Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
It’s hard to believe that we are already in July. For boxing fans, that means we’ve already coughed up a few hundred bucks for pay-per-views and ringside tickets.
Some events have been worth it, some have not.
And while boxing continues to have its fair share of issues–including must-see matchups that never materialize and the ever present poor judging–the sport continues to produce quality fights and thrilling spectacles month-after-month.
Here at Round By Round Boxing we’ve decided to try our hand at some midyear awards for the categories of fighter of the year, fight of the year, upset of the year, KO of the year, round of the year and who is winning the network war.
Whether you agree with our selections or disagree, leave a comment with your picks below.
Header photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
Fight of the Midyear
Juan Carlos Burgos, Contributing Writer
Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina – An all-out slugfest that saw both fighters hit the canvas. Matthysse showed why he is “The Machine.”
Merissa Dyer, Staff Writer
Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina – This was a demonstration of two fighters testing their limits and wills to win. Both fighters went to the canvas during the bout—Lucas Matthysse during the second and fifth rounds, and John Molina during the eighth and 10th. Though both fighters showed tremendous heart, Matthysse was able to finish off Molina in the 11th round.
Lou Catalano, Staff Writer
Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina – Lucas Matthysse finally looks human for a few rounds, then gets angry and bashes in John Molina’s skull. An absolute war.
Gabe Rivas, Sr. Analyst
Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina
Tony Calcara, Staff Writer
Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina – An all-out war from the get go.
Dominique Silva, Contributing Writer
Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina – Lucas Matthysse gets dropped twice, comes from behind and KOs John Molina in an action-packed fight.
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Terence Crawford vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa – I know, I might catch some heat because this fight just happened a week ago, but it was exhilarating and everything you could ask for. I would say it’s also fair to pick Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina (which is my close second) as well as Tommy Coyle vs. Daniel Brizuela with it’s eight combined knockdowns.
Upset of the Midyear
Juan Carlos Burgos, Contributing Writer
Chris Algieiri defeats Ruslan Provodnikov – Chris Algieiri showed heart, guts, toughness and more importantly the ability to fight. This was an exciting fight and controversial as well.
Merissa Dyer, Staff Writer
Chris Algieri defeats Ruslan Provodnikov – Many boxing fans (including myself) had Ruslan Provodnikov winning over Chris Algieri, who could box pretty with Paulie Malignaggi-esque power. Despite Provodnikov’s power and willingness to brawl, Algieri’s style made it difficult for him in the later rounds to effectively set up his punches. Had Algieri not been sent to the canvas twice in the first round, the fight would’ve been much closer, though Provodnikov definitely had the edge.
Lou Catalano, Staff Writer
Chris Algieri defeats Ruslan Provodnikov – While there’s an argument for Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez, nobody outside of Chris Algieri’s immediate family gave him a shot in hell against Ruslan Provodnikov. While the outcome can be contested, he got the nod, and he does here as well.
Gabe Rivas, Sr. Analyst
Miguel Cotto defeats Sergio Martinez
Tony Calcara, Staff Writer
Miguel Cotto defeats Sergio Martinez
Dominique Silva, Contributing Writer
Miguel Cotto defeats Sergio Martinez – I’m sure some of my colleagues are going to pick Chris Algieri vs. Ruslan Provodnikov, but I’m not. Sergio Martinez was supposed to destroy Miguel Cotto and instead Cotto never looked better in manhandling Martinez.
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Miguel Cotto defeats Sergio Martinez – Even though Miguel Cotto is a great fighter, I certainly did not think he could or would steamroll Sergio Martinez like he did. You can certainly claim that Martinez’s knee hindered his performance, but that first hook that Cotto landed in Round 1 was a game changer and regardless of what version of Martinez entered the ring that night, he would have been in trouble.
KO of the Midyear
Juan Carlos Burgos, Contributing Writer
Carl Froch vs. George Groves II – Many questions needed to be addressed in the rematch after the controversial first meeting. Carl Froch answered those questions with a crushing right hand.
