Asked how he would like to be remembered, Ali said, ?As a man who never sold out his people?if that?s too much, then just a good boxer??
This is Ted Sares? eleventh consecutive edition of Ted the Bull?s Annual Boxing Awards. He always issues them in December risking the embarrassment of a late fight or incident that should have warranted inclusion.
Event of the Year
?Go for what you want. If you dream it, you can achieve it.??Ali
Muhammad Ali, the iconic three-time world heavyweight boxing champion who helped define his turbulent times as the most charismatic and controversial sports figure of the 20th century, died on June 3, 2016, in a Phoenix-area hospital. He was 74.
Asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ?As a man who never sold out his people?if that?s too much, then just a good boxer?I won?t even mind if you don?t mention how pretty I was.?
The eulogies were spiritual, beautiful and came from different quarters. Ali would have been proud of them.
Boxing Personality of the Year
Tyson Fury. For the second year in a row, Fury steals the headlines but this time it?s because he vacated his heavyweight belts to focus on medical treatment and recovery after battling depression, admitting to taking cocaine, and getting overweight. Described as ?medically unfit to fight,? Fury said, ?I now enter another big challenge in my life which I know, like against Klitschko, I will conquer.? Whether he comes back is anyone?s guess, but if achieving the heights made him the Personality of the Year in 2015, his rapid fall from grace makes him ?Personality of the Year in 2016.?
Venue of the Year
Manchester Arena, Manchester, UK (December 10) promoted by Eddie Hearn and featuring:
Frank Buglioni vs. Hosea Burton Dillian Whyte vs. Dereck Chisora Anthony Joshua vs. Eric Molina Callum Smith vs. Luke Blackledge Katie Taylor vs. Viviane Obenauf Khalid Yafai vs. Luis Concepcion Scott Quigg vs. Jose Cayetano
Promoter of the Year
Eddie Hearn
Fighter of the Year
Terence Crawford (30-0)
Two TKO wins over Henry Lundy and John Molina Jr. and a UD over Viktor Postol (28-0 coming in) puts ?Bud ?at the top of the heap as he continues to dominate as the WBC and WBO World super lightweight champion.
Runner-up: Muscular Anthony Joshua (18-0) stopped three limited opponents in 2016 but the ?limited opponent? part ends when he fights Wladimir Klitschko in 2017.
Fight of the Year
Dereck Chisora vs. Dillian Whyte: after the pair?s pre-fight taunts, they did not disappoint in a bruising 12-round heavyweight war that easily was the highlight of a big venue card in Manchester. Both men were wobbled, exhausted and bleeding from the mouth but continued to club one another with power punches that had the large crowd up and roaring. In the end, Whyte won the thriller with scores of 115-113 and 115-114. The third judge had it 115-114 for Chisora. Clearly, this non-stop brawl could have gone the other way as both men reached down deep and gave their all?and both embraced at the end as they had earned the respect of one another. Did it steal the show at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, Lancashire, United Kingdom? Manifestly. Was it the Fight of the Year? Quite possibly. Was it something special? Absolutely.
Runner-up: Orlando Salido vs. Francisco Vargas in an all-out war without a winner. Salido specializes in these.
Round of the Year
Round five: Chisora vs. Whyte
Each took turns hurting the other in a round that was as explosive as any seen in recent years. Chisora stunned Whyte early with a right and then followed up by drilling a savage hook to the body. He then got Dillian back onto the ropes and launched a huge right and left hook combo. But Whyte responded with combinations of his own as the fight literally exploded with the crowd roaring its approval. At the end, Whyte pinned Chisora on the ropes as he teed off with some withering shots. It was a spine-tingler in all respects, and in terms of back and forth, as close to the Korean War as you could get.
Knockout of the Year
Deontay Wilder?s KO of Artur ?The Pin? Szpilka on January 16 in Brooklyn. It was a devastating right hand shot that landed flush and caused The Pin to be stretchered out. He has not fought since.
Others: Also scary was Canelo Alvarez?s KO of Amir Khan. Canelo was concerned for Khan?s well-being as was everyone else.
Mason Menard KO of Eudy Bernardo in April was equally noteworthy and equally frightening: See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCbdnCKH5wA
Hassan N?Dam N?Jikam?s first round chilling of Alfonso Blanco on December 17 was late in the year and might go unnoticed but not here. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7e8mPEGcBM
Joe Smith Jr.?s heavy-handed stoppage of Bernard Hopkins was stunning and shocking.
Trainer of the Year
Shane McGuigan was a promising amateur but switched his attention to training the talented and disciplined Carl ?The Jackal? Frampton whom he has led to the IBF super bantamweight world title. McGuigan also recently started training high-profile David Haye (taking over duties from Adam Booth who had been in Haye?s corner for 17 years), and George Groves (for his thus far highly successful comeback).
Anatoly Lomachenko has had a significant impact on Ukrainian boxing that warrants mention.
Upset of the Year
Panama?s Jezreel Corrales stopped Takashi ?KO Dynamite? Uchiyama?s and ended his six-year reign as a WBA super featherweight champion. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT745OI4GxY
Joe Smith Jr.?s blowout TKO in the first round over Andrzej Fonfara was a very close second.
Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
Errol Spence Jr. (21-0)
With brutal wins over Chris Algieri and Leonard Bundu, this southpaw welterweight with the impeccable amateur credential is now a force to be reckoned with. When the bell rings, Spence waste little time in initiating the stalk, stun, and close scenario. And like Terence Crawford, he also fights ?mean.?
Female Fighter of the Year
On October 1, Cecilia ?First Lady? Br?khus (born in Colombia but raised in Norway) stopped Anne Sophie Mathis in the second round in Oslo, Norway (where the boxing ban was lifted in 2014) to retain her WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO World female welterweight titles and remain a dominant champion?as well as a huge media and fan darling in Norway. A former amateur kick-box World and European champion, Br?khus switched to boxing and after a successful amateur career during which she won 75 of 80 fights, she turned professional in 2007. In 2008, she became the first and only women ever to get a professional contract with Team Sauerland, Europe?s biggest boxing promoters. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ3dQPW6Cr0
Runner-up: Belgium?s Delfine Persoon (37-1, 16 KO?s) extended her winning streak to 28 and successfully defended her WBC World female lightweight title for the fifth time. The former WIBF/WBF/WIBA belt holder hasn?t lost in six years. Also Layla McCarter warrants strong mention as she continues to be a major force.
Worst Decision
The draw between Maurice ?Mighty Mo? Hooker and Colombia?s Darleys Perez on November 19 was a terrible miscarriage of justice for Perez who schooled Hooker throughout. One judge inexplicably had it 97-93, for Hooker. ?Mighty Mo? was exposed; Perez was stiffed.
A close second involved Marcus Browne?s win over previously unbeaten Radivoje Kalajdzic. The final judges? scores were 76-74 and 76-75 for Browne, and 76-74 for Kalajdzic. Browne was given credit for a 1st round knockdown in which he didn?t land a punch. Kalajdzic slipped to the canvas without being hit. To add insult to injury, Browne hit Kalajdzic with a shot while he was down. Kalajdzic did more than enough to deserve the victory.
Ill-Advised Comeback of the Year
Samuel Peter: Watching him lose to Pulev was a Nigerian Nightmare
Best Comeback of the Year
George Groves has gone 4-0 in 2016 and will fight for a title for the fourth time.
Ted Sares is one of the world?s oldest active power lifters and holds several world and North American records. He enjoys writing about boxing.
