Awards: Fighter of the Year…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(Evans stamped 2008 by winning the LH championship. Photo by Chris Cozzone)
Because of lack of viewings, trying to find the fight of the year was a challenge. But in the recent months, I’ve seen quite the great performances in MMA.
When looking for the top fighter, there are many who qualify for the honor. I’ve narrowed the list down to four: Rashad Evans, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre and Frank Mir.
4. Anderson Silva: Had a leg up on the competition after defeating Dan Henderson, but his last two fights, eh, didn’t do it for me.
I still think Spider is the best fighter pound-for-pound, but he didn’t have the competition in 2008 to prove it.
He demolished James Irvin with a great right hand but didn’t look that impressive in a win against Patrick Cote. He wasn’t saved by Cote’s knee injury, but it wasn’t Silva’s finest hour, either.
It’ll be interesting to see what 2009 holds in store for Silva. I will say when I hear Silva is going to fight, well, I get a little giddy inside.
3. Frank Mir: A little controversy on this one. I have no problem with anyone who thinks Mir should be rated higher. While 2008 was a magical and a year of rejuvenation for Mir, next year could be even better.
Mir made Brock Lesnar tap in February and followed that with being the first guy to stop Nogueira. Sounds like enough to be named FOY, right?
If Mir can beat Lesnar the second time, I’ll take back everything I’m about to say. As for 2008, Mir was in the right place at the right time.
Lesnar was too amped up, too excited. He wanted to make too big of a first impression. In turn, he got caught in a kneebar.
Against Nog, hey, time may have caught with Nog at this point. But I’m not trying to take away from Mir. He got into the best shape of his life and put forth the best 12 months of his fighting career.
Another showdown with Lesnar will answer all critics (including me).
2. Georges St. Pierre: He was No. 1 until Saturday night. He was named Canada’s 2008 male athlete of the year. You think that would be enough to be named Boneman’s top fighter, but it wasn’t.
And I guess without seeing the Jon Fitch fight, it’s a little unfair, but it’s my list.
He’s put here for his performance alone against Matt Serra in his hometown.
Serra pulled off a monumental upset beating GSP the first time around, but not this time. It was a beautiful mix of all that makes MMA great to watch as GSP got his revenge.
He, like Mir, can make his own mark again next year when St. Pierre takes on B.J. Penn at UFC 94. GSP won the first bout between the two by split decision. That should be a great one.
No. 1 and Boneman’s 2008 MMA Fighter of the Year: “Sugar” Rashad Evans. I admit it. Anyone who knocks out Chuck Liddell is going to be ranked a little bit higher than everyone else.
But with the way he kept his cool against Forrest Griffin on Saturday night makes me confident in this honor.
Evans was supposed to be Liddell’s chance to get back up in the rankings. Instead, one right hand put the Iceman on ice once again.
Everyone has seen the highlight by now. If not, it’s worth a search for sure.
And then I didn’t think he would have the toughness to go with Griffin. And after he lost the first two rounds, I thought he was proving me right.
But Evans is a tough dude and also an extremely talented fighter. He dropped Griffin in round three. And Griffin’s ground game is no slouch, but Evans kept his cool until he was in a dominant position and finished the job.
Looking in my crystal ball, I see Evans vs. Rampage Jackson for the light heavyweight championship in 2009.
Thursday: Best of the rest.
Awards: Fight of the Year…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(Rampage Jackson, left, and Forrest Griffin waged an epic battle in July)
Here we go. While I am more than confident with my choices for the boxing awards, I’m a little iffy on the mixed martial arts awards for 2008.
So I’ll make this qualifying statement: I don’t get to see nearly as much MMA as I do boxing. Therefore, these awards are a little skewed as I had to actually see the fights for them to be nominated.
With that said, I did not see the Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch fight from August. I’ve heard it’s great, but I can’t dare call it the best fight of 2008 without seeing it.
Same goes with B.J. Penn’s third round KO of Sean Sherk. Heard it was great, haven’t seen it.
But 2008 was a landmark for me as I’ve said before. It was the year I went from being a casual follower who watched fights when he could and followed MMA via the Web to being another sicko who can’t get enough of it.
With my limited choices, the Boneman’s pick for the 2008 MMA Fight of the Year: Forrest Griffin UD5 Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to win the light heavyweight championship.
Thanks to Spike, I got to see this fight. And it was a doozy.
Jackson dropped Griffin in round one, and had I not known what the result was, I would have sworn the fight was over.
But Griffin came back in round two with a tactic not seen too often in MMA: the low leg kick.
Everyone loves the high leg kick (normally brings about a spectacular KO), but Griffin utilized the low kick.