Merissa Dyer, Staff Writer
Shawn Porter vs. Paulie Malignaggi – It only took four rounds for Shawn Porter to impose his will on Paulie Malignaggi, knocking him out in the fourth round. The most impressive part was how he did it, using awkward timing and rhythm to catch Malignaggi off guard. The exchanges surprised Malignaggi, who was certain Porter would be more of a pressure fighter during the bout. Bottom line: Porter is a beast that cannot be tamed.
Lou Catalano, Staff Writer
Carl Froch vs. George Groves II – Carl Froch spent the majority of two fights against George Groves wearing the same expression on his face that an older brother gets when the younger one is beating him at something. Then he did what the older brother usually ends up doing – he dropped Groves like a bad habit. Unleashing a rocket of a right hand, he put the pesky Groves away. It was a perfect, concussive end to their rivalry.
Gabe Rivas, Sr. Analyst
Andy Lee vs. John Jackson
Tony Calcara, Staff Writer
Carl Froch vs. George Groves II
Dominique Silva, Contributing Writer
Nicholas Walters vs. Vic Darchinyan – Vic Darchinyan gave Nonito Donaire a very tough fight in his previous outing and almost scored a huge upset. Going in against Darchinyan, Nicholas Walters was an unknown Jamaican champion. When a lightning quick left hook exploded on Darchinyan’s jaw, he fell like he had no soul left in his body and remained unconscious for a long, scary moment. We now know who Walters is.
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Frank Galarza vs. John Thompson – ShoBox is a great series for various reasons. Often times we get to see well-known prospects pushed to the brink who get to show why they are considered boxing’s next best thing. Other times, we get introduced to lesser-known fighters who waiting for an opportunity to shine. The Brooklyn Rocky, Frank Galarza, is a fighter who just needed a platform to shine on. John Thompson came in as the more highly regarded fighter and looked to box, but Galarza was having none of it.
Who is Winning the Network War?
Juan Carlos Burgos, Contributing Writer
Showtime – They just are putting higher caliber fights on a more consistent basis. HBO has nice fighters, GGG for example, but too many undercards are ESPN2 FNF type fights.
Merissa Dyer, Staff Writer
Even – Sure, Showtime are the new popular kids ever since they got a seat next to Floyd Mayweather at the lunch table. But even if we look at the tentative pay-per-view numbers and the caliber of fights on both HBO and Showtime, the two networks are relatively neck and neck. HBO has had its share of under-performing pay-per-view fights, such as Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley II, but allegedly the numbers for Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana on Showtime also fell short of expectations. While Showtime was busy generating PPV fights that didn’t make sense, like Canelo Alvarez vs. Alfredo Angulo, HBO hosted Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez, one of the best cards this year. Pay-per-view numbers aside, there have been quality fights on both networks, proving that despite the apparent shift in power to Showtime, HBO is still very much in the game.
Lou Catalano, Staff Writer
HBO – This is like declaring a winner between the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns. Between the 1,100 pay-per-view cards this year and the abomination that is August 9, it’s not easy to consider either network “winning.” However, there have been some fantastic fights. HBO gets the nod here. Showtime has closed the gap, but HBO continually pounds them in ratings, the most recent proof being the Terence Crawford vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa scrap. Here’s to hoping ESPN ups its boxing budget in 2015.
Gabe Rivas, Sr. Analyst
Showtime
Tony Calcara, Staff Writer
Showtime – Showtime has consistently put on better fights and they have pieced together a very good broadcasting team; both on Showbox and on their main Showtime Championship boxing telecasts. They have been very innovative as well, for example, the 90 minute/2 hour action prior to the main card is incredible for fans.
Dominique Silva, Contributing Writer
HBO – Even though Showtime has Money Mayweather and more stars, HBO has put together competitive fights and bringing up major players in years to come, Showtime are showing their stars but not against each other like they had the last two years. HBO is winning up til now.
