Boxing became increasingly appealing to mainstream sports fans in 2007 largely because managers, promoters, network TV executives and fighters seemed more committed than ever to creating marquee matches, the kind of meaningful fights that truly warrant attention.
This was undoubtedly a remarkable year for the sport, and not just in terms of the revenue generated from enormous events like Mayweather-De La Hoya and Mayweather-Hatton. There were fantastic fights that created clarity — or at least buzz — in virtually every division beneath heavyweight. That’s what made many of the stories of the year selections so difficult.
Fighter of the year
Kelly Pavlik. His promoters at Top Rank Inc. weren’t even certain Pavlik could become boxing’s premier middleweight when the year began. But the humble champion from Youngstown, Ohio, dealt durable Mexican Jose Luis Zertuche (19-4-2, 14 KOs) his first knockout defeat on Jan. 20, absorbed all the power punches heavy-handed Colombian contender Edison Miranda (29-2, 25 KOs) could land en route to seventh-round stoppage in their elimination match May 19 and survived severe second-round trouble to knock out then-unbeaten Jermain Taylor (27-1-1, 17 KOs) in their middleweight title fight Sept. 29 in Atlantic City. Super middleweight champ Joe Calzaghe (44-0, 32 KOs), welterweight champ Miguel Cotto (31-0, 25 KOs), unbeaten lightweight champ Juan Diaz (33-0, 17 KOs) and pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. (39-0, 25 KOs) were also worthy of consideration, but Pavlik (32-0, 29 KOs) went from an afterthought to making most mythical pound-for-pound lists.
Last year’s winner: Manny Pacquiao.
Fight of the year
Sakio Bika-Jaidon Codrington. Pavlik’s dramatic middleweight championship victory over Taylor could’ve won this award, too. Israel Vazquez’s sixth-round stoppage of Rafael Marquez in their Aug. 4 rematch provided tremendous action as well. But “The Contender” finale amounted to nearly eight full rounds of pure entertainment. Cameroon’s Bika (25-3-2, 15 KOs) won Season Three of the boxing reality show and the $750,000 grand prize, but not before he was nearly knocked out on several occasions by Codrington (18-2, 14 KOs). Codrington, of Queens, N.Y., displayed incredible resilience throughout the bout, which began with him overcoming a quick first-round knockdown to floor Bika moments later.
They didn’t exactly display textbook technique before Bika stopped Codrington in the eighth round, but both boxers landed and withstood an unfathomable amount of power punches Nov. 6 in Boston.
Last year’s winner: Somsak Sithchatchawal-Mahyar Monshipour.
Knockout of the year
Nonito Donaire (against Vic Darchinyan). Donaire, a huge underdog, completely changed his life by landing a hellacious left hook that ended Darchinyan’s reign as the International Boxing Federation’s flyweight champion. The supremely confident Darchinyan (29-1, 23 KOs) had grown used to knocking out opponents, and he wore a look of complete disbelief as he tried to recover from Donaire’s crushing punch July 7 in Bridgeport, Conn.
He stumbled around the ring and fell again as “The Filipino Flash” was declared a fifth-round technical knockout winner. Donaire (19-1, 12 KOs), of San Leandro, Calif., is promoted by Totowa-based Gary Shaw Productions.
Last year’s winner: Calvin Brock (against Zuri Lawrence).
Comeback boxer of the year
Paulie Malignaggi. Kelson Pinto, Mohamad Abdulaev, Ricardo Torres and Carlos Quintana haven’t quite looked the same since they fought Cotto, but Malignaggi overcame his brutal bout against the powerful Puerto Rican champion in June 2006 to win the IBF junior welterweight title a year and a week later. He suffered a broken orbital bone beneath his right eye during his close decision defeat to Cotto, an injury that required surgery to insert a titanium plate in his face.
The Brooklyn-bred Malignaggi (23-1, 5 KOs) then took about a six-month break from boxing training. But he easily out-boxed Edner Cherry (23-5-2, 11 KOs) to win his next fight, Feb. 17 in Manhattan. Then the fast-handed, fleet-footed Malignaggi dominated Lovemore N’dou (45-9-1, 30 KOs) in their 12-rounder on June 16 in Uncasville, Conn., to win the IBF belt.
Last year’s winner: Oleg Maskaev.
Disappointment of the year
Joel Casamayor. The former Cuban Olympian claimed prior to Nov. 10 that he didn’t have a legitimate loss on his record because split decisions against Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales and a unanimous decision against Acelino Freitas were all debatable defeats.
But Casamayor, who warranted pound-for-pound consideration at one time, was clearly out-boxed by Jose Armando Santa Cruz on the Cotto-Shane Mosley undercard at Madison Square Garden.
Santa Cruz (25-3, 14 KOs) won at least nine rounds against the 36-year-old Casamayor, and should’ve left the ring with the World Boxing Council lightweight title. He instead walked away with a suspicious split-decision defeat of his own.
Following the poor performance in his only fight of 2007, the ever-cocky Casamayor (35-3-1, 21 KOs) had the audacity to state, “I thought I won the fight.”
Last year’s winner: Zab Judah.
Trainer of the year
Enzo Calzaghe. The stable Joe Calzaghe’s feisty father has developed in a tiny gym tucked away in the Welsh countryside is nothing short of astounding, especially since there aren’t an abundance of nearby sparring partners. Not only has his son, boxing’s longest-reigning champion, become one of the top five pound-for-pound performers in the sport, Enzo Calzaghe has helped hone the skills of two more world champions in Newbridge, Wales.
Hard-hitting cruiserweight champ Enzo Maccarinelli (28-1, 21 KOs) defended his World Boxing Organization crown three times in 2007, twice by knockout, and unbeaten Gavin Rees (27-0, 13 KOs) upset France’s Soulemane M’baye (36-2-1, 21 KOs) to win the World Boxing Association junior welterweight crown on July 21 in Cardiff, Wales.
Last year’s winner: Freddie Roach.
