Deontay Wilder's wishes for the men's heavyweight division to be free and himself placed on the throne never came true.
But women's bet on boxing is experiencing some stellar months, operating on Wilder's model. At a time when the sport has undeniably taken the sport to the next level, 2022 was the year of all balls.
One champion, One face, One name
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano started the fight in May, drawing a full Madison Square Garden audience and fighting at lightweight for the titles of
● WBC;
● WBA;
● WBO;
● IBF.
Taylor won by split decision after 10 rounds of a thrilling fight, and most recently the Irish icon defended those belts against Karen Elizabeth Carabahal at Wembley Arena.
Clarissa Shields and Savannah Marshall have reached great heights
Shields lived up to her G.W.O.A.T. claims by outclassing the formidable Marshall in skill and points at the O2 Arena to become the undisputed super middleweight champion. Alicia Baumgardner became the champion with three belts, defeating Michaela Meyer in the co-main event of the super middleweight title fight. Millions of spectators and UFC betting Vulkan Bet fans watched the action.
Marshall's former British teammate Chantelle Cameron will fight for boxing immortality in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. The undefeated WBC and IBF super flyweight champion will fight Jessica McCaskill, with the vacant WBA and WBO crowns also on the line.
As for McCaskill, she previously held the WBC and WBA belts at 140lbs before moving up to welterweight and dethroning the great Cecilia Brechus, becoming, yes, that word again - the undisputed champion.
For Chantelle Cameron, boxing needs to do more
Not that these achievements intimidate Cameron much with her record of 16-0 and eight knockouts.
"For starters, I'm a better boxer. You can be as tough as you want in the ring, but if someone is boxing better than you, you have to deal with them," she told The Sporting News. The boxer also added: "She can't adapt, whereas I can adapt. My IQ is much better, I think I'm tough, I'm game, I'm powerful, I'm sharper. I genuinely think I'm superior to her in every way."
Marshall's status as a former amateur should tilt the fight in her favour if the bout takes place on those terms. McCaskill suffered her only career defeat in a lightweight bout against Taylor in 2017.
But many seasoned observers believe the bout could turn into a fierce confrontation as both women are generally unwilling to take a step back.
"It's a great combination of styles. I think it's going to be a real firestorm," said Cameron's trainer Jamie Moore. "It will take a lot of pressure and determination from Jessica to get the better of Chantelle, but I feel that's what we’ll get in this fight."
"Chantelle is a bully, she's a real fighter. She loves to fight. Part of my job has been to contain her and make her concentrate on her best qualities."