Billy’s Boxing Blog

By William Trillo & Tim Donaldson

Happy New Year to everyone. Another year has come and gone and it’s time reflect one last time on 2011 before we move on. I asked our ace reporter from Philly, Tim Donaldson if he would like to start out the New Year by going over his Top Ten fighters of 2011 and then follow-up quarterly with an update. Tim was more than up for the difficult task and I commend him for that. If there is any sport that leaves itself open for argument when it comes to the best of the best…it’s boxing.

With thank Tim for taking up the challenge…so without further ado:

Looking Back on 2011 With An Eye Toward
Those Who Will Be Remembered in the Future
By Tim Donaldson

As I sit in my office, pondering the past year and wondering what I should write, my eyes fall on some of the boxing memorabilia that I have collected over time. Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, and Smokin Joe Frazier stare back at me, inspiring me. They are remembered and will be remembered as some of boxing’s greatest champions. I start to wonder. Who, out of those I have watched fight this year, will be remembered 50 years from now? Who will I be talking about when I am a toothless old man?

So I got to work on a list. I asked friends and family their thoughts as well. And what I have found is that we all have our own favorites, and we all put them in our own order. So this is my list and my reasons, starting with number ten.

10. Andre Ward. I have included Ward for a few reasons. I got to see Ward fight live for the first time at the Super Six Final, and I have to say I was impressed. For me, boxing is as much a sport about out-thinking your opponent as it is a sport of brute force. Ward controlled the fight against Froch from beginning to end. Most of the British press realized this, even though the judges failed to see it. And beyond this one fight, you have to give Ward credit for making it through the Super Six tournament undefeated.

9. Yuriorkis Gamboa. Despite the fact that Max Kellerman seems to think that Gamboa simply is not exciting enough (does Max actually watch all the fights aired on HBO? There are many worse fighters getting exposure on your network, Mr. Kellerman.), Gamboa continues to win fights in a convincing way. Will he be the next Pacquiao as some suggest? Only time will tell. But if his career continues on the current path, I do expect that he will be remembered years to come.

7 & 8. Vladimir and Vitali Klitschko. No disrespect to the Klitschko brothers, but too many of us in the United States, we see them as the two headed giant that rules the Heavyweight division. So many here like to complain that they are boring and only remain on top because of their size. However, this is a weak argument. Every fighter has a weakness, this includes Vladimir and Vitali, but no one currently in the Heavyweight division has been able to exploit their weaknesses. Size might get you to the top of the heap, but it will not keep you there.

6. Miguel Cotto. Maybe I am partial, or maybe my wife is making me put him in the list, but I do believe he belongs here. Cotto seemed unstoppable until Antonio Margarito did exactly that back in 2008. But Cotto has now put that demon to rest. Truly, the two Cotto, Margarito fights will be talked about for years. Unfortunately for Cotto, just like Ali cannot be mentioned without Frazier, Cotto’s name will be forever linked with his arch enemy Margarito.

5. Sergio Martinez. Martinez will be remembered for many reasons. What boxing fan can forget the way Martinez knocked out Paul Williams in the second round of their second fight? However, the real reason he belongs here is his fighting style. For most fighters, fighting with hands down would be a dangerous strategy, but for Martinez it seems to be a strength. Not only does he fight hands down, but he likes to stick his chin out there, just taunting his opponent to hit him. When his opponent does attempt to hit him, he manages to land his shot. As he himself has said, he would not be “Maravilla,” marvel or wonder, if he did not fight with his hands down.

4. Floyd Mayweather. Floyd and Floyd fans will be upset that I put him at number 4, but as I said this is my list. Floyd Mayweather is a great fighter, no doubt, but he will be remembered as much for his antics outside of the ring as those in the ring. But so is Muhammad Ali and many other great fighters. Mayweather is a great defensive fighter, who can dictate a fight to his opponent. For you doubters, I am sure you are saying what about Ortiz? Yes, it seemed like a cheap shot to me, but he got away with it and he won the fight. For Mayweather, it is all about winning.

3. Manny Pacquiao. Now I have made the Pacquiao fans mad. What? How can this be? Manny not at number one? Pacquiao truly is one of the great fighters of our time. He has beaten nearly everyone put in front of him, and he almost always makes it look easy. There is one thing that will plague his reputation, however. Floyd Mayweather? No. It is the man in the number two slot.

2. Juan Manuel Marquez. Even without fighting Pacquiao, I would consider Marquez one of the greatest fighters of our time. He consistently chooses the best opponents to fight. How many fighters can we say that about? And then there are the three fights against Pacquiao. Yes, I do believe Marquez was robbed in the last fight. It is not the first time either. The really great thing about Marquez is that you know that if he fights again, he will once again choose the best.

So, now you are asking yourself who I picked for my number one. As I said before, this is my list, and I admit, it is quite arbitrary. I could have put the top five at any order and been happy. But since I am from Philadelphia and in my forties, I am going to let my bias come through.

1. Bernard Hopkins. I put Bernard Hopkins at the top of the list for one reason. In two weeks he will be turning 47. How many of the fighters on this list will still be fighting when they are 46 or 47? However, Hopkins is not simply fighting, he is winning. He is one of the most consistent fighters in boxing, and he just keeps proving this to us. Sure he likes to show off, doing pushups between rounds at the Pascal fight. But why shouldn’t he show off? Typically if a fighter fights into their 40’s, they simply end up embarrassing themselves. But not Hopkins. So that is why I believe Bernard Hopkins deserves the number one spot.

Click Here For Pound4Pound.com’s P4P Top 10 Page

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 1st, 2012 at 12:38 pm and is filed under Boxing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.