By Jake Donovan

Chances are, World lightweight king Terence Crawford was sound asleep in the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, December 30, while a young rising star in the lower weight classes entered a boxing ring 15 time zones away on the other side of the world.

Assuming so, then that would mean by the time he woke up, he discovered that something was missing – the Fighter of the Year crown that most believed was secure in his possession.

That’s how brilliant the finishing touches were on the year that was for Japan’s Naoya Inoue, BoxingScene.com’s unanimous choice for 2014 Fighter of the Year.

The closest race in recent memory was also a reminder to all news outlets that there are 365 days in a year, and that the year doesn’t end just because editors prefer to coast during the holiday season.

In all fairness, Inoue wasn’t necessarily on the radar for most of the year, at least not until he agreed to move up two divisions to challenge longtime 115 lb. titlist Omar Narvaez.

When 2014 began, all eyes – at least those familiar with career – were focused on simply what the next 12 months had in store for the prodigious star in the making. Inoue was barely 14 months into his career and months away from his 21s birthday when the year began, but the wheels were already in motion for what would be an unforgettable ride.

Plans were in place for a showdown with top-rated junior flyweight Adrian Hernandez, who agreed to travel from Mexico to Japan in April for a title defense. The all-action slugger from Mexico was a reigning two-time junior flyweight titlist, and regarded as the division’s best fighter.

That was before he ran into Inoue. Six very one-sided rounds later, Inoue had claimed his first belt in just his sixth pro fight.

Think about that for a minute: 20 years old (Inoue turned 21 six days later) just five pro fights to his name, while going up against the #1 rated junior flyweight in the world. Inoue treated the bout like a sparring session.

Aside from the elevated title status, the bout was similar to the rest of his career pattern to that point: dominating opposition with far more experience. To date, each of Inoue’s eight opponents had at least 20 fights (his second career opponent - Ngaoprajan Chuwatana – fighting his 20th pro bout the night of the fight). The win over Hernandez was expected, from an odds perspective, but still eye opening that he could be that good at such a young age.

Still, it was just another notable win as far as boxing pundits were concerned.

Nor was much thought given to his first defense, an 11th round stoppage of Samartiek Kokietgym in September. The most noteworthy tidbit about the fight was the one to which it served as chief support. If a Fighter of the Year candidate had emerged from the evening, it was in the main event when Róman Gonzalez captured the World lineal flyweight championship after stopping reigning king Akira Yaegashi inside of nine rounds.

Still, there was no clear-cut choice for the top spot by late October, around the time Inoue agreed to terms for a shot at Narvaez.

The fight meant moving up two weight classes to super flyweight, and thus severing all ties from the 108 lb. division. Neither task was much of a challenge for Inoue, who at 5’4” and just 21 years old was bound to outgrow junior flyweight in the near future.

But moving up two divisions to take on the best super flyweight in the world?

That’s worth talking about.

The thought of winning the fight in any fashion other than controversially was enough to put Inoue’s name in a mix that – by Thanksgiving weekend – would now include more popular choices such as Crawford, Gonzalez, unbeaten unified light heavyweight titlist Sergey Kovalev.

Gonzalez added one more win to his 2014 campaign, scoring four knockouts in as many fights on the year after stopping Rocky Fuentes in six rounds. The win was the least significant result of a month that also included Kovalev’s 12-round shutout of Bernard Hopkins in a virtuoso performance, and Crawford’s dominant showing against Beltran to capture the vacant World lightweight championship.

If Inoue was to surface to the top, he would have to make a major statement against Narvaez, one that would force the boxing world to stand up and take notice, even with the handicap of his fight taking place in the middle of the week and – for publications and its staff members on this side of the world – in the wee hours of the morning.

Inoue’s blitzing of Narvaez was THAT dominant. It was one where even reading about it still didn’t serve it justice by the time you had the chance to chase down a YouTube video of the event and view for yourself.

Narvaez had never been stopped through more than 14 years as a pro, and came in having fought in 30 career title fights. His first taste of championship life came way back in 2002 – when Inoue was all of 9 years old – as a 12-round win over Adonis Rivas ignited an eight-year title reign covering 16 defenses before moving up to capture a title at super flyweight in 2010.

The only time a fighter was able to hang a loss on him was in Oct. ’11, when Nonito Donaire – regarded as one of the very best fighters in the world and coming off of one of the two best wins of his career at the time – easily outpointed him over 12 rounds in a bantamweight title fight.

Inoue cares about the credentials of his opponent only to the point where his handlers expect full credit once his work is done in the ring for that night. That’s to say, the young lion shows no fear once the opening bell sounds, nor does the thought of losing – or even conceding a single second of action – ever cross his mind.

