BalotSports.info

2009 was a pretty eventful year in the world of boxing. For a sport that is said to be ‘dying’ according to some, there was much excitement, intrigue, drama, and suspense that took place within the pugilistic landscape over the past twelve months.

At the end of the day we may not have gotten everything we wished for but we were still able to witness a fighter from a third world country continue his amazing run of success, a completely new outlook on the Super Middleweight division, and some of the best fighters squaring off with one another.

From the best of my memory, here are some of the fighters, fights, and storylines that helped to make 2009 very memorable...

Pacquiao’s rise

It’s hard for me to not peg Manny Pacquiao as the fighter of the year in 2009. In May he delivered one of year’s most emphatic knockouts by crushing Manchester’s Ricky Hatton with a beautiful land hand. Many had felt that Hatton’s rugged and bruising style would serve him well on the inside against Pacquiao, but the Filipino was primed and focused on this night, landing early and often.

Six months later he engaged in a high pitched battle with WBO Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand. The bout was wild for the first four rounds but two knockdowns from the Filipino icon put him in complete control as Cotto was in retreat mode during the second half of the bout. Referee Kenny Bayless wisely halted the action in the 12th round, securing Pacquiao’s memorable 2009 campaign.

Dawson’s dilemma

On paper everything looked to be golden for interim WBC Light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson, who easily outpointed former champions Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson in May and November. But what the scorecards don’t show is that somewhere along the line Dawson’s style seemed to change, as he went from an a fighter who relied on his work rate and his combinations to one who seemed content to box his way towards a win.

While Dawson shouldn’t be knocked for his choice of tactics, his rematch with Johnson was far from compelling, even if it was a dominant performance. When Chad lets his hands go and gets on the attack he is a joy to watch but when he opts to box from a distance he is far less captivating. With a potential showdown with Jean Pascal looming, we’ll see how Dawson decides to come out of the gates in 2010.

Timothy Bradley’s progression

If there is one fighter who has exceeded the expectations of many in recent years it very well could be WBO Jr. Welterweight champion Timothy Bradley. This year alone Bradley found himself in the lion’s den with dangerous opposition in the likes of former champions Kendall Holt and Nate Campbell, as well as undefeated Lamont Peterson. While the Campbell fight ended up being a ‘No Contest’ due to a nasty cut that stemmed from a Bradley head butt, his decision victories over Holt and Peterson were conclusive and impressive. It remains to be seen how far Bradley can rise but he’s already come a long way.

Vitali Klitschko’s continued return

In October of last year former champion Vitali Klitschko returned to the ring from a nearly four year hiatus with an eight round drubbing of Nigerian Samuel Peter, capturing the WBC belt in the process. The Ukrainian would continue his success in 2009 by defeating former Cruiserweight king Juan Carlos Gomez as well as undefeated contenders Chris Arreola and Kevin Johnson.

While some say that Klitschko has lost a step at age 38 and that his style is far from fan friendly, it’s hard to envision anyone beating him in the near future. Possessing size, reach, decent fundamentals, and enough pop to garner respect, Klitschko is a formidable task for any of his Heavyweight counterparts.

The ‘Super Six’ Tournament

It was announced earlier this year that Showtime was putting together a tournament of epic proportions, featuring champions Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch, as well as contenders Arthur Abraham, Jermain Taylor, Andre Dirrell, and Andre Ward. Instantly it was announced that the tournament would be formatted in a round robin system, allowing the best matchups to come together and after an eventful first round, the 168 pound landscape has definitely changed a little bit.

On October 17th things would get started as Abraham would dominate the second half of his bout with Taylor before halting the former champion in the waning seconds of round twelve. On that same night Carl Froch and Andre Dirrell would engage in a sometimes sloppy yet close affair, with the WBC champion walking away with a split decision over his talented American foe. The next month Ward would produce the performance of his life in dominating Denmark’s Kessler, eventually winning an eleven round technical decision.

