RINGSIDE
Chris Eubank Jr. UD 12 Conor Benn – It’s not often that a heavily hyped matchup exceeds the promises of the promoters and the expectations of the public, but that’s what the sons of Britain’s most famous modern rivalry delivered to 67,000 fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a solid PPV audience. Fans got their money’s worth with this one. Naoya Inoue TKO 8 Ramon Cardenas – When the sport needed it most, The Monster and a 15-to-1 underdog produced a shootout that set the
Kenshiro Teraji – My front-runner, so far. I’ve followed Sandoval’s career since his 17th pro bout, watched him develop from prospect to Ring-rated flyweight, but I didn’t think he could dethrone the Japanese veteran. However, the Californian got up from a fourth-round knockdown and displayed the best technique of his career while matching Teraji’s punch output in a terrific fight. The vacant Ring title could be on the line in a rematch. Jorge Garcia Perez SD 12 Charles Conwell – Most pundits viewed the undefeated American Olympian as the dark horse of the very deep 154-pound division, but he got outhustled by the gritty Mexican fringe contender. Rolando Romero UD 12 Ryan Garcia – Romero was a threat with his big right hand, but who saw him outpointing Garcia? The same guy who got blasted by Gervonta Davis and beat up by Isaac Cruz (and was lucky to get the “W” vs. Jackson Marinez and Ismael Barroso) boxed with a sense of purpose after flooring Garcia in the second round. Armando Resendiz SD 12 Caleb Plant – The 11-to-1 underdog spoiled the PBC’s plans for a Plant vs. Jermall Charlo PPV later this year by outslugging the veteran former super middleweight titleholder. James Dickens KO 4 Albert Batyrgaziev – Nobody thought “Jazza” – who had been stopped by Guillermo Rigondeaux, Kid Galahad and Argentine fringe contender Hector Sosa – had a shot against the formidable Russian Olympic gold medalist, but the scrappy Liverpudlian confidently found it – with a series of left hands in Round 4 – breathing new life into his career at junior lightweight. COMEBACK OF THE YEAR Daigo Higa – The former flyweight titleholder is my midyear choice for this award even though he announced his retirement after his draw with Antonio Vargas on July 30. His bantamweight
been one sub-bantamweight Fighter of the Year in The Ring’s 97-year history of the award (Michael Carbajal in 1993), so Bam is a long shot. However, the 115-pound champ reminded us of his generational talent by expertly breaking down
Phumelela Cafu to a 10-round TKO, adding the WBO strap to his Ring and WBC titles in July. If Rodriguez does the same to the fearsome “Puma”
in November, further unifying the division, maybe he’ll get the votes.
boxing world on fire.
Oleksandr Usyk (if he fights and beats Joseph Parker) – As tough and experienced as Parker is, few will give him a shot to upset the undisputed heavyweight champ if that WBO mandatory is made this year. No disrespect to the New Zealander, it’s just that Usyk is already considered an all-time great. The fifth-round KO of Daniel Dubois in their July rematch put a cherry on top of that earned status. If the Ukrainian legend were to win this year’s honor, he’d join an elite group of three-time winners that includes Rocky Marciano, Evander Holyfield and Manny Pacquiao. He’d also be the first back-to-back winner since Pacquiao did it in 2008 and 2009. FIGHT OF THE YEAR Kenshiro Teraji TKO 12 Seigo Yuri Akui – This flyweight title unification battle of attrition is my front- runner, so far. The March showdown featured fierce back-and-forth exchanges from Round 1 to the dramatic final- round finish. Callum Smith UD 12 Joshua Buatsi – This was an old-fashioned dustup between light heavyweight contenders. Every time one fighter seemed to gain the upper hand, the other battled his way back into contention. Smith, the 35-year-old veteran who was in a must-win situation, dug a little deeper.
KO OF THE YEAR Brian Norman Jr. KO 5 Jin Sasaki – My front-runner, so far. Sasaki was a prime candidate to get KTFO by an accurate puncher like the WBO welterweight titleholder, and Norman’s left-hook chiller that put the brazen challenger on his back in Round 5 was as cold – and scary – as KOs get. Zhanibek Alimkhanuly TKO 5 Anauel Ngamissengue – This was not a cold KO, but the unified middleweight titleholder’s perfectly timed pair of left crosses – the first setting up the second – were as beautiful to witness as they were brutal on the valiant challenger, whose dramatic collapse into the ropes and onto the canvas necessitated a stoppage even though he beat the count. Fabio Wardley KO 10 Justis Huni – Outclassed for nine and a half rounds by a fellow unbeaten heavyweight hopeful, the British attraction needed something big late in the fight and he found it with a massive right hand.
UPSET OF THE YEAR Ricardo Sandoval SD 12
14 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker