No Holds Barred End Of Year Boxing Awards 2012

As 2012 ends, another year of boxing begins and us fans can only hope it will be as much of a cracking year as the last. In the annual tradition of summing up the past year's boxing events I present my annual boxing awards for 2012. Agree or not, i think you should find I have chosen some deserving winners, and in some cases "losers".

Fighter of the year: Nonito Donaire

With wins over four top names all in the same calendar year, Donaire was always going to be a heavy favourite to pick up the gong for best fighter. He moved up to super bantamweight back in February and in his first fight won the vacant WBO title with a convincing display against former champion Wilfredo Vazquez Jr whom he defeated on points. His next fight came five months later against tough South African and newly crowned IBF champion, Jeffrey Mathebula who was also defeated over the distance. In October, he defeated Japanese legend Toshiaki Nishioka, arguably his toughest contest to date, via an impressive ninth round stoppage. He ended the year with a three round destruction of Mexican brawler Jorge Arce, who retired from the fight game afterwards.

Other contenders: Juan Manuel Marquez, Brian Viloria, Andre Ward, Robert Guerrero, Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr, Leo Santa Cruz, Carl Froch, Danny Garcia.

Fight of the year: Juan Manuel Marquez KO 6 Manny Pacquiao

Other fights perhaps had more action, other fights might have also had more knockdowns, but none had as much drama as this one. In just 6 rounds this fight proved to be a back and forth affair in what must now rank as one of the greatest rivalries in boxing history. And, let’s not even pretend we saw the knockout coming!

Other contenders: Brandon Rios TKO 7 Mike Alvarado, Brian Viloria TKO 10 Hernan Marquez, Roman Gonzalez UD Juan Francisco Estrada, Kazuto Ioka UD Akira Yaegashi, Orlando Salido TKO 10 Juan Manuel Lopez, Marco Huck Draw Ola Afolabi, Alexander Povetkin MD Marco Huck.

Round of the year: Brian Viloria vs Hernan Marquez - Round 5 

This was a very tough decision to make. What does one choose in these situations: A round of three minutes of relentless punching, a round with two elite fighters going at it, or perhaps a round with drama? I think I have chosen a round which contains all three of those descriptions.

The above description was set up to describe round five of Marquez vs Pacquiao IV. But, I changed my mind. Not one for simply going along with my original plans, I decided to go back to watch over much footage. No round this year had as much drama between two boxing icons as Marquez vs Pacquiao IV. That is undeniably true in my opinion. 

But, round five of Viloria vs Marquez had everything a round–of–the–year should have. The round started with Marquez pressuring Viloria to the extent that Viloria was overwhelmed with punches, fell to the canvas (ruled a slip) and took a whole minute’s worth of relentless punches from the Mexican warrior. Viloria then composed himself and with a combination of heavy hands managed to floor Marquez. The last minute of the round involved both guys going toe–to–toe. Watch the round and see for yourself.

Other contenders: Manny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez - Rds 5 & 6, Sergio Martinez vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. - Rd 12, Roman Gonzalez vs Juan Francisco Estrada - Rd 6, Brandon Rios vs Mike Alvarado - Rd 5, Orlando Salido vs Juan Manuel Lopez - Rd 9, Marco Huck vs Ola Afolabi - Rd 12.

Knock-out of the year: Juan Manuel Marquez KO 6 Manny Pacquiao

Could there be any other legitimate contender? It was arguably the most important knockout of the last decade.

Other contenders: Orlando Salido TKO 10 Juan Manuel Lopez, Lucas German Priori TKO 3 Pehuen Roberto Correa, Randall Bailey KO 11 Mike Jones, Adonis Stevenson KO 1 Jesus Gonzales, Shinsuke Yamanaka KO 7 Tomas Rojas, Antonio Escalante KO 2 Leonilo Miranda, Mikkel Kessler KO 4 Allan Green, David Lemieux KO 1 Alvaro Gaona, Javier Fortuna TKO 2 Cristobal Cruz, Joan Guzman KO 8 Jesus Pabon, Shane Cameron KO 4 Monte Barrett, Garrett Wilson KO 12 Andres Taylor, Vyacheslav Senchenko KO 9 Ricky Hatton, David Haye TKO 5 Dereck Chisora.

Upset of the year: Juan Manuel Marquez KO 6 Manny Pacquiao

This might be quite a controversial selection so let me explain. There were certainly other fights which could better claim to be more of an upset in 2012. For example, who could have predicted that Sonny Boy Jaro would dethrone Thai legend Wonjongkam? I also think very few would have predicted Danny Garcia to beat Amir Khan or Josesito Lopez to do a number on Victor Ortiz.

It was the shocking way in which Juan Manuel Marquez defeated Manny Pacquiao which makes this fight such a big upset. NOBODY predicted Manny Pacquiao would be out cold, face down on the canvas, and his career arguably in tatters by the sixth round. A decision win for Marquez? Perhaps. A debatable win for Pacquiao? Probably. But a spectacular knockout for the Mexican legend? Highly unlikely.

