Skip to main content
Annus horribilis: boxing in 2022
It was not a year of highs and lows, but of lows and lowers, says JOHN WIGHT
Tyson Fury makes his way out ahead of his heavyweight title fight against Derek Chisora

IF THERE has been any year in which boxing exposed its diseased soul to the world, that year was 2022.

The extraordinary joint press conference held in Dublin on April 12 by the Irish, US and British authorities to announce financial sanctions against the so-called Kinahan Organised Crime Group, implicated in the importation of drugs into Europe from South America on a grand scale, along with a raft of murders and arms dealing, was well-nigh unprecedented in the annals of a sport whose relationship with organised crime traces a long and ignoble history.

This is because, of the principal members of the otherwise known Kinahan Cartel — named specifically during said joint press conference as targets of law enforcement — Daniel Kinahan had been operating within top flight boxing for years.

Support the Morning Star
You can read five articles for free every month,
but please consider supporting us by becoming a subscriber.
More from this author
Chris Eubank Jr (left) and Conor Benn face-off during a press conference at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Picture date: Thursday April 24, 2025
Men's boxing / 25 April 2025
25 April 2025

JOHN WIGHT previews the much-anticipated bout between Benn and Eubank Jnr where — unlike the fights between their fathers — spectacle has reigned over substance

Dave
Men’s boxing / 11 April 2025
11 April 2025
JOHN WIGHT takes us on a journey back to a decade defined by union power, pop stars, and gritty football icons - no boxer embodied the heart and soul of 1970s Britain quite like Dave Boy Green
George Foreman yells, October 15, 1974, in N'Sele, Kinshasa,
Men’s Boxing / 28 March 2025
28 March 2025
JOHN WIGHT pays tribute to the late great George Foreman who defied the odds throughout his life and career to become a household name and legend of the sport
John H. Stracey (right) who is to defend his European welter
Men’s boxing / 14 March 2025
14 March 2025
JOHN WIGHT writes about the fascinating folklore surrounding the place which has been home to some of the most ferocious bareknuckle and unlicensed fighters throughout history
Similar stories
Tyson Fury, December 21, 2024
Men's boxing / 13 January 2025
13 January 2025
Johnny Fisher celebrates victory in the vacant Southern Area
Men’s boxing / 5 July 2024
5 July 2024
JOHN WIGHT writes about the Romford heavyweight prospect, who will face the most difficult test of his career so far when he takes on the Croatian boxer in London this weekend
Josh Taylor (left), Jack Catterall (right) and promoter Eddi
Men's Boxing / 24 May 2024
24 May 2024
JOHN WIGHT sizes up these two rivals for this much-anticipated rematch
Tyson Fury during a press conference at the The Mazuma Mobil
Men’s Boxing / 10 May 2024
10 May 2024
JOHN WIGHT previews the Ukrainian boxer’s showdown with the Gypsy King for the title of undisputed in Riyadh on May 18