2013 Boxing Awards
2013 Boxing Awards
By all accounts, 2013 was a knockout year in the sport of boxing. There were plenty of memorable moments from the year that was, making it all the most difficult to chose the recipients of the year-end awards.
Over the last 12 months, we witnessed the “Fight of the Decade” (at least in terms of build-up) when Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez stepped into the MGM Grand Garden Arena ring. Since Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will never happen, “Money” and Canelo was the best matchup for the entire sport of boxing, getting the very likable Mexican up-and-comer against the one of the most hated guys in all of sports. Even the weigh-in was packed to the brim inside the MGM Grand, but Mayweather laid down the law and proved he is still the pound-for-pound king.
“The One”, as Mayweather-Alvarez was billed, also put together one of the best cards in recent memory as Danny Garcia, a 2-1 underdog, unanimously beat Argentine Lucas Matthysse to retain his light welterweight titles. Garcia and Alvarez (again) could be potential Mayweather opponents in the upcoming years.
We also had to wait until November to see the returns of 2011 Fighter of the Year Andre Ward and former pound-for-pound sultan Manny Pacquiao. Ward showed he still has no opponents who are able to slow him down at the super middleweight division (which may cause him to move up in weight) and Manny Pacquiao delivered an easy, get-him-back-on-track win over Brandon Rios in Macau.
Elsewhere, Timothy Bradley asserted himself towards the top of the pound-for-pound rankings after unforgettable 2013 wins over Ruslan Provodnikov and Juan Manuel Marquez. 2012 Fighter of the Year Nonito Donaire took a step back courtesy of the emergence of Cuban Olympic champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, and the Klitschko brothers still have full grasp over the heavyweight division.
Before we turn our calendars to 2014, let’s look back at what was a colossal 12 months for the sweet science.
Dan Charest is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DannyACharest or add him to your network on Google.
Prospect of the Year: Vasyl Lomachenko
The two-time gold medalist (featherweight in 2008, lightweight in 2012) from Ukraine made his pro debut in October, and took the boxing world by storm as anticipated. In his first professional fight, 25-year-old Vasyl Lomachenko knocked out veteran Jose Ramirez right before the bell in Round 4 to win himself the WBO International Featherweight Title. Lomachenko, who signed with Top Rank, could very well be the next opponent for current WBO Featherweight champion Orlando Salido. If that fight were to happen and if the Ukrainian were to win, boxing historians claim it would be the earliest any boxer will hold a world title.
Upset/Interview of the Year: Tony Thompson over David Price (Twice)
In February, Tony “The Tiger” Thompson, 41, went across the pond to face 2012 Prospect of the Year David Price. Thompson, who was “a little bit fleshy around the midriff” according to the British Box Nation telecast, was supposed to be a pawn for Price's resume. Instead, a Thompson right knocked Price out in the second. Price immediately cashed in on his rematch clause and then in July, Thompson knocked out the Brit again in round five. These beatings led to the interview of the year by the "The Tiger," who had still not taken his gloves off inside the empty Liverpool arena. The contents aren't entirely suited for publishing here, but I'm sure you won't have trouble finding it.
Honorable Mention: Jhonny Gonzalez over Abner Mares
Worst Fight of the Year: Wladimir Klitschko over Alexander Povetkin
After finally getting the two former Super Heavyweight Olympic gold medalists in the ring together in Moscow, the Russian proved no match for the Ukrainian. Wladimir Klitschko dominated Alexander Povetkin physically and technically, knocking Povetkin down four times, yet the real story was the amount on non-action. Anytime Povetkin was fighting inside, Klitschko would either push or clinch the challenger. It became unbearable as many rounds saw double-digit clinches, meaning referee Luis Pabon had to routinely delay the action to separate the fighters. This snooze-fest reminded boxing fans that Wladimir Klitschko is not a television-friendly boxer and has few admirers stateside other than Hayden Panettiere.
Knockout of the Year: Gennady Golovkin KO3 Matthew Macklin
How often can you say a body shot is deserving of the Knockout of the Year? I suppose with the emergence of Gennady Golovkin, anything is possible. Matthew Macklin was supposed to be Golovkin’s toughest opponent yet since the Kazakhstani came to America in 2012. However, “GGG” displayed his brilliant boxing prowess, chasing down Macklin and exposing the Irish-Brit to his incredible punching power. Then Golovkin landed a rock-solid left hand to Macklin’s liver, dropping him to the canvas late in the third round.
