Dec 20, 2006, 18:55 GMT
Philadelphia, PA - Rocky Balboa came back. Oscar De La Hoya came back. What more could boxing have wanted in 2006? Maybe a legitimate heavyweight champion, but that can wait until 2007. In a year highlighted by great fights and the rise of a boxing superstar not named Floyd Mayweather Jr., boxing made its presence felt all over the sports world. As we do every year, let's reflect back and hand out awards for the great performances, and some not so great ones.
Fighter of the Year: Manny Pacquiao
What more could you want out of a fighter? He has passion, guts, heart and most of all, he is exciting. Manny Pacquiao cemented his claim as one of the top 3 fighters in the sport with two resounding victories over the legendary Erik Morales and another awesome win over the respected Oscar Larios. It is the sort of trifecta that most fighters dream about but seldom accomplish. The Pacman not only triumphed, he also dominated almost every round in the process. If it wasn't for a few anxious moments early in the second Morales fight and in the Larios fight, Pacquiao would have dominated every round against top-flight opponents.
He is the sort of fighter who doesn't need tune-ups. He just needs legacy fights. And if the 2006 trend continues, we may see more of those in 2007.
Fight of the Year: Kermit Cintron-David Estrada
I may take a lot of heat for this because the Israel Vasquez-Jhonny Gonzalez fight was excellent as well, but you have to love it when two guys' careers are on the line in a crossroads fight on regular cable TV. It is seldom that you will see good fights that don't require a $49.95 price tag or an HBO/Showtime subscription. That is why I chose Kermit Cintron-David Estrada as Fight of the Year.
This bout took place on April 19 on ESPN 2 and turned out to be an excellent give-and-take affair. Early on, it was Cintron controlling the action with his reach and power. The middle rounds belonged to Estrada, as his pressure and relentlessness helped him gain control. From the seventh round on, each guy was ready to go, but Cintron got the upper hand by round nine. After that, he scored a spectacular stoppage win in a memorable fight that may have gone unnoticed by a lot of fight pundits.
Comeback of the Year: Oscar De La Hoya and Sugar Shane MosleyOscar De La Hoya and Sugar Shane Mosley both deserve this award. De La Hoya came back when boxing needed him most. His rousing knockout performance over wild man Ricardo Mayorga for the WBC Super Welterweight Crown in May was fantastic, and the PPV number of close to one million buys is a testament to the Golden Boys drawing power. There is a super fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on the horizon in May 2007 that could end up being the biggest non- heavyweight fight of all time.
Sugar Shane Mosley, on the other hand, is the forgotten superstar. Despite the fact that he will go down as a hall of famer when all is said and done, almost everybody who carried a boxing writer's pen said that he was finished as a world-class fighter when 2006 began. Message to all: Mosley is back, and he is still an excellent fighter. He scored two knockout victories over former junior middleweight champion Fernando Vargas, setting the stage for a possible big 2007 for the modern day Sugarman.
Bonehead of the Year: Zab Judah
This honor goes to no one other then Zab 'Not So Super' Judah. First, it was his debacle against Carlos Baldomir in January due to a lack of conditioning. Then, it was his Malay against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in April. When will this guy learn that he has the talent of an all-time great? The trouble is that he has the head of an all-time bonehead. So instead of calling him an all-time great fighter, we will call him an all-time bonehead until he proves otherwise. Maybe he can get things straightened out in 2007 because he still has youth and talent on his side. You just wish he could develop other talents, like attitude and common sense.
Contender and Prospect of the Year: Paul Williams
A 6-foot-1 welterweight with an 82-inch reach and a 32-0 record with 24 knockouts. You must think I'm crazy, but I'm not. There is a guy by the name of Paul Williams out there, and he is downright scary. If we come to learn that his whiskers are as good as his game, watch out. His destruction of former world champion Sharmba Mitchell in August served notice. If he can get Antonio Margarito in the ring, we may see a great fight in early 2007.
Time To Retire This Year: Fernando Vargas, Arturo Gatti and Erik Morales
Memo to these fighters: You were all brilliant in your primes. You all stamped a legacy on the sport of boxing. Gatti, you gave us some of the best and greatest fights of the last 20 years, and for that, you are appreciated. Vargas, you displayed a heart seldom seen in athletics, and even in defeat, you proved why fight fans loved your tenacity. Morales, your fights with Marco Antonio Barrera were breathtaking in their savagery...and your other ring wars were not to be scoffed at either.
You all made millions of dollars, millions of fans and hundreds of memories. However, when you take beatings like you took in 2006, it is time to go. Enjoy your money and enjoy your family. Ten years from now at your Hall of Fame induction, take a bow. You gave us fight fans great memories, and that is something nobody can even take away from you.
Twenty years from now, when we talk about the distinguished fights of yesteryear at a local sports bar, we will bring up the comeback knockout win over Gabriel Ruelas, the back-and-forth rousing affair against Felix Trinidad and the trilogy against Barrera. You might be in your late 40s or 50s by then, without a title belt around your waist, but we still will call you champ, and you still will get applause every time we see you.
© 2006 The Sports Network
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