Fight of the Midyear Consensus: Vargas vs. Salido
I’m sure I’ll be one of the few to pick this instead of Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido. Before you come after me with pitchforks and torches, allow me to explain.
A fight of the year needs drama, not just buckets of blood. If blood is all you need to create drama, we should all be up in arms that Quentin Tarantino and Nicolas Winding Refn don’t win Best Picture every year at the Oscars. Blood and guts is what Vargas vs. Salido provided, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It was fun and it had me on the edge of my seat.
But Thurman vs. Porter was more nuanced. It was two legitimate top-five guys going at it in a battle of “Who wants it more?” They dug into each other, but they fought like champions when they were hurt.
They went round for round with another. And when it came to the championship rounds and Thurman knew he was probably down on the cards he came out trying to hurt Porter–it paid off.
This isn’t a classic fight or even one that might still be FOTY by December, but for now it’s a fight that boxing needed pretty badly, especially coming off the heels of the Canelo-Smith announcement.
Pick: Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter
Liam Brady, Graphic Designer/Staff Writer
What can I say that the eyes didn’t see already?
Tremendous inside fighting, relentless action and an incomprehensible amount of guts make Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido the undisputed fight of the midyear, and maybe even the fight of the year in December!
Finally, hats off to both men.
Pick: Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido
Brandon Glass, Staff Writer
Maybe cause this fight is only a week old or so… but it was amazing to watch. A classic clash of styles that pit the swarming pressure fighter against the tactical boxer-puncher, we watched two prime welterweights at the peak of their powers in a battle of attrition.
They created a high-intensity fire fight, where both guys had their moments, that surprisingly lasted to the final bell. In the end, the judges felt Thurman defended his title successfully against the cocksure Porter.
I thought Porter won, because he had Thurman fighting his fight by allowing himself to get pushed around for many of the rounds. Despite that, Thurman landed some heavy punches on Porter that rocked the Cleveland native. Even though I disagreed with the outcome, I’m satisfied with it.
Pick: Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter
Leann Perez, Staff Writer
Although Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter was entertaining, there were moments where Thurman took advantage and won over the rounds.
The fight with Francisco Vargas and Orlando Salido was non-stop back-and-forth action. Those two men gave it everything they got and left the fans wanting more!
Pick: Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido
Shelbi Keyes, Staff Writer
The much-anticipated fight between Francisco Vargas and Orlando Salido was guaranteed to be a FOTY candidate before the two fighters had even stepped into the ring and it did not disappoint. Every minute of every round of this fight was action packed.
Lightweight world titleholder Vargas and former titleholder Salido fought to draw at the StubHub Center. In the end, two judges scored the fight 114-114, and one had it 115-113 in favor of Vargas, who retained his title.
I rarely agree with draw decisions, but both fighters deserved to hold their hands up at the end of this fight. Though last weekends fight between Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter was also at the top of my list for Fight of the Midyear, I felt Vargas vs. Salido ever so slightly topped it.
Pick: Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido
Alan Garcia, Staff Writer
Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter, what a great fight that was. Two up-and-coming high-caliber fighters, going at it like high-caliber champions.
Both men came into the ring to prove their very best against each other in order to establish who the better fighter is and in response gave everything they had and left it all in the ring.
The reason this fight should be considered fight of the midyear is because it is rare instances like this in which two elite fighters are matched against each other and meet the high expectations the fans paid to see.
Pick: Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
I think most people can agree that this one comes down to two fights, Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido and Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter. Both matchups produced exhilarating moments and you can make credible arguments for both.
While Thurman vs. Porter pitted two top-level guys with more skill, Vargas vs. Salido was a good ol’ fashioned war like HBO has been giving us since the days of Marco Antonio Barrera and Kennedy McKinney (and probably before, but that’s about as far back as I can remember).
I think it speaks to the quality of fights that most people want to see rematches for both.
Pick: Francisco Vargas vs. Orlando Salido
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Other Nominees
