| |
|
|
By: Tim Donaldson
Photos: Bret "The Threat" Newton
Last year I submitted my top ten list of fighters that I believed I
would be talking about fifty years from now. Maybe you
agreed with me, and maybe you didn’t. This year I am not
being quite as ambitious. Rather than give you a list of
fighters whom I consider the top ten pound for pound, I am
going to give you a top ten list of fighters that have
helped to make this a year of surprises and upsets. They
are ranked less on their overall career performance than on
what they did this year. Now I am sure that you will say
that many other fighters belong on this list, and you are
probably right. Without further introduction, let me get
right down to it.
|
10.
Bryant Jennings - I have chosen Bryant Jennings as my number
ten because this time last year only diehard boxing fans in
Philadelphia knew his name. But thanks to a cancellation on the
premier broadcast of the NBC Sports Network’s Fight Night,
Jennings has come to be known by boxing fans across the United
States. He has added some life to a heavyweight division that
many boxing fans have all but written off. |
___________________________________________________________________________
|
|
9.
Jonathan Banks - Like Jennings, Banks has upset the
heavyweight division. Maybe not the whole heavyweight division,
but he has upset the plans of Golden Boy’s Seth Mitchell. Was it
just a lucky punch? I guess we will find out when the two meet
again in February. |
___________________________________________________________________________
|
|
8. Josesito Lopez
- Maybe Lopez deserves to be higher on the list simply because
he interrupted the plans of two fighters. Everyone, even Saul
Alvarez, believed that Victor Ortiz would defeat Lopez, leading
to a high profile and high paying fight between Ortiz and
Alvarez. Unfortunately, Lopez was not on board with the plan.
And while Lopez might not have been able to defeat Alvarez,
Lopez was definitely one of the surprises of this year. |
|
|
___________________________________________________________________________
|
|
7.
Adrien Broner - I am sure that Broner does not consider
himself one of the surprises in boxing, and with a record of 25
wins, 21 by knockout, no one can be too surprised. However, I am
not sure that anyone expected Broner to have such an easy time
with Antonio DeMarco. |
___________________________________________________________________________
|
|
6.
Andre Ward -
Ward deserves to be on any list of great fighters simply for
winning the Super Six tournament and not suffering a single loss
against some of the best super middleweights fighting today.
However, I put him on this list simply because he has added one
more loss to the record of Chad Dawson. In recent years, Dawson
has had many disappointments, a loss to Pascal and Hopkins’
shoulder injury forcing a no contest decision. I am not really
sure why Dawson wanted to come down in weight to fight Ward, but
if he thought it would be an easy win, he was wrong. |
___________________________________________________________________________
|
|
5.
Sergio Martinez -
Again, Martinez deserves to be on any list of top fighters for
the year. Like Ward, Martinez is on my list simply for spoiling
the record of another fighter, that of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Although there were those who believed that Chavez Jr. had a
real chance if he could cut the ring, Martinez never gave him
the opportunity until the end of the last round. Martinez’s
unconventional boxing style has confounded much better fighters.
Maybe the young Chavez has learned something. |
|
|
___________________________________________________________________________
|
|
4. Robert Guerrero -
Guerrero has not always seen a lot of respect from the boxing
writers; however, no one can deny that his win over Andre Berto
created a stir around him. Who can forget the post-fight
interview with Andre Berto in sunglasses to cover up the damage
done by Guerrero. |
|
|
___________________________________________________________________________
|
|
3. Danny Garcia -
Garcia has had quite the year, defeating Erik Morales twice and
Amir Khan once. Garcia is one of the rising stars in boxing. In
February, he will face Zab Judah, and judging by past
performances this year, I see no reason to believe that Judah
will stop him. |
|
|
___________________________________________________________________________
|
|
2.
Austin Trout - Austin Trout is on my list for defeating my
number 6 from last year. Who thought we would see a year in
which Miguel Cotto would go winless. Floyd Mayweather might not
have been a big surprise, but Trout was. Not only did he win the
fight, but he did it in convincing fashion, forcing Cotto to
fight Trout’s fight. Trout is one of the fighters I expect to
see great things in the future. |
___________________________________________________________________________
|
|
1.
Juan Manuel Marquez
- Even without fighting Pacquiao, I would consider Marquez one
of the greatest fighters of our time. He consistently chooses
the best opponents to fight. How many fighters can we say that
about? And then there are the three fights against Pacquiao.
Yes, I do believe Marquez was robbed in the last fight. It is
not the first time either. The really great thing about Marquez
is that you know that if he fights again, he will once again
choose the best. |
|
|
___________________________________________________________________________
|
Click Here For All Photos By
"Threat"
|
|
