Two-thousand fourteen is drawing to a close, and it was not an epic year for the sport of boxing. Still, when it was good ? it was very good, and often great. Fighter of the Year: Gennady Golovkin. Golovkin was expected to win all of his 2014 outings ? and win he did. Osumanu Adama (TKO 7), Daniel Geale (TKO 3) and Marco Antonio Rubio (KO 2) all fell, as expected. But, it is how “GGG” won that told the tale. With Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao continuing to not fight one another, Andre Ward not fighting at all, and the sport otherwise on sabbatical from most things noteworthy, the Kazakhstan-born resident of Germany took a stranglehold of the spotlight and became what Mike Tyson and Pacquiao became in 1986 and 2003: must-watch television.
Simply, Golovkin left both fans and opponents in awe of his combination of fundamentals, technique, poise, patience and ? most notably ? power. Geale was a former IBF champion who had made four defenses of his title.
Golovkin took him out with little problem. And, more than the knockout of rugged-but-limited campaigner Rubio, it was Golovkin’s growing popularity worldwide ? particularly in the Mexican and Mexican-American communities ($$$) ? that showed that he is truly a superstar on the rise. The boyish smile and polite demeanor, coupled with an assassin’s instinct, made GGG the most compelling new figure in the sport.
Runnerup: Terence Crawford. Fight of the Year: Lucas Matthysse KO 11 John Molina. For this, arguably the second-biggest fight of Molina’s career, many people expected a repeat of his first big fight, a first-round knockout loss to Antonio DeMarco in 2012. Few thought he’d last long against Argentina’s “Machine,” one of the hardest punchers in boxing. But Molina fought the fight of his life and displayed Arturo Gatti-like guts in going toe-to-toe with the fierce slugger.
He dropped Matthysse twice, cut him, and had him in serious trouble several times. Matthysse survived, and Molina finally succumbed in round 11 after a brutal barrage. But, for one glorious night, Molina was better than he ever was, and probably better than he ever will be.
Runnerup: Orlando Salido KO 11 Terdsak Kokietgym. Upset of the Year: Chris Algieri W 12 Ruslan Provodnikov. With Provodnikov on the brink of a multi-million dollar shot at Pacquiao, Algieri was a springboard to the showdown.
Though undefeated, Algieri was looked upon as little more than a final detail. But Algieri rebounded from two first-round knockdowns to befuddle Provodnikov down the stretch. He showed heart, guts and ability, and he got a well-deserved decision.
Runnerup: Orlando Salido W 12 Vasyl Lomachenko. Comeback of the Year: Miguel Cotto.
We’ve heard all the stories about Sergio Martinez on his last legs ? literally ? heading into his June showdown with Cotto. But it may have been a Cotto left hook early in round one that turned Martinez’s reconstructed knees wobbly, leading to a stunning 10th-round stoppage. Who would have thought, after absorbing beatings from Antonio Margarito, Pacquiao and Austin Trout ? that this natural junior welterweight would resurrect his career and emerge as the recognized middleweight champion of the world? Very few.
Runnerup: Jermain Taylor. Knockout of the Year: Andy Lee KO 5 John Jackson.
With Jackson surging, the Irishman uncorked a right hand that planted Jackson on his face. It was a KO reminiscent of a 1990s KO produced by Jackson’s dad, Julian, against Herol Graham.
Runnerup: Wladimir Klitschko KO 5 Kubrat Pulev.
Matthew Aguilar may be reached at [email protected]
Follow him on Twitter @MatthewAguilar5
