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.

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.

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.

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.

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.