Other contenders: Sonny Boy Jaro TKO 6 Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Johnathon Banks TKO 2 Seth Mitchell, Danny Garcia TKO 4 Amir Khan, Carl Froch TKO 5 Lucian Bute, Josesito Lopez RTD 9 Victor Ortiz, Timothy Bradley SD Manny Pacquiao, Randall Bailey KO 11 Mike Jones.

Prospect of the year: Carl Frampton

This one probably needs explaining more than the last category. Searching across the internet i have found that the two other most popular contenders for this award were American talents Keith Thurman and Gary Russell Jr. 

Gary Russell Jr is an immense talent and a certainty to go on to win world honours. However, it was not in 2012 where he showcased his talents to the extreme. He had just two wins this year; against Christopher Perez and Roberto Castaneda; both of whom are domestic level Mexican fighters.

Keith Thurman had a better year for sure. He defeated journeyman Christopher Fernandez, low ranking foes in Brandon Hoskins and Orlando Lora, but ended the year with an impressive fourth round stoppage win over Carlos Quintana.

But, neither of these records beat that of Carl Frampton over the past twelve months. The young Belfast resident gained the Commonwealth super bantamweight title in just his eleventh fight at the end of 2011. He started 2012 with a successful defence against decent domestic opposition in Kris Hughes, followed by a second round stoppage over little known Ghanaian Prosper Ankrah, before defeating the undefeated Mexican Raul Hirales in his third fight of the year. But, it was his fourth and final fight of 2012 which edges him in this category.

In just his fifteenth fight as a pro, he made the step up from domestic level, bypassed European level altogether, and fought former world champion Steve Molitor. Now, some people may well say that Molitor was never a great champion, and this may be true. But he was a champion nonetheless. In fact, he had two reigns as IBF champion, with a combined six title defences. His last world class fight came just eighteen months before in a loss to Takalani Ndlovu, a man who Molitor had previously defeated on two occasions. Throw in Molitors’ wins since 2006 over the likes of Michael Hunter, Jason Booth, Heriberto Ruiz, Fernando Beltran and the aforementioned two wins over Ndlovu and we can see how much of a big win this was for Frampton.

In terms of talent, I am sure Russell Jr and Keith Thurman will go very far in their careers. But, did they have a better 2012 than Carl Frampton though? No.

Other contenders: Keith Thurman, Mateusz Masternak, Rakhim Chakhiev, Krzysztof Glowacki, Jessie Vargas, Billy Joe Saunders, Vyacheslav Glazkov, Eleider Alvarez, Julio Ceja.

Trainer of the year: Robert Garcia

What can you say about the guy? If you look at his roster of talent which includes p4p ranked superstar Nonito Donaire, talented featherweight Mikey Garcia, ferocious light welterweight Brandon Rios, tough Argentinean Marcos Maidana, and many, many more, one could possibly make the case for Garcia being the “new Freddie Roach”, so to speak.

Other contenders: Nacho Beristain, Rob McCracken, Virgil Hunter, Ruben Guerrero, Pablo Sarmiento, Yuichi Kasai.

Women’s fighter of the year: Cecilia Braekhus

The First Lady of boxing was always going to be one of the favourites for this award as her unbeaten streak continues and her win over Anne Sophie Mathis in September really secured it. A very talented fighter and one with a big future still ahead, especially if she can land a dream fight against American superstar Holly Holm.

Other contenders: Ava Knight, Jackie Nava, Yesica Yolanda Bopp, Holly Holm, Erica Anabella Farias.

Promoter of the year: Top Rank

With over thirty events taking place under Bob Arum’s company this year, it’s no surprise they’re still number one. There’s no reason to deny that Bob Arum is not exactly boxing fans’ favourite character but it must be said that he still puts on a good show.

There is no surprise there really when you consider his roster of talent includes Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez, Nonito Donaire, Timothy Bradley, Brandon Rios, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Mikey Garcia, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Vanes Martirosyan, Juan Manuel Lopez, and many more.

Key fights: Juan Manuel Marquez KO 6 Manny Pacquiao, Brandon Rios TKO 7 Mike Alvarado, Nonito Donaire TKO 9 Toshiaki Nishioka, Nonito Donaire KO 3 Jorge Arce, Timothy Bradley SD Manny Pacquiao, Brian Viloria TKO 10 Hernan Marquez, Mikey Garcia TKO 8 Jonathan Victor Barros, Roman Martinez SD Miguel Beltran Jr, Sergio Martinez UD Julio Cesar Chavez, Randall Bailey KO 11 Mike Jones, Brandon Rios SD Richard Abril, Mike Alvarado UD Mauricio Herrera, Orlando Salido TKO 10 Juan Manuel Lopez.

Other key moments: Their plentiful supply of boxing all year round and in countries just outside of the USA; The continual rise of prospects such as Diego & Jesse Magdaleno, Jose Benavidez, Mickey Bey, Brad Solomon, Terence Crawford, Omar Chavez, Matt Korobov, Glen Tapia, Oscar Valdez, and others; Their continued promotion of women’s boxing; Nonito Donaire’s four world class fights in a single calendar year.

Other contenders: Matchroom Sport, Zanfer Promotions, ALA Promotions, Teiken Promotions, Sauerland Event.

