INCREDIBLY DETAILED VIEW OF 2009
New York, NY– The new millennium has produced some of the most incredible action the great sport of boxing has ever seen. History making epics such as the Arturo Gatti/Mickey Ward trilogy, instant classics like the Israel Vazquez/ Rafael Marquez trilogy, along with the buzz created by international superstar pugilists Marco Antonio Barrera, Joe Calazaghe, Joel Casamayor, Jose Luis Castillo, Diego Corrales, Miguel Cotto, Juan Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Vernon Forrest, Naseem Hamed, Ricky Hatton, Evander Holyfield, Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr., Zab Judah, Vitali Klitishcko, Wladimir Klitishcko, Lennox Lewis, Juan Manuel Marquez, Floyd Mayweather, Erik Morales, Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao, Kelly Pavlik, Antonio Tarver, Jermain Taylor, James Toney, Felix Trinidad, Kostya Tszyu, Mike Tyson, and Fernando Vargas (regardless of future endeavors, outcome or controversy) have propelled extravagant events and intense battles of epic proportions over the last ten years. 2009 has produced tremendous moments and is a year worthy of closing out a memorable and pivotal decade in the sport. Below is my opinionated list for the “best of the year for 2009”.
Best Fights
Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rogers Mtagwa (Lopez W UD 12)
Luis Carlos Abregu vs. Irving Garcia (Abregu W KO 4)
Chris Avalos vs. Giovanni Caro (Avalos W KO 4)
Miguel Cotto vs. Manny Pacquiao (Pacquiao W TKO 12)
Victor Ortiz vs. Marcos Maidana (Maidana W KO 6)
Honorable Mentions:
Travis Kauffman vs. Tony Grano (Grano W KO 4)
Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz (Marquez W KO 9)
Bernard Dunne vs. Ricardo Cardoba (Dunne W TKO 11)
Carl Froch vs. Jermain Taylor (Froch W TKO 12)
Paul Williams vs. Sergio Martinez (Williams W MD 12)
Andre Berto vs. Luis Collazo (Berto W UD 12)
Joesph Agbeko vs. Yonnhy Perez (Perez W UD12)
Knockouts of the year
Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton (Pacquiao W KO 2)
Chris Avalos vs. Giovanni Caro (Avalos W KO 4)
Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz (Marquez W KO 9)
Alfredo Angulo vs. Harry Joe Yorgey (Angulo W KO 3)
Randall Bailey vs. Francisco Figueroa (Bailey W KO 4)
Honorable Mentions 
aniel Jacobs vs. Jose Varela (Jacobs W KO 2)
Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor (Abraham W KO 12)
Yuriokis Gamboa vs. Walter Estrada (Gamboa W TKO 4)
Shane Mosley vs. Antonio Margarito (Mosley W TKO 10)
Antonio Escalante vs. Gary Stark (Escalante W TKO 3)
Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Raboote (Wilder W KO 1)
Danny Garcia vs. Enrique Colin (Garcia W KO 2)
Travis Kauffman vs. Tony Grano (Grano W KO 4)
Carl Froch vs. Jermain Taylor (Froch W TKO 12)
Giovanni Lorenzo vs. Dionisio Miranda (Lorenzo W KO 2)
David Tua vs. Shane Cameron (Tua W KO 2)
Ponnsawat Kratingdaenggym vs. Bernard Dunne (Kratingdaenggym W KO 3)
Luis Carlos Abregu vs. Irving Garcia (Abregu W KO 4)
Lucian Bute vs. Libardo Andrade (Bute W KO 4)
Brian Viloria vs.Ulises Solis (Viloria W KO 11)
Amir Khan vs. Dmitriy Salita (Khan W KO1)
Round of the year
Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rogers Mtagwa: round 12
Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rogers Mtagwa: round 11
Victor Ortiz vs. Marcos Maidana: round 1
Luis Carlos Abregu vs. Irving Garcia: round 4
Chris Avalos vs. Giovanni Caro: round 4
Honorable Mentions:
Bernard Dunne vs. Ricardo Cardoba: round 10
Manny Pacquaio vs. Miguel Cotto: round 4
Paul Williams vs. Sergio Martinez: round 1
Travis Kauffman vs. Tony Grano: round 4
Performance of the year
Shane Mosley vs. Antonio Margarito (Mosley W TKO 10)
Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto (Pacquiao W TKO 12)
Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton (Pacquiao W KO 2)
Andre Ward vs. Mikkel Kessler (Ward W TD 11)
Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez (Mayweather W UD 12)
Upset
Shane Mosley vs. Antonio Margarito (Mosley W KO 10)
Victor Ortiz vs. Marcos Maidana (Maidana W KO 6)
Jorge Linares vs. Juan Carlos Salgado (Salgado W KO1)
Danny Green vs Roy Jones Jr. (Green W KO 1)
Marvin Quintero vs. Tyrone Harris (Harris W TKO 
Comeback :Shane Mosley
Decline
Antonio Margarito
Nate Campbell
Juan Diaz
Ricky Hatton
Glen Johnson
Roy Jones Jr.
