And the winner is…

I’m sure most pundits will be giving their fighter of the year accolade to Juan Manuel Márquez following his scintillating destruction of Manny Pacquiao earlier this month  However, in effect I pre-empted that by honouring Márquez at the end of last year (after he’d been robbed – once again - in the 3^rd Pacquiao fight: http://floatlikeabutterflysting.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/and-winner-is.html)

Instead, my 'alternative' fighter of the year award (aka The Fran) for 2012 goes to Andre Ward. At the very end of 2011 he dished out a one-sided beating to the very capable Carl Froch, winning the ‘Super 6’ tournament and proving he is far and away the best super middleweight in the world. Now, I’m generally not a huge fan of the ‘intermediate’ divisions – super this and junior that. However, in his only fight of 2012, Ward completely outclassed the light heavyweight champ Chad Dawson (in his first fight since defeating the legendary Bernard Hopkins – in my mind Hopkins’ only legitimate defeat in almost 20 years). So Ward is effectively the undisputed light heavyweight king – without actually having ever fought at 175 pounds. Not only is he deserving of The Fran, he may well be the best (active) fighter, pound for pound, on the planet.

Khan he change?

A friend of mine bumped into Freddie Roach, former trainer of Amir Khan, at JFK airport a few months ago. During their conversation, Roach hit the nail on the head when he explained Khan’s problem:  “he stays in the pocket too long”. Fans of the NFL will know that quarterbacks who hang around in the pocket tend to end up flat on their backs – precisely what has happened to Khan on more than one occasion.  He now has a new trainer, Virgil Hill, and claims to have developed a more defensive style, which he plans to display in Los Angeles on Saturday night.  He probably won't be troubled by his opponent Carlos Molina, a lightweight stepping up a division who is four inches shorter than Khan and doesn't carry much of a punch. Should he win that fight (and if he doesn’t he may as well retire), the caliber of opponent Khan will need to face in the future will necessitate the kind of defensive skills which have generally been lacking amongst British fighters. New style or not, what is certain is that eventually he will take one on the chin – even the greats get hit sometimes. And as I’ve stated before, it’s rare for any fighter to be able to add muscle to that particular part of their anatomy.

That's the way to do it

After falling victim to three dubious decisions, Marquez decided to take the judges out of the equation - congratulations to him:

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/8728470/juan-manuel-marquez-knocks-manny-pacquiao-6th-round

Bet Pacquiao now wishes he'd taken that fight with Mayweather when he had the chance...

They (almost) never come back

Ricky Hatton’s ill-fated return to the ring after a three year absence once again illustrated how incredibly hard it is for fighters to make a successful return from retirement. Performances in the gym had convinced Hatton that he was back to his best, but once again we saw that stepping into the ring on fight night is an entirely different proposition. Perhaps if Ricky had faced an easier opponent he would have been victorious on Saturday night, but this would only have added to the illusion that he was capable of reclaiming former glories. Eventually reality would have (literally) hit home. Ricky’s fate, like that of Barry McGuigan and endless other fighters who have shared the same delusion about successfully returning to the sport, was all too inevitable. This also emphasizes (if any further evidence were needed) just how exceptional Sugar Ray’s Leonard’s comeback was (see http://floatlikeabutterflysting.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/sweet-memory.html). Those who continue to bang on that Ray didn’t win the fight, that Hagler was robbed, etc. really need to remember that this was someone who, like Hatton, hadn’t fought in over three years (indeed Leonard had only had one fight in the previous five years), returning to face a foe who was undefeated in eleven years. The astounding exception that proves the rule.

Time to lance this boil

I think I'm starting to despise the man:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/the-turnstile/lance-armstrong-just-happens-pose-next-tour-france-190124213.html

If he's not careful he's going to end up on my 'sporting figures hate list' alongside Alan 'world class' Shearer, Joe 'calslappy' Calzaghe and Co.

Sweet Memory

I haven't posted for quite some time, but couldn't let 6 April pass with mentioning such a significant anniversary. 25 years ago Sugar Ray Leonard defeated Marvellous Marvin Hagler in 'The Superfight'. It was probably the greatest comeback in boxing history - Leonard had only fought once in the preceding five years, whilst Hagler had not lost in eleven years. By winning the fight, Leonard secured his legacy as one of the greatest boxers of all time. Sweet indeed.

Happy New Year?

RIP Darlo...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16493533.stm