With the year 2012 more than half over, no particular boxer stands out as a runaway favorite for Fighter of the Year honors. However, there are several front-runners. Interestingly enough, only one of last year?s front-runners is in the hunt now. Here are the leading contenders:
Carl Froch, who lost to Andre Ward in the super-middleweight Super Six final last year, punched his way back into the spotlight with a devastating five-round drubbing of Lucien Bute. The previously undefeated Bute was considered the biggest threat to Ward, and a Ward-Bute matchup was the dream bout in the super-middle division. Froch turned that dream into a nightmare, and deprived his conqueror Ward of a huge payday. Another win over a highly ranked opponent would make Froch an even stronger Fighter of the Year candidate. But his blowout of Bute might be enough of a credential on its own.
Chad Dawson decisioned ageless light-heavyweight wonder Bernard Hopkins this year, erasing any doubts raised by their earlier two-round fiasco. Dawson?s win was so dominant that Hopkins may well decide to hang up his gloves. Not content to rest on his laurels, Dawson agreed to drop down to super-middleweight for a showdown with Ward. If ?Bad Chad? wins, he?ll be almost a lock to be the best ringman of the year, Froch notwithstanding. If Dawson loses, well, he?s still the best of the light-heavies.
Danny Garcia has had a breakthrough year so far, outpointing faded-but-still dangerous Erik Morales, then knocking out glamour boy Amir Khan. The Philadelphia junior-welterweight is undefeated, but he was considered a vulnerable underdog going in against Khan. But Khan turned out to the vulnerable one, getting stopped in four violent rounds. Garcia?s rise is certainly a feel-good story. But his next scheduled bout is a rematch with Morales. If Garcia wins, it?s ?been there, done that.? If he loses, his story won?t be so ?feel good? anymore.
Nonito Donaire is a superstar in the making. The junior featherweight was a strong candidate for Fighter of the Year in 2011, and he?s worthy of consideration this year, too. With decision victories over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. and Jeremy Mathebula, Donaire has maintained his high pound-for-pound standing. Even so, there?s a sense that the earlier enthusiasm over the ?Filipino Flash? has waned a bit. A spectacular win would restore his luster.
Orlando Salido?s record is marred by 11 losses, five of which were by stoppage. Over the past couple of years, though, the hard-hitting featherweight has more than overcome his earlier setbacks. This year, he came off the floor to score a second kayo win over the highly touted Juan Manuel Lopez, and he crushed Moises Gutierrez. If the other Fighter of the Year candidates falter before December 31, Salido could well become a sentimental favorite.
Josesito Lopez is a lot like Salido, in that he is an underdog who made good. In Lopez?s case, a kayo win over highly favored welterweight Victor Ortiz lifted Josesito from also-ran to hot property. Lopez?s reward for that upset is a September bout with another young tiger: Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez. A victory over Alvarez might not quite be enough to make Lopez Fighter of the Year even if Froch and Dawson stumble. But as ?Chin-Checker of the Year,? Lopez would win hands-down.
The above six are the front runners, in my opinion. You may be wondering why I left Timothy Bradley off the list, considering that Bradley won a decision over pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao. Well, if Bradley?s win had been clear-cut and undisputed, he would have been a shoo-in for Fighter of the Year. But an overwhelming majority of boxing fans and observers believe Pacquiao was robbed. Even if Bradley wins decisively in a rematch, the cloud of controversy hanging over the result of their first meeting will not go away.
And if Pacquiao wins a rematch, he won?t be Fighter of the Year either. Great as Manny is, he is no longer the force of nature he was as recently as three years ago. Vindication over Bradley may well be Pacquiao?s swan song.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. ran into plenty of trouble in his points win over Miguel Cotto in a welterweight contest. Then Floyd went into the slammer to serve a 90-day sentence on a domestic-violence conviction. Even if he gets in another fight before the year ends, Mayweather will not be a Fighter of the Year candidate.
Sergio Martinez was the toast of the town a few years ago, when he outpointed Kelly Pavlik and flattened Paul Williams. Since then, though, Martinez has been shut out of potentially compelling bouts with top fighters in his division from Felix Sturm to Daniel Geale. An 11-round stoppage of Matthew Macklin did not impress many observers. But this coming September, Martinez faces the charismatic Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. If Martinez wins, he won?t be Fighter of the Year. But if Chavez Jr. pulls off an upset, he could become the sentimental favorite, with his fists having said ?I told you so!? to all the naysayers.
So far, this has not been a vintage year in boxing. But a few good, non-controversial performances over the next five months will produce a Fighter of the Year we can all be proud of.