James Kirkland
Jeff Lacy
Kelly Pavilk
Antonio Tarver
Jermain Taylor
Junior Witter
Missing In Action
(Fighters who hardly fought or fought in off U.S. T.V. bouts with little media coverage)
Sergio Mora
Tomasz Adamek
Joel Casamayor
Ruslan Chagaev
Eddie Chambers
Kermit Cintron
Steve Cunningham
Adrian Diaconu
Nonito Donaire
John Duddy
B.J. Flores
Ricky Hatton
David Haye
Zab Judah
Amir Khan
Wladmir Klitschko
Andy Lee
Rafael Marquez
Jean Pascal
Sam Peter
Alexander Povetkin
John Ruiz
Felix Strum
James Toney
Ricardo Torres
David Tua
Edwin Valero
Nikolay Valuev
Israel Vazquez
Brian Viloria
Winky Wright
Event: Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto
Trainer: Freddie Roach
Network: Showtime
Prospect/rising star (or) future star
Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KOs)
Tomasz Adamek (39-1, 27 KOs)
Timothy Bradley (25-0, 11 KOs)
Lucian Bute (25-0, 20 KOs)
Andre Berto (25-0, 19 KOs)
Antonio DeMarco (23-1-1, 17 KOs)
Nonito Donarie (24-1, 14 KOs)
Yuriokis Gamboa (16-0, 14 KOs)
Danny Green (28-3, 25 KOs)
Amir Khan (22-1, 16 KOs)
Juan Manuel Lopez (27-0, 24 KOs)
Shawn Porter (12-0, 10 KOs)
Vanes Martirosyan (26-0, 17 KOs)
Edwin Valero (26-0, 26 KOs)
Top pound for pound
Manny Pacquaio (50-3-2, 38 KOs)
Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs)
Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs)
Israel Vazquez (44-4, 32 KOs)
Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs)
Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KOs)
Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs)
Rafael Marquez (38-5, 34 KOs)
Paul Williams (38-1, 27 KOs)
Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs)
Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KOs)
Lucian Bute (25-0, 20 KOs)
Andre Berto (25-0, 19 KOs)
Sergio Martinez (44-2-2, 24 KOs)
Chad Dawson (29-0, 17 KOs)
Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 KOs)
Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KOs)
Edwin Valero (25-0, 25 KOs)
Celestino Caballero (32-2, 23 KOs)
Kelly Pavlik (36-1, 32 KOs)
Fighter of the year
Manny Pacquiao (2-0, 2 KOs in ’09)
LIFE AFTER PACQUIAO VS MAYWEATHER
Despite the disappointment of the highly anticipated contest between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather being cancelled, 2010 promises to be an even bigger year for the sport than 2009. The first quarter of the year will produce some world’s best pound for pound fighters slugging it out amongst themselves. On January 30th, battle tested veteran and living legend Shane Mosley will take on the fast punching, risk-taking Andre Berto on HBO Championship Boxing. A week prior, HBO has an action packed “must see” double header featuring rising stars pitted in their toughest tasks to date when Juan Manuel Lopez throws hands with Steven Luevano and Yuriorkis Gamboa scraps against Rogers Mtagwa. Showtime will debut its Championship Boxing series on Feb 6th featuring undefeated knockout artist Edwin Valero against colorful tactician Antonio Demarco. Dallas Cowboy Stadium will host it’s first card of boxing in an electrifying attraction of world class welterweights when Manny Pacquiao squares off against Joshua Clottey. Looking a head to the second quarter of the year, Showtime presents the final chapter of what is already one of the ring’s greatest trilogies of all time. World elite combatants Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez return May 22nd to typify their masterpiece of fistic brilliance when they do combat for an unprecedented forth time.
John Signorella