by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani – Last week’s 105th edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio concluded with the announcement of our “2010 Year End Awards”. 2010 wound up being a fairly decent year for boxing, especially in the final two months which saw many interesting clashes of styles inside the squared circle that included drama, good action, and some surprising upsets along the way. On the Ropes Boxing Radio has brought you the latest and greatest in the world of boxing straight from the fighters and trainers who help shape the professional landscape. With the unique insight that comes from reporting the latest news every week, you will not find a better list of annual boxing awards than right here. Without further ado, here are our 2010 winners!
Fighter of the Year: Sergio Martinez This one is a no-brainer. Although Manny Pacquiao certainly enters the discussion he just did not have the type of year Sergio Martinez did. Wins against Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito were both impressive efforts, but Pacquiao was never expected to struggle in these fights. Sergio Martinez, on the other hand, was not expected to accomplish much in the grand scheme of things. His year started in April when he scored an impressive upset victory against Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik which earned him the WBC/WBO versions of the middleweight title. In November, he then went on to avenge a previous loss against Paul Williams with an explosive second round knockout.
Runner-Up: Manny Pacquiao
Fight of the Year: Juan Manuel Marquez TKO9 Michael Katsidis When Juan Manuel Marquez and Michael Katsidis were scheduled to face off on November 27 at the MGM in Las Vegas, many were expecting an action-packed encounter and that is exactly what they got. Katsidis dropped Marquez with a perfectly placed left hook. Both fighters showed tremendous heart, desire, and courage and the ensuing rounds. Marquez ultimately rallied his way back and stopped Katsidis in the ninth round of the contest. It was a fight that had it all—great excitement, momentum shifts, and a dramatic ending. What more can fans ask for?
Runner-Up: Amir Khan UD Marcos Maidana
Knockout of the Year: Sergio Martinez KO2 Paul Williams When it was announced that newly-crowned middleweight champion Sergio Martinez would be defending his title in a rematch against Paul Williams the boxing world had reason to celebrate. After all, when the two had first met Williams emerged victorious with a majority decision in a highly competitive back-and-forth encounter that saw both fighters dropped in the opening round. It was a “Fight of the Year” type of encounter and most observers were expecting another back-and-forth fight of that caliber. Instead, a crippling left hand from Martinez sent Williams crashing to the canvas in round two which put a surprisingly dramatic and early end to the contest. In an ironic twist of fate, the fight that many were expecting to be the “Fight of the Year” instead wound up being the “Knockout of the Year”.
Runner-Up: Alexander Frenkel KO7 Enzo Maccarinelli
Pound-For-Pound King: Manny Pacquiao Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Junior are both universally recognized as the two best pound-for-pound fighters and for good reason. There is a lot of debate over who is actually better, which is why fans are still so eager to see this match-up. Unfortunately, for whatever reason these two simply cannot agree to terms to bring fight fans the fight we all want to see. Unless they do fight, this debate will continue for the foreseeable future. For us, Manny Pacquiao still reigns supreme. He became the rightful heir to the mythical title in 2008 and has done more than enough to maintain his standing by continuously taking on elite-level competition. Mayweather’s win against Shane Mosley was probably more impressive than either of Pacquiao’s victories, but Pacquiao took on two larger foes and dominated them over the full twelve rounds. Mayweather may have made a better case for himself had he been more active because short of beating Pacquiao himself, Mayweather cannot surpass him by fighting less often.
Runner-Up: Floyd Mayweather Junior
Upset of the Year: Jason Litzau SD Celestino Caballero When Celestina Caballero moved up in weight to take on “The American Boy” Jason Litzau at junior lightweight it was supposed to be nothing more than a mere formality. Caballero had not lost a fight in over six years and he was being groomed for a potential showdown against Yuriokis Gamboa. Unfortunately for Caballero, Litzau had other plans. The fight was an exciting scrap which saw Litzau really started to take control of the action during the middle rounds where he was able to use his superior size and strength to his advantage. Heart and courage were on full display as Litzau continued to press the action and outwork Caballero down the stretch and his efforts were ultimately rewarded with a split decision victory. It was an awe-inspiring effort that won over the hearts of many fans.
Runner-Up: Garth Wood KO5 Anthony Mundine
Comeback Fighter of the Year: Erik Morales When it was first announced that “El Terrible” would be making a return to the ring after a two and a half year layoff, few observers were taking him seriously. After all, Morales had lost 5 of his last 6 before facing Jose Alfaro back in March. He was also campaigning as a welterweight which was a great deal north of where his best fighting days took place. Morales won a decision against Alfaro. He returned to the ring in September when he scored a sixth round knockout against Willie Limond and he won a unanimous decision against Francisco Lorenzo just over a week ago. Morales has looked physically better with each fight and has possibly worked his way towards a potential showdown against fellow Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez sometime next year. He has even shown glimpses of the “El Terrible” of old in each of his three return bouts.
Runner-Up: Juan Manuel Marquez
Trainer of the Year: Emanuel Steward Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward has long been known as one of the best in the business, and 2010 was certainly no exception. Highlighting Steward’s stable is the reigning IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, who defended his titles twice with late knockouts against Eddie Chambers and Sam Peter in March and September, respectively. Steward also led Puerto Rican pugilist Miguel Cotto to an impressive win against Yuri Foreman to capture WBA junior middleweight title. Steward’s other junior middleweight Cornelius Bundrage captured the IBF portion of the junior middleweight title when he dethroned Cory Spinks. In the middleweight division, Steward led contender Andy Lee to and prospect Domonique Dolton to 4-0 marks on the year. Additionally, Steward also successfully teamed up with young heavyweight prospect Tyson Fury.
Runner-Up: Freddie Roach
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For those interested in listening to the 2010 Awards portion of the show it begins approximately two hours and twenty-one minutes into the program.
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