FIGHTER OF YEAR HONORS NOT A POPULARITY CONTEST
San Francisco, CA– If you based the “Fighter of The Year” honors solely on popularity, Manny Pacquiao wins it going away. So, before we go any further we recognize that Pacman is the face of boxing and his fans are in the millions worldwide. That being said, this award should go to a fighter who has had significant ring accomplishments in this calendar year. With the criteria set, the hands down winner is World middleweight (160 lbs) champion Sergio Martinez of Oxnard, CA by way of Agentina.
SPANKING OF PAVLIK NOT SO DIFFICULT
World middleweight champion Sergio Martinez
Martinez, the ex-jr. middleweight (154) champion was considered a lesser foe than Paul Williams, as then champion Kelly Pavlik pulled (punked) out of three fights with Williams, before signing to fight Martinez seemingly minutes after Williams agreed to take another fight. But over the course of 12 rounds, Martinez shined like the spotlight from Batman’s helicopter on a dark part of Gotham City, exposing Kelly as the one dimensional fighter many people believed he always was. It was a performance that finally brought the boxing world to the realization that Sergio Martinez, frenetic style and all, the boy can fight!
HBO TREATED CHAMP LIKE HOOKER AT VATICAN
A fortnight ago the 46-2-2 (25 KOs) Martinez faced the “most feared man in boxing,” Paul Williams. Incredibly, it was Williams, now 39-2, 27 KOs, who got a bigger purse than the defending champion. Adding injury to insult was the fact that HBO made it so Williams was announced secondly, the rule in boxing for every fight I’ve seen but Larry Holmes-Gerry Cooney is that the challenger is announced first and the champion second. That’s how much pull Al Heyman, Williams’ advisor has at HBO that Martinez was being treated like he was some speed bump, a minor impediment in the road for Williams and his ascension to that of middleweight champion.
HBO favorite Paul Williams
DRILLING OF WILLIAMS ONE FOR HISTORY AND YOUTUBE.COM
Having seen some of the greatest KOs in history, the single left that knocked Williams into another time zone, that punch goes down there with some of the all time greats. Having watched it a few times, it is such a compelling scene that you want to watch the knockout time and again.
LESSON TO BE LEARNED FROM SERGIO, TYSON & MMA
The shot from the Grassy Knoll that felled Paul Williams, to me it proved one thing that I’ve been trying to get people in boxing to realize that if you have decisive endings of fighters facing off in the upper echelon of the fight game, then you have a product that is both exciting and marketable. Few people want to see a 12 round fight, the squares (non-boxing fans) especially because 60% of them think the Sweet Science is a fixed anyway. Mike Tyson generated interest, the same kind of fanfare MMA and the UFC is enjoying now.
THE EXCLAMATION POINT OF 2010 BY FAR!
There was no more dramatic single event in the year than the Martinez KO of the thought to be invincible Paul Williams. Add to the equation that he was a “hand picked” by Pavlik underdog, one that beat the Ohio native with astonishing ease. These were the two most significant “shake ups” of 2010. In the end, we’re talking about pugilistic steak, the best against best, not dog kibble. That’s why it is Martinez over anybody else by a mile!
Pedro Fernandez