It was a refreshing year to be a boxing fan.
We escaped 2003 without any major scandals — relatively speaking, anyway — or devastating tragedy.
There were several significant bouts. Roy Jones Jr. made history in beating John Ruiz. James Toney scored a pair of major victories. Bernard Hopkins re-established his dominance over someone we’ve heard of.
There were plenty of upsets. Lennox Lewis escaped Vitali Klitschko. … Corrie Sanders obliterated Wladimir Klitschko. … Ricardo Mayorga beat Vernon Forrest twice. … Cory Spinks beat Mayorga. … Manny Pacquiao stunned Marco Antonio Barrera.
A healthy crop of new champions provided us hope for every division south of heavyweight.
And, of course, there were many moments that made us shake our heads in bewilderment and mutter “Only in boxing.”
