Fight of the Midyear Consensus: Matthysse vs. Provodnikov
I think many people will go cliché and pick, Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov for this category; it was a great fight and a war of tough chins. But, as a student of the “Sweet Science” and being a technical boxing fan at heart, I have to select Seanie Monaghan vs. Cleiton Conceicao.
This fight was shown on TruTV and might have fallen under the radar for the average boxing fan. The two threw a nearly identical amount of punches throughout the fight, and Monaghan was cut above his eye in just the second round.
Conceicao landed some stunning blows on Monaghan throughout the 10-round bout, yet Monaghan pulled off a unanimous decision victory. He was able to do this by effectively cutting off the ring and trapping Conceicao in nearly every corner.
Monoghan was able to keep the look of the aggressor by never chasing the quick footed Canceicao. The technical side of the Sweet Science is not for everyone, but I have to give credit when I see it displayed so masterfully.
Pick: Seanie Monaghan vs. Cleiton Conceicao
Lou Catalano, Senior Writer
While it may not have reached the Arturo Gatti/Mickey Ward levels some anticipated, Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov was a fantastic scrap that lived up to the massive hype surrounding it.
Matthysse controlled the first half, while the unbreakable, indefatigable Provodnikov climbed back into the fight in the second half.
Nobody went down, nobody was really even badly hurt, but these guys went to war and it will be in the running for FOTY in six months.
Pick: Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov
Tony Calcara, Staff Writer
Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov featured two men with guts and heart who sold themselves out in the most elementary of ways to win.
Pick: Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov
Leann Perez, Staff Writer
This fight was everything that it was hyped up to be. Two fighters who are known for their warrior fighting style were warriors that night and delivered blow after blow to each other.
Lucas Matthysse was more on his toes and delivered endless combinations against Ruslan Provodnikov, while Provodnikov kept coming forward and delivered some hard hitting shots as well.
Not one knockdown in that fight, which you left you wondering ‘OMG how much more can these guys take?’ Blood, heart and respect, along with some great boxing gave one hell of a fight that night for boxing fans.
Pick: Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov
Brandon Glass, Contributing Writer
Jean Pascal fought Sergey Kovalev like he had been telling himself he wasn’t gonna let this dude come in his backyard and clown him. He wasn’t intimidated at all, and even ate big shots that have killed a man before.
No one thought he would take the fight to Kovalev like that, countering his jab with a sometimes outrageously telegraphic right hand.
A peaking Kovalev “Macguyver-ed” his way out by increasing his output with combination punching, wobbling the Hatian-Canadian several times before a controversial stoppage.
Kovalev retained all three of his belts, all formerly owned by Pascal, and re-enforced his claim as the best at 175 right now.
Pick: Sergey Kovalev vs. Jean Pascal
Yazket Espino, Staff Writer
Back and forth action that saw former champion Mijares (51-8-2) dropped and hurt by Nebran (13-9-1) in a bloody fight. Both fighters showed heart and determination as Mijares won a hard fought unanimous decision.
Pick: Cristian Mijares vs. Vergel Nebran
Mike Burnell, Staff Writer
This was a good, old-fashioned scrap with no pageantry or conditions. It featured two of the toughest contenders that Jr. Welterweight division has to offer against each other which is becoming increasingly rare.
The steak was as good as its sizzle as both fighters gave no quarter while maintaining a fast pace and were still going at it when the final bell rang.
Pick: Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
You can certainly make a legitimate argument for Sergey Kovalev vs. Jean Pascal, David Lemieux vs. Hassan N’Dam and a couple of other fights because there is no real clear-cut winner at this point.
I’ll go with Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov because even with the lofty expectations put on the fight beforehand, we still came out satisfied and appreciative that nobody died. Kudos to both men.
Pick: Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov
Other Nominees