In the spring of 2010 the second round will take place as Froch defends his belt against the comebacking Kessler, Abraham and Dirrell meet in Rancho Mirage, California, and Ward puts his new title on the line against Taylor, who has been advised by many to hang it up after suffering three brutal knockouts over a two year period.

Williams and Martinez duke it out

One of the most desired fights of 2009 was one that never came to fruition, as the twice schedule Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams meeting had to be scratched due to a staph infection in the Middleweight champion’s left hand. Williams would end up facing world class Jr. Middleweight Sergio Martinez on December 5th instead and it proved to be a more than adequate replacement bout.

From the get go you could tell that the Argentinean meant business as he went at his younger and taller foe from the get go. Both men suffered knockdowns in the first round and the tone for a memorable night was set. The momentum shifted back and forth all night and both men took their share of clean punches. At the end of the night it was Williams’ consistency and workrate that seemed to give him the edge, as he walked away with a unanimous decision by scores of 114-114, 115-113 and an unexplainable 119-110 card by Pierre Benoist.
Even in losing Martinez was able to raise his stock and there are now rumors about either man possibly being in line to face Pavlik next.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. returns

Love him or hate him you can’t deny that Floyd Mayweather Jr. brings something completely different to the game and his return the sport was watched closely from all parties. In December of 2007 Mayweather defeated Ricky Hatton via 10th round TKO but he would go on to announce his retirement in 2008, leaving many to wonder what his future held.
On September 19, 2009 Mayweather would make his return against Mexico City’s Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM and ‘Money’ was as dominant as ever. From the early going it was obvious that Mayweather’s size and speed were going to be key factors in the fight, as he controlled nearly every round with his precise punching and ring generalship. When the dust had settled Mayweather emerged with a lopsided unanimous decision and Marquez was sent back to the drawing board.

With Mayweather returning the fight that everyone wants to see is a showdown between him and WBO Welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao. It looked as thought that fight was set to take off on March 13th but things have since unraveled due to conflict regarding the recent Olympic style drug testing fiasco. All we can do is cross our fingers and hope that these two finally end up meeting sometime in 2010.

Malignaggi returns to the spotlight

In November of 2008 Paulie Malignaggi suffered a heartbreaking loss, as he was stopped for the first time in his career by Ricky Hatton. Malignaggi didn’t seem himself on that night and speculation rose as to what his future held. Luckily for Paulie, he would come across a willing opponent in Juan Diaz who helped to propel him back into the big picture. Of course, Malignaggi’s outspoken nature and a little bit of controversy were also key reasons for his emergence back into the spotlight as well.

Malignaggi and Diaz first met in Houston, Texas on August 22nd of this year. In that bout Malignaggi’s speed and skills were countered by Diaz’ aggression and willingness to mix it up on the inside. After twelve closely contested rounds many felt that Malignaggi had done enough to capture the verdict but he would end up losing a unanimous decision. What was shocking was that judge Gale Van Hoy called it 118-110 in Diaz’ favor, which was an absolutely ridiculous tally. Malignaggi’s post fight rant on HBO, in which he called out Texas and the boxing establishment, helped endear him to many watching.

Less than four months later the two men would meet again and Malignaggi produced one of his finest performances as a professional. Knowing that he had to make a statement, the Brooklyn fighter controlled the contest with speed and combination punching, even staggering Diaz slightly in the sixth. 116-111 scorecards were all in Paulie’s favor and it was a night of redemption for the former champion in Chicago.

While his rematch with Diaz helped to put his name back in the mix, it has been Malignaggi’s vocal nature that has caused headlines as of late. Recently he has called into question the legitimacy of Manny Pacquiao’s recent run of success, claiming that the seven-division champion is obviously using some kind of illegal substance to enhance his performances. Ironically it has been rumored that Malignaggi very well may step in as a replacement to face Pacquiao on March 13th if the Mayweather fight doesn’t come off. If Pacquiao-Malignaggi comes off we’ll get to see if Malignaggi’s abilities in the ring can be as resounding as his tongue.

Source: Chris Robinson  eXaminer.com