Honorable Mentions: Gennady Golovkin KO3 Nobuhiro Ishida, Jhonny Gonzalez KO1 Abner Mares, Curtis Stevens KO1 Saul Roman, Adonis Stevenson KO1 Chad Dawson
Round of the Year: Brandon Rios-Mike Alvarado II, Round 2
No round truly stepped up to be the outright Round of the Year, but after re-watching the second round of Brandon Rios-Mike Alvarado II, it felt right to bestow these two brawlers the honor. This round exemplified everything that exciting championship boxing is about: neither guy backing up; both fighters just standing there trading shots, each exemplifying how brutal and special the sport can be. Rios got the better of Alvarado in this round, causing “Mile High” Mike to wobble, but eventually lost on the scorecards 115-113, 115-113, 114-113. A third matchup could be in the works, but word just came out about Rios’ failed drug test after Manny Pacquiao torched him in November.
Fight of the Year: Timothy Bradley-Ruslan Provodnikov
What separates the March fight between Timothy Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov from the rest was that no one saw this sort of slugfest coming. Bradley changed his fighting style and almost paid the price in the first few rounds, yet he picked up his points in the middle to later rounds. The Fight of the Year got so crazy that at various points, the trains for both fighters threatened to stop the fight. Ahead on points going into the twelfth, Bradley barely avoided a knockout, getting knocked down at 0:12 but was saved by the bell. Since the epic match, Bradley has beaten Juan Manuel Marquez and Provodnikov has knocked out Mike Alvarado. Their careers have both gotten better because of the fight they shared together, which is the ultimate compliment for the Fight of the Year.
Honorable Mentions: Brandon Rios-Mike Alvarado II, Marcos Maidana-Adrien Broner
Fighter of the Year: Gennady Golovkin
2013 was the year of Gennady Golovkin. He has asserted himself as a very television-friendly fighter, a delight during interviews and one of the most best-punching boxers in the game today. He is the 2013 Fighter of the Year.
The Kazakhstani’s calendar year was filled with all ups and no downs. He TKO'd Gabriel Rosado in January, and followed that with a third-round vintage knockout of Nobuhiro Ishida in March. In June came the 2013 Knockout of the Year over Matthew Macklin, and he battered Curtis Stevens via an eighth-round TKO for his fourth fight of the year. 2014 should see Golovkin go up against some of the bigger names in the sport like top-ranked middleweight Sergio Martinez or perhaps a move up to super middleweight to face either Andre Ward or Carl Froch.
Honorable Mentions: Timothy Bradley, Danny Garcia, Sergey Kovalev, Adonis Stevenson
2013 Boxing Awards
By all accounts, 2013 was a knockout year in the sport of boxing. There were plenty of memorable moments from the year that was, making it all the most difficult to chose the recipients of the year-end awards.
Over the last 12 months, we witnessed the “Fight of the Decade” (at least in terms of build-up) when Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez stepped into the MGM Grand Garden Arena ring. Since Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will never happen, “Money” and Canelo was the best matchup for the entire sport of boxing, getting the very likable Mexican up-and-comer against the one of the most hated guys in all of sports. Even the weigh-in was packed to the brim inside the MGM Grand, but Mayweather laid down the law and proved he is still the pound-for-pound king.
“The One”, as Mayweather-Alvarez was billed, also put together one of the best cards in recent memory as Danny Garcia, a 2-1 underdog, unanimously beat Argentine Lucas Matthysse to retain his light welterweight titles. Garcia and Alvarez (again) could be potential Mayweather opponents in the upcoming years.
We also had to wait until November to see the returns of 2011 Fighter of the Year Andre Ward and former pound-for-pound sultan Manny Pacquiao. Ward showed he still has no opponents who are able to slow him down at the super middleweight division (which may cause him to move up in weight) and Manny Pacquiao delivered an easy, get-him-back-on-track win over Brandon Rios in Macau.
Elsewhere, Timothy Bradley asserted himself towards the top of the pound-for-pound rankings after unforgettable 2013 wins over Ruslan Provodnikov and Juan Manuel Marquez. 2012 Fighter of the Year Nonito Donaire took a step back courtesy of the emergence of Cuban Olympic champion Guillermo Rigondeaux, and the Klitschko brothers still have full grasp over the heavyweight division.
Before we turn our calendars to 2014, let’s look back at what was a colossal 12 months for the sweet science.
Dan Charest is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DannyACharest or add him to your network on Google.
Prospect of the Year: Vasyl Lomachenko
The two-time gold medalist (featherweight in 2008, lightweight in 2012) from Ukraine made his pro debut in October, and took the boxing world by storm as anticipated. In his first professional fight, 25-year-old Vasyl Lomachenko knocked out veteran Jose Ramirez right before the bell in Round 4 to win himself the WBO International Featherweight Title. Lomachenko, who signed with Top Rank, could very well be the next opponent for current WBO Featherweight champion Orlando Salido. If that fight were to happen and if the Ukrainian were to win, boxing historians claim it would be the earliest any boxer will hold a world title.