Jackson later said he’s never had someone attack him that way, and he was a little confused by the approach.
Rounds three and four are where things get tricky. These two rounds decide the fight because it’s common knowledge Jackson wins 1, Griffin wins 2 and 5 and that rounds 3 and 4 are up in the air.
Watching it the first time, I gave both rounds to Jackson. Watching it the second time, I still gave them to Jackson. But I also gave Griffin a 10-8 round in the second to score it a draw.
All three judges scored it for Griffin who went from being the first Ultimate Fighter winner to being the light heavyweight champion.
But as often is the case with MMA, this fight may not mean much in the end. On Saturday, Griffin lost his belt to Rashad Evans while Jackson put his name back on the map with a devastating knockout over Wanderlei Silva.
One loss doesn’t break a fighter, one win doesn’t make a fighter. I think all MMA fans can agree as long as the guys give it their all, a loss is nothing to hold against ‘em.
Wednesday: Fighter of the Year.
Was it really the Ultimate 2008?
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(”Sugar” Rashad Evans always comes ready for a fight)
The card looked stacked on paper. But I don’t know if it lived up to the hype. UFC 92 had all the makings of an all-time classic. It didn’t quite reach it, though.
It was good, make no mistake about it. But it could have been better. Then again, that’s the beauty of MMA. You never know when someone is going to get knocked into the middle of next week.
And that’s what Quinton “Rampage” Jackson did to “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva. One left hook, and that was all she wrote. Jackson had lost to Silva in their previous two outings as Silva’s knees had taken out Jackson. This time, not even close.
Jackson is a much better striker now and Silva has more mileage on his body than most. Now that wasn’t the only reason why it went down the way it did, but it definitely had something to do with it.
The same can be said for Nogueira and Frank Mir. Was Mir about as fit as possible and as confident as possible? Yes. But Nogueira has never just stood there and absorbed the punishment like that.
Mir ended up finishing Nogueira in the second round. Mir knocked him down twice and just pummeled his fellow Ultimate Fighter coach. Nogueira is known for taking a beatin’ and coming back but not this night.
And then in the main event, Rashad Evans knocked out Forrest Griffin in the third round. Griffin won the first two rounds with ease and continues to surprise his opponents with his leg kicks. No one sees it coming.
Evans put Griffin down, and then much to my surprise, Griffin’s ground game wasn’t up to snuff. Evans calmly went about his business before finishing the job and winning the light heavyweight championship.
But I tend to agree with other MMA fans that a one-punch KO doesn’t necessarily solve anything. All it proves is that on any given night, someone can get caught. KOs don’t mean you’ve seen the best card of the year.
Jackson/Silva was kinda nothing for it was until the big left hook. Nogueira just stood there and took everything Mir dished it out.
And Evans/Griffin was on pace to become fight of the night when Evans ended it. Griffin won the first two rounds, but they were nothing to write home about. There wasn’t that great back-and-forth classic, which you felt could have happened with this card. But that’s a minor complaint as it was a solid card.
Evans has arrived, Rampage is back, and we’re set for Mir vs. Brock Lesnar II for the heavyweight title. See, there are some things to be excited about.
So that concludes the MMA year in 2008. It definitely had its moments, so this week is all about MMA on the blog with awards week. Kick it off Tuesday with Fight of the Year (and this is a tough one).
“Well, it’s time to retire…”
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(They were once both great but now both Felix Trinidad and Roy Jones Jr. need to step away and enjoy life. They’ve earned it.)
If you know where that subject quote comes from, then you watch a little too much Batman, much like myself.
But I think that is the lasting image of boxing in 2008. Some fighters who hopefully will never see the inside of a ring again: Stevie Johnston, Chris Byrd, Roy Jones Jr., Felix Trinidad, Oscar de La Hoya and Evander Holyfield (goes without saying), among others.
Johnston, “Lil but Bad” is still little, but he’s no longer bad. My older brother loved Johnston in his prime. Sadly, he was never the same after two brutal wars with Jose Luis Castillo. Ironically, those fights put Castillo on the map.
Byrd got demolished on ESPN this year and just didn’t look like he had that fire anymore. He had a great career and his win over David Tua is still a fight I can’t believe I don’t have on DVD, but it’s time for the Byrdman to fly away. Of course, we’ll still see Chris at the fights because no boxer I know goes to more of them. He’s a fan.
When the day comes that you’re content to just not be knocked out, that’s it. So Jones Jr. has to go. He’s a first ballot Hall of Famer for sure, but Joe Calzaghe showed RJJ can no longer compete on the elite level. For a great fighter like Jones, do you really want to fight the journeymen and gate keepers in small arenas for next to nothing? Just call it a day and come back to announcing. Lennox Lewis is not cutting it for me.
