“Money May” (right) beating on Canelo (left)
New York, NY– What a year for Boxing! Whether it be a “household name” or an “average Joe”; most combatants gave it their all in the ring and didn’t disappoint. Simply put: 2013 was the most electrifying action packed fistic year of carnage the sport has seen since the economy was prosperous. I could spew more out adjectives mentioning all the great moments, rounds, fights, and great warriors involved in this savage year and go on for days. As much as I’d like to pay tribute to all of the maniacs who participated in madness that has transpired, the summary (of such) would suggest that I’d go on for weeks! Instead, here are my awards for 2013 followed by a look at the most intriguing divisions and the elite pugs within them:
Fight:
Timothy Bradley UD 12 Ruslan Provodnikov
Honarable mentions:
Ruslan Provodnikov TKO 10 Mike Alvarado
James Kirkland TKO 6 Glen Tapia
Knockout:
Lucas Matthysee KO 1 Mike Dallas
Honarable Mention:
Gennady Golovkin KO 3 Nobuhiro Ishida
Round:
John Molina TKO 10 Mikey Bey
Fighter:
Timothy Bradley
Honorable mention:
Danny Garcia
Trainer:
Virgil Hill
Upset:
Marcos Maidana UD 12 Adrien Broner
Most Impressive Performance:
Danny Garcia UD 12 Lucas Matthysee
Future Mega Star:
Gennady Golovkin
Up & Coming Prospect:
Deontay Wilder (26-0, 26 KOs) Heavyweight
Comeback:
Manny Pacquiao
Network:
Showtime
Commentator:
Paulie Malignaggi (Showtime)
Promoter:
Golden Boy Promotions
Event:
Mayweather vs Canelo
Worst Decision:
Julio Caeser Chavez Jr. UD 10 Brian Vera
Biggest fight on the horizon for 2014:
Mayweather vs Maidana
THE “DIRTY DOZEN”
Top 12 “pound for Pound” rankings (as of January 1st 2014)
Floyd Mayweather (45-0, 26 KOs)
Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs)
Timothy Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs)
Guillermo Rigendeaux (13-0, 8 KOs)
Wladimir Klitschko (61-3, 51 KOs)
Danny Garcia (27-0, 16 KOs)
Gennady Golovkin (28-0, 25 KOs)
Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KOs)
Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs)
Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs)
Miguel Cotto (38-4, 31 KOs)
Saul Alvarez (42-1-1, 30 KOs)
HAVING EVALUTED ALL THAT, HERE’S WHAT’S UP
Below is a look at who I feel are gonna keep the “buzz” going in 2014. Let’s start with the strongest division and take it from there.
Note: This is NOT a “top ten list” of each division. This is a list of notable competitors that are worth mentioning among their respective ranks and my opinion of the best possible match up within them. Enjoy and share your thoughts.
Jr. Middleweight (154)
Floyd Mayweather (45-0, 26 KOs)
Saul Alvarez (42-1-1, 30 KOs)
Miguel Cotto (38-4, 31 KOs)
Erislandy Lara (19-1-2, 12 KOs)
Keith Thurman (22-0, 20 KOs)
James Kirkland (32-1, 28 KOs)
Alfredo Angulo (22-3, 18 KOs)
Best possible match up: Mayweather vs. Miguel Cotto II
Welterweight (147)
Timothy Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs)
Marcos Maidana (35-3, 31 KOs)
Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7-1, 40 KOs)
Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KOs)
Adrien Broner (27-1, 22 KOs)
Paulie Malignaggi (33-5, 7 KOs)
Brandon Rios (31-2-1, 23 KOs)
Kell Brook (31-0, 21 KOs)
Shawn Porter (23-0-1, 14 KOs)
Josesito Lopez (31-6, 18 KOs)
Luis Abregu (35-1, 28 KOs)
Victor Ortiz (29-4-2, 22 KOs)
Best fight: Bradley vs Pacquiao II
Jr. Welterweight (140)
Danny Garcia (27-0, 16 KOs)
Rulsan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KOs)
Lucas Matthysee (34-3, 32 KOs)
Mike Alvarado (34-2, 23 KOs)
Amir Khan (28-3, 20 KOs)
Best possible match up: Garcia vs. Provodnikov
Middleweight (160)
Gennady Golovkin (28-0, 25 KOs)
Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KOs)
Peter Quillin (23-0, 22 KOs)
Brian Vera (23-7, 14 KOs)
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (47-1-1, 32 KOs)
Best possible match up: Sergio Martinez vs. Gennady Golovkin
Light Heavyweight (175)
Adonis Stevenson (23-1, 20 KOs)
Sergey Kovalev (24-0-1, 21 KOs)
Bernard Hopkins (54-6-2, 32 KOs)
Best possible match up: Stevenson v Kovalev
Happy Holidays
LAST CALL
In consideration of all the aforementioned information provided above, (whether you agree with me or not); we can all agree that things have gotten very interesting in the world of pugilism. People are talking about boxing again and you are one of them. You are reading this article and are obviously interested in the subject. Hence, you have your own thoughts, so please feel free to share them. But after all the “he said, she said bullshit”; we can all agree that it’s been an amazing year for the sport and us fans are the winners. So let’s celebrate the great effort put forth by these gladiators who went through Hell just to thrill us. In the meantime: enjoy the holidays and look forward to another year of greatness. Let’s just hope that we get more excitement from the heavyweights and that the lighter weight divisions (135 & below) get a bit more entertaining. Happy Holidays to you and yours. Thank you for reading. Respect.
John Signorella