The further emergence of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao into mainstream consciousness and their possible fight next year made boxing relevant in 2009.
Mayweather’s comeback from a 21-month “retirement” with a convincing decision against Juan Manuel Marquez and Pacquiao’s knockout victory against Miguel Cotto were pay-per-view blockbusters. Pacquiao also knocked out Ricky Hatton in two rounds May 2.
Talk of a Mayweather-Pacquiao bout in 2010 intensified soon after Pacquiao overwhelmed Cotto on Nov. 14. The prospects of their bout, now in jeopardy because of disagreements in pre-fight drug testing, helped boxing become a topic for water-cooler conversation.
While Mayweather and Pacquiao dominated the headlines and airwaves, other fighters played important roles in boxing’s successful year.
Shane Mosley, often mentioned as a possible opponent for Mayweather or Pacquiao, scored an impressive ninth-round knockout against Antonio Margarito in front of 20,000 fans at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 24.
The bout also had a noticeable subplot. Minutes before the fight, Mosley’s trainer, Nazim Richardson, questioned the wrapping of Margarito’s hands.
Margarito had his hands re-wrapped and a post-fight investigation disclosed illegal contents in the initial hand wraps. The infraction resulted in the one-year revocation of Margarito’s license and his trainer, Javier Capitello.
HEAVYWEIGHT TITLES
The accomplishments of Mayweather, Pacquiao and Mosley further underscored the sport’s popularity in the lower weight divisions. Ukrainian-born brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko hold the majority of the heavyweight belts but generate more appeal in Europe.
For the second consecutive year, an American fighter failed to hold a major heavyweight world title. Vitali Klitschko made two successful title defenses against American challengers in 2009. Klitschko stopped Cris Arreola in 10 rounds Sept. 26 and won a lopsided decision against Kevin Johnson on Dec. 12.
Decade-long middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins, now fighting as a light-heavyweight, has considered moving to the heavyweight division. But Hopkins, 44, in his only fight of 2009, remained in the light-heavyweight class and won an easy decision against Enrique Ornelas on Dec. 2.
Hopkins had been targeting a rematch with Roy Jones Jr. for next year, but the potential bout lost steam after Danny Green stopped Jones in the first round the same date Hopkins defeated Ornelas.
In October, Showtime inaugurated a tournament featuring six of the sport’s top super-middleweights. Knockout victories by Arthur Abraham and Andre Ward highlighted the tournament’s first leg. Abraham’s brutal 12th-round knockout of former middleweight champion and part-time Miami resident Jermain Taylor resulted in Taylor’s brief hospitalization.
His middleweight title fight against Kelly Pavlik postponed, Paul Williams found a tough replacement in Sergio Martinez on Dec. 5. Williams and Martinez exchanged first-round knockdowns, a precursor to one of the year’s most exciting fights. Williams won by split decision.
The sport also shed tears after the deaths of three of its celebrated champions during a four-week span in July. Three division world champion and Hall of Famer Alexis Arguello and former welterweight and super-welterweight titleholder Vernon Forrest died of gun shots and Arturo Gatti, one of boxing’s most charismatic and gallant fighters of the past 15 years, was found hanged in an apartment while visiting Brazil.
Local boxing featured the continued ascent of Miami resident and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa. Gamboa, who defected from his native Cuba three years ago, won his first professional world title, stopping Jose Rojas for a featherweight belt April 17.
Miami resident Glen Johnson pursued a rematch with Chad Dawson after Dawson won their first bout in a controversial decision in 2008. Johnson finally secured the second bout Nov. 7 but lost another decision.
SOUTH FLA. A HOST
This past summer, South Florida venues hosted world-title fights.
Joseph Agbeko retained his International Boxing Federation bantamweight title with a unanimous decision over Vic Darchinyan on July 11 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise.
On Aug. 28, the Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood was the site of two world-title fights.
Tallahassee’s Tavoris Cloud won the vacant IBF light-heavyweight belt with a unanimous decision aagainst former champion Clinton Woods. Minutes later, Colombia native and South Florida resident Juan Urango survived a fifth-round knockdown and stopped Miami’s Randall Bailey in the 11th round to retain his IBF junior-welterweight belt.
Joey Hernandez and Ed Paredes, two of South Florida’s most popular fighters, fought to a draw before a sellout and lively crowd Aug. 21 at the Miami Beach Ocean Resort.
The end of 2009 also saw the Seminole nation disband its promotional company, Warriors Boxing. But Seminole officials said boxing will continue at Hard Rock Live Arena under different promoters.
