As we enter the championship rounds of 2011 and reflect back on what went right over the past year in boxing, we’d be remiss to neglect what went dreadfully wrong.
To be fair, even a part-time admirer of a sport so honest in concept yet often frustrating and fraudulent in execution couldn’t last without becoming cynical, if not half-crazy. And boxing (somehow still operating in its own Wild West reality) gave us plenty to cringe over this calendar year.
Without further ado, here’s a look at boxing’s 11 greatest misses of 2011:
11. Mosley takes the money … and runs
In a recurring nightmare, I often find myself in the ring at the opening bell of a major fight with an aggressive slugger rushing toward me. Without proper training or the proven ability to take a punch, the dream always ends the same way: with me absorbing tremendous punishment before waking in a cold sweat.
Based on his performance against Manny Pacquiao in May, I can only imagine Shane Mosley felt exactly this way himself. Only, it was the rest of us who endured the $54.95 nightmare on pay-per-view.
Mosley isn’t the only former warrior to go out with a whimper in a much-hyped fight, but the 39-year-old had to be the first to act like a nervous sparring partner who was more focused on thanking Pacquiao for the $5 million payday with high fives each round than actually throwing punches.
If the fight had been a movie, many would have walked out of the theater by Round 10. Ironically, that’s the exact time Mosley attempted to do the same by unsuccessfully pleading with trainer Naazim Richardson to stop the fight.
10. Waiting at the altar
Fresh off victories over then middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and a frightening one-punch knockout of Paul Williams, 2011 was supposed to be the year Sergio Martinez catapulted from relative unknown to crossover, rock-star status.
It never happened.
Despite leading-man good looks and a flashy skill set (not to mention bonus points for being an activist for women’s rights and anti-bullying), Martinez played the role of bridesmaid as every talented and marketable star between 150-160 pounds declined his invitation to dance. No spring chicken at 36 years old, Martinez was left with low-reward title defenses against nondescript European challengers Sergei Dzinziruk and Darren Barker.
