With last Saturday night’s Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Marco Antonio Rubio for the WBC Middleweight Title and Nonito Donaire vs. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. for the vacant WBO super bantamweight title, it now feels like boxing’s 2012 season has officially kicked off. I just wanted to take time to look back at 2011 and rank what I believe were the top twenty boxing events. I chose these top twenty based on story lines like rivalries, country vs. country, world championship fights, rematches, quality of the fight, quality of the performance, and ultimately significance. The following rankings are numbers six through twenty. I will have my top five posted on Friday.
6. Andre Ward (25-0) W12 Carl Froch (28-2)… Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. December 17th, 2011. Ward dominated the fight from start to finish. However, by the fact it was the finals of the exciting super-six tournament(two and a half years in the making), the fact it the bout had already been postponed, and the good old fashioned USA vs England rivalry thrown into the mix, it made for a must see to boxing fans. Froch definitely is a talented boxer, but in this contest the Englishman seemed to be too stiff, and could never really get off. Tough to win against such a skilled fighter. With this performance, along with his entire performance throughout the Super-Six, Ward proved he belongs amongst the pound for pound elite. Afterwards, both fighters showed a mutual respect towards one another, ultimately being a true compliment to the sport of boxing.
7. Victor Ortiz (29-3-2) W12 Andre Berto (28-1)… Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States. April 16th, 2011. Rarely do you ever get to see top tier fighters score a pair of knock downs on each other in the same fight. This fight had you laced in from the get go. Berto went down in round one. Ortiz down in round two, and then a candidate for round of the year when both boxers went down in round six. The contest was the type that you cannot turn away because at any second the outcome could be decided. With the buzz being that the winner would fight the sports top pound for pound fighter, that gave it even more significance. Overall a great night for boxing. Boxing fans are salvating at seeing a rematch.
8 Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2) W12 Jean Pascal (26-2-1)… Part 2. Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. May 21st, 2011. This fight had the most mouth watering storyline of the year by combining the fact it was a rematch of the controversial outcome of their first contest, the Hopkins-Pascal trash talk, the fight taking place in a place that is red hot for boxing, and the fact Hopkins could become the oldest world champion in boxing history. Having mentioned that, it even attracted the attention of non-boxing fans. Hopkins showed his great boxing knowledge he has as he was able to control his younger opponent with his fantastic defense, and old school boxing tricks. Few would argue this was definitely one of the most memorable events of the year.
9. Delvin Rodriguez (26-5-3) D10 Pawel Wolak (29-2-1)… Roseland Ballroom, New York, New York, United States. July 15th, 2011. Another fight that reminded us fans why we love the sport. The drama that came along with this fight was unforgettable. By the fact it was not too hyped, made seeing it live all more special. Even though most fans do not like a draw, it seemed fitting that neither fighter lost. Rodriguez kept Wolak at bay with his long reach, and Wolak never backed down as he continued to press until the final bell. The fight had the type of back and forth exchanges that boxing fans love. Neither warrior budged an inch. Afterwards, Wolak even gained more fans when he was asked if a swollen eye effected his performance, and his response was ?no because I had one good eye.?
10. Vitali Klitschko (43-2) TKO10 Tomasz Adamek(44-2)… Stadion Miejski, Wroclaw, Poland. September 10th, 2011. Adamek definitely earned his shot by scoring decisive victories over solid competition. Klitschko definitely deserves credit for delivering a masterful performance in the backyard of his best possible opponent. Adamek fought as best as he could. However, ultimately Klitschko is just too big, too strong, and too talented for really any heavyweight, other than another guy with a similar name to compete with. In the end, Adamek had nothing to be ashamed of. Vitali’s greatness is something true boxing fans respect.
11. Lamont Peterson (29-1-1) W12 Amir Kahn (26-2)… Convention Center, Washington, District of Columbia, United States. December 10th, 2011. King Kahn does it again by having two end of the year thrillers(last one against Marcos Maidana). Most likely this fight was the most fitting to the good old fashioned cliche “it could have gone either way.” This fight was a true thriller. Kahn does deserve credit for attempting to defend his title in his opponent’s hometown. By the fact it was such a see-saw battle, fans could not turn away. Peterson was down in the first, and then referee Joseph Cooper made some controversial calls when he deducted the Brit not once but twice for pushing. Whether you were in attendance, or watching the fight at home, you felt like you watched a fight.
12. Nonito Donaire (27-1) KO2 Fernando Montiel (46-4-2)… Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Febuary 19th, 2011. Every year, boxing gets it?s traditional KO that makes fans cringe. Donaire?s brutal KO over Montiel was that moment. Ouch! Donaire hit his Mexican opponent so hard, it made his legs shake. Many of us forget Montiel actually beat the count. After the victory. Donaire has reached as high as some people?s top three-four pound for pound. His powerful performance against a talented Montiel definitely made a case that the ?Filipino Flash? belongs with the elite.
