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'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...

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.

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

So where's the catch (weight)?

Wasn't The Mayweather v Marquez fight supposed to be at a catchweight of 144 pounds? So how come Mayweather weighed in at 146 pounds? Apparently, he'll have to pay a $600,000 penalty for not even attempting to get down to the contract weight. But that's scant consollation for Marquez, who was duly pummelled by a man possibly a stone (or more) heavier at the start of the contest. Don't get me wrong, Mayweather is an unbelievable fighter - but, boy, does he like to play things safe.

Whisper it, but Marquez could win

After a few quiet months, some exciting fights are on the horizon, the first of which is Mayweather v Marquez this weekend. Mayweather is the clear favourite, but Marquez should not be underestimated. Let's not forget, despite being knocked down three times by Pacquiao in the first round of their initial fight, Marquez went on to dominate the contest and should have been given the decision. Although I didn't see the rematch, many analysts thought Marquez also won that fight. Mayweather has the weight advantage, and is undoubtedly an exceptional fighter. But can he keep taking such long breaks between fights without the 'ring rust' eventually affecting his performance? It should certainly be a great fight.

Wanted: Golden Days not Golden Boys

I think we may look back on 2007 as a brief golden era for boxing. There were some really good match-ups: Mayeather v De La Hoya, Hopkins v Wright, Taylor v Pavlik, Pacquiao v Barrera, Diaz v Diaz, Cotto v Mosley, Calzaghe v Kessler, Hatton v Mayweather. Sadly, from the looks of it, 2008 has reverted to the norm – either good fighters matched against vastly inferior ones (e.g. De La Hoya v Forbes, Hatton v Lazcano, Forrest v Mora, etc.) or fights featuring boxers who are past it. In January we had Jones v Trinidad, a fight which took place at least 5 years too late. We’re also seeing Joe Calzaghe choose to fight guys who are way past their peak (first Hopkins and next, by all accounts, Jones). But, without doubt, the biggest tragedy is that Floyd Mayweather, the undisputed pound for pound champion is ducking legitimate contenders, most notably Miguel Cotto. Instead, he’s going to fight ‘Golden Boy’ Oscar De La Hoya – who he already beat convincingly last year (the judge who scored it for De La Hoya was an idiot) - and then, I kid you not, have a rematch with Ricky Hatton! Yes, that’s the same Ricky Hatton he pummelled for 10 rounds before knocking him out. And of course, the heavyweight division still remains a complete joke. Unfortunately, it appears that the new dawn of quality fighters matched up in quality fights, which 2007 seemed to herald, was just an illusion.