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As Boxing 2009 shuts down, this is the appropriate time of the year to give props and electronic accolades to the fighters who made our year; the fights we won’t soon forget; and the rising stars of tomorrow. Here is how I voted in the Examiner.com 2009 boxing poll:

2009 Fighter of the Year: Manny Pacquiao.

To not have Pacquiao here would be to ignore history. He dominated the year, the sport, the money, and his two opponents—Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto. An exclamation point to his greatness comes from the fact that his nemesis, Juan Manuel Marquez, failed to enter the deep waters of heavier weight divisions with any sustained level of success. Better yet, Manny was deemed as one of the greatest fighters of all time by Bert Sugar. Enough said.

2009 Fight of the Year: Sergio Martinez v Paul Williams.

The last major battle of the year was supposed to be Williams versus Kelly Pavlik, but the nagging medical issues suffered by the middleweight champion required a second cancellation of the anticipated bout. Enter Sergio Martinez. Martinez, on short notice and a weight class above his normal residency, gave The Punisher a variety of problems. Both men found the canvas and Williams escaped with a controversial majority decision. To be a legitimate “fight of the year” candidate from my perspective means that the battle was left unsettled. There is no other widely viewed fight from 2009 that requires a 13th round. This one does.

2009 Knockout of the Year: Manny Pacquiao’s shot heard around the world.
Not only did that single shot end the fight, but fans could feel the impact through their television sets. Ricky Hatton was knocked out instantly and fell like a Hatton Wonderland Christmas tree. If you missed it or want to revisit the Advil moment, the video is embedded for you below.

2009 Dark-Horse Award: Arthur Abraham.

European fighters not named Klitschko find it difficult to get exposure in the Americas. Such was the case for Arthur Abraham. He used to be known as the guy who once fought with a broken jaw and who worked in the shadow of Kelly Pavlik. Now he is the guy who put Jermain Taylor in the hospital for several days and who is on the brink of dominating SHOWTIME’S World Boxing Classic.

It may be odd to call an undefeated former champion a “dark horse,” but certainly Arthur has been his whole career. He faces Andre Dirrell and Carl Froch in 2010 and both fights will be available to a broad audience. As such, King Arthur has the opportunity to reach the elite level of the sport next year and solidify a growing global fan base.

2009 Performance of the Year: Juan Manuel Marquez defeats Juan Diaz.

Marquez spent most of 2009 trying to match Pacquiao’s charge. In February 2009, Marquez appeared to have reached his limit when he faced Juan Diaz. Diaz’s size and insane work rate allowed him to dominate the first half of the fight. Championship bouts, however, are always scheduled for 12 rounds. Marquez was able to process the beat down that he received, adjust, and score a technical knockout over the Baby Bull.

2009 Promoter of the Year: Top Rank, Inc.

Bob Arum et al own the Pacquiao franchise and represent the strongest stable in the sport. If we had a “worst promoter of the year” award, then it would also likely still go to Top Rank for twice forcing us to buy a Kelly Pavlik fight on Top Rank PPV. Regardless, someone has to win and my vote goes to Top Rank by default.

2009 G.E.W.T.W. Award: Manny Pacquiao.

The acronym stands for “Given’Em What They Want.” As stated above, Pacquiao gives us at least two fights per year against dangerous opposition. No other fighter in the sport gambles with legacy the way that Manny does, which means that no other fighter can legitimately lay claim to this award. It is also the reason why boxing has many good fighters, but only one great one.