The Good, the Bad and the Shocking
 By Tom Dickey (September 3, 2005)
*This Article is Sponsored by http://www.healthycoco.com/
 |
|
|
We are now heading into September, so it's time to look back at the year in Boxing to date. Boxing fans seem to like top 5 and top 10 lists, so here's a look at the best and worst fights, the biggest upsets, and the most dominating performances to date for 2005.
The Top Five fights of 2005 to Date:
1. Diego Corrales vs Jose Luis Castillo- This was an easy number one. Drama from start to finish, and especially the finish. The thing that made this fight so great was that it was a big fight, and lived up to its billing and then some. Watching Corrales fight back after 2 knockdowns to finish off Castillo was amazing. This fight had even the tamest of fight fans on their feet screaming.
2. Jorge Arce vs Hussein Hussein- This fight was on the undercard of Pacquiao-Morales, so most people were hoping this fight would get over with so they could see the main event. Instead, we witnessed a fight in which both men seemed to never stop throwing punches. Arce managed to pull it out, despite having a face that looked like it went threw a meat grinder.
3. Erik Morales-Manny Pacquiao- A highly anticipated fight that lived up to its billing, and had to follow a very exciting Arce-Hussein fight. Many thought Morales would try to stay away from Manny, but instead he went right at him and made it an exciting fight, and even won.
4. Jesus Chavez vs Carlos Hernandez- This fight got a small billing because it was on the Chavez "Adios" card, but it stole the show. Bob Arum said he saved this fight to guarantee there would be one great fight on the card. A fight that lived up to its billing, with each fighter trading back and forth; a decision could have gone either way, but Chavez got the nod.
5. Ricky Hatton vs Kostya Tszyu - It was a war and a shocker. Most thought Hatton would get picked apart if he came in on Kostya, but instead he picked Tszyu apart until the defending champion quit on his stool; another major fight that lived up to its billing, and made the Manchester fans very happy.
Honorable Mention- Americo Santos vs Isaac Mendoza (ShoBox), Peter Manfredo Jr. vs Sergio Mora.
The Top 5 Worst Fights of the Year
1. Mike Tyson vs Kevin McBride - Seeing Tyson lose to a journeyman in the fashion he lost was bad enough, but seeing these two go at it for 5 rounds was even worse.
2. Riddick Bowe vs Billy Zumbrun - Sad to see Bowe in this fight; he looked very out of shape, and with slow reflexes. Somehow Bowe survived, winning a decision in an ugly fight.
3. Andre Ward vs Roy Ashworth – Ironically, this fight was on the undercard of Bowe – Zumbrun. It resembled a wrestling match as Ashworth continuously held, grabbed and even tackled Ward until he was eventually disqualified.
4. Marco Antonio Barrera vs Mzonke Fana - All I kept saying during this card and fight was, I can't believe this is a pay per view! Why Barrera was fighting this guy was beyond me, but the fight stunk as Barrera did away with the highly overmatched Fana in 2 rounds.
5. Paul Williams vs Terrence Cauthen - Williams is an impressive, undefeated welterweight, who happens to be 6' 1", and the former Olympian wanted no part of Williams and his reach advantage. Throughout the fight Cauthen came in and grabbed or ran. He looked a lot like John Ruiz in this ShoBox offering.
Honorable Mention-
Any John Ruiz fight, Hasim Rahman-Monte Barrett.
The Top 5 Most Dominating Performances of the Year
1. Winky Wright vs Felix Trinidad - I know most people complained because this was a boring fight. However, there was a reason why they thought that, because Trinidad couldn't hit Wright all night. Wright put up an impenetrable guard all night, and made Trinidad look like an inferior fighter. Boring maybe, but definitely dominating...
2. Floyd Mayweather vs Arturo Gatti - I know some will say that Gatti was tailor made for Floyd. But, the bottom line was that Mayweather went into Gatti's house and completely shut him down and dominated him. The percentages and punches landed statistics were astonishingly one sided.
3. Antonio Margarito vs Kermit Cintron - Margarito finally came out and showed the world what kind of fighter he is in this ESPN pay per view. He came out and destroyed the undefeated phenom, showing he is a force to be reckoned with.
4. Jorge Barrios vs Mike Anchondo - Everyone was talking about Anchondo going into this fight. However, Barrios came in and totally dismantled the former undefeated champion. Barrios made it look easy; he cashed in the win by signing with Golden Boy Promotions.
5. Fernando Montiel vs Ivan Hernandez - Montiel showed that he is one of the best and craftiest bantamweights in the world as he totally dominated Ivan Hernandez. One of Montiel's defining fights over a guy who was on a high after knocking out Tim Austin.
The Top 10 Upsets of the Year
1. Ricky Hatton over Kostya Tszyu – Many thought this would be a good fight, but hardly anyone was giving the Brit a true shot. The biggest surprise to many others and me was that Tszyu quit. A truly solid performance by Hatton, who with this victory answered the critics who stated he had not fought anybody tough.
2. Humberto Soto over Rocky Juarez - Everyone seemed ready to anoint Juarez the next featherweight champion, and some said that Juarez was catching a break by not having to fight Injin Chi. Instead, Soto came out of nowhere and shocked the phenom. A good showing by Juarez, but Soto won the fight.
3. Roman Karmazin over Kassim Ouma - Ouma was the talk of the town and on a high after just signing a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions. Karmazin didn't care though and took the fight to Ouma, shocking the young star.
4. Jermain Taylor over Bernard Hopkins – Anytime Hopkins loses it's an upset. This close fight finally ended Hopkins’ long title reign. Even though Taylor tired down the stretch, his lead was enough to win.
5. Carlos Maussa over Vivian Harris - Not many people had even heard of Maussa, and Harris seemed content on calling out everybody and not thinking about Maussa. Maussa abruptly KO’d Harris in the 8th round on the Gatti-Mayweather undercard.
6. Silverio Ortiz over Daniel Seda- Seda’s opponent was a fighter who had lost four of his last five previous fights, while Seda was coming off his first loss against Joel Casamayor, and even looked impressive in the loss. The one time major prospect was pounded on all night by Ortiz, who won a unanimous decision.
7. Kevin McBride over Mike Tyson - I know this is not even close to the same Mike Tyson of the 80s. But any Tyson losing to a fighter like McBride is surprising.
8. James Webb over Jose Celaya - Celaya was being talked about as the next big thing in the welterweight division until he ran into a buzzsaw in this supposed showcase fight.
9. Jorge Barrios over Mike Anchondo - It wasn't such a surprise that Barrios won, it's how he won. He destroyed and made many wonder if this was the same Anchondo we have seen in the past. This fight made Barrios a major player in either the 122 or 126-pound divisions.
10. Calvin Brock over Jameel McCline - Brock came back from early adversity and battled to a hard win on the ESPN pay per view undercard. It was Brock's first win over McCline who had just come off losing narrowly to Chris Byrd in a title fight. The win put Brock among the ever growing list of heavyweight contenders.
|
|
|
|
© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
|
|
|
|