Tito Trinidad. I haven’t understood one word he’s said in 10 years, but that hasn’t stopped me from loving his work. Tito has those signature moments, great KO wins vs. Fernando Vargas, Ricardo Mayorga, Joppy among others. He beat one gold medalist after another when he went through Pernell Whitaker, Oscar de La Hoya and David Reid in a 13-month span in 1999-2000. But he’s done, no shame in that.
RJJ and Oscar both said about 10 years ago that they would never fight beyond their prime. They both have, but maybe the Manny Pacquiao beatdown will make de La Hoya realize it’s time to step away.
I gots a soft spot for four of these fighters and a love-hate relationship with Jones Jr. for years. I don’t like seeing boxers go on when it’s over. I don’t like thinking about someone becoming another Meldrick Taylor (maybe the saddest boxing story of my generation).
Other thoughts from 2008
- Chad Dawson arrived on the scene. He’s the real deal who will always be involved in good, scrappy fights in the light heavyweight division… Will Andre Berto finally fight someone with a pulse? I’ve been going nuts about this kid for a couple of years, but he’s regressed as a fighter because of shoddy (careful) matchmaking. He’s got a big battle with Luis Collazo on Jan. 17… I apologize to Arthur Abraham and Joe Calzaghe. These guys can fight. I never should have doubted them… The Contender from Singapore hosted by Tony Danza for the cruiserweight division on VS? Even I’m having trouble seeing every show of this season… HBO’s 24/7 is no longer must-see programming. But the theme music is still must-listen stuff… Can’t believe Nate Campbell is one of the best fighters. My first memory of him was him being knocked out by Robbie Peden. The Galaxxy Warrior has come a long way, and I love watching him mix it up now… Too many HBO PPVs, not enough Showtime Championship Boxing during the final months of the year. I need my fix… It may be “dying” in the U.S., but boxing is alive and well globally. Manny Pacquiao – Philippines; Miguel Cotto – Puerto Rico; The Klitschko Brothers – Ukraine, Germany; The Marquez Brothers – Mexico; Lucien Bute – Canada… Boxing in 2009 will be better than 2008.
Wish List for 2009
- That Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather fight in the ultimate Boneman dream fight. Don’t even care who wins.
- That Jermain Taylor wins another world title. I thought the Arkansas kid was just in it for the money. Nah, he’s a fighter when it comes down to it.
- That Joe Calzaghe stick around. He’s got Glen Johnson, Chad Dawson or maybe Jermain Taylor. Please don’t go yet.
- That HBO commentator Larry Merchant never ride off into the sunset. I love the old coot, sport wouldn’t be the same without him.
- That the local boxing scene continues its recent surge. Enjoy those outings at Remington Park. Could other casinos be far behind?
- That Shane Mosley be rightfully cleared for all wrong doing in the BALCO/EPO stuff from 2003. I don’t think that’s going to happen because I think he may have been at fault.
- That Winky Wright fight again, if only so he can shut up. Winky is one of those great tacticians who overvalues what he’s worth. Not everyone loves him, he must accept that.
- That an American heavyweight emerge to challenge the Klitschko brothers. My money is still on Kevin Johnson. Johnson and Chris Arreola need to mix it up.
- That Paul Williams get a mega fight. Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto look like they’ll be dancing again, so I don’t know who wants a shot at the genetic left-handed freak.
- That Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez stay away from each other. Beat up on other people and meet for the fourth time in 2010.
- That Margarito-Cotto II can be half as good as the first one. It’ll be interesting to see what Cotto does to change anything. Margarito’s granite chin allows him to change nothing.
- And finally, that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather fight. Wait, I said that already. Sorry. Really, we need this fight. It’ll bring Roger Mayweather back to HBO’s 24/7, might make it watchable again.
That concludes boxing week for 2008. Next week is all about MMA. And with a huge PPV in UFC 92 on Saturday, the best may have been saved for last.
Awards: Best of the rest…
George Bailey: Merry Christmas, movie house! Merry Christmas, Emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan! Hey, Merry Christmas, Mr. Potter!
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(and to think Kendall Holt, left, was down twice in the first minute of the same round. Photo courtesy Chris Farina/Top Rank.)
Not every award needs to be dissected into a million little pieces. Some, well, just deserve recognition with little explanation. There were plenty of things that happened in 2008 that I feel need to be recognized.
Round of the Year: Round 1 of Kendall Holt-Ricardo Torres II or Round 4 of Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez III. I’m torn. Can a round of the year only be like 70 seconds? Holt was dropped twice and looked to be on his way out when a body shot-head butt-right hand didn’t just KO Torres, he was out for a good 5-10 minutes. It was crazy, definitely worth searching the Net for the video.