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Even – Showtime and HBO both have good commentating teams–give or take a guy–and both put on good fights. I won’t dissect the numbers too much, because they don’t always make sense. For example, the numbers for HBO pay-per-view’s showing of Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez were ridiculously low–something Lou DiBella and Bob Arum admitted to–but the card was arguably the best of the year. The rest of the year will certainly be filled with hits and misses from both sides. I just wish they could work together.
Fighter of the Midyear
Juan Carlos Burgos, Contributing Writer
Miguel Cotto – After his loss to Austin Trout, I as well as many others thought we had seen the best of Miguel Cotto. Cotto had different ideas, under the guidance of Freddie Roach, the future Hall of Famer has been reborn as evidenced by his beat down of former middleweight champ Sergio Martinez. Terence Crawford is a very close second.
Merissa Dyer, Staff Writer
Miguel Cotto
Rarely are seasoned fighters able to make such drastic improvements late in their careers, but sometimes it’s about going back to the basics. Freddie Roach’s aim to revisit and fine-tune Miguel Cotto’s strengths played a huge role in his fight against veteran Sergio Martinez, arguably his best performance to date.
Lou Catalano, Staff Writer
Miguel Cotto – There seems to be two schools of thought–one that believes Cotto is a transformed fighter who is now at the very upper elite level, and the other that believes a cool breeze would have crippled Sergio Martinez and sent his team running for the Bengay. Lets call it even. Either way, Cotto looked absolutely fantastic, and he executed Freddie Roach’s game plan to perfection. Hopefully we see him one more time this year.
Dominique Silva, Contributing Writer
Manny Pacquiao – After Juan Manuel Marquez knocked his world upside down, many people thought Manny Pacquiao’s time was through. Sure, he had a comeback against Brandon Rios last year, but the big test was when he went after Tim Bradley, who had just outboxed and outclassed Marquez in his last fight. Bradley was a top five pound-for-pound fighter in the world and had already beaten Pacquaio before. Although Pacquiao had some tough moments early, he came back as the Pacquiao of old and defeated Bradley soundly. No other fighter fought a top pound-for-pound fighter this year in their prime and beat them.
Gabe Rivas, Sr. Analyst
Miguel Cotto
Tony Calcara, Staff Writer
Terence Crawford – Terence Crawford looks more and more like he can be a real solid champion.
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Terence Crawford – Terence Crawford showed guts going out to Scotland and earning the WBO title in convincing fashion against the hometown fighter, Ricky Burns. Did Crawford take a “gimme” in his first title defense? Hell no! Crawford instead staked his claim as boxing’s next best thing with a sensational knockout performance of the previously unbeaten Cuban slickster, Yuriorkis Gamboa. One more big win and Crawford has this award in the bag at year’s end.
All photos by Chris Farina/Top Rank
Round of the Midyear
Lou Catalano, Staff Writer
Koki Eto vs. Ardin Diale– Round 8
Merissa Dyer, Staff Writer
Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez – Round 1
From the sounding of the first bell, Miguel Cotto looked sharp, quick and confident. Boxing fans had their picks for this fight, but few anticipated Cotto knocking Martinez down three times in the first round. Even in doing so, Cotto kept his composure and set the tone for the remainder of the fight, where his style prevailed the most.
Tony Calcara, Staff Writer
Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Mike Alvarado– Round 9 – Good drama!
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Tommy Coyle vs. Daniel Brizuela – Round 11 – Incredible is the only way to describe this all-out brawl. Round 11 exploded as both men hit the canvas and a point was deducted from Tommy Coyle. At the beginning of the round, Daniel Brizuela dropped Coyle with a vicious body shot that Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. would have been proud of, only to see Coyle rise. Instead of succumbing to the vicious attack he absorbed to the body, Coyle came back and scored a knockdown of his own. You just have to see it to believe it.
