It’s the end of the year, and time for the El Paso Times to hand out its awards for 2004 achievement.
Fighter of the Year: Glencoffe Johnson. Who would have thought in September that the little known “Road Warrior” would end up upending a pair of pound-for-pound entrants. But that’s exactly what Johnson did in knocking out Roy Jones Jr. in the ninth round of their Sept. 25 fight and outpointing recognized light heavyweight king Antonio Tarver in a Dec. 18 shocker. Johnson’s blue-collar career and aggressive style make his story a satisfying end to a wild 2004. After his victory against Jones, Johnson said, “I’m not the best, I’m just willing to fight the best.” But even the refreshingly-honest Johnson sold himself a bit short, as the longtime contender established himself as one of the sport’s best warriors with two unlikely victories. He also set himself up for some future monster paydays against the likes of Tarver and Bernard Hopkins.
Fight of the Year: Manny Pacquiao D 12 Juan Manuel Marquez. There were all kinds of applicable entrants for this category. Felix Trinidad’s comeback victory against Ricardo Mayorga on Oct. 3 was regarded as a “Hispanic Hagler-Hearns,” and Marco Antonio Barrera’s upset of Erik Morales in their Nov. 27 rubber match was every bit as good as their 2000 original. But the brutal May 8 showdown between Filipino superstar Pacquiao and Mexican veteran Marquez edged out both because of the incredible ebb-and-flow and dramatic shifts in momentum. Marquez rebounded from not one, not two, but three first-round knockdowns to win a majority of the remaining 11 rounds on the judges’ scorecards. The rounds were fast-paced and vicious and, at the end, it was a tossup as to who had the edge. As it turned out, nobody did, and Pacquiao-Marquez 2 is perhaps the most anticipated fight of 2005.
Round of the Year: Pacquiao-Marquez (Round 1): It was the most controversial round of the year, as boxing fans argued whether it should have been scored 10-7 or 10-6. It was the round that proved to be the difference in the fight, as the two warriors battled to a memorable draw. But people forget that it was a round that Marquez was winning before Pacquiao sat him down with a razor-sharp straight left hand. Another straight left put Marquez down again and by the time the Mexican hit the canvas for the third time, it appeared the fight was over. Marquez sank to the canvas with his gloves over his face, apparently conceding the fight. But he wasn’t conceding anything, and rose to provide Pacquiao with the fight of his life.
Upset of the Year: Antonio Tarver KO 2 Roy Jones Jr. A week after Pacquiao-Marquez, boxing fans were anticipating another close fight between Tarver and Jones. Afterall, the pair had battled on even terms six months earlier with Jones eeking out a close decision. And though Jones was long past his peak, he was still considered a favorite to defeat his nemesis. But midway through Round 2, Jones emerged from infighting with his hands down, and Tarver came over the top with a wicked left hand that clipped Jones on the chin and dropped him on his back for only the second time in his career. He got up, but his legs did a dance and the fight was stopped.
Boxing fans had to replay it over and over to believe it, and the loss effectively ended Jones’ 10-year run as one of the top two fighters in boxing.
Knockout of the Year: Glencoffe Johnson KO 9 Roy Jones Jr. Four months later, Jones handpicked Johnson as his comeback opponent. Johnson was the reigning IBF champ, but considered much too limited to provide Jones with any kind of fight. Wrong! Instead, Johnson dominated Jones with a pressure style that had the former pound-for-pound king retreating virtually the whole fight. But the real shocker came when an overhand right landed flush on Jones’ forehead and sent him sailing to the canvas. He was unconscious before he even hit the floor, and when his head bounced on the canvas, it produced what appeared to be a double knockout. It was several scary minutes before Jones could rise to his feet.
Matthew Aguilar may be reached at [email protected]; 546-6166.