But I’m not a fan of a round of the year being a KO, so I lean more toward Vazquez and Marquez again. Great, great stuff.
KO of the Year: OK, here’s Kendall Holt and Ricardo Torres. Torres’ body just goes limp. It’s kinda freaky.
Trainer of the Year: Freddie Roach. I’d love to pick the brain of this mastermind. Not only has he made Manny Pacquiao the best fighter in the world, he managed to upset Oscar de La Hoya in the process. Bonus points for that one.
Rivalry of the Year: Top Rank vs. Golden Boy Promotions. Hey, as long as the two work together to make the fights, I don’t really care who actually wins them. But they’re worse than a divorced couple on trying to agree to anything.
Prospect of the Year: I’m going go with James Kirkland. Always explosive and leads to a short, fun-filled night. But I was most impressed with DeAndre Latimore’s victory over Sechew Powell.
Local Prospect of the Year: Noah Zuhdi, lightweight. He went 4-0 with all wins by first-round KO this year. His final one gave him the Oklahoma Lightweight championship. And if Carson Jones could ever get a strong team behind him, he is a special talent. The light middleweight took a lot of early bad fights and his six losses is extremely misleading.
Comeback Fighter of the Year: Vic Darchinyan. The first time I saw him he was getting tattooed by Nonito Donaire. In 2008, Darchinyan came back with two KO wins, including a jaw-dropping outing against Cristian Mijares. Sets up a huge battle with Jorge Arce which should be fun for everybody.
Best show: For your money’s worth and most of the time from an entertainment persepctive, ESPN’s Wednesday Night Fights. Upsets galore in this spring/summer series, and Joe Tessitore is one of my favorite voices in sports. Maybe because he does boxing, horse racing and college football (all three I love, too). 2009 will not have a WNF, victim of cost-cutting measures in today’s economy.
Performance of the Year: Antonio Margarito TKO 11 Miguel Cotto. Margarito had never been on the big stage, and he had anything but stage fright. Even though he was probably down 5-1 in rounds halfway through the fight, he kept his cool. He walked down Cotto and buried him into submission. A case where you come in with a game plan and execute it to perfection.
Uh oh, HBO, Showtime is creeping up on you: Yeah, that’s not an award, more a statement. Not just with the quality of fights, but with things like the two hour documentary on the Vazquez-Marquez Trilogy. Next time I catch it, that is going on DVD. But please, both guys, fight someone else and make a little money.
Boneman’s Moment of the Year: I can’t do it. I have three, sorry.
- Bernard Hopkins staring down the media after the Kelly Pavlik fight. I’ve never been a huge B-Hop fan, but this was an incredible display of boxing. I thought Pavlik would give him a career-ending beatdown. No sir. Hopkins’ stare can scare just about anybody, IMO.
- Trainer Freddie Roach telling Manny Pacquiao “this is your job. Take him out” after the seventh round against Oscar de La Hoya. Roach was so fed up with the way Oscar had blamed Roach for DLH’s loss to Floyd Mayweather. PacMan had just obliterated Oscar in round seven and Roach was still calm. But you know deep down, that was one helluva night for Roach and company.
- Israel Vazquez won’t be denied in the 12th round against Rafael Marquez. This is my favorite round of the year. Not best because there isn’t two-way action. This is Vazquez stalking Marquez for three minutes because he knows the fight is on the line. This is Marquez tryin to survive when he can’t see out of his left eye. This was all that is beautiful about boxing on display. I was so pumped that I was shadow boxing at 2:30 a.m. when watching this for the first time. An incredible end to an incredible trilogy of fights.
Friday: The year that was boxing in 2008 and a 2009 Wish List.
Awards: Upset of the Year…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(maybe Hopkins didn’t get the memo that he was supposed to be fodder for Pavlik)
This was a category where I had to work backwards. I knew what the winner was the night it happened. But in order to try to build up some drama, here are some other credible upsets that took place.
4) Carlos Quintana W12 Paul Williams: P-Will was supposed to be the future of the welterweight division. He was coming off a hard-earned decision win against Antonio Margarito. This was supposed to be a showcase fight.
No siree. Quintana was too slick all night for Williams and busted him up good. Easy decision win.
Why this didn’t win: Um, because Williams knocked him out in less than a round in a rematch five months later. Williams came out aggressive and destroyed Quintana, dropping him twice and getting his name back up among the elite once again.
3) Brian Vera TKO 7 Andy Lee: Lee was supposed to be the next big thing for trainer Emanuel Steward. And it appeared that way early when Lee scored a knockdown in the first round.
