Boxing fights of the year 2011

A look back at the first six months of 2011 have proved that boxing is alive and well, Showtime may be a big player once again and boxing may finally get Mayweather vs. Pacquiao (A year or so still away…but have to hold on to hope)

Here is a list of the top 10 fights of the last 6 months.

10. Miguel Cotto vs Ricardo Mayorga– Cotto was coming off his win against Yuri Foreman in a fight where he dominated but still had a lot of questions to answer from his 12 round beat down by Manny Pacquiao. Ricardo Mayorga may not be the beast he was 6 or 7 years ago but with both these guys being at the end of their careers, this fight was entertaining for 12 rounds until Mayorga had to stop due to a hand injury.

9. Erik Morales vs Marcos Maidana– Erik Morales best days were considered behind him and putting him in the ring with the hard punching Marcos Maidana seemed to be suicide. However half way through the fight, Morales proved he still had life left in the ring. Morales showed the heart and determination that many boxing fans came to know and love in the late 90’s early 2000’s.After 12 tough rounds Morales ended up losing on the judges’ cards but seemed to revive his career for the moment. As of now, he is being considered a possible opponent against Canelo this fall.

8. Brandon Rios vs Miguel Acosta– Brandon Rios is known for his come forward aggressive fighting style with heavy hands faced Miguel Acosta the reigning champion in February. Many people felt that Acosta was a better boxer with some power and over the first half of the fight showed good foot work and speed to elude most of Brandon’s punches however from the 5th round on, Acosta couldn’t get away from Rios and in the 10th round was stopped. Acosta had a good game plan coming in, but the fight almost felt similar to Acelino Freitas vs Diego Corrales. Freitas chose to stick and move and waste a lot of energy in the first half of the fight only to be forced to quit after the pressure Corrales applied during the entire fight. The same fate served Acosta, Rios has a solid chin and heavy hands, and he will give anyone problems at 135lb.Look for Rios and Robert Guerrero to be on a collision course in the next 18 months.

7. Bernard Hopkins vs Jean Pascal 2-Hopkins and Pascal fought to a Majority Decision last December and coming into this rematch there was a lot of banter between the two fighters. Pascal questioning Hopkins ability to be able to compete at such an advanced age (46) and still be competitive without taking anything; he even demanded Hopkins take a drug test. Their press conference was an entertaining show and in the end the outside talk helped fuel a competitive 12 round fight. Hopkins was able to stand his ground against the younger Pascal and win on the inside-something that Hopkins seldom does in his fights. Hopkins showed skill and ring savvy to outbox the younger fighter. Hopkins won a UD 12rd decision and claims he will fight until he is 50 or beyond.

6. Orlando Salido vs Juan Manuel Lopez-Salido was supposed to be a step up fight for Lopez, who up until last year walked through most of his competition. Salido considered older in boxing with good amount of ring years on him was not supposed to give Lopez as much trouble as he did. Salido applied pressure throughout the fight. Lopez showed signs of gassing by the 4th. Salido dropped Lopez in the 5th and then the next 3 rounds continued to pressure Lopez. Lopez was still fighting back when the ref stopped it in the 8th round; it was even more surprising that with the fight being in Puerto Rico the ref chose to stop the hometown fighter. As of now there is no rematch, but this one deserves to have a proper ending.

5. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr vs Sebastian Zbik– This fight never should have been for the WBC Middleweight belt, but with that being said the fight turned out to be a good 12 round scrap. JCC has been handled softer than a Da Vinci painting was thoroughly outboxed the first half of the fight. However JCC kept his composure and consistent body attack that helped slow down Zbik in the second half of the fight. After 12 rounds JCC won a Split Decision. Many observers felt that Zbik won and if at worst a draw but the loss was a little surprising. Chavez Jr now is the owner of the WBC Middleweight belt, which was stripped from the real Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez. Top Rank and Chavez Jr are smart enough to stay away from Martinez as long as they can. Chavez Jr will not fight anyone that can beat him for the next year and a half. Hopefully between now and then Martinez loses so Top Rank can avoid having to make reasons as to why they won’t set that fight up.

4. Nonito Donaire vs Fernando Montiel– Donaire has been a hot commodity since his crushing knockout of Vic Darchinyan back in 2007, however management issues and other things have kept Donaire from being more of a household name. Montiel a previous world title holder and riding a 12 fight win streak dating back to 2006 seemed to be a formidable opponent for Donaire. Donaire moving up in weight for just the second time, many wondered if he could hurt Montiel going up in weight. Not only did Donaire take his power with him but Donaire dominated Montiel and took him out in 2 rounds. The first TKO loss in Montiel’s career. Afterwards, Donaire claimed he was a free agent and signed with Golden Boy. This may or may not be the case and now Golden Boy and Top Rank are once again in a battle over promotional rights of a fighter.

3. Jorge Arce vs Wilfredo Vasquez Jr– Just like his fellow Countryman Erik Morales, Arce was considered damaged goods. Arce had his fare share of wars in the past and for Vasquez Jr, this was supposed to be a big name on his resume. Vasquez came out strong the first few rounds, he was the quicker and stronger fighter but perhaps being the younger and a little more inexperienced fighter, Vasquez seemed to allow Arce to stay in the fight which would hurt him later on. Arce came on strong in the mid rounds and chipped away at Vasquez Jr’s lead. Vasquez seemed to have no answers for Arce’s hardnosed fighting style and going into the 12th round the fight could have went either way. Arce come out strong in the 12th landing almost every shot he threw and instead of taking a knee to collect himself Vasquez Jr tried to fight off the ropes. After about a minute of taking one too many shots Vasquez Jr’s corner threw in the towel. Vasquez’s Jr father saw his son take one too many shots and saved his son from further damage. Arce now is the owner of the WBO belt. Arce always seems to be in entertaining fights and as of now there is no next opponent named. However, if the fight isn’t in Mexico, expect to see him as the Co-Main event on a US fight card before the end of the year.

2. Luis Concepcion vs Hernan Marquez-This fight was thrilling from round 1, both fighters being dropped in the 1st round on their way to 5 knockdowns before Concepcion was stopped in the 11th. The fight was back and forth with neither guy really getting an edge. The fight was called off by the doctor at the beginning of the 11th. The problem with this fight was it was not on a major US cable network so for most fans, they only heard about how good the fight was then had to find it after the fight was already over. The fight will most likely end up being the Fight of the Year.

1.Victor Ortiz vs Andre Berto– Ortiz was coming into the fight with questions as to whether he was a quitter, if he could handle the pressure and power that Berto possessed. Berto fought decent competition coming into the fight and many people felt he would take care of Ortiz and set himself up for a name to be considered for Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
This fight had everything you want in a Fight of the Year candidate. Two young exciting fighters, WBC belt and enough drama for 12 rounds of back and forth action to remind you of why you love boxing. There were 5 knockdowns, both fighters down in the same round and up and down excitement that kept fans on the edge of their seat.

The end result