Worst fight of the year: Miguel Vazquez UD Mercito Gesta

What makes a fight “awful”? That’s the main question here, I suppose. Is it a fight that lasts just one punch? Or is it a fight which drags on over twelve rounds in which neither guy makes much of an effort to win? Or is it a badly matched fight where one guy just beats on the other guy until the referee finally stops the fight? I presume everybody has their own opinion on this.

Maybe former cricket star Freddie Flintoff should not have been granted a boxing licence after years of injuries suffered in his previous sport. Perhaps Wladimir Klitschko should not have defended his title against Jean Marc Mormeck. I know Alexander Povetkin most certainly should have never entered the ring against Hasim Rahman!

But, picture this for a second: A young Filipino prospect with a respectable record of 26-0-1, the intimidating nickname of “No Mercy”, and unsurprisingly heralded as the “New Manny Pacquiao” gets a world title shot against a very respectable Mexican champion. One would expect to see fireworks, right? What we actually saw was quite possibly the worst title challenge in recent memory. I do not need to look at punch stats for this one to know that Gesta barely threw anything and landed even less throughout the twelve rounds. 

This might not have been the most boring affair of the year but the fact Gesta was given the opportunity of a lifetime but didn’t fulfil his end of the deal I consider this fight the worst fight of the year.

Other contenders: Alexander Povetkin TKO 2 Hasim Rahman, Freddie Flintoff PTS Richard Dawson, David Price TKO 1 Audley Harrison, Devon Alexander UD Randall Bailey, Deontay Wilder TKO 1 Jesse Oltmanns, Shawn Estrada UD Terrance Woods, Wladimir Klitschko KO 4 Jean Marc Mormeck.

Robbery of the year: Brandon Rios SD Richard Abril

Many fans seem unanimous in considering this one to be given this not-so-sought-after award. Fans were baffled, writers were appalled, and pundits were shocked; Just another day at the office in this crazy world of boxing of ours.

Other contenders: Timothy Bradley SD Manny Pacquiao, Rances Barthelemy UD Arash Usmanee, Edmund Gerber UD Maurice Harris, Tavoris Cloud SD Gabriel Campillo, Goekalp Oezekler SD Mouez Fhima, James Kirkland DQ 10 Carlos Molina.

Shock of the year: Dereck Chisora-David Haye brawl in Germany

There is no other contender which comes close. Dereck Chisora met Vitali Klitschko on February 18 in Munich. The fight had already began in fiery circumstances as Chisora firstly slapped Vitali across the face at the pre-fight weigh-in before then spitting water in the face of Vitali's brother Wladimir in the ring before the fight started. After being defeated by the WBC heavyweight champion via a unanimous decision, Chisora then appeared at the post-fight press conference alongside his promoter Frank Warren, trainer Don Charles and the Klitschko team. David Haye was in the crowd and began a loud verbal exchange with Vitali and his manager Bernd Boente, claiming that the WBC champion didn't want to fight him. At this point Chisora chimed in saying Haye was an "embarrassment" and "if he was a fighter, he would fight me!". Haye responded by telling Chisora "you've lost three fights in a row!" and then exchanged words with Frank Warren. After more disruption, Chisora said to Haye "I'm coming down there, tell me to my face!". 

We all know what happened after this: Haye punched Chisora (glass in hand), more punches were thrown, things went flying, Haye's trainer Adam Booth was left with a cut, whilst the Klitschko brothers laughed at their British colleagues. It resulted in a police investigation, a ban for Dereck Chisora, a subsequent Chisora-Haye bout organised by the now infamous Luxembourg commission, and now arguably tops the not-so-prestigious  list of craziest boxing events to happen outside of the boxing ring.

Other contenders: Floyd Mayweather Jr. receiving a three-month prison sentence for domestic violence; Manny Pacquiao going seven years and fifteen fights without a loss only to then lose twice in 2012; Michael Sprott's push on referee Gerhard Sigl after losing to Edmund Gerber.

Time to call it quits: Roy Jones Jr

Many fighters should hang them up for good, and in some cases await their induction into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame, but none more so than Roy Jones Jr. So far past his best, so long since we saw his majestic skill, and so long gone are the fond memories we had of his career. Things have got so bad that a fight with 48 year old Steve Collins, who last fought in 1997, is rumoured to be on the horizon. We can only hope that the boxing authorities make the right decision and do not allow the fight to take place.

Other contenders: Shane Mosley, Erik Morales, Shannon Briggs, Audley Harrison, Hasim Rahman, Evander Holyfield, and plenty more.

Fight I most want to see in 2013: Brandon Rios vs Lucas Matthysse

This one was a close category considering just how many great fights there are to be made; not bad for a “dead sport” I suppose. This was my pick of the bunch. 

Brandon Rios’ power, aggression and willingness to fight pitted against Lucas Matthysse’s equal power, speed and determination to make right the decisions which have gone against him in the past. This one has Fight of the Year written all over it!

Other contenders: Brandon Rios vs Marcos Maidana, Lucas Matthysse vs Marcos Maidana, Adrien Broner vs Ricky Burns, Adrien Broner Yuriorkis Gamboa, Carl Froch vs Lucian Bute II, Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Saul Alvarez, Brian Viloria vs Roman Gonzalez, Nonito Donaire vs Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nonito Donaire vs Abner Mares, Yoan Pablo Hernandez vs Marco Huck.