However, as became a theme all 2008 on ESPN, the underdog came to fight. Vera eventually stopped Lee in the seventh.
Why this didn’t win: Two sides of the same coin here. One, maybe Lee was overrated and was exposed. Or two, Lee ends up being something special and this was just a blip on the radar. Either way, Lee will have plenty of chances to rebound, and we’ll find out what he’s made out of.
2) Manny Pacquiao TKO 8 Oscar de La Hoya: Most scribes has penciled in a late de La Hoya knockout because of his natural size and experience.
There was no way Pacquiao could take a left hook from the Golden Boy.
Hey, we’ll never know because Oscar never landed that or anything else significant in the bout.
Pacquiao dominated in round 1 and kept it up before annihilating Oscar in rounds 7 and 8 and causing the fight to be stopped. Pacquiao was supposed to be the smaller fighter, but he was the one standing tall on this night.
Why it didn’t win: Because I picked PacMan to win by late-round stoppage. I didn’t think it would be that much of a destruction, but I’ve said for years that Pacquiao is a different breed of a fighter than most of today’s pugilists. So while the rest of the boxing world had their jaws on the ground, I was proud for believing in my instincts.
No. 1 and the Boneman’s Upset of the Year: Bernard Hopkins W12 Kelly Pavlik. You know how I stuck my chest up for PacMan? Well, take that and the complete opposite, and you’ve got Hopkins and Pavlik.
Hopkins looked old and unmotivated in losing to Joe Calzaghe in April. Pavlik was coming off two thrilling wins over Jermain Taylor, a cake walk KO of Gary Lockett and was bringing back boxing to the midwest.
Hopkins did everything but knock Pavlik out. I watched in awe. He beat him to the punch. He still had great movement. He was stronger.
It started in round 2 when he rocked Pavlik. I don’t remember Pavlik landing one punch that made me thing the tide was about to turn.
Hopefully Pavlik can bounce back from this. I had no problems with Hopkins staring down Pavlik, the media after the fight. Hey, you get razzed on during the whole buildup to the fight and then put on that performance? You’re allowed to have a little fun and boast.
Thursday: The rest of the best in boxing 2008.
Awards: Fighter of the Year…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(I’d buy stock in Manny Pacquiao. You’d think the exchange rate would be pretty good right about now)
Wish I would have had this blog at this time last year. Anyone who knows me knows I love Floyd “Money” Mayweather. And for once, I could have justifiably went off about what a great year 2007 was for Mayweather. He defeated Oscar de La Hoya and toyed with before knocking out Ricky Hatton. Man, it was great.
But Money May is not in the picture for the 2008 honor. I’m going to say there are four legitimate candidates for this honor. But in the end, you know who I’m picking.
4) Chad Dawson, light heavyweight: “Bad” Chad introduced himself to a primetime audience in 2008. His resume included wins over Glen Johnson (in April) and Antonio Tarver (in October).
Why he deserves it: He fought two of the three guys who have dominated the LH division for the last decade. He was in a great battle with Johnson in April. And in October, he dominated Tarver, even dropping him in the final round.
It’s not a reach to call Dawson the future of the LH division and maybe, just maybe the future of American boxing. He’s a star on the rise. Mayweather said Dawson is the best fighter pound-for-pound today.
I won’t go that far, but yeah, I’m a believer in Bad Chad.
Why he didn’t win: That Johnson fight was close. While Dawson eked out more rounds, Johnson wobbled the youngster a couple of times… Tarver had nothing left in the tank early in their fight. Dawson would have earned some huge kudos had he knocked out Tarver.
Up next: An inexplicable rematch with Tarver. HBO wants Dawson away from Showtime, and this is their way of doing it: throwing him a bunch of money for what should be a one-sided beatdown.
3) Joe Calzaghe, light heavyweight: 2008 became the year the Boneman officially came a believer in the Wales legend. He came over to the U.S. and took out the two names any casual fan knows: Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr.
Why he deserves it: Because he answered his critics. All the ones (ahem, me) who said he would never come over to the U.S. and fight a worthy challenger. He did it not once but twice. Hopefully, he sent Roy Jones Jr. into retirement. He doesn’t have one-punch KO power, but his volume is enough to beat people into submission.
Why he didn’t get it: Because the stain of the Hopkins fight is too much for me. He won me over with the way he dominated Jones, but that Hopkins fight is a stinker. In both fights, Calzaghe got dropped in the first round. Against Hopkins, he did just enough to win. My Fighter of the Year is doing more than that.
