There’s been one theme running throughout the year our boxing over the last 12 months… rejuvenation.
There we all were – or at least I was – 12 months ago fretting that it might be a bad year for the British fight game. Ricky Hatton appeared to be coming to the end of the road, ditto Joe Calzaghe, and our world champions were dwindling.
But how wrong could I have been! I should have known better at my age, because this sport has a habit of throwing up new stars, great stories and characters we can empathise with, and in Britain at least, that’s exactly what happened in 2008.
For a start, Hatton went and re-invented himself with a stylish win over Paulie Malignaggi. Joe boxed two American legends and beat them both, the last at Madison Square Garden, and then we have David Haye crashing into the heavyweight scene, Carl Froch finally winning a world title in a thriller and Nicky Cook putting on a show to get the belt he has worked so long and hard for.
Enzo Maccarinelli is still the best of the cruiserweight bunch, Rendall Munroe is coming on strong, Craig Watson and Ian Napa picking up Commonwealth titles with Kell Brook, Paul Appleby and Paul Truscott have all showed huge promise just beneath that. Prospects
And, I am delighted to say, Amir Khan is back on track.
That 54-second knockout at the hands of Breidis Prescott still staggers me, but the kid took himself off to America, came back and got back on track. I like Amir, he works hard, has a will to succeed and is terrific for British boxing – and British sport in general.
On top of all that we had the Olympics, and James DeGale’s gold medal and some excellent prospects heading for the pro ranks next year. Maybe I have gone through my worrying stage, but I am not approaching 2009 with the same dread as I did this year.
If you don’t believe me, look at the Americans. All their top fighters want a piece of ours. Calzaghe got Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr in the space of seven months, Ricky looks like he can pick between Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jnr and pretty much anyone he wants and all of a sudden, the Brits are good box office and back on top.
But the Americans? Well, poor old Oscar De La Hoya has to sum up the state of their best professional fighters right now. I sat and watched him walk into the ring against Manny Pacquiao and if someone had nudged me and told me to wake up, I wouldn’t have been surprised. It was like a dream – and a very bad one.
What was worse is by all accounts he looked so good on the scales the day before. Ian Darke made that very point to me, and all I could say in return was ‘I’ve seen Paul Daniels cut himself in half, yet he keeps popping up again and again’! Surely though, that spells the end of the De La Hoya magic?
Pinnacle
Give Pacquiao credit though, he probably put himself on top of the pound-for-pound rankings with that win. But you know what? I think we are all too quick to overlook Calzaghe. Unbeaten since he was about eight, beating anyone that has been put in front of him and, I have a feeling, not done just yet.
The only thing you can say against him is that Jones Jnr and Hopkins are not exactly at the peak of their powers. But then again, they kind of sum up the pinnacle of the American scene right now.
We seem to have had the same old faces peddling themselves about. Those two, Oscar picking on the small guys, Shane Mosley still going, it really hasn’t changed much.
My American hero, Kelly Pavlik, suffered because he couldn’t get a meaningful fight at middleweight, so had to take on Hopkins, who was just too big for him. But he will be back. There still is only one Kelly Pavlik – and I still love him and his Youngstown followers.
Paul Williams and Antonio Margarito might have the same problem. Margarito gave one of the performances of the year to batter Miguel Cotto into submission, but will those big-name Americans fight him? Of course they won’t. Ditto Williams who got beat off Carlos Quintana and then put that right inside a round.
Optimistic
There is enough talent struggling to get into that very top tier, but when we turn the year talking about Evander Holyfield fighting for a world title at 46, you wonder when if it will ever be allowed to come through – I am sticking with my optimistic approach and hoping 2009 is a year of change across the pond.
Holyfield’s year, to an extent sums up America and still, sadly, sums up the heavyweights. We did get our unified champion in 2009, but Wladimir Klitschko bored us getting there and bored us confirming it, while those that got their chance – Hasim Rahman and Tony ‘The Tiger’ Thompson – just let it slide past. The cartoon character on the Frosties box by the same name would’ve done better.
Haye is the one that offers us hope for 2009 and whatever he does against Vitali Klitschko, you know he will not be left wanting, wondering what might have been.
Which leaves us with Audley. Dear old Audley. Surely the end of 2008 is the end of the road for the big fella?
Yes, Martin Rogan did well to win the first Prizefighter and deserved his success, but the lad is a cabbie from Belfast, a boxing novice! So Audley, perhaps a trip to the tee-shirt printers is in order, because if there’s one thing we have learned in 2008, it’s that you can’t.
But, he might have done some good. His failings might just serve as a timely reminder to the likes of DeGale, Billy Joe Saunders and Frankie Gavin and over in Ireland, Darren Sutherland, that turning pro after a good amateur career, gaurantees you nothing.
And if Audley is not enough, look at Amir. If I have one hope for 2009 amid all the optimism surrounding British boxing, it is that the lad, with Freddie Roach in his corner, gets a rematch with Prescott. Why? Because the new, improved Amir Khan, will beat him.
Happy Christmas!