Merit Award: London 2012 female Olympic boxers

Plenty of candidates were worthy of this award and all as deserving as each other but London’s female warriors stood out the most.

I could have included their male counterparts, as they were every bit as successful, but men have been involved in Olympic boxing since we can all remember. This was the first year that women were able to compete and so it was an important year for women’s boxing. I for one believe their achievements deserve to be highlighted.

Nicola Adams’ wins over three-time world champion Ren Cancan - the woman who defeated her to the gold medal in all 3 tournaments, and five-time world champion Mary Kom stand out as the biggest wins of this past summer Olympics. 




American teenager Claressa Shields, just 17 at the time of her victory over Russia’s Nadezda Torlopova, was just as spectacular as she lifted the USA’s only boxing gold. Her American colleague Marlen Esparza also won a medal as she took the bronze after losing to China’s Ren Cancan in the semi-finals. 




Ireland’s golden girl Katie Taylor added yet another gold medal to her already overflowing collection as she defeated Russia’s Sofya Ochigava in the lightweight final. Not to mention she was Ireland’s choice to walk the Irish flag into the arena at the opening ceremony.

This also doesn’t take into account all of the other superb talents who took part such as Mavzuna Chorieva, Adriana Araujo, Mariana Volnova, Li Jinzi, Savannah Marshall, Natasha Jonas, Queen Underwood, and many more.

Other contenders: Jonathan Banks’ training of Wladimir Klitschko after the death of Emanuel Steward followed by his very own success in one of the shocks of the year as he stopped Seth Mitchell just a week later; Alfredo Angulo’s return to boxing with two wins after being detained for seven months on immigration charges; Larry Ekundayo’s win in “Prizefighter - light middleweights III” despite having had only two prior fights as a professional; Nonito Donaire’s successful year which took in four world class fights, an amount most elite fighters do not even contemplate; Danny Jacobs’ victory over cancer was followed by more success in the ring; The Klitschko brother’s continued dominance of the heavyweight division whilst remaining dignified individuals who do much for charity, and politics also in the case of Vitali.

Special Mention: Emanuel Steward

A special mention must be paid to the legendary trainer who sadly passed away this year at the age of 68. The Detroit resident trained some of the most legendary names in boxing history including Lennox Lewis, Thomas Hearns, Mike McCallum, and most recently Wladimir Klitschko. Having been a successful trainer for forty years as well as doing much for charity, and for being an HBO commentator since 2001, he was considered one of the most likeable and respected people in boxing.

Equal mentions go out to the following who also had a big impact on boxing but sadly passed away this year: Legendary boxing coach Angelo Dundee, who famously trained Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jose Napoles, and many others; The great boxing writer and sports historian Bert Sugar; Cuban Olympic icon Teofilo Stevenson; Three-weight world champions Hector Camacho and Johnny Tapia; Two-weight world champion tough guy Carmen Basilio; Former WBO world champion Corrie Sanders, Former world title challenging middleweight Don Fullmer; Former WBA heavyweight champion Michael Dokes.

Brits in action home and away tonight

Tonight at the Excel Arena in London, George Groves puts his Commonwealth super middleweight title on the line against ageing gatekeeper Glen Johnson. Johnson retired after his last fight back in July which he lost by way of unanimous decision against Andrzej Fonfara in Chicago. The lure of another big payday has brought the legendary Jamaican back to the ring.

Johnson has a reputation, and a big one at that, for giving fighters of any level the fight of their lives, and I see no reason why tonight will be any different. It is true that at the age of 43 and having been close to retirement for many years, with actual retirement coming back in July, that Johnson is most certainly no longer in his prime. But it must also be pointed out that during the 3 years he has been in his forties, he has given Chad Dawson, Tavoris Cloud, and Carl Froch as much as they could handle.

It must also not be forgotten that Johnson has only lost once inside the distance and that was in his very first loss, all the way back in 1997, and at middleweight, against Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins. His other 16 losses have been by decision and I would estimate that almost all of them were very close or even controversial.

What we know for sure is Glen Johnson is coming to fight, coming to win and most certainly won’t lay down for Groves.

Groves is an upcoming hot prospect at the weight that at the age of 24 already has signature wins over big national rivals James DeGale and Kenny Anderson, Mexican contender Francisco Sierra, and the resilient Ghanaian Charles Adamu and has already held British and Commonwealth titles.

A win for Groves will further add to his resume at the weight and steer him in the right direction for a world title shot in the next 18 months. But he won’t be given the win easily, that is for certain.

Groves was the first person to stop Charles Adamu and could fancy his chances at becoming the first person to stop Johnson. But, Johnson has one of the toughest chins in the history of boxing as he has shown time and again.

VERDICT: I think Johnson will give Groves arguably his toughest fight to date but I expect Groves to pass this big test by winning a unanimous decision. A stoppage is unlikely in my opinion.

On the undercard, Billy Joe Saunders fights Nick Blackwell for the vacant British middleweight title. Saunders’ Commonwealth title will also be on the line.