Up next: Good question. A logical fight would be Dawson, so expect that to never happen. I don’t think Jermain Taylor moves up to take him on. Maybe Joe rides off into the sunset. But he’s so close to 50 wins, tough to decide.
2) Antonio Margarito, welterweight: I can hear his supporters cursing me already. Margarito had a great first-half of 2008. But then he disappeared, and I did not appreciate that. He started to play the money game, and I wasn’t digging it. Yeah, he deserves a lot, but he also needs to strike while the iron is hot.
Why he deserves it: Are you kidding? Two beautiful knockouts against two of the best welterweights in the world isn’t enough for you? Kermit Cintron was supposed to be a different fighter in their rematch. Armed with Emanuel Steward as his trainer, Cintron was going to end Margarito.
No. Tony massacred Cintron. Had him wincing in pain and just overpowered him from beginning to end. It was finally stopped in round 6.
And then he took out the “next legend” Miguel Cotto. He wasn’t afraid to stand and trade with the KO artist. Margarito took Cotto’s heart, and then he took his title.
Why he didn’t get it: Any other year, I think he does. Two great wins. But the man at the top had three great wins and left a lasting impression.
Up next: A showdown with Shane Mosley on Jan. 24. This could be the fight where Mosley gets sent into retirement. Of course, I’m hoping Sugar can be sweet one more time.
No. 1 and the Boneman’s Fighter of the Year: Manny Pacquiao, ???: I don’t know what weight division he is. The Filipino Sensation won fights in three different classes in 2008. He’s the modern day Henry Armstrong.
Why he won it: He began his year with a riveting split decision win against Juan Manuel Marquez in the super featherweight division in March. That fight was easily one of the fights of the year.
He followed that with a beatdown of David Diaz for the lightweight championship. At the time, I called it a masterful performance. Little did I know the best was yet to come.
Because we all know earlier this month, he disgraced Oscar de La Hoya for eight rounds before the Golden Boy had the plug pulled on him.
I remember when Pacquiao was brought in as an opponent for Lehlohonolo Ledwaba in 2001. Who was this dude wearing fire-like color trunks and wearing No Fear gear? Really, he’s supposed to be something?
Seven years later, and I don’t get any more excited than when hearing Pacquiao is going to fight. Never a dull moment for the PacMan. He’s become such an unbelievable all-around threat under the guidance of Freddie Roach.
I put three fights on DVD this year with Pacquiao. That means he was involved in something good.
Up next: A rumored potential showdown with Ricky Hatton. It’s not set in stone, but I would think the winner gets Floyd Mayweather in November/December in the biggest fight that can be made without the name de La Hoya.
Wednesday: Upset of the Year.
Awards: Fight of the Year…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(yeah, it was that good. Photo by Lucy Nicholson, Reuters)
I’ve always wanted to do one of these year-end award things. It’s one of the few things I’m guaranteed to read when writers write them.
Hopefully, you’ll feel the same way and join me for the ride through the next two weeks of the year that was 2008 and the year that will be 2009.
Since UFC has a HUGE event coming up (on my birthday), let’s start with boxing. Taking a gander at HBO Best of 2008 list onDemand, and you realize how sad of a year it was for the once-powerful entity.
For the record, in HBO’s opinion this is what you should remember: Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez (yes); Antonio Margarito vs. Miguel Cotto (yes); Bernard Hopkins vs. Kelly Pavlik (eh); Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones (definitely not); Pacquiao vs. Oscar de La Hoya (nah).
They should change it to most significant fights if this is the route they’re going. Those last three fights were all one-sided smackdowns.
I watched all four Boneman Potential Fight of the Year contests this weekend. The four selected: Israel Vazquez vs. Rafael Marquez III; Pacquiao vs. Marquez II; Margarito vs. Cotto; Steve Cunningham vs. Tomasz Adamek.
4) Pacquiao W12 split decision Marquez on March 15: Palpable drama but lacks the nonstop action of the first one. PacMan is a much better boxer than he was in their epic bout four years ago while JMM was not nearly as stunned.
Pacquiao scores a devastating knockdown at the end of round three and also hurt Marquez bad in the beginning of round 10.
Not as much toe-to-toe exchanges but you could see both fighters thinking their way through the fight. Believe it or not, that’s pretty cool, too.
I officially scored it 7-5 for a 115-112 win for Pacquiao. PacMan ended up winning by one point in a split decision nod.
3) Adamek W12 split decision Cunningham on December 11: Great atmosphere in New Jersey for their adopted hometown boy, Adamek.
Adamek drops Cunningham three times in the fight and twice I thought Cunningham was done for. Impressive show of heart by Cunningham who not only came back but swept the final three rounds on my card.
