Awards

Welcome to the Boxing Opinions Awards Page For 2012!

 

As this is the first time we have done this I'll give a short intro to let you know just what our awards are about...

 

Each category will have two awards; my choice and the fans choice. Mine is just based on my opinion and may be a little biased to the fighters that I think have been more impressive this year, but the fans choice is 100% fair and square. We have been taking votes for each category for a few weeks now, so all of our followers have had the chance to vote for their favourite in each category. You may not agree with all of the awards, but hopefully you enjoy reading them.

 

 

Fighter Of The Year

 

My choice - Danny Garcia.

 

This guy has fought three times this year and impressed me more and more every time. At the young age of 24 he is already a unified world champion with victories over the world's best on his already impressive record, and to top it all off he has now announced himself as one of the most devastating punchers in the world today with knock out victories over Amir Khan and Erik Morales. Already developing into one of the sport's superstars, the future looks very bright for this young man.

 

Fans Choice - Carl Froch.

 

Runners up:

• Nonito Donaire
• Danny Garcia

 

British Fighter Of The Year

 

My Choice - Ricky Burns.

 

I knew that the fans choice for this one would be Carl Froch once again so I decided to think outside the box and choose a fighter that has had less media coverage but done just as much, if not more, than most of Britain's most popular fighters. Burns has only fought twice this year but it has still been a very successful 12 months for him. He became a two-weight world champion after stepping up to lightweight against Michael Katsidis in late 2011 and has successfully defended it twice since. Already considered by some as Scotland's greatest ever fighter, the 29-year old is set for a massive 2013.

 

Fans Choice - Carl Froch.

 

Runners up:

• Ricky Burns
• David Price/Tony Bellew

 

Prospect Of The Year

 

My Choice - Kal Yafai.

 

6 fights, 6 wins, 5 KO's, in just 6 months is what Kal Yafai's record reads at this current time. The 23-year old bantamweight has looked unstoppable so far and packs a punch that looks like it could trouble most of the opponents that get in his way. Some say he is being rushed by promoter Eddie Hearn but if he is capable of beating the best out there already, then why not? The ex-GB man will headline his first show on January 19th in Wolverhampton. He is most definitely one to look out for!

 

Fans Choice - Kal Yafai.

 

Runners up:

• John Ryder
• Billy Joe Saunders

 

Knockout Of The Year

 

My Choice - Marquez on Pacquiao (8/12/12).

 

There was only one choice in my mind the moment I started considering this award. The fact that almost everyone else voted for it too just proves how iconic this knockout was. It wasn't just the punch or the way Pacquiao went down, it was the moment and how much meaning that one punch had. Marquez deserved it 100% and the KO will be remembered for years to come. It truly was the perfect punch.

 

Fans Choice - Marquez on Pacquiao.

 

Runners up:

• Garcia on Morales
• Garcia on Khan

 

Fight Of The Year

 

My Choice - Peter Quillin Vs Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam.

 

I will never forget this fight! I wasn't that interested in it before it took place. I knew it would be a close one but I never ever expected what we were given. In the first few rounds it looked like a mismatch. Nearly every punch Quillin through was sending N'Dam down to the canvas, but to the Frenchman's credit, he bounced straight back up every time. The completely pro-Quillin crowd were then forced into silence when N'Dam, who was clearly the better boxer, came back strong and brought the fight to a stunned Quillin. If it wasn't for the two knockdowns he suffered in the final round, you could have made a case for the warrior winning the fight.

 

Fans Choice - Brandon Rios Vs Mike Alvarado.

 

Runners up:

• Robert Guerrero Vs Andre Berto
• Kieran Farrell Vs Anthony Crolla

Upset Of The Year

 

My Choice - Josesito Lopez Vs Victor Ortiz.

 

Lopez was just considered as a warm-up fight for Victor Ortiz who was set to cruise through this and then go on to take part in a super-fight with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. Unfortunately for Ortiz, he had met an opponent who was not going to just lay down and let Ortiz blast through him. The 28-year old took everything Ortiz had and came back even stronger before breaking Ortiz's jaw in the 9th round. This win has launched Lopez into the big time boxing scene.

 

Fans Choice - Carl Froch Vs Lucian Bute.

 

Runners up:

• Josesito Lopez Vs Victor Ortiz
• Danny Garcia Vs Amir Khan

 

Promoter Of The Year

 

My Choice - Golden Boy Promotions.

 

I basically chose GBP because nobody even voted for an American promoter, as the rivalry between the British promoters is very big at the moment and the fans want their favourite to be given recognition. I think it's only fair that the American promoters get recognition too so this was an easy choice for me, as there was no way I was picking Top Rank. Don't get me wrong, Golden Boy have their problems too but they're the ones trying to get these big fights made, TR are just not interested in the slightest. Most of the big international fights this year were put on by GBP and we can expect to see even more in 2013.

 

Fans Choice - Eddie Hearn.

 

Runners up:

• David Coldwell
• Carl Greaves

 

Trainer Of The Year

 

My Choice - Peter Fury.

 

If you have been following Tyson Fury over the past few years and wondered why he has improved so drastically in recent fights, then take a look at Peter Fury. This is the man who has transformed Tyson into the world contender he is today. Tyson, just 24-years old, is currently in the best shape of his life physically and mentally. The future looks very bright for the Fury family if Tyson continues to improve at the rate he currently is.

 

Fans Choice - Peter Fury.

 

Runners up:

• Robert Garcia
• Virgil Hunter

 

Round Of The Year

 

My Choice - Orlando Salido Vs Juan Manuel Lopez II Rnd 9.

 

I didn't even see this fight live, but even after knowing the result of the fight I was still mesmerized by what took place in round 9. Both fighters, seemingly out on their fight, found their second wind and pummelled each other with hooks and uppercuts for the full three minutes. There were a lot of close contenders in this category, but none of them came close to this one.

 

Fans Choice - Orlando Salido Vs Juan Manuel Lopez II Rnd 9.

 

Runners up:

• Manny Pacquiao Vs Juan Manuel Marquez IIII Rnd 6
• Julio Cesar Chavez Jr Vs Sergio Martinez Rnd 12

 

Pundit Of The Year

 

My Choice - Steve Bunce.

 

Thanks to the launch of BoxNation, Steve Bunce has become the No.1 boxing pundit for British fight fans. The self proclaimed "Big Daddy" knows everything about everyone in the boxing world and can talk for hours without us getting bored. He's controversial at times, but he always says what he thinks, and most of the time what he thinks is usually right.

 

Fans Choice - Jim Watt.

 

Runners up:

• Jamie Moore
• Steve Bunce