Saunders entered the professional ranks around the same time as the other big name Olympians from 2008 did, but did so with the least attention on him. Despite this, he has really started to show himself to be a good prospect.

Of his 15 wins to date, 10 of them have been by stoppage, and all of them have come inside the first 2 rounds. He has shown he isn’t a one trick pony though, as he has also beaten some good domestic level foes over the distance; foes such as former Commonwealth champion Bradley Saunders and domestic contender Gary Boulden.

Nick Blackwell has a few good wins and has held the English title, and I expect him to put up a fight. But if Saunders is in the mood I think this fight could end early. I think Blackwell will survive the early rounds, despite Saunders’ obvious power, but I’m not sure he will make it to the end.

VERDICT: Blackwell makes it out of the first 2 rounds but I expect Saunders to end it soon after that; perhaps between rounds 4 and 6.

In Germany, Michael Sprott rematches Edmund Gerber. They fought back in September in a controversial fight which ended with the referee declaring Sprott had had enough in round 4, despite Sprott and viewers certainly disagreeing. This resulted in Sprott pushing the referee to the canvas.

Michael Sprott has all the experience in the world, having fought 55 times, many of which were against some of the world’s best at heavyweight. In his 16 years as a pro he has shared the ring with the likes of Kubrat Pulev, Alexander Dimitrenko, Ruslan Chagaev, Alexander Ustinov, Lamon Brewster, Alexander Ustinov, Matt Skelton, Danny Williams and Audley Harrison.

He is a resilient fighter, with a fairly tough chin, and has always given his all in the ring. Even at this late stage of his career at the age of 37, he’s still taking top European fighters like Kubrat Pulev and Alexander Dimitrenko, to the late rounds - he went 9 rounds with Pulev and 12 rounds with Dimitrenko.

 

Gerber is a prospect in age alone. At the age of 24 people are entitled to think he may become a contender at heavyweight. However, with no malice intended, I really don’t think that will happen. Gerber has shown very few signs that he might actually become quite good.

He has gone the distance with fighters like Darnell Wilson, Maurice Harris and Samir Kurtagic who are all in their late 30s and have developed into journeymen over the years. You would expect a top contender to be defeating opponents like this fairly early on. I don’t believe a fighter like David Price would have too much trouble doing that.

The fight is only over 10 rounds, so the championship rounds have been cut out which could be a saviour to Sprott and his 37 years.

VERDICT: I originally thought I would predict Gerber to win by stoppage in the middle rounds, perhaps round 6. But the more I look at Gerber’s limited ability the more I think it could go the distance. What the heck: Gerber wins on points.

Finally, the most high profile fight of the night is in California, as Amir Khan returns to the ring for the first time since his 4^th round stoppage loss to Danny Garcia back in July.

Khan is coming off of 2 big losses on the trot, albeit one was very controversial. So he will want to bounce back with a big victory tonight. He has the perfect opponent in order to get such a win too: Little known Carlos Molina.

Molina is coming up from lightweight to accept what is clearly his biggest fight to date and will be giving away height, reach and natural weight advantages. The fight is obviously a confidence boosting fight for Khan as he tries to get back to winning ways.

I don’t know much about Molina so the only thing I can say is that he might have a puncher’s chance, which you would think quite a few fighters would have against Amir Khan. But, aside from a lucky punch, I can’t see Molina being able to trouble Khan.

Khan will also be fighting his first fight with Virgil Hunter in charge of him so it will interesting to see what changes they have made to Khan’s overall gameplan.

I expect that gameplan to be rather simple: Stick to the basics, keep the jab going strong early on, move smartly any time Molina tries to land while close, throw flurries when the opportunity arises, and finally go for a knockout when the time is right. I think Khan will do what is needed and expect nothing less than a knockout.

VERDICT: Khan wins by knockout or stoppage by the middle rounds. I have gone with round 7 myself.

Great British boxing action this weekend

At the Aintree Equestrian Centre in Liverpool Friday night, exciting British heavyweight champion David Price defends his title against veteran Matt Skelton. Many people have already waved this fight off as being a pointless defence as Price looks almost guaranteed to win via an early stoppage. I disagree with these people.

Price won the British title, the oldest belt in boxing, against Sam Sexton just two fights ago and his first title defence was against Audley Harrison in his last fight. He needs to defend it twice more to win the title outright. I think this should be his first priority before even thinking about anything else. The Lonsdale belt is among the most prestigious title belts out there, even today, and should be held in very high regard.

The rumours before the Audley Harrison fight were that he could fight Skelton afterwards, followed by the winner of Richard Towers vs Lucas Browne. If Towers is unsuccessful, and Browne wins, Price would be unable to defend the British title against him as he is Australian; only the Commonwealth title would be on the line. This would therefore still leave an interesting third British title defence open to Price. How about a final title defence against Dereck Chisora or Dillian Whyte? Better still, a clash between himself and fellow giant Tyson Fury?

Time to drop the British title and move up a level? I think not. I can only speak for myself, but if I was given the chance of owning a British Lonsdale belt or a generic “World” alphabet title, I would choose the British title every single time and have a piece of history in my possession.