Adamek has been in many memorable wars, and it will be interesting if he can resurrect some interest in the cruiserweight division.
2) Margarito KO 11 Cotto on July 26: I remember this night vividly as this PPV was going head-to-head with an Elite XC card on CBS. I ended up watching both.
On July 27, I said this was the fight of the year. Watching it again, eh, I’m going back to the original pick I had.
Blame HBO commentator Emanuel Steward for this. His words kept echoing in my head about eventually Margarito would walk Cotto down. Sure enough, he did.
Cotto exchanged with Margarito early and learned that was the easiest way to being KO’d. So while he didn’t necessarily get on his bike and ride, he power-boxed (TM Shane Mosley) from the outside.
Margarito turned the tide in rounds six and seven and battered the Puerto Rican hero in the second half of the fight.
It was a dramatic upset to casual fans, a minor one with the diehards like me. Margarito is tough and has been one of the most avoided fighters for years.
Expect a rematch between the two in the summer of ‘09.
No. 1 and the Boneman’s Fight of the Year: Israel Vazquez W12 split decision Rafael Marquez on March 1: No doubt about it. I’m going to use Showtime commentator Al Bernstein’s words on this: “This fight has produced terrific moments, and then there’s round 4.”
Round 4 might be round of the year. This concluded one of the best trilogies not just of the modern era but any era. Marquez won the first one after busting up Vazquez’s nose. Vazquez KO’d Marquez in the sixth in the rematch. And for the third time in 12 months, the two put on a show no one will soon forget.
What puts this ahead of everything else is the constant ebb and flow between world-classed fighters. So many clean, flush shots. You’re expecting one of them to flinch, but they don’t give an inch.
Marquez does well in the first five rounds, including scoring a knockdown in round 4. But Vazquez imposes his will on the fight as the two give-and-take for 11 rounds.
And then Vazquez beats Marquez down from pillar to post for the final three minutes. I remember watching this fight at nearly 2 a.m. after coming home from HS basketball. When it was over, I was wide awake.
Vazquez drops Marquez with less than 10 seconds remaining. Marquez said it wasn’t a knockdown. Vazquez says the fight should have been stopped. Referee Pat Russell made the right ruling.
In the end, just like his brother, Juan Manuel, Rafael Marquez lost by one point in a split decision. Making it fair to say Vazquez’s dramatic 12th round was the difference.
So for the second year in a row, Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez have produced the fight of the year. Their second bout was FOY for 2007.
Tuesday: Fighter of the Year (if you’ve done your homework, you know this one).
Getting suckered again…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I consider myself a pretty rational person. Most of the time. But then Evander Holyfield comes into play. All logic goes out the window.
As much as I want to see The Real Deal retire, I will still do anything to try to watch his fights. So when he fights Saturday in Switzerland against Nicolay Valuev for one of the heavyweight titles, I’m going to do everything in my power to not be home.
Because if I am, I’m dumb enough to plunk down the money to watch it. And I know I’ll be disappointed.
Holyfield has provided some of my favorite boxing moments of all time. His first fight with Mike Tyson is incredibly boring. Jab, right hand, clinch and repeat. But I’ve never fallen asleep watching that fight. I’m so galvanized by the event. And when he knocks him out in the 11th, I’m always wide awake.
His first fight with Riddick Bowe is unreal. I can’t think what hyperbolic statements would be made about this fight if it happened today. It gets lost in the shuffle because boxing was still mourning the loss of Tyson after he was convicted of rape.
But if you ever get a chance, watch not just the first Bowe fight but the whole trilogy. I can’t add anything to Bowe-Holyfield I’s 10th round that hasn’t been said before. A true time capsule round.
I’ll even lump in the second Lennox Lewis fight as a favorite of mine. I watch round 7 of that fight as if it’s almost a KO. It’s not, but I thought it was a great swan for Holyfield.
So more than nine years later, it’s remarkable (sad) that he’s still out there. A Warrior who once had a trilogy with Bowe now has one with John Ruiz? An all-time great who was the unified cruiserweight and heavyweight champion of the world has lost to Larry Donald and Sultan Ibragimov?
Sad but true. Holyfield has said for years it his destiny to unify the titles and become a five-time champion. God told him in a dream.
The dream isn’t a nightmare yet, but I hope the end is soon for Holyfield. He deserves a fond farewell, but I don’t see it happening.
In MMA news, I got to watch Jake Rosholt’s WEC fight the other night. That was a good one. I had read it was a second-round knockout, so I’m thinking it would be a beatdown.
No, Rosholt was pushed. I don’t know if that is bad because he’s inexperience, and he’s already being tested. Or if it’s good because his opponent was no slouch, and he’s already shown heart.
