Looking back on boxing’s highs and lows of 2014, it’s impossible to deny the achievement of Britain’s Carl Froch in putting to bed his bitter rivalry with George Groves in the largest ever British domestic fight at Wembley Stadium in May. 

The Nottingham super middleweight champion made sure there was no repeat of the first fight, which ended in a controversial stoppage that left more questions than answers, winning in emphatic style with an eighth round KO.

Froch has had an immense career, peppered with historic and epic fights against some of the sport’s best. 

He has been an impeccable ambassador for the sport both in and out of the ring, a testament to the virtues of self-sacrifice, dedication and unremitting belief when it comes to success in the ring. 

By far his most impressive quality, however, is his courage, which is why his next fight should and will probably be his last. He fancies a night in Vegas next, against an as yet unnamed opponent. 

Whatever he decides, Froch is a champion of whom the entire country can and should be proud.

Another champion, or former champion, who enjoyed a notable 2014 is the Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya. 

When the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, the popular Richard Schaefer, resigned in June, many commentators felt that the giant promotional company, which Schaefer and De La Hoya built into the biggest in the game, faced imminent demise. 

Oscar had spent much of the past few years battling his own much publicised demons, leaving the day-to-day running of the company which bears his boxing cognomen to his capable CEO. 

The rift between them was over Oscar’s decision to build bridges with promotional rival Bob Arum, whose long running feud with Floyd Mayweather has up to this point prevented the fight that every boxing fan wants to see — or at least wanted to see — between Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio from happening.

Schaefer had forged a close working relationship with Mayweather and his team over the past few years of co-promoting Mayweather’s fights, keeping Golden Boy on top in the process. 

This is why with his departure in the summer, it was felt Golden Boy Promotions would lose its position and go into sharp decline. 

This has not happened, however, due to the energy and acumen of De La Hoya, who has clearly relished his return to prominence as a promoter, announcing some exciting plans for both Golden Boy and boxing in 2015. 

Prime among those plans is ensuring that Britain’s Amir Khan is given the platform he fully deserves after his superb performance against Devon Alexander in the middle of December. 

It was a career-best performance of such dominance and skill it places him alongside Mayweather and Pacquaio as one of the sport’s elite welterweights and major stars. 

Indeed there are many, including this writer, who believe the Pakistani-British champion now has the beating of both.

Perhaps even more impressive than his victory over Alexander was Khan’s public expression of solidarity with the victims of the Peshawar school massacre, which took place three days after his fight. 

The public stance he took against terrorism in the country of his heritage, travelling to the scene of the massacre to do so, was eminently principled and courageous. 

Mayweather remains unbeaten after two back-to-back fights against Argentina’s hard-hitting Marcus Maidana in 2014. 

The first fight in May saw the pound-for-pound champion run ragged for much of the twelve rounds, backed up against the ropes being mugged as Maidana threw everything bar the ring posts at him. 

He left the ring sporting more bruises than he’d received in his previous 10 fights put together. Maidana even succeeded in cutting Mayweather for the first time in his career.

Proving his mettle as a champion, Mayweather opted for a rematch rather than move on to easier pickings in his next fight. 

It took place in September at his home from home the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. 

This time round he made sure the result was not in doubt, controlling the centre of the ring and keeping his opponent at arm’s length to record another 12-round decision.

As to who Mayweather’s next opponent will be in May 2015, the names being mooted include Pacquiao, Khan and Miguel Cotto. 

With Marciano’s 49-fight unbeaten record looming ever closer, the 37-year-old remains on course to go down in history as one of the all-time greats. 

It’s staggering to think that the five-division world champion’s first professional fight took place in 1996. 

Others who enjoyed notable achievements in 2014 include Gennady Golovkin, who continued his decimation of the opposition at middleweight with the kind of power associated with most cruiserweights. 

Next up for the undefeated Kazakhstan WBA champion is Britain’s Martin Murray in February, which given Murray’s heart and desire is a fight that has all the makings of a classic. 

No round-up of 2014 would be complete without a mention of the greatest, Muhammad Ali, who at year’s end defeated his latest opponent in the shape of pneumonia to prove that his spirit remains as strong as it was when he bestrode the world like a colossus in his prime. 

When the news came out that Ali had been admitted to hospital, it was impossible not to fear the worst. 

As well as being one of the last surviving members of boxing’s heavyweight golden age, the 72-year-old is a giant when it comes to what he stood for and symbolised outside the ring. 

His defiance of racist oppression and militarism continues to resonate and inspire, leaving no doubt that when the day of his passing finally does arrive, it will be met with an eruption of grief and tribute such as the world has rarely seen. 

Let’s hope that this day remains some way off however, and that Ali is allowed to enjoy what remains of his twili