Green and slugged her way to a monster upset, stopping her physically spent opponent in Round 9 to win the WBO and IBF super middleweight titles. It was close for the first five rounds as Daniels was determined to be the aggressor, but Green refused to back down and landed heavy punches in response. Eventually, Daniels' pace was too much for Green, who faded terribly in Round 8 and was stopped in Round 9. The ending did lead to a frightening scene in which Green was taken out of the ring on a stretcher. She later said she suffered from a brain bleed in the fight. -- HaleEllie Scotney unanimous decision over Mayelli FloresScotney had to dig deep to earn the decision over Flores to be crowned Britain's youngest ever undisputed champion in London back in April. Scotney won a ferocious, seesaw junior featherweight encounter that was tighter than what was reflected in the scorecards (96-94, 100-90, 100-90)."I can't tell you how much of a hard fight that was and I think the scorecards didn't give her justice, she was nonstop from the first bell," Scotney said afterward.Scotney needed to show impressive stamina, ring IQ and discipline to prevail against Flores, who entered the fight as the WBA champion. Scotney's cleaner hooks may have been decisive in the closer rounds. -- ParkinsonBest men's fighterShakur Stevenson, junior welterweight championThere were great performances in the first six months of the year, such as Naoya Inoue's win over Junto Makatani, Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez's sixth-round dismantling of Antonio Vargas and David Benavidez's KO over Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez, but Stevenson's master class against Teofimo Lopez Jr. in January earns him the nod. Stevenson became a four-division world champion against a fighter who had defeated pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko and was bigger, stronger and expected to use his explosive athleticism to make it a very competitive fight. Instead, Stevenson's brilliant defense and ring smarts made this a near shutout, where he completely denied every advantage that Lopez supposedly had entering the fight. And this was the Lopez who was coming off a dominant victory over Arnold Barboza Jr. in May 2025.None of it mattered against Stevenson.What separates Stevenson's performance from the competition is that he moved up a weight class against a fellow pound-for-pound opponent and dominated Lopez in a way that no fighter had done before. He wasn't remotely challenged in the fight and placed himself on the short list for the best boxer in the world with yet another stellar performance. -- HaleNaoya Inoue, undisputed junior featherweight championInoue edges Shakur Stevenson, Jesse Rodriguez and David Benavidez for his technically brilliant unanimous decision win over Japanese rival Junto Nakatani in May. The undisputed champion is in the best form of his brilliant career, and this win is perhaps his best yet, coming against another fighter in the ESPN pound-for-pound top 10.Nakatani had size and reach advantages, but Inoue fought more intensely to win by four rounds on two scorecards and by two rounds on the other. Inoue's ring smarts, work rate, power and combinations from multiple angles were defining factors in his victory. Inoue has won world titles in four weight classes, but when he looks back on his career, this win against Nakatani could be the win he treasures the most.Inoue's clinical display over Nakatani, a three-division world champion, dislodged heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk from ESPN's P4P top spot. -- ParkinsonBest women's fighterLani Daniels, unified super middleweight championDaniels was thought to be a minor hurdle that heavy betting favorite Shadasia Green needed to clear to set up a grudge match with rival Claressa Shields. Instead, the former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion put a pace on Green that eventually led to a stoppage in Round 9 in a stunner.Daniels came into the fight having lost her past two and was seemingly matched up with Green because Green was a former opponent of Shields. Instead, Daniels clobbered Green with right hands from the opening bell with a relentless and persistent offense. Green held her ground, but the New Zealander wouldn't be denied, wearing the champion down and eventually earning the stoppage. Daniels went from an opponent for ladder-climbers to a unified world champion and a threat to the division in one fell swoop. -- HaleGabriela Fundora, undisputed flyweight championFundora stands out among her fellow women's world champions for her entertainment value and prolific run of knockouts. In March, she continued her incredible form with a Round 6 KO of Viviana Ruiz Corredor.The champion has now recorded four successive stoppages in world title fights. Fundora floored Ruiz in Round 3 before overpowering her in Round 6 to confirm her status as one of the most dominant champions in the women's game.I rate Fundora higher than other candidates also because of her age -- she is only 24, and her latest win moved her above legend Amanda Serrano to No. 3 in the ESPN women's pound-for-pound rankings. With Katie Taylor set to retire in September, expect Fundora to keep climbing the P4P list, especially if she conquers another division later this year. -- ParkinsonBest KODavid Benavidez KO 6 over Gilberto RamirezThis was all about hand