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).
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