Boxing enjoyed one of its most exciting years during 2013 as the sport witnessed the rise and fall of some of the sport's young and old blood, and although 2014 has arguably fallen short of the standard set last year, it's still proven to be a thrilling 12 months.
The year was dominated by the animosity surrounding Carl Froch and George Groves ahead of their Wembley showdown, while Floyd Mayweather Jr's two contests with Marcos Maidana earned plenty of publicity, but a number of other encounters also deserve recognition for the events that transpired inside the ring.
Sports Mole reviews the bouts that, for one reason or another, have captured the imagination of supporters all around the globe.
1. Tommy Coyle vs. Daniel Brizuela
When promoter Eddie Hearn paired Tommy Coyle with Daniel Brizuela, the expectation was that Coyle would prevail from a competitive fight and that's what eventually materialised, but the nature of the win went beyond the expectations of anyone present at the Ice Arena in Hull.
Despite not being regarded as a puncher, Brizuela had Coyle on the canvas three times during the opening six rounds as the Brit succumbed from shots to the body, but he sparked an unlikely turnaround when hurting the Argentine for the first time during the eighth.
That set the stage for a memorable 11th that saw three knockdowns - two for Coyle and one for Brizuela - before Coyle finally completed the job in the 12th to defend his IBF international belt and allow him to move on to a meeting with Michael Katsidis later in the year.
2. Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina
After losing to Danny Garcia in September, Lucas Matthysse was the favourite to come through what appeared to be a routine encounter with John Molina, but it proved to be anything but that for the Argentine who had to get off the canvas twice to secure the win.
In a hellacious fight that saw both men trade at will, Matthysse went down in the second and fifth before showing remarkable levels of recovery to over-power a game Molina in the eighth as the fight began to swing his way.
Molina battled on but after knocking the American down for a second time in the 10th, Matthysse finally had the stoppage in the 11th to maintain his reputation as one of the biggest pound-for-pound punchers in the sport.
3. Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Marcos Maidana I
© Getty Images
After opting not to fight Amir Khan, Floyd Mayweather Jr agreed a deal to meet Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand, despite many believing that the pound-for-pound king would be able to sweep to a shut-out victory against a tough, but one-dimensional, opponent.
However, Maidana troubled Mayweather during the first four rounds, arguably winning three of them as one of the all-time shocks looked a growing possibility, but as the fight wore on, Mayweather came into his own and started to dictate the tempo of the fight.
Maidana was able to attack in flurries, bit it wasn't enough to swing a decision his way on the scorecards as Mayweather deservedly defended his world titles, despite one judge scoring the showdown as a draw.
4. Carl Froch vs. George Groves II
After the controversial ending of their first encounter, it was inevitable that Carl Froch and George Groves would lock horns for a second time, but it was unforeseen that the fight would generate levels of interest never seen before in British boxing as Wembley Stadium welcomed over 80,000 fans for the IBF and WBA super-middleweight title contest.
In sharp contrast to the initial fight, the rematch was a cagey, tactical affair as neither man seemed comfortable in remaining on the offensive, and after seven rounds, two judges had Froch one point ahead while the other had Groves up by a three-point margin.
However, the scorecards weren't required as Froch left Groves momentarily unconscious with a crushing right hand to bring the fight to an abrupt halt as the champion cemented his legacy in the upper echelons of the sport in Great Britain.
© Getty Images
5. Sergey Kovalev vs. Bernard Hopkins
Given the proven punch-power of Sergey Kovalev, it was somewhat surprising when 49-year-old Bernard Hopkins agreed to a unification clash with the unbeaten Russian in New York, but the desire of the veteran ensured intrigue surrounding the fight reached levels rarely seen in modern-day boxing and all eyes were on Hopkins to see if he could continue his glittering career as a world champion.
However, in less than three minutes, Kovalev had Hopkins on the floor and it quickly became apparent that the 66-fight veteran had a huge task on his hands to avoid being stopped for the first time as a professional. As the rounds ticked by, Kovalev continued to unleash huge shots but Hopkins found a way to remain on his feet.
Hopkins had some success towards the end of the encounter but the fight ended with Kovalev trying to pummel his opponent into submission, desperately searching for the knockout blow. Hopkins survived, though, and although he lost his two world straps, he preserved his standing as one of boxing's greats.
© Getty Images
6. Abner Mares vs. Jose Ramirez
During a busy week in Las Vegas, much of the focus was on the likes of Amir Khan, Devon Alexander, Timothy Bradley and Keith Thurman and while Khan hit the back pages for his performance at the MGM Grand, Mexican duo Abner Mares and Jose Ramirez deserve credit for putting on a brutal contest on the undercard.
Mares, who had fought just once since losing his WBC featherweight belt to Jhonny Gonzalez, and Ramirez, who hadn't competed since losing to stand-out amateur Vasyl Lomachenko, put on five rounds of non-stop action with Ramirez hitting the canvas on three occasions as Mares suggested that the Gonzalez loss was out of his system.
However, the heart of Ramirez, who, despite the knockdowns, was never discouraged from trading with his compatriot and the sportsmanship between the two fighters should be recognised and it seems inevitable that we'll see both men involved in edge-of-your-seat bouts in 2015.