speed and technique, rather than brute force and a one-punch KO blow.Benavidez's hand speed was breathtaking as he overwhelmed Ramirez in a Round 6 KO victory to win the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles.It was some feat for Benavidez, a former super middleweight and light heavyweight champion, to KO Ramirez like that in his first fight at 200 pounds.Some wondered if Benavidez was too small for cruiserweight. But his rapid-fire combinations, which were reminiscent of Roy Jones Jr., first troubled Ramirez in Round 4 to force a count, and when he opened up again in Round 6, Ramirez sank to a knee, clutching his right eye. -- ParkinsonWilliam Crolla KO7 over Glenn ByrneContext matters for this fight as Crolla needed to peel himself off the canvas four times before uncorking his fight-ending punch in Round 7 back in April.Byrne was in complete control of the fight, putting Crolla down three times in Round 2 and once in Round 5 before Crolla turned the tide with one perfect punch.That punch came in Round 7 as the two battled in the center of the ring. Byrne left a lazy right hand hanging in the air a bit too long, and Crolla launched a missile of an overhand left in response. The punch landed perfectly on Byrne's chin, exploding with devastating force as Byrne crashed backward and was out as he bounced off the canvas to lie on his side.Crolla knew it right away and had already turned to celebrate the walk-off before the referee administered the count. Only in boxing can you make up a massive deficit with one swing. -- HaleBest performance by a prospectMoses Itauma's TKO5 over Jermaine FranklinItauma ruthlessly knocked out Franklin in Round 5 in March to confirm his status as boxing's most exciting young fighter.The 21-year-old floored the veteran Franklin with a right hand in Round 3, then nailed him to the canvas with a powerful left uppercut in Round 5 that turned Franklin's legs to jelly before he collapsed to the canvas. The win edged Itauma closer to a heavyweight world title shot and was another exhibition of his perfect timing and vicious punching power.Franklin had taken former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua to a decision on a previous visit to the U.K.Itauma is currently ranked No. 1 contender with the WBA and WBO, No. 3 with the WBC and IBF. Itauma's fast-rising journey continues when he fights Filip Hrgovic in London on Aug. 29. -- ParkinsonAdam Azim's TKO3 over Steve ClaggettI elevated Itauma from prospect status after his one-sided throttling of former title contender Dillian Whyte last August, so Azim gets the nod here.Claggett was a durable fighter who hadn't been stopped in 15 years, and Azim blew right through him in three lopsided rounds in May. Azim had a chance to affirm himself as a title challenger in an incredibly crowded junior welterweight division and did just that behind thudding uppercuts and overwhelming speed.Eventually, it was all too much for Claggett, who succumbed to an offensive salvo from Azim that forced the referee to rescue him from further damage in Round 3.It was the kind of performance that makes promoters think they can put their fighter against the upper crust of the division rather than bring him along slowly with the prospect label. -- HaleBest fight cardDon't blink: Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel DuboisIn terms of sheer entertainment, it's hard to beat what the card brought to the table at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England, in May. The main event of Wardley vs. Dubois is a candidate for fight of the year, and they had a supporting cast of bouts that ended with stoppages. Chief among that supporting cast was Zak Chelli's stunning upset of the year candidate against David Morrell in a light heavyweight match. The fight was much closer than anyone anticipated before Chelli ended it with a salvo behind a shattering right hand. There was also Jack Rafferty carving up the face of Ekow Essuman on his way to a stoppage win on cuts in Round 6, as well as Bradley "Sting" Rea overwhelming Liam Cameron for a fourth-round stoppage.There might be fight cards with more name value, but it's hard to be a card with a fight of the year candidate and an upset of the year front-runner. -- HaleGlory in Giza: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico VerhoevenI agree with Andreas that the card in Manchester was a belter, but I will go with the audacious show at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt in May. The surreal backdrop contributed to a really enjoyable event.Like with all Saudi Arabia promotions, the fights flowed in quick succession with three world title fights on a stacked card. Highlights included Hamzah Sheeraz's KO of Alem Begic in Round 2 for the WBO super middleweight title, Jack Catterall dominating Shakhram Giyasov in a unanimous decision for the WBA "regular" welterweight title and Verhoeven pushing Usyk close in a fight for the WBA and WBC heavyweight titles.Nobody except probably Verhoeven's team expected him to perform like that in just his second professional boxing bout. The former kickboxing champion gave Usyk a real scare and was ahead on one scorecard, with the two others a draw, when the champion landed a clean sequence of punches to prompt the 11th-round stoppage. It was an unexpectedly close fight, gripping until it concluded with a moment of class from Usyk. -- Parkinson
