By Paul R. Jones! By now, you’ve probably seen dozens of boxing award lists popping up all over the web and social media like dandelions. But no awards list would be complete without recognizing the funniest, eccentric and absurd moments of the year.
Here, I count down the 7 most memorable WTF moments from boxing in 2023:
#7: 🕷️ Spiderman Crashes the PRESS Joshua vs. Helenius.
August 9, 2023 – If your spidey senses are tingling, it’s who started our countdown by making a special appearance at the Joshua vs. Helenius: Spider-Man, of course!
Good. . . not quite.
Instead of Peter Parker or Miles Morales who crashed the press, it was featherweight prospect Brandon Scott who appeared with the intention of diverting some attention from the main artists, Anthony Joshua and Robert Helenius, by donning a Spider-Man costume.
Although Scott’s outfit caused a sensation, the 20-year-old was left speechless when his microphone was on.
During a light-hearted rant that was equal parts comedy and embarrassmentScott talked about everything from “S*** hit[ting] the fan”, his nerdiness and being a clean fighter, even comparing his private parts to Joshua’s trash (Ouch!).
Strange man-in-love vibes aside, while Scott’s stream of self-conscious rants fell flat, the “baddest nerd on the planet” gets high marks for his creativity and comic book-inspired effort, which earned him thousands of eyeballs. and clicks, and a place on the list.
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#6: “Sugar Neekz” paints the perfect picture (Photo by Mark Robsinson).
JUNE 9, 2023 – To help promote her Onlyfans page, former defending super bantamweight world champion, Cherneka “Sugar Neekz” Johnson, stepped on the scale at the weigh-in for her fight against challenger, Ellie Scotney. using only a few thin layers of paint to cover his body. While Johnson’s performance in a lopsided decision loss to Scotney was far from memorable, his weigh-in stunt was anything but forgettable, receiving more than 310,000 views (and counting) on YouTube.
Johnson’s stunt, which is sure to inspire an imitator or two, qualified her for the countdown.
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#5: No good deed goes unpunished for Gervonta Davis.
December 22, 2023 – Many boxing fans were disappointed to learn that, (a) after Gervonta Davis (aka ABDUL WAHID) reportedly purchased a block of townhouses in his former Baltimore City neighborhood, that earmarked for affordable housing, and (b) after the Davis purchase was publicly announced on December 21street (along with Davis receiving a Presidential Citation from the Baltimore City Council for his community service and mentorship), video footage posted to Instagram (IG) the next day by Davis’ coach Calvin Ford, It showed fire trucks parked in front of Davis properties putting out the remains of a fire.
This was certainly a bittersweet 24 hours for Davis, who, shortly after making a philanthropic power move, saw his investment (literally 🤯) burn in flames!
The response to Ford’s IG video, which has over 46,000 views, speaks to the viral nature of this story and its inclusion in the countdown.
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#4: IT IS NOTED THAT ADRIEN BRONER APPEARS MARTILLO FOR THE ‘The Danza Project’ podcast interview.
ADRIEN BRONER made headlines in 2023 after appearing live for an interview on ‘The Dance Project’ Podcast (Episode 121). The only ‘PROBLEM’: Broner appeared to be drunk during the interview.
Although there was a lot of blame to go around and the podcast removed the interview and He apologized for the mishap on social media, the image of AB speaking incoherently, seemingly depressed and in desperate need of an intervention, was a disaster. And, given how many podcast subscribers and casual viewers watched this train wreck episode, including Broner in the countdown was a no-brainer.
Fortunately, the The Cincinnati product is back in the gym with trainer KEVIN CUNNINGHAM looking sharp and aiming to get his career back on track.
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#3 – It’s about the Ta-tas, stupid: ONLY FANS MODEL Daniella Hemsley flashes to the crowd on live TV after winning her first boxing match. 😳
July 15, 2023: If you thought “Sugar Neekz” Johnson’s body paint went further, well. . . You haven’t seen anything yet. Our third-place finisher, Onlyfans model turned boxer influencer Daniella Hemsley, took Johnson’s trick to the next level by lifting her top and showing it to the crowd in Dublin, Ireland, and perhaps millions more watching the broadcast on alive and/or enjoying fragments. from online footage – after beating Ms. Danielka to earn her first victory as a boxer on a celebrity boxing card from Kingpyn Boxing.
Although the 22-year-old apologized for the incident, which Hemsley attributed to emotion, and Kingpyn Boxing both issuing a statement of apology and deleting the racy clip from his fight files, Hemsley’s show is still noteworthy. And with more than 111,000 views on YouTube and 1.1 million views on the promotions’ apology letter on X (formerly Twitter), Hemsley’s trick was the close of the countdown.
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SECOND FINAL: CALEB Plant BRINGS BACK TO CLOSING Jermall Charlo WITH THE SMACK HEARD AROUND THE WORLD.
July 28, 2023: Few boxing stories in 2023 went viral faster than the video of CALEB PLANT slapping JERMALL CHARLO during a backstage altercation at the SPENCE vs. weigh-in CRAWFORD.
The jaw-dropping video shows Plant delivering a vicious left-handed slap to Charlo’s chin with a level of force that caused the impact to be heard throughout the immediate area. The visual is practically impossible to forget.
Plant later explained on IG Live that his actions were based on self-defense and that he hit Charlo in response to insults, taunts, and Charlo repeatedly pulling his beard “really hard” despite Plant warning him not to. did it.
By publicly slapping a reigning world champion with tsunami-like force and having the video garner over 6 million views (and counting) on social media, Plant earned the No. 2 spot on the countdown. The Nashville native also proved that they don’t call him “Sweet Hands” for nothing!
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🏆WINNER: Showtime hangs up the gloves after 37 years.
October 17, 2023: Perhaps no headline attracted more attention than Paramount Global’s announcement that SHOW TIME was shaking his SHOWTIME SPORTS Division, indeed disband the network’s boxing coverage at the end of 2023.
SHOW TIMEThe final farewell in December with MORRELL vs. AGBEKO marked the end of an eraand ended its two iconic boxing series: SHOWTIME Championship Boxing, which first aired in 1986; and ShoBox: The New Generation, a de facto proving ground for boxing prospects.
TOAlthough long rumored, the fall of boxing on SHOWTIME ended a incredible 37 year career that few predicted. In fact, during a 2018 BOXING IN FRONT At the event, SHOWTIME sports president Stephen Espinoza said interest in boxing and fan audiences were increasing. However, after nearly four decades and 2,000 combats (including iconic clashes like Corrales vs. Castillo, Márquez vs. VazquezTyson against Holyfield, and Mayweather vs. Pacquiao)SHOWTIME suffered a similar fate to its rival to the HBO network, which canceled its boxing coverage in 2018.
The bottom line. As the biggest upset of the year, with far-reaching implications for boxing fans and SHOWTIME Sports employees (i.e. layoffs), Paramount Global and SHOWTIME are the undisputed winners of the top WTF moment of 2023.
*Honorable Mention: Impressive lightweight prospect Keyshawn Davis reportedly tests positive for marijuana use; Blair Cobbs walks back his baseless claims about Vergil Ortiz and alleged steroid use.
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About the Author:
Paul R. Jones! is a veteran boxing writer and ring photographer for Boxing News 24. His articles, photographs and commentary have appeared in many online outlets (including East Side Boxing, Round by Round Boxing, Boxing Insider and Medium.com), as well as on in print and academic journals.
Follow him on X (Twitter) and Instagram. @boxingepicenter. Send him an email or send him a tip at [email protected].