This was a lesson that Narvaez would have to learn the hard way. Class was officially in session less than a minute into the opening round, when came the first of four knockdowns on the night. Inoue’s attack was akin to a freight train rolling downhill, scoring another knockdown moments later courtey of a left hook to the temple.

Narvaez’ only moral victory of the night was that he survived the opening round onslaught. It was the last time on the night he would make it back to his corner stool on his own terms.

With a championship and history well within sight, Inoue closed the show. Two more knockdowns came late in round two. The fourth and final trip to the canvas for Narvaez was a delayed reaction from a wicked body shot to ultimately put him down for the full ten count.

The night ended with Inoue capturing his second major title. He accomplished the feat in record-breaking fashion by doing so in just his eighth pro fight, the fastest run to two belts in boxing history.

The year ended with violent snatches of two crowns in two separate weight classes, both coming against the best fighter in the world in those respective divisions.

His 22nd birthday still more than three months away, there’s every reason to believe that the best is still yet to come for the unbeaten star on the rise. That can only mean more year-end accolades in his future, to go along with the well-deserved honor of becoming 2014 Fighter of the Year.

TOP RUNNER-UP: TERENCE CRAWFORD

If the award were limited to the most visible candidates on this side of the world, then the unbeaten lightweight would be a slam dunk choice. As it stands, he will – and has already has – earn such honors from several other publications, and for good reason.

The past 12 months were very kind indeed to the fighting pride of Omaha, Nebraska. It was a year in which he singlehandedly turned the college football-crazed Cornhusker State into a boxing haven, thanks to a pair of hometown wins playing to sold-out crowds.

Crawford’s year began on the road, however, facing then-lightweight titlist Ricky Burns in front of a partisan crowd in Glasgow, Scotland. Twelve rounds later, Crawford had his first belt around his waist, scoring a well-earned decision, one where he boxed so well that the judges couldn’t deny him, in an environment that had played host to strange scoring in recent past.

The centerpiece of his 2014 campaign came in late June, knocking out Yuriorkis Gamboa in the 9th round of a fight that screamed everything that’s right about a sport that far too often gets it so very wrong. Both fighters boasted identical records (23-0, 16KOs) heading into the HBO-televised event, marking the first time ever the network aired live from Omaha, Nebraska.

A crowd of more than 10,900 was treated to one of the very best fights of the year, with Crawford overcoming a slow start to dismantle Gamboa, repeatedly sending the unbeaten Cuban – regarded as one of the greatest fighters in amateur boxing history, and also a damn good pro to boot – to the canvas before forcing the stoppage. The win solidified his credentials as a bright spot for the future of the sport, with the capacity crowd confirming his local drawing power.

The CenturyLink Center was sold beyond capacity for his return appearance, a 12-round whitewash over Raymundo Beltran. Many hailed the battle-tested Mexican challenger as the uncrowned lightweight champion, on the strength of his controversial draw with Burns the previous September. As such, he and Crawford entered their November clash as the top two-rated lightweights in the world, thus making the fight eligible to crown a World lightweight champion.

That man would be Crawford, who only ran into minor trouble late into the fight, but never to the point where his unbeaten record was in jeopardy. The fight was to be his last at 135, as he plans to move up to the 140 lb. division.

Given the level of talent at that weight class and what he physically brings to the table, it doesn’t figure to be the last time Terence Crawford’s name is mentioned in this award category.

FOR THE BRONZE: AMNAT RUENROENG

Easily the surprise entry of the field, Ruenroeng wasn’t on anyone’s radar when 2014 began. Three wins came of the year, all covering the entire span of his current flyweight title reign.

The biggest of the bunch was his 12-round upset of previously unbeaten former two-division titlist Kazuto Ioka in May. The fight was believed to be a springboard for Ioka to claim a belt and set up a unification bout – and rematch – with old adversary Akira Yaegashi. Ruenroeng thwarted those plans, effortlessly outclassing the local favorite in Osaka, Japan.

The unbeaten Thai capped the year with a hard-fought 12-round points win over mandatory challenger McWilliams Arroyo. Had his year begun with a win over MOISES Fuentes rather than Rocky Fuentes, there stands a greater chance Ruenroeng’s name receives top bill for this category. Instead, he looks to continue the good fortunes in 2015, hitting the road for a showdown with three-time Olympic medalist Zou Shiming in China this coming March.

OTHERS RECEIVING CONSIDERATION

Sergey Kovalev – There’s no telling what would have come of his year had he managed to land a coveted showdown with World light heavyweight king - and 2013 Fighter of the Year – Adonis Stevenson. Instead, Kovlaev spent 2014 making lemonade, scoring a pair of HBO-televised knockouts over unbeaten but untested competition before registering a career-defining win, a 12-round shutout over the legendary Bernard Hopkins in a virtuoso performance. That win alone puts him in discussion, with the dominant performance behind it giving the flame throwing Russian strong consideration for top honors.

