Tim Bradley says fans who view Shakur Stevenson as a boring fighter are from the “younger generation”, which … continue
Much disputed, debated and demeaned too, boxing’s pound-for-pound list remains the definitive way to single out the best boxers in the world.
Making the selection for 2016 requires serious deliberation, as changes must be made. 2016 is only the second year in approximately 11 years of boxing that Floyd Mayweather is not at the top of boxing’s pound-for-pound list.
Boxing fans will remember 2016 for a year of exciting fights, if not all of the ones we wanted to see.
The two boxers that came out of 2015 with the biggest wins – Floyd Mayweather and Tyson Fury – did not fight in 2016 at all. Gennady Golovkin continued his devastating reign as middleweight king without fighting any of the division’s top names (at no fault of his own), whilst great champions like Manny Pacquaio and Roman Gonzalez continued to rule, if not in the same manner they once did. Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev did clash in a true battle of modern greats, but who is the better of the two is even less settled than it was before they fought. All in all, although a lot happened in boxing in 2016, not a lot changed.
Boxing in 2015 had arguably its most memorable year in a long, long time.
Finally Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio fought. Wladimir Klitschko was dethroned. Serious contenders faced off and created some deserving champions and some modern greats further enhanced their reputations.
With 2015 having been such a great year for the sport, much is expected of 2016. With all major promoters now showing a willingness to put on the fights the fans want to see, this year may separate the good from the great. With this in mind, here are five boxers that could make huge waves in 2016.
With comebacks, retirements and long awaited fights, the last 12 months of boxing have seen significant changes in the pound-for-pound rankings. Just as significantly, some things have not changed at all.
Most notably, Floyd Mayweather Jr. did the only thing he could do to further enhance his reputation as the best boxer in the world today by beating long touted rival Manny Pacquaio. What this means for Mayweather is clear but where this leaves Pacquaio is disputable.
Other reigning champs have fared indifferently. Whilst Wladimir Klitschko has notched up a couple of good wins, how he has done it has left questions about his pound-for-pound status. Andre Ward finally fought after over a year of inactivity but was it enough to show he is still better than the fast rising champions around him?
It takes something very special to steal a show from three world title fights, all in one night, all on one card. And for that something special to come from a 12 fight novice is something even more impressive.
Yet, special and impressive are understatements in regards to just how good Anthony Joshua looked on the Rule Britannia Matchroom Boxing card last Saturday in London. Joshua put in a performance so devastatingly good many think he may be one of the very best in the division already, just 18 months into his professional career.
In any fight, there are only two outcomes; it can end via stoppage or it can end having gone the full course and require the judges’ decision.
Yet within this, there is so much that can happen. The ebb-and-flow of the contest can change based on a single power punch, stamina, the ability to gauge and more, all of which usually make predicting a definitive ending as hard as attaining one.
Ever since the positively earth shaking news that Floyd Mayweather is to fight Manny Pacquaio, fight fans around the world have been residing in some blissful parallel universe.
It is finally on. Two of the best to have ever done it will fight on May 2nd of this year. Let us all rejoice. Let us praise the fighters for overcoming the many obstacles facing them to make this momentous fight happen. Let us enjoy the build-up to what will be a classic fight.
And also, let us stop the bull.
Even though this fight is guaranteed to be one of the biggest in history, there are many reasons to temper your anticipation. This is not to say the occasion won’t be epic and that the fight will not be exciting, as the former is certain and the latter is fairly likely. However, there are certain factors that simply cannot be overlooked that decrease the magnitude of this fight.
As we see out the year of 2014, boxing fans will look back and be nothing more than truly excited about the year to come.
Whilst there may not have been many real legacy defining super-fights, many new contenders have emerged, ready to pose a threat to those that dominate. Some divisions have opened up and could be conquered by anyone, while others have contenders vying for an imperious champion.
At featherweight a true legend in Nonito Donaire was put away by Nicholas Walters. Sergey Kovalev was not able to do the same to Bernard Hopkins, but he showed he is a worthy successor to the oldest champion in boxing history.
Around the age of 50, there are a few things expected of men. Forgoing jeans and being permanently embedded in trousers? Probably. Switching to un-pasteurised milk? Maybe.
But fighting someone that is 18 years younger and also a legitimate killer? Hardly. Very few men approaching that age fight anything other than male erectile dysfunction. However, very few men are anything like Bernard Hopkins.
And that is why he is doing just that. The oldest boxing champion in history, 49 year old (50 in January) Bernard Hopkins, is fighting one of the scariest men to ever step in a ring, in Russian knockout artist Sergey Kovalev. The two will compete for the title of undisputed light-heavyweight champion of the world on November 8th, in Atlantic City.