All of my favorite fights of the year had a few specific things in common: they involved two of the top fighters in their respective divisions?
Despite the continued political grievances in the sport of boxing, 2016 produced some excellent fights and revealed stars at the pinnacle of the game as well as those who helped them get there. While much is being said about it not being a banner year for boxing, it should be noted that there were actually several critical bouts that saw the top boxers in their divisions facing off for supremacy. When that happens, it?s a good year.
Prospect of the Year: Claressa Shields
There were a lot of great prospects this year, but my top choice is two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields. She stormed onto the scene in her professional debut in Las Vegas on November 19, on the undercard of Kovalev-Ward. With an incredibly impressive amateur run, culminating in a second gold medal this past summer in Rio, a moving personal story of triumph, and a seemingly unshakable confidence, Shields has helped pique the general public?s interest in women?s boxing. The premium network Showtime is now claiming that they will be airing women?s boxing in 2017?and not just for a one-off fight, but regularly.
The renewed interest is the culmination of a lot of hard work by folks who may not get much credit, including promoter Lou DiBella, who has been signing female fighters for some time (including fan favorites Heather Hardy and Amanda Serrano) and has worked hard to push them further into the mainstream. Claressa Shields may be just what the female side of the sport needs to help catapult it into the spotlight where it belongs.
Fight of the Year: Leo Santa Cruz vs. Carl Frampton
All of my favorite fights of the year had a few specific things in common: they were exciting (obviously); they involved two of the top fighters in their respective divisions?and, hence, there was a lot on the line; and the fighters involved displayed a high level of skill. I enjoy a good slugfest as much as the next fight fan, but if you can show me an exciting fight that also has advanced boxers involved, even better.
It was a tough choice this year?there were several great and exacting fights in 2016. Santa Cruz vs. Frampton was a wonderful bout that featured two of the best boxers in the featherweight division, with the added drama of Frampton moving up from super-bantamweight for this fight. Most pundits didn?t expect Frampton to be able to overcome Santa Cruz?s extremely high work rate or his larger size. While it was a very competitive fight with an incredible number of punches thrown by both men, the fighter from Belfast did indeed overcome Santa Cruz to win a split decision in a thrilling fight. In January, the two will do it again, and I can hardly wait.
Runners up: Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter Roman Gonzalez vs. Carlos Cuadras
Trainer of the Year: Virgil Hunter (trainer of Andre Ward and Amir Khan)
For anyone who watched the broadcast of the Kovalev vs. Ward fight, it was impossible to miss the downright cinematic drama of trainer Virgil Hunter?s coaching in Ward?s corner on the night of November 19. At times touching, at times sensational, and at all times riveting, Hunter displayed an uncanny ability to say what his fighter needed to hear in order to dig deeper and pull out all the stops. There?s no doubt in my mind that the relationship between Hunter and Ward?and Hunter?s ability to see through all of the emotion and noise to the heart of the matter at hand?is a big part of how Ward was able to overcome an early knockdown by the heavy-handed Kovalev to win a close decision.
On top of his impressive coaching of Andre Ward, Hunter coached welterweight Amir Khan when he moved up to middleweight to fight Canelo Alvarez in May. Obviously the fight didn?t go Khan?s way as Canelo ended it with a stunning knockout in round 6; but it must be acknowledged that, until that final round, Khan had a great game plan from Hunter, which he executed incredibly well in the early rounds by largely out-boxing the bigger and stronger Canelo. Despite any coach?s best efforts, sometimes your fighters may lose, but how they perform in that loss speaks volumes not only about them but about their trainers.
Runners up: Shane McGuigan (trainer of Carl Frampton and David Haye) Ronnie Shields (trainer of Jermall Charlo and Erislandy Lara)
Fighter of the Year: Andre ?S.O.G.? Ward
In March, Ward returned to the sport after a nine month layoff by facing the number one contender in the light heavyweight division, Sullivan Barrera. On top of his ranking, Barrera is Cuban, which means a lot in the sport of boxing due to the incredible boxing background and culture in said country and the strict coaching there. Before the fight, pundits claimed Ward might be biting off more than he could chew, that Barrera was a solid light heavyweight who would test S.O.G. After his dominating performance, most pundits backpedaled and opined that perhaps Barrera wasn?t as good as they had thought, and that Ward?s real test would come when he faced unified champion Sergey Kovalev later in the year.
In November, the face-off happened when Ward challenged Kovalev for his titles in Las Vegas. Kovalev, known for being incredibly heavy-handed, dropped Ward for only the second time in his professional career in round 2. Many who were watching thought it was over, that Ward was going to be stopped the same way 26 of Kovalev?s 30 prior opponents had been. But Ward immediately got up, smiled as if chiding himself for the miscalculation that led to the knockdown, and continued. The knockdown proved to be a one-time thing, and Kovalev was not able to stop Ward as he had promised. Not for lack of trying?Kovalev showed incredible boxing skill and made Ward dig deeper than perhaps he has had to for years. After the knockdown, Ward seemed to realize his mistake (he did the same thing twice in a round and Kovalev timed him coming in); after that, for the remaining ten rounds, he pressured Kovalev and most of the time never did the same thing twice again. He showed Kovalev different looks, kept him guessing, and displayed excellent skills and tremendous heart as he moved around the ring and worked Kovalev hard on the inside and to the body.
In the end, Ward won a close unanimous decision. Some thought Kovalev deserved the nod, but however you scored it, it can?t be denied that Ward put on an excellent performance and overcame incredible odds to pull out an exciting win.
Again, the pundits picked up the goalposts and moved them after Ward?s win over Kovalev. The fight was named ?Pound for Pound,? with HBO and pundits stating that here was a bout between two of the top pound for pound fighters in the sport; the winner would surely be the number one pound for pound boxer in the world. After the fight, suddenly Ward could not be acknowledged as the top pound for pound fighter, despite his win and despite what he overcame in the fight. Pundits stated, incorrectly, that the top fighters in the sport don?t struggle the way Ward did. If that?s the case, how does one explain most pundits? choice of Roman Gonzalez as their top pound for pound fighter, and his last two performances against McWilliams Arroyo and Carlos Cuadras? How does one explain Floyd Mayweather Jr.?s first bout with Marcos Maidana, where he lost rounds and was visibly rocked more than once? Throughout the history of boxing, similar comparisons can be drawn. All great fighters struggle at some point in their careers. Anytime a top fighter faces the best opposition out there, it stands to reason he/she will struggle at some point.
Andre Ward displayed incredible heart, intelligence, doggedness, and ring IQ in 2016, particularly in his fight with Sergey Kovalev. He displayed a level of skill that very few possess, and he did it against another top pound for pound boxer. Not just a good fighter. Not a stay busy fighter. Not a fighter from a lower weight class. Sergey Kovalev, one of the best in the sport. Because of this, he deserves Fighter of the Year.
