SONAHR: July 6, 2014 – Thus far, 2014 has been a good year for boxing. No superfights as yet, but established stars like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have kept on winning, as have emerging standouts such as Adonis Stevenson and Gennady Golovkin. And upstarts such as Bermane Stiverne and Terrence Crawford are beginning to make their names known. Below are five fighters who are on the upswing at the midpoint of this year, and five who are either a bit or a lot on the downside.
UP: Manny Pacquiao. With his emphatic revenge victory over Timothy Bradley in April, Pacquiao is back on top after a sojourn in the wilderness. Bradley won a controversial decision over Pacquiao in 2012, and later that year, Juan Manuel Marquez flattened Manny with a right-hand shot heard ?round the world. On the heels of a comeback win over Brandon Rios in 2013, Pacquiao?s triumph over Bradley served notice that the Pacman isn?t done yet ? not by a longshot.
DOWN: Floyd Mayweather Jr. What?!? ?Money? Mayweather ?down??!? Well, yes, but only a little. Mayweather won his only fight so far this year ? a majority decision over Marcos Maidana. Maidana is a relentless pressure fighter, a litmus test for the best rather than a trial horse for the rest. He?s the type of artless slugger that is usually easy pickings for Mayweather, who is the premier boxing stylist of his time. Yet Maidana gave Mayweather his toughest fight in years. Floyd is still undefeated. But the Maidana fight showed that Mayweather may no longer be invincible.
UP: Amir Khan. Hard to believe this British star is only 27. Seems like he?s been around forever, or at least since his silver-medal showing at the 2004 Olympics. During that time, Khan?s career has had as many ups and downs as Sylvester Stallone does during a ?Rocky? movie. His latest ?up? was a decisive win over the troublesome Luis Collazo, a fighter who ? like Maidana ? always offers a stern test to his opponents, win or lose. At welterweight, Khan seems to have found the right division to showcase his speed and skill. But his chin will always be a question mark.
DOWN: Sergio Martinez. Indeed, the brave Argentine went down four times during a nine-round beatdown inflicted by the resurgent Miguel Cotto last month. The loss ended Martinez?s distinguished run as middleweight champion, and most likely also signalled the finish of his career. But Martinez has nothing to be ashamed of in defeat. He will most likely be voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame some day ? but probably not in his first year of eligibility.
UP: Bermane Stiverne. With his spectacular six-round stoppage of Chris Arreola to win the vacant WBC heavyweight title, Stiverne embodies the beginning of the end of the division?s decade-long ?Klitschko-cracy.? True, the WBC belt was available only because champion Vitali Klitschko has retired from boxing to go into politics. True, Wladimir Klitschko still holds the other three major championship belts. But Wladimir?s last defense was an easy win over no-hope challenger Alex Leapai, while Stiverne?s first defense will be against undefeated knockout artist Deontay Wilder. Wladimir has the glossier resume, but Stiverne has the momentum, which will only accelerate if he beats Wilder.
DOWN: George Groves. Even though he lost by stoppage to IBF/WBA super-middleweight champion Carl Froch late last year, Groves was considered by some to be an ?uncrowned champion? because the referee?s intervention seemed premature, and he had dropped the champ hard in the first round. In the rematch, though, Froch kayoed Groves again, and this time there was no controversy over the stoppage. Groves is still a contender in the division. But he?s no longer an ?uncrowned champ.?
UP: Chris Algieri. When Algieri stepped into the ring to fight Ruslan Provodnikov last month, he did so as an underdog thought to have only a scant chance to defeat the hard-hitting Russian who held the WBO junior-welterweight title. When Algieri left the ring at Brooklyn?s Barclays Center, he was the new champion, courtesy of a split decision after having suffered two knockdowns during the fray. The officials? verdict may be disputed, but no one can deny that Algieri?s profile ? and future profitability ? have skyrocketed.
DOWN: Guillermo Rigondeaux. He?s undefeated in 13 bouts, and holds a pair of titles in the junior-featherweight division. He?s a two-time Olympic gold-medal winner, and he easily defeated a high-level pound-for-pound fighter named Nonito Donaire. Yet Rigondeaux is boxing?s Invisible Man ? not because he doesn?t want to be seen, but because no one, other than purists, wants to watch him fight. There?s no denying his near-otherworldly defensive ability. Even so, he needs an opponent who can force him to put forth a more crowd-pleasing effort. But if a guy like Donaire can?t do that, who the hell can?
UP: Bernard Hopkins. Where else can a 49-year-old man who holds two versions of the light-heavyweight title be but ?up?? Previously known as ?The Executioner? and now ?The Alien?, Hopkins continues to bewitch, bewilder and bamboozle fighters young enough to be his sons. And not just any fighters, but former champions like Tavoris Cloud and his latest victim, Beibut Shumenov. Eventually, Hopkins?s age will catch up with him. But no one since the late, great Archie Moore has given Father Time such a difficult fight.
DOWN: Paulie Malinaggi. Few fighters have made more of their ability than Malinaggi, who couldn?t punch his way out of a paper bag but could box rings around all but the very best in the lightweight, junior-welterweight, and welterweight divisions. Even in losing efforts against the likes of Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton and Adrien Broner, Paulie proved to be what is in baseball parlance called a ?tough out.? So it came as a real shock when IBF welterweight champion Shawn Porter walked right through Malinaggi in April, stopping him in four one-sided rounds. That defeat signalled the end of Malinaggi?s days as an elite fighter. But with his entertaining gift of gab, a long career as a color commentator on fight broadcasts awaits him.
And now, let?s look forward to the second half of a thus-far exciting 2014 in an allegedly dying sport.
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers. His award-winning novel, Damballa, which centers around a fictional heavyweight title bout, is available at Amazon.com.