I also finally got to see Mike Brown KO Urijah Faber. Faber is one of the Boneman’s boys, so it hurt. But that’s the beauty of MMA.
Also, don’t know what to say about the death of MMA fighter Justin Blevens and his wife, Sarah. Early reports suggest a murder-suicide. And as a wrestling fan, that brings me back to Chris Benoit from 18 months ago. No matter which way you slice it, it’s not pretty. My condolences go out to Blevens’ family and friends. Blevens was 28 while his wife was 25.
…
It’s been a little slow on the Bout Blog to which I apologize. But I’ve wrapped up the HS football season once and for all. Expect two strong weeks of year-end awards for 2008 and predictions for 2009 in both boxing and MMA. I’ve been debating against myself on some of these awards, so interested to see what some of you thought were the best fight moments of 2008.
To whet your appetite, here is one of the best pieces I’ve read in a while courtesy of Thomas Hauser at maxboxing.com. Great insight into the career of Oscar de La Hoya.
Coming around on UFC…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
This upcoming weekend will mark my 10th anniversary as a diehard boxing fan. It started Dec. 19 in Florida on HBO with a doubleheader of David Tua vs. Hasim Rahman and Angel Manfredy vs. Floyd Mayweather.
Wow, 10 years, I’m getting old. And for 10 years, boxing has been my undisputed king of sports. I don’t care what anyone says when fights Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez happen, nothing needs to be said. That’s why I love boxing.
But this weekend wasn’t one of them times. This weekend saw me throwing my remote control about the garbage I was watching. More on that in a minute.
While I like/follow UFC more than most people I know, I would never say I’m an expert. But after watching the latest installment of the Ultimate Fighter, again, I might be changing my tune as to where it falls on the Boneman’s favorites.
That was some great stuff Saturday night, especially with Ryan Bader and his first-round KO to win TUF 8. I remember Bader with Arizona State. The Sun Devils are producing a lot of UFC potential stars. Add Bader to C.B. Dollaway and Cain Velasquez, and it’s becoming an ASU reunion in the Octagon.
And how about that high kick KO by Anthony Johnson on Kevin Burns? That was a thing of beauty. I thought Burns was ripe for the takin’ in the third, but I never saw it happening like that.
And of course, kudos to Efrain Escudero on winning the TUF 8 at lightweight. I may have not been in love with that match as most, but it was still quality.
Boxing, on the other hand, ugh. Saturday saw Rahman get his umpteenth chance to prove he is more than a one-punch wonder. And it gave Demetrius Hopkins an opportunity to enter as a substitute opponent and leave as the light welterweight champion.
Both men didn’t fail because they didn’t try. It’s harsh, but I didn’t see the world-class commitment you would expect from two guys looking to win a championship.
Not like the heart and drive I saw all night with the UFC. Rahman didn’t even attempt to touch Wladimir Klitschko all night. I know Dr. K is a beast, but why sign for the fight if you have no intention on trying to do anything? It was mercifully stopped in the seventh, and I believe Rahman landed 30 punches in seven rounds. Yep, a blistering four punches per round.
Over on Showtime was supposed to be the rubber match between Kendall Holt and Ricardo Torres. Torres pulled out Monday because of illness and in stepped Hopkins.
Through nine rounds, I had it 6-3 Holt. Not an insurmountable deficit to overcome, especially since Holt wasn’t hurting D-Hop at all.
But during the final nine minutes, Hopkins did nothing. NOTHING. He was more than happy to smile and hug Holt after the fight but didn’t do anything to try to win it.
Why are some of the modern boxers content to just say “I went the distance.” You’d never see an MMA fighter do that. One, because their opponent would pressure them to submission and two, because their pride wouldn’t allow it. That’s why even when people like Chuck Liddell, Rampage Jackson, etc. lose, all is forgotten by their next fight. They give so much that you gloss over the L.
Not all MMA fighters are fight til you do die warriors and not all boxers are safety-first. Take the Steve Cunningham/Tomasz Adamek fight Thursday. Cunningham had every reason to throw in the towel after being knocked down three times in the first eight rounds. Not just knocked down but badly hurt.
He didn’t. In fact, he easily won the final three rounds and made it a split decision. So Cunningham lost, big deal? His spirited effort will definitely earn him another payday and another shot on TV.
And because I had to work Sunday, I taped an eight-hour UFC Unleashed marathon on Spike. And yes, I intend to watch all eight hours within the next 24 hours.
There are rumblings of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd “Money” Mayweather. I get giddy just thinking about it. And then confused about who I’d want to win. I love and respect both guys so much. So who should PacMan take on, Hatton or Mayweather?
