The year of 2011, which featured many notable comebacks, reminded boxing fans to never completely write off a fighter, especially one as valiant as Erik Morales.
The 35-year-old Mexican legend was the clear favorite in the RingTV.com readers? choice poll for Comeback of the Year, which he won with 35.4 percent of the votes.
Morales (52-7, 36 knockouts) beat out an impressive list of candidates for the honor, including runner-up James Kirkland, who received 24.6 percent of the votes; Brian Viloria (21.5), Jorge Arce (14.8) and Antonio Tarver (3.5).
Kirkland bounced back from two years of inactivity, which included more than a year of incarceration, and a stunning and embarrassing first-round TKO loss in April, to score a brutal stoppage of Alfredo Angulo in November and return to title contention.
Viloria, who was forgotten after losing to Carlos Tamara last January, won a flyweight title in July and defended that belt with an upset TKO of Giovani Segura in December.
Arce, a former 108-pound beltholder whose best days appeared behind him, won a 122-pound title with a thrilling 12th-round TKO of unbeaten Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. in May and then grabbed a vacant 118-pound belt in November for good measure.
Two years removed from back-to-back decision losses to Chad Dawson, Tarver traveled to Australia at an age most fighters are retired and stopped native son Danny Green in July.
