By Derek Bonnett: As another fruitful year of professional fisticuffs wraps up, SecondsOut will honor boxing’s greatest practitioners and non-participants with such accolades as Fighter of the Year, Fight of the Year, Trainer of the Year, Service to Boxing, etc. However, among the 170 ranked SecondsOut fighters and beyond, a multitude of fighters go unrecognized for their less obvious contributions to the sport inside of a single division. Each fighter brings something special into the ring and honors their weight class with unique qualities.
The following is a division breakdown of boxers and the various superlatives I would award them with. There can only be one Fighter of the Year, but here I can honor seventeen separate fighters for being the Best Boxer or Best Puncher in their respective class. I can alert SecondsOut fans of various fighters On the Rise across the divisions. Most of these superlatives are obvious, but some require explanation. For example, the Is He Still Around? award acknowledges fighters for lengthy career regardless of their success or some who has fallen off the radar. The Deserves a Title Shot nod refers to a fighter who deserves a chance at SecondsOut’s currently ranked number one fighter in the division in 2012, even if he already holds a title.
These superlatives reflect my own thoughts and were comprised entirely for fun and in the interest of sparking boxing discussion and debate. As usual, for further boxing discourse contact Derek DBO Bonnett on Facebook or a
mabfan@comcast.net.
Happy Holidays!
Heavyweight
Best Puncher: Robert Helenius
Best Boxer: Wladimir Klitschko
Most Protected: Denis Boytsov
Is He Still Around?: Maurice Harris
Matchmaker’s Dream: Klitschko vs. Klitschko
On the Rise: Mike Perez
Deserves a Title Shot: Robert Helenius
Most Fun to Watch: Chris Arreola
On Their Way Out: Ruslan Chagaev
Underrated: Dereck Chisora
Cruiserweight
Best Puncher: Denis Lebedev
Best Boxer: Antonio Tarver
Most Protected: Mateusz Masternak
Is He Still Around?: Roy Jones Jr.
Matchmaker’s Dream: G. Jones-Hernandez
On the Rise: Pawel Kolodziej
Deserves a Title Shot: Denis Lebedev
Most Fun to Watch: Guillermo Jones
On Their Way Out: Danny Green
Underrated: Ola Afolabi
Light Heavyweight
Best Puncher: Ismayl Sillakh
Best Boxer: Bernard Hopkins
Most Protected: Dawid Kostecki
Is He Still Around?: Byron Mitchell
Matchmaker’s Dream: Dawson-Hopkins II
On the Rise: Luis Garcia
Deserves a Title Shot: Tavoris Cloud
Most Fun to Watch: Jean Pascal
On Their Way Out: Yusaf Mack
Underrated: Beibut Shumenov
Super Middleweight
Best Puncher: Lucian Bute
Best Boxer: Andre Ward
Most Protected: Edwin Rodriguez
Is He Still Around?: Sakio Bika
Matchmaker’s Dream: Froch-Bute
On the Rise: Marco Antonio Periban
Deserves a Title Shot: Lucian Bute
Most Fun to Watch: Carl Froch
On Their Way Out: Glencoffe Johnson
Underrated: Anthony Dirrell
Middleweight
Best Puncher: Sergio Martinez
Best Boxer: Sergio Martinez
Most Protected: Gennady Golovkin
Is He Still Around?: Sam Soliman
Matchmaker’s Dream: Pirog-Martinez
On the Rise: Grzegorz Proksa
Deserves a Title Shot: Marco Antonio Rubio
Most Fun to Watch: Andy Lee
On Their Way Out: Sergio Mora
Underrated: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Junior Middleweight
Best Puncher: James Kirkland
Best Boxer: Miguel Cotto
Most Protected: Charlie Ota
Is He Still Around?: Saul Roman
Matchmaker’s Dream: Alvarez-Cotto
On the Rise: Austin Trout
Deserves a Title Shot: Carlos Molina
Most Fun to Watch: James Kirkland
On Their Way Out: Antonio Margarito
Underrated: Delvin Rodriguez
Welterweight
Best Puncher: Randall Bailey
Best Boxer: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Most Protected: Viacheslav Senchenko
Is He Still Around?: Joshua Clottey
Matchmaker’s Dream: Pacquiao-Mayweather
On the Rise: Thomas Dulorme
Deserves a Title Shot: Mike Jones
Most Fun to Watch: Manny Pacquiao
On Their Way Out: Rafal Jackiewicz
Underrated: Jan Zaveck