David Price should beat Skelton, and most probably will, via an early stoppage. If he does, I think this would be a very significant win for the tall Liverpudlian. Nobody stops the likes of John McDermott, Sam Sexton or Audley Harrison early on but that is exactly what David Price did to them. Throw in the fact he now has 8 wins within the distance in his last 8 fights and it’s evident the man has some power in his fists.

Skelton has lost 6 times, each time to very capable opponents, and only 3 times within the distance. Those 3 times were against tough Irishman Martin Rogan (TKO 11), Italian prospect Francesco Pianeta (RTD 8) and top heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev (KO 4).

Despite 4 losses out of 5 from 2008 to 2010, he seems to have bounced back in recent months. He has 3 wins this year already, one against prospect Tom Dallas, and only a close split decision loss to Michael Sprott in 2010 prevented him from winning the Prizefighter tournament.

Skelton may be 45 years old, but he is in good shape, very rugged and the only guy to beat him in fewer than 8 rounds is a guy who I rate as only second to the Klitschko brothers.

If Price is able to stop Skelton early on, I think the heavyweight division should be put on high alert as this guy’s power will be coming for them very soon.

Verdict: Price will stop the durable Skelton within the first 3 rounds despite all of Skeltons’ efforts to remain in the fight.

At the Manchester Arena, also on Friday night, we will see Commonwealth welterweight champion Denton Vassell defend his title against fellow undefeated Briton Ronnie Heffron.

Heffron has some decent domestic experience with wins over guys like Peter McDonagh, Barrie Jones and Kevin McAuley but he hasn’t yet fought anyone on Vassell’s level. He will be happy with this title opportunity though and will be going in there in determined mood.

He tends to fight up close to his opponents, taking punches in order to throw some. I see him going to the body a lot in this fight as he tries to wear Vassell down.

Vassell isn’t shy of a fight himself though. He will see this as another day at the office and will give Heffron back everything he receives.

With wins over Lee Purdy, Samuel Colomban, Bethuel Ushona and plenty of domestic level success as well as 97 rounds boxed as a professional, Vassell has the edge in experience and quality of opposition. I see this as being a very competitive fight between two good prospects.

Verdict: I’m going with Vassell’s experience and heart to outdo Heffron on points. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Heffron pulled off an unlikely points decision either, perhaps setting up a good rematch.

Also, on the undercard former England cricket star Andrew Flintoff makes his professional boxing debut. Many fans are wondering why he would make such a move at his age (just short of 35), but only he will really know.

At 6ft4, close to 20 years of professional sporting experience and a supposedly hard punch (according to those training him), it would seem as though he has all the credentials to do well in boxing. We must also take into account that playing cricket requires guts; having a ball weighing 160 grams thrown at you at speeds of up to 100mph isn’t for wimps, and those helmets are about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike.

But, we must remember he is nearly 35 and has a history of injury problems. In the early days of his career he was criticised for his fitness levels and since then injuries have blighted much of his career. He has suffered injuries to his foot, back, groin, shoulder, knee and most notably has had reoccurring ankle issues.

As a cricketer, he was the star of the 2005 Ashes series as England beat Australia for the trophy for the first time in 18 years, he won BBC Sports personality that same year, and at his peak he was rated as one of the world’s best players. But that was in cricket, this is boxing.

His opponent is undefeated American Richard Dawson, who fans will know even less about. All this fan knows about him is he is quite a few inches smaller than Flintoff. Will this be significant? Only time will tell.

Verdict: Who knows what to expect?! Richard Dawson is the favourite to win but i wouldn't gamble on this in a million years.

On Saturday night, at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Tyson Fury fights experienced American heavyweight Kevin Johnson. Fury is the favourite to win but HOW is another matter.

Johnson has only lost twice in his 9 year professional career and they were to Vitali Klitschko on points in 2009 and to prospect Tor Hamer over 3 rounds in the Prizefighter International heavyweight tournament back in June. He also has 173 rounds under his belt which is 80 more than Fury does. So the experience is in Johnson’s court in this fight.

He has some decent wins too but nothing too spectacular; the best probably being against Alex Leapai, Devin Vargas, Damian Wills, Terry Smith, Matthew Greer, and Robert Hawkins.

Tyson Fury can actually boast a better record with wins against notable challengers such as Dereck Chisora, Vinny Maddalone, Martin Rogan, Neven Pajkic, Nicolai Firtha and John McDermott.

Fury garners as much praise in the boxing community as he does derision. Personally, I have nothing but praise for the boxing giant. At 24 years old, he has already had 19 fights and many of which against good domestic challengers or former/current world contenders.

His fights are entertaining, his character has brought interest to the heavyweight division both at home and abroad, and he has fought a full array of talented boxers that no other young heavyweight boxer even comes close to.

Show me the record of any other 24 year old heavyweight out there today who has a better record than Tyson Fury. I can assure you this is a challenge that nobody will take up.

Can he stop the tough American within the distance? I think he has the power to do so but Johnson did go the distance with Vitali Klitschko; although that was 3 years ago.

Verdict: Fury wins a unanimous decision after a gruelling fight.

On the undercard, I expect John O’Donnell and Chris Eubank Jr both to record unanimous decision victories. 