13. Orlando Salido (37-11-2) TKO8 Juan Manuel Lopez (31-1)… Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Bayamon, Puerto Rico. April 16th, 2011. All true boxing fans love the big upset. That is how this fight was defined, by a big upset in the favorite?s hometown. Also, adding another chapter to the great Mexico-Puerto Rican rivalry. From the beginning of the fight, fans could tell Salido did not arrive with the attitude of doing what he was supposed to do. Another thing that made this outcome more appealing was the fact a fighter with not such a flashy record was victorious. True boxing fans realize that fighters like this make the boxing world revolve, and that these guys deserve their moment to shine. This was Salido?s moment. We are all looking forward to ?La Revancha?
14. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (44-0-1) W12 Sebastian Zbik(30-1)… Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, United States. June 4th, 2011. Two undefeateds, one from Germany, the other from Mexico, battling on neutral ground for the WBC Middleweight title. Both combatants showed excellent boxing skill throughout the entire fight. By the fact that the contest was so even, fans could not stop watching as they waited to get the decision. In the end, most would agree a Majority Decision was appropriate. Ultimately Zbik had an impressive debut on American soil even though he came up a bit short. Chavez Jr. proved he deserves respect from his harshest of critics. He now owns the green belt. Unfortunately for Chavez Jr. he will always be compared to his father, widely considered Mexico greatest pound for pound fighter ever.
15. Paul Williams (40-2) W12 over Erislandy Lara (15-1-1)… Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. July 9th, 2011. Am outcome that left boxing fans with their mouths wide open. This time, not by the big knock out, because of the horrific decision. Roy Jones Jr., who was calling the fight, even said the fight should be stopped for the sake of William?s health. Lara was able to find his way around and inside the long reach of Williams and score with harder punches. In the end, Williams was just trying to survive until the final bell rang. The judge?s scorecards were shocking. Afterwards the New Jersey Athletic Control Board suspended judges Donald Givens, Al Bennett, and Hilton Whitaker III. No boxing fans seemed to be upset about that decision.
16. Saul Alvarez (39-0-1) TKO6 Alfonso Gomez (23-5-2)… Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, United States. September 17th, 2011. Gomez definitely did not play the role of opponent in this one. To date, most of Alvarez?s opponents showed him too much respect for his power. Gomez showed he was not intimidated. The fight definitely had it?s exciting moments with several toe to toe exchanges. Referee Wayne Hedgpeth did seem to jump the gun a bit when halting the contest. Gomez had a legit argument, but the fact that Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz was next on the broadcast, took a lot of attention away from that controversy.
17. James Kirkland (30-1) TKO6 Alfredo Angulo (20-2)… Centro de Cancun, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. November 5th, 2011. The first round was hands down the most exciting round of the year. Both fighters traded knock downs, and were very aggressive. It was impossible to watch this fight sitting down. Kirkland overpowered Angulo in the end, but the fight had you watching intently because it was possible for Angulo to send Kirkland to the canvas again with another heavy right hand. In the end, Kirkland proved he could fight amongst the elite, and Angulo proved to have heart. Both fighter?s stock raised.
18. Timothy Bradley (28-0) W10 Devon Alexander (22-1)… Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan, United States. January 29th, 2011. This bout was attractive because it put two undefeated fighters against each other while both men were in their prime, also on neutral ground(Detroit). Both competitors were able to show their skills on multiple occasions throughout the fight. The outcome was a bit disappointing(being stopped because of a head butt). However, the fight was spirited, and had the type of drama we like. Alexander was able to save face because Bradley did fight a bit dirty by leading with his head. Afterwards, both fighters walked away as high in demand.
19. Nobuhiro Ishida (24-6-2) TKO1 James Kirkland (30-1)… MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. April 9th, 2011. It is hard for most boxing fans to remember a time similar to when the announce team, the audience, and even the fighters were at a complete loss for words. There was a certain type of surreal feeling seeing Kirkland go down for the first time. Moments like this remind boxing fans why we love the sport. No one can predict what is going to happen. The David beat the Goliath. Even though 2011 had a lot of boxing upsets, this one will easily ranks number one.
20. Sergio Martinez (48-2-2) TKO8 Serhiy Dzinziruk (37-1)… Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States. March 12th, 2011. Top pound for pounder Martinez once again shows his skills against an undefeated fighter that no one looks good against. Martinez gets people interest because he is on most people?s top 5 pound for pound list. Putting him in against an undefeated veteran made this an attractive fight. By Martinez being able to dominate the undefeated Ukrainian with his opponent’s awkward style, it only showed more why fans are considering Martinez a superstar.
Honorable mentions: Jorge Arce 12th round TKO over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., Kelly Pavlik?s tougher than expected UD over Alfonso Lopez, and Marco Antonio Rubio?s surprising come from behind TKO over David Lemieux.
