2016 has not been a great vintage for boxing. In the eyes of many it has been a veritable annus terribilis. Whilst this may be over egging it somewhat, the year has certainly had its fair share of disappointments. The sordid saga of Fury Klitschko 2, the Wilder-Povetkin Meldonium scandal and the infuriating impasse between Canelo and Golovkin have left fans and the general public frustrated on many occasions.

There were of course some diamonds among the rough: Postol vs Crawford,Usyk vs Glowacki and Golovkin vs Brook were all high calibre fights. But far more was needed to atone for the bitter anti-climax that was Mayweather Pacquiao. The backlash from this fight is still reverberating among sports fans. Many hold it responsible for the current decline of pay-per-view in America.