By Michael Rosenthal ROUND OF THE YEAR
SOMETIMES BOXERS CRAM A FIGHT’S WORTH OF ACTION INTO ONE THREE-MINUTE PERIOD
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1. RAYMOND FORD VS. OTABEK KHOLMATOV (ROUND 12) March 2, Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, New York Ford was in desperate trouble entering the 12th and final round. Kholmatov had built a comfortable lead over the technician from New Jersey on two of the three cards in a pivotal fight for both unbeaten featherweight contenders. Then mayhem. Ford, on the attack in an attempt to stave off defeat, landed a right hand that sent the Uzbek reeling and followed with a flurry that put him down. It was ruled a slip, but Kholmatov’s fate was all but sealed. Ford pounded him as he tried but failed to get away until the referee stopped the action. There were only seven seconds remaining in the fight.
4. VERGIL ORTIZ VS. SERHII BOHACHUK (ROUND 8) August 10, Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas
hand that instantaneously rendered Fury semiconscious and brought the packed crowd at Kingdom Arena to its feet. Usyk followed with a barrage of accurate shots as Fury staggered around the ring until referee Mark Nelson ruled a knockdown when Fury stumbled into the ropes. Nelson might’ve saved Fury from suffering a knockout, but he couldn’t save him from his first loss. Usyk never relinquished the momentum and would win a split decision. 3. STEPHEN MCKENNA VS. JOE LAWS (ROUND 1) August 3, Oakwell Football Ground, Barnsley, England McKenna and Laws didn’t even give fans in Barnsley time to settle into their seats, as a savage shootout commenced at the opening bell and never abated. McKenna, a junior middleweight prospect from Ireland, drew first blood when
unload a right uppercut in an attempt to turn the tide. Bad idea. Radio analyst Shane McGuigan pointed out in real time that the advice was dangerous because Joshua would walk into a right hand. Sure enough, Joshua was in the process of throwing the uppercut when a brutal right to the chin put him down and out. 6. ABDULLAH MASON VS. YOHAN VASQUEZ (ROUND 1) November 8, Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia No one was surprised that Mason, a gifted lightweight from Cleveland, stopped Vasquez in two rounds. That the 20-year-old southpaw had to overcome two knockdowns – the first in his career – in a wild opening round to do it was shocking. Vasquez, a hard-punching Dominican, initiated the
Round 8 of Ortiz-Bohachuk was a microcosm of a stirring junior middleweight matchup – a nonstop firefight with some added drama. Bohachuk handed his fellow top contender the first knockdown of his career in the opening round. He did it again midway through Round 8, this time landing a left hook that forced Ortiz to touch the canvas with his gloves. The momentary setback only stoked the fire of Ortiz, who, attacking ferociously, landed some of his most effective blows. Indeed, the knockdown might have been a blessing. He went on to control the final four rounds to pull out a majority decision victory.
2. OLEKSANDR USYK VS. TYSON FURY (ROUND 9) May 18, Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
5. DANIEL DUBOIS VS. ANTHONY JOSHUA (RD. 5) September 21, Wembley Stadium, London Joshua had been knocked down in three of the first four rounds as 96,000 fans rocked Wembley Stadium in London on Sept. 21, which left him in a desperate situation. After Round 4, his trainer, Ben Davison, told the former two-time champion to wait for a lull, double jab and
a right hand to the head forced Laws to all fours about 20 seconds into the fight. McKenna, in full attack mode, followed with dozens of wild punches in an effort to end the night early. His aggression almost led to disaster, as he walked into a left hook that sent him reeling to the canvas. Laws then became the aggressor in a jarring change of momentum, but McKenna survived the crazy round and would go on to score a third-round knockout.
drama with a left hook that forced Mason to touch the canvas less than a minute into the fight. Mason, more stunned than hurt, responded by depositing Vasquez onto his back with a left uppercut 30 seconds later and seemed to be in control. Vasquez, hurt but defiant, delivered one more surprise by dropping Mason again with another stunning left hook, but that’s all he had. It was all Mason after that.
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The ninth round of the historic Usyk-Fury showdown for the
undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 was largely uneventful for 2½ minutes. Then, with one punch, Usyk set in motion a gripping 30 seconds. Following an unremarkable right hook, the Ukrainian landed an enormous left
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