And the winner is...

In previous years I've attempted to give my fighter of the year award (a.k.a. The Fran) to an 'alternative' pugilist, one who is unlikely to receive the accolade from more traditional quarters. However, this year there can only be one winner - Floyd Mayweather. He's simply the best fighter on the planet - by a country mile. Not giving the award to him would be like not giving it to Sugar Ray Leonard in 1981 or Muhammad Ali in 1974. Even I'm not that silly.

That'll learn you

Boxer deals with Twitter troll by going round to his house!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/mar/12/english-boxer-curtis-woodhouse-twitter-troll

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.

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.

And the winner is...

My 'alternative' fighter of the year award (aka The Fran) for 2011 goes to Juan Manuel Márquez. Three times he’s fought Pacquiao (deemed by so many to be the pound for pound king). On at least one, if not two, and possibly even all three occasions, he’s won the fight. But the judges keep on letting him down. The fight this year saw possibly the worst decision of them all (Tim Smith of New York's Daily News wrote that Márquez "was robbed by judges who were either blind or corrupt"). He may not be a winner according to the record books, but Marquez is definitely deserving of The Fran.

Where have all the good kings gone?

Boxing has become a complete joke - too many titles, top fighters ducking each other, Don King...

It used to be my favourite sport, but now there are perhaps two or three fights a year in which I have much interest - hence the paucity of recent posts on this blog. I am intrigued by Pacquiao v Marquez III later this month, and would relish a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight (if it ever happens), but there is little else to get excited about.

My interest in boxing has become comparable to my interest in music - I pine for the glory days of my youth: the 1980s! I've just read Four Kings: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Duran and the Last Great Era of Boxing by George Kimball which is excellent. I hadn't realised that Hearns had broken his right hand during that phenomenal first round against Hagler, so basically fought the rest of the fight on guts. Them were the days.

A bloody joke

This extract from Dan Rafael's report on the Hopkins v Dawson fight basically says it all about why professional boxing has become such a shambles:

If you're a big boxing fan and support pay-per-views you have now been conned out of roughly $130 in the past month. You got ripped off with the crappy way the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Victor Ortiz fight ended Sept. 17 and now this monstrosity. And people wonder why boxing is so troubled? It's because the fans -- those of us who pour our hard-earned cash into the sport and allow it to exist -- are taken for granted by promoters, fighters, managers and networks.

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/7114210/fans-bernard-hopkins-left-crying-debacle

More of my thoughts on this to follow...

Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin

It’s been a long-held maxim in boxing that it’s impossible to add muscle to the chin. In other words, fighters who have a glass-jaw are stuck with this limitation for their entire (often relatively short) careers. However, two boxers are beginning to make me question the validity of this notion. I saw Wladimir Klitschko get brutally knocked out in 2003 and 2004, and to be quite frank, he looked like a bum. Having barely survived three knockdowns against Samuel Peter in 2005, Klitschko has now won 11 world title fights in a row. I was sure if David Haye caught him on the chin, Klitschko would fall, but Haye definitely landed at least two big right hands and Klitschko didn’t crumble. Admittedly, he didn’t land a full Hayemaker (the broken toe prevented that), and perhaps the defensive style Klitschko has adopted since those mid-career wobbles, has successfully prevented anyone from properly testing his chin. Certainly the current paucity of the heavyweight division has helped in this regard. But what about Amir Khan? How has he gone from having the most suspect chin in British boxing to being on the verge of dominating the 140 pound division (with talk of moving up to welterweight and challenging the likes of Floyd Mayweather)? Every time these fighters step into the ring – especially against dangerous punchers – I’ll still be thinking ‘maybe this time’. But how many world championship defences must a fighter make before one has to stop considering him ‘chinny’?

And the winner is...

My 'alternative' fighter of the year award, The Fran, goes to Bernard Hopkins. His performance earlier this month, just a few weeks shy of his 46th birthday, emphasised once again what a phenomenal fighter he is. Although he was robbed of victory by the judges - as he always seem to be in close fights - in reality he hasn't suffered a defeat since his loss to the great Roy Jones in 1993. Quite simply amazing.

Never too old?

A great weekend for 'old timers' - Phil Taylor at the age of 50 finally received some of the recognition he deserves at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards, whilst Bernard Hopkins, 46 next month, outboxed a 27-year-old champion in his prime. Still, it would have been nice to see both of these legends declared the winners - they were clearly robbed.

Yes Khan do?

Great victory by Amir Khan on Saturday. The lad appears to have defied the old boxing adage, and actually added muscle to his chin. We should find out in the next year just how good a fighter he really is, but the signs are starting to look promising. Despite the astonishing improvement in his chin, I still suspect he may remain susceptible to being caught cold at the beginning of a fight...

Hope the joke's not on Haye

David Haye should beat 'Ordinary' Harrison easily on Saturday (and I hope he does), but at heavyweight you just never know. That's why it was very silly for Haye to take this fight - if he's going to get caught by a bomb, far better that it happens against one of the Klitschko's than against some bum

What the Haye?

Now I'm always been a big fan of David Haye. But calling the Klitchko brothers out, and then choosing to duck them and instead fight Audley Harrison? Come on David, get a grip man - you're a World Champion for goodness sake. A unification bout with Wladimir Klitchko would be huge (and very winable - his chin is so suspect); a fight with 'Ordinary' Harrison is just a joke.

Like I said...

Floyd Mayweather proved last night that he is, undoubtedly, the greatest fighter in the world. Despite coming close to being knocked out by Mosley in the second round (which is why those 4/1 odds were worth a little flutter), Mayweather went on to give a boxing masterclass. Before the fight, Mosley could justifiably claim to be one of the two best Welterweights in the world - but he was completely outboxed by the greatest. Sure, many pundits will continue to argue that Pacquiao is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. But if the two ever get together in the same ring, I can only see one winner. Bring it on.

Sweet as Sugar?

I just bet a few quid on 'Sugar' Shane Mosley at odds of 4/1 to win the big fight tonight. Think I'm crazy? I still believe Floyd Mayweather will win, but I reckon it's the toughest fight out there for the great one (much tougher than Pacquiao). Also, I'm a sucker for quality fighters with the 'Sugar' moniker. And I'll take 4/1 on Mosley against anyone...

New Year Wishes

1/ Philadelphia Eagles or Arizona Cardinals to win the Superbowl (or at least get through the first round of the play-offs)
2/ France to win the FIFA World Cup (further devaluing an already tarnished competition)
3/ Mayweather and Pacquiao to stop bickering and have the damn fight (which Mayweather would win easy)
4/ David Haye to fight (and beat) one of the Klitschko brothers
5/ Phil ‘the Power’ Taylor to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year

And the winner is...

My 'alternative' fighter of the year award - henceforth known as The Fran - goes to David Haye. The heavyweight division has been dreadfully dull for what seems like an eternity, but finally a fighter has come along capable of generating some much needed excitement. And he's British. 'Nuff said.