Boxing did not have its greatest year in 2016.
The sport?s biggest fight that could be made (Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin) was not. HBO?s boxing budget was slashed, and some of the sport?s top fighters (Terence Crawford, for example) were left to PPV before they had the starpower to do so. Some fighting for Al Haymon and Premier Boxing Champions (Daniel Jacobs, Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Adonis Stevenson, Adrien Broner, Gary Russell Jr. and Vanes Martirosyan) only managed to score one bout this year. And for only the second time since 2009, no PPV events garnered more than 1.25 million buys.
But the sport did have some good moments, thanks in large part to the 10 boxers listed below. They are the sport?s MVPs of 2016, and I based it on my own unscientific calculation of those who ?helped grow the sport? while also ?helping his own bank account.?
Already, 2017 is looking sunnier ? big fights have been made, and Showtime already has a few interesting cards set for the first quarter — and here?s betting the 10 fighters listed below will continue to help make the sport the best it can be.
Andre Ward, left, and Sergey Kovalev were the sport’s MVPs in 2016. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
1. Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev: Yes, it?s cheating to have them both occupying the top spot, but their fight in November was the most anticipated of the year and both showed their strengths and their vulnerabilities. It was a controversial decision victory for Ward, and that should give us a rematch for 2017. The PPV numbers weren?t good (reportedly about 160,000 buyers), but Ward made at least $5 million and Kovalev at least $2 million. Plus, they actually gave us a good fight that most will want to watch again.
2. Canelo Alvarez: He made plenty of money, but his starpower certainly dimmed by his ducking of Gennady Golovkin. Plus, his PPV buys decreased from Miguel Cotto in 2015 (900,000) to Amir Khan (600,000) in May to Liam Smith (300,000) in September. Alvarez has plenty of work ahead to restore his reputation.
3. Gennady Golovkin: He could become boxing?s next big superstar (even bigger than Canelo, perhaps) and though he didn’t land that Alvarez fight, he?s scheduled to meet Daniels Jacobs in March before supposedly taking on Alvarez next September.
3. Gennady Golovkin: He could become boxing?s next big superstar (even bigger than Canelo, perhaps) and though he didn’t land that Alvarez fight, he?s scheduled to meet Daniels Jacobs in March before supposedly taking on Alvarez next September.
6. Keith Thurman: One of the best welterweights in the world has not backed away from challenges. He and Shawn Porter put together an exciting fight on network TV this year ? and Thurman made $1.4 million while doing so ? and next March, he?ll battle Danny Garcia either on Showtime or CBS. His fight against Porter average 3.1 million viewers with a peak of 3.94 million, and if his meeting with Garcia ends up back on a primetime network time, he?d likely get similar (if not better) ratings.
7. Anthony Joshua: Already a star in his native U.K. ? his fight against Eric Molina sold 17,000 tickets on the first day they went on sale, and he?s already sold 50,000 for his April bout against Wladimir Klitschko ? Joshua brings more excitement to the heavyweight division than anybody in the world. Beating Klitschko would make him the king of the division (and a global star) and would set up potential exciting fights vs. Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz.
8. Vasyl Lomachenko: He might be the best fighter in the world, and he made his first $1 million payday by making Nicholas Walters quit last month. He?s technically amazing, and his fights have become more and more exciting. He?s certainly become a must-watch every time he steps into the ring.
9. Joe Smith: Let us introduce you to the sport?s biggest surprise of 2016. We don?t know how good Smith really is. Yes, he surprisingly knocked out former light heavyweight title contender Andrzej Fonfara in June and then shockingly knocked Bernard Hopkins out of the ring and directly into retirement this month. But it might have been a lucky punch against Fonfara, and Hopkins was beyond old for the ring. Smith has never been a full-time fighter, so we don?t know his capabilities (maybe he?ll have the journeyman career of Kevin McBride, who happened to end Mike Tyson?s). But we do know this: He scored two enormous victories this year (and three overall), and the previously unknown blue-collar worker has sparked plenty of interest in the past six months.
10. Terence Crawford: He?s still undefeated and he?s still one of the world?s best, but his PPV debut against Viktor Postol ? which featured him fighting (and dominating) the second-best boxer in the junior welterweight division ? only garnered about 50,000 buys and his fight this month vs. John Molina averaged 806,000 viewers, his worst showing as an HBO main eventer. He?s a special fighter, but for some reason, some fans seemed to lose interest in him in 2016.