Ricky Hatton Returns

Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton returns to the ring after a near 3 and a half year layoff. Fans of the ferocious former light welterweight King will be excited by his return and cynics will of course be wondering what his return is all for.

Personally, I don’t think it’s a smart move on his part as I have watched boxing long enough to know that comebacks are very rarely successful. For every success, there are a dozen failures. But I suppose it all depends on what one would rate as “success”. Is he returning to lift more world titles? He’ll be competing at welterweight where he has only fought twice before; against Luis Collazo and Floyd Mayweather Jr; if so, can he compete against the current crop of welterweights? The list of top fighters currently on the welterweight scene include Manny Pacquiao, Timothy Bradley, Devon Alexander, Marcos Maidana, Robert Guerrero, Kell Brook and Victor Ortiz. I’m not sure how many bookmakers would make Hatton favourite against any of those fighters.

As for this fight, Hatton starts as the favourite but Senchenko was a world champion up until his last fight. But that fight resulted in him being stopped by Paulie Malignaggi, a fighter not renowned for his power.

If Hatton brings at least 75% of what he once had I think he can beat Senchenko within the distance. He looked in peak shape at the weigh in earlier today so that is already half of the work done. Hatton’s power and body assaults should be enough to wear Senchenko down and force a stoppage in my opinion.

I wish him all the best and hope he succeeds in his plans and will reserve judgement until after he has fought Senchenko.

Verdict: I don’t think the fight ends before round 6 but I don’t think it goes to the full 10 rounds either. So I’m picking an 8^th round stoppage for Hatton.

The undercard is just as intriguing as the main event.

Britain’s top 2 super bantamweights Scott Quigg and Rendall Munroe battle for the WBA interim title. Quigg starts as the slight favourite but Munroe should never be counted out. Quigg will have his work cut out for him if he is going to try to stop Munroe inside the distance. This means he will probably try to outbox Munroe over the 12 rounds.

In their first fight back in June, which ended in the 3^rd round due to a clash of heads, Munroe pressed the fight pressuring Quigg early on. Quigg tends to do the pressuring in his fights so this could prove to be a tricky fight for Quigg if it goes the distance. Munroe is nowhere near finished and can still be a big player on the European scene. Quigg is the deserving favourite but I think it will go the distance and that means he will have to be at his absolute best to beat a top British fighter in Munroe. A stoppage win for Quigg though would be a big accomplishment and set up a potential mouth watering fight against Carl Frampton.

Verdict: I think Quigg wins on points. However, do not be at all surprised if Munroe has his hands raised at the end.

Also, Stephen Foster Jr challenges British super featherweight Gary Buckland. This could be the best fight on the night potentially. Buckland is odds on favourite to win and I’m not sure many would dispute that. But some are picking Foster to pull off the upset.

Foster doesn’t have a great deal of big wins but he’s only been beaten 3 times, all over the distance, and to top fighters. He will be aiming to stifle everything Buckland does on the night and will definitely have some success. His overall success on the night will depend on how well Buckland can handle the pressure.

Buckland on the other hand has some really big wins in recent years against the likes of Gary Sykes, Paul Truscott and the super featherweight Prizefighter tournament in 2010. He has been in quite a few brawls and Foster will be aiming for another. Expect to see another Buckland vs Sykes II.

Verdict: I expect another brawl and think the odds on Buckland to win might be a bit low. I think he will win a really close points decision but Foster could win this one no problem. Rematch to follow?

Martin Murray won’t know much about the little known Venezuelan Jorge Navarro but that shouldn’t stop him from winning comfortably.

In any fight where the opponent is unknown it makes predicting a knockout very tough. We must ask a lot of questions: How good is his chin? Can he punch? What’s his stamina like?

Roberto Bolonti lasted the full 12 rounds with Tony Bellew last weekend despite the latter being odds on to win within the distance. So we could see the same again, afterall Murray only has 10 knockouts from 24 bouts.

However, rumours are that if Murray wins he could receive a world title shot at Sergio Martinez in April next year. I think that should act as the ultimate motivation booster. If he can’t get up for that then he’s in the wrong career.

Verdict: I expect Murray to stop his opponent by the middle rounds; maybe round 7.

Also: Sergey Rabchenko should beat Cedric Vitu before round 6.

WBC light middleweight title eliminator in Las Vegas

In the main event this weekend in Las Vegas, light middleweights Erislandy Lara and Vanes Martirosyan battle it out for a shot at WBC champion Saul Alvarez.

The bookies seem to know who they think will win as they have made Lara a big odds on favourite. Is he really THAT likely to win?

Lara has certainly fought the better quality opposition. He fought, and beat in the eyes of most observers, Paul Williams in 2011. He followed that up with a first round stoppage of Ronald Hearns and then a unanimous decision win over Freddy Hernandez. Add the draw with Carlos Molina and a late stoppage win over Grady Brewer in 2010 and his career has started to shape up nicely in the last 2 years.

He is considered by many to be a high risk, low reward fighter and accusations have been made against numerous opponents from fans and media alike claiming he is being “ducked” by many of the top fighters. He certainly is a dangerous southpaw fighter.