Róman Gonzalez – Four knockouts in as many fights, including a championship win, is always good enough to make this list. Gonzalez became just the second fighter in Nicaragua’s boxing history to capture belts in three weight classes, joining the late legendary Alexis Arguello following his 9th round stoppage of World flyweight champion Akira Yaegashi in September. The rest of the year was spent with water-treading wins, though all of which continued to illustrate his presence as one of the very best fighters in the world.

Manny Pacquiao – Not since having won the award three times in the span of just four years – the last coming in 2009 - has the Filipino icon been given serious consideration in this category. His rematch win over Tim Bradley in April was good enough to enter the conversation, with his clear-cut unanimous decision over one of the world’s top fighters proof that he was all the way back. Pacquiao capped the year with a 12-round humbling of unbeaten 140 lb. titlist Chris Algieri, knocking the “caged” fighter down a total of six times in their November headliner in Macau, China.

Nicholas Walters – The Axe Man cometh! Top Rank now has three of the four major titlists (including Walters) at featherweight, though the popular belief is that none are in a hurry to step to the unbeaten knockout artist from Jamaica. His 2014 reign of terror will be well showcased in the Knockout of the Year category, delivering a pair of highlight reel finishes in destructions of Vic Darchinyan and Nonito Donaire. Walters delivered the standout performance of the night on a May show in Macau loaded with featherweights, destroying former two-division champ Darchinyan in five rounds. Five months later, Donaire showed his warrior heart in braving such a dangerous challenge, but ultimately landed on the business end of a vicious knockout that continues to resonate with boxing fans. Let the 28-year old titlist get a piece of any combination of Jhonny Gonzalez, Vasyl Lomachenko and/or Evgeny Gradovich, and there’s no question his name remains in this discussion 12 months from now.

Wladimir Klitschko – The World heavyweight king continues to be without peer, though hardly due to not seeking out the best competition. Lineal title defenses nine and ten came in the form of matching 5th round knockout wins. The year began with a one-sided rout of Alex Leapai in April, but what lands the 38-year old Ukrainian on the list was the manner in which he manhandled unbeaten perennial number-one contender Kubrat Pulev in November.

Miguel Cotto – In a year that was up for grabs for 363 days, a single win was enough to land the Puerto Rican superstar on the list. His 2014 campaign was limited to a June “homecoming” at Madison Square Garden. The night provided his long sought career-defining win, having his way with longtime World middleweight king Sergio Martinez through nine rounds, forcing the Argentine star to be declared unfit to continue at the start of round ten.

Carl Frampton – Had he not already scored a knockout win over Kiko Martinez a year prior, perhaps the Belfast brawler sees his 2014 campaign cast in a greater light. Still, it was a hell of a year for the unbeaten 27-year old, who began with a two-round destruction of Hugo Cazares before dethroning Martinez in their 12-round war of a super bantamweight title fight in September.

Floyd Mayweather – Say what you want, but a pair of wins over a Top 5 contender warrants consideration, especially in a year where not a lot happened. Mayweather deserves a healthy share of the blame for the year that wasn’t, but made the best with the two fights he had, surviving a stiff challenge from Marcos Maidana in May before having a much easier go of things in their rematch in September. As an aside – and really nothing at all to do with this category - both bouts served as the two best-selling pay-per-view events of 2014.

Gennady Golovkin – The lack of a notable win among his three on the year keeps the Kazakhstani limited to Honorable Mention status for the second consecutive year. Three more knockouts were added to his resume, stopping – in order – Osumana Adama (seven rounds), former titlist Daniel Geale (three rounds) and Top 10 contender Marco Antonio Rubio (two rounds) to establish himself as the best middleweight in the world and one of the rising stars in the sport.

BOXINGSCENE.COM 2014 AWARDS SEASON

Network of the Year: HBO

Comeback of the Year: Rocky Juarez

Prospect of the Year: Anthony Joshua

Event of the Year: Mayweather/Nevada State Athletic Commission Hearing

Fighter of the Year: Naoya Inoue

Knockout of the Year: To be announced Thursday, January 1st

Round of the Year: To be announced Friday, January 2nd (along with Robbery of the Year)

Robbery of the Year: To be announced Friday, January 2nd (along with Round of the Year)

Event of the Year: To be announced Saturday, January 3rd

Fighter of the Year: To be announced Sunday, January 4th

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board, Yahoo Boxing Ratings Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox