Kell Brook bounced back from a serious leg injury. Photo by Naoki Fukuda

The past year was packed with drama in and out of the ring, including some memorable fights, big surprises and important milestones.

Who and what stood out the most?

Find out when THE RING reveals its annual year-end awards for 2015 in January. The categories: Fighter, Fight, Knockout, Trainer, Upset, Event, Comeback, Round, Prospect and Most Inspirational.

Leading up to the announcement, we will give you the five finalists in one category each day. Day 4: Comeback of the Year.

The finalists (in alphabetical order) are.

KELL BROOK

It hadn’t even been a month since Brook’s title win over Shawn Porter when he was attacked by a man with a machete and suffered a gaping wound to his leg. Brook returned to the ring in March and still appears to be one of the best welterweights today, as he dominated and dispatched Jo Jo Dan and then Frankie Gavin later in the year.

ANTHONY CROLLA

Crolla suffered head and ankle injuries after chasing burglars who had broken into a neighbor’s home in late 2014. He was struck by a concrete slab, leaving him in no condition for a title fight that was supposed to come in early 2015. He recovered, fought Darleys Perez to a draw in July and then scored a knockout to win a belt in their November rematch.

BADOU JACK

Even the most loyal Jack supporters would have doubted his world title aspirations when Derek Edwards blew him away in 61 seconds last year. That would have been a mistake. Jack closed out 2014 with two victories and then upset Anthony Dirrell to claim a super middleweight title in April. In September, he decked George Groves on route to a split-decision win in his first defense.

DAVID LEMIEUX

Lemieux’s two stunning losses in 2011 to Marco Antonio Rubio (by TKO) and Joachim Alcine (by decision) could’ve meant he’d been exposed. Instead he improved, winning nine in a row, picking up a world title against Hassan N’Dam in June and landing a pay-per-view date with Gennady Golovkin. Lemieux lost badly but he belongs in with other big names at middleweight.

AKIRA YAEGASHI

In 2014, established world champion Akira Yaegashi loses badly to pound-for-pound entrant Roman Gonzalez and is then knocked out by Mexico’s Pedro Guevara. In 2015, the Japanese star regroups by winning two confidence building bouts before becoming a three-weight titleholder at the expense of Javier Mendoza, whom he defeated on points earlier today.

Tomorrow: Upset of the Year finalists.

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