Martirosyan had an extensive amateur career in which he won numerous awards in the USA and beat some top fighters. His pro career has been a lot less inspiring to date though. Having made his debut 7 years ago he has had 32 fights but not one against top contender status. However, this fight changes all of that.

Also, it must be made clear that despite the lack of world class competition he has still been showcasing his talents. He has a good orthodox stance, a boxer puncher style and loves to throw combos when the time is right.

In this fight he will have a 3 inch height advantage over Lara which could play a big part in the outcome. However, Paul Williams also had a big height advantage and it didn’t trouble Lara much at all.

One last thing to consider: This is boxing. Martirosyan is promoted by Top Rank and is an undefeated American star. I’ll leave that thought with you.

Verdict: If you believe that in this fight the best fighter will definitely win, then Lara by points is probably the best bet. But, if you are slightly cynical of the higher echelons of boxing then Martirosyan by decision could be a very good bet.

On the undercard, talented featherweight Mike Garcia fights Jonathan Victor Barros in what could be a very competitive bout. The undefeated American starlet will be favourite to win and further showcase his skills to the world. Most in the boxing world think the young star is the real deal and I agree. He has all the talent in the world, power, speed, good defence and furious attack. He is a star in the making in my opinion.

However, Barros is no slouch himself. He has all the experience in this fight having fought some of the best fighters in the world and once holding the WBA title. He will definitely put up a fight against Garcia and has a chance to win.

Verdict: Garcia is just on the up and up and I think he will prove how good he is. Barros has never been stopped so the smart money is on points. But the brave money is on a late stoppage.

Action packed card at the Staples Center on November 10

The Staples Center in L.A will play host to a great night of boxing this Saturday. 

In the main event Abner Mares defends his WBC super bantamweight title against Anselmo Moreno.

These two fighters are among the top four at the weight. The other two are Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux. The winner of this must be closing in on a place in the top 10 p4p rankings.

Mares is a slight favourite at the bookies which I think is fair. The Mexican warrior is a very good fighter and has a fantastic resume holding wins over the likes of Vic Darchinyan, Eric Morel and Joseph Agbeko. But, his first fight with Agbeko was shrouded in controversy as the Mexican landed continuously throughout with low blows without any deductions being given and then in round 11 the ref called a knockdown for Mares which made the fight impossible for Agbeko to win by then. Most observers would agree Agbeko was hard done by in that fight. Also, a draw to Yhonny Perez in 2010 and we see that Mares can be beaten.

Anselmo Moreno has an equally impressive record with wins notched up against Vic Darchinyan, Nehomar Cermeno, Volodymyr Sydorenko, Tomas Rojas and Mahyar Monshipour.

He is a very awkward southpaw who is constantly on the move. But, when he plants his feet and throws he does land at will. Add in the fact he has a height advantage of 2 inches and a reach advantage of nearly 4 inches and I think the bookies may have called this one wrong.

Verdict: I’m going with the upset here. Moreno makes it tricky for Mares for much of the fight and wins a close decision win.

Britain’s Nathan Cleverly will also feature in what will be just his second fight in the USA, but first as WBO light heavyweight champion. He will defend his title against Shawn Hawk who stepped in at just a week’s notice after Cleverly’s team struggled to find him a suitable opponent after several scheduled fights had fallen through.

On paper Hawk shouldn’t pose too much of a problem in theory but this is boxing and an upset is always only around the corner. His two biggest wins to date were decisions against respected American fighters Otis Griffin and Henry Buchanan but he has yet to fight an elite fighter. He has spoken about his belief that he will pull off a miracle win this weekend and he will need to be at his very best to do so. Even then, it might not be enough.

Cleverly has also yet to fight an elite fighter but he does have two big wins against undefeated opposition in Germany’s Karo Murat and fellow Briton Tony Bellew. The latter was quite controversial though with many claiming Bellew deserved the nod on the cards.

It is agreed that Cleverly has the skills and speed and his power is possibly a bit underrated. But he will need to prove all of this against top opposition if he is to be remembered in a similar way to his fellow Welshman Joe Calzaghe.

Verdict: Cleverly wins a unanimous decision on the cards with perhaps a few close rounds.

IBF bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz defends his title for the second time against Victor Zaleta. The champion will be expected to beat his opponent who has never fought at bantamweight before. On paper it looks like a one sided affair and I think that is how it will play out in the ring. Unless Santa Cruz has completely underestimated his fellow Mexican he should win this one comfortably.

Verdict: Santa Cruz to win comfortably. Decision or knockout? That’s for you to decide. He has a 55% KO ratio but his opponent has never fought at the weight. I favour the decision.

Finally, Alfredo Angulo returns to the ring for the first time since his battle with James Kirkland a year ago. He has spent much of the last year trying to remain in the USA after immigration issues. He will be fighting little known Raul Casarez. Angulo will be very likely to win this fight which looks like a gentle fight to get him back into the swing of things. I don’t know much about Casarez but I can’t see Angulo losing to anybody other than a top contender at the weight.

Verdict: Routine win for Angulo and good to see him back in the ring. Probably a knockout victory in the mid to late rounds. I’m going round 8.