Upset/Interview of the Year: Tony Thompson over David Price (Twice)
In February, Tony “The Tiger” Thompson, 41, went across the pond to face 2012 Prospect of the Year David Price. Thompson, who was “a little bit fleshy around the midriff” according to the British Box Nation telecast, was supposed to be a pawn for Price's resume. Instead, a Thompson right knocked Price out in the second. Price immediately cashed in on his rematch clause and then in July, Thompson knocked out the Brit again in round five. These beatings led to the interview of the year by the "The Tiger," who had still not taken his gloves off inside the empty Liverpool arena. The contents aren't entirely suited for publishing here, but I'm sure you won't have trouble finding it.
Honorable Mention: Jhonny Gonzalez over Abner Mares
Worst Fight of the Year: Wladimir Klitschko over Alexander Povetkin
After finally getting the two former Super Heavyweight Olympic gold medalists in the ring together in Moscow, the Russian proved no match for the Ukrainian. Wladimir Klitschko dominated Alexander Povetkin physically and technically, knocking Povetkin down four times, yet the real story was the amount on non-action. Anytime Povetkin was fighting inside, Klitschko would either push or clinch the challenger. It became unbearable as many rounds saw double-digit clinches, meaning referee Luis Pabon had to routinely delay the action to separate the fighters. This snooze-fest reminded boxing fans that Wladimir Klitschko is not a television-friendly boxer and has few admirers stateside other than Hayden Panettiere.
Knockout of the Year: Gennady Golovkin KO3 Matthew Macklin
How often can you say a body shot is deserving of the Knockout of the Year? I suppose with the emergence of Gennady Golovkin, anything is possible. Matthew Macklin was supposed to be Golovkin’s toughest opponent yet since the Kazakhstani came to America in 2012. However, “GGG” displayed his brilliant boxing prowess, chasing down Macklin and exposing the Irish-Brit to his incredible punching power. Then Golovkin landed a rock-solid left hand to Macklin’s liver, dropping him to the canvas late in the third round.
Honorable Mentions: Gennady Golovkin KO3 Nobuhiro Ishida, Jhonny Gonzalez KO1 Abner Mares, Curtis Stevens KO1 Saul Roman, Adonis Stevenson KO1 Chad Dawson
Round of the Year: Brandon Rios-Mike Alvarado II, Round 2
No round truly stepped up to be the outright Round of the Year, but after re-watching the second round of Brandon Rios-Mike Alvarado II, it felt right to bestow these two brawlers the honor. This round exemplified everything that exciting championship boxing is about: neither guy backing up; both fighters just standing there trading shots, each exemplifying how brutal and special the sport can be. Rios got the better of Alvarado in this round, causing “Mile High” Mike to wobble, but eventually lost on the scorecards 115-113, 115-113, 114-113. A third matchup could be in the works, but word just came out about Rios’ failed drug test after Manny Pacquiao torched him in November.
Fight of the Year: Timothy Bradley-Ruslan Provodnikov
What separates the March fight between Timothy Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov from the rest was that no one saw this sort of slugfest coming. Bradley changed his fighting style and almost paid the price in the first few rounds, yet he picked up his points in the middle to later rounds. The Fight of the Year got so crazy that at various points, the trains for both fighters threatened to stop the fight. Ahead on points going into the twelfth, Bradley barely avoided a knockout, getting knocked down at 0:12 but was saved by the bell. Since the epic match, Bradley has beaten Juan Manuel Marquez and Provodnikov has knocked out Mike Alvarado. Their careers have both gotten better because of the fight they shared together, which is the ultimate compliment for the Fight of the Year.
Honorable Mentions: Brandon Rios-Mike Alvarado II, Marcos Maidana-Adrien Broner
Fighter of the Year: Gennady Golovkin
2013 was the year of Gennady Golovkin. He has asserted himself as a very television-friendly fighter, a delight during interviews and one of the most best-punching boxers in the game today. He is the 2013 Fighter of the Year.
The Kazakhstani’s calendar year was filled with all ups and no downs. He TKO'd Gabriel Rosado in January, and followed that with a third-round vintage knockout of Nobuhiro Ishida in March. In June came the 2013 Knockout of the Year over Matthew Macklin, and he battered Curtis Stevens via an eighth-round TKO for his fourth fight of the year. 2014 should see Golovkin go up against some of the bigger names in the sport like top-ranked middleweight Sergio Martinez or perhaps a move up to super middleweight to face either Andre Ward or Carl Froch.
Honorable Mentions: Timothy Bradley, Danny Garcia, Sergey Kovalev, Adonis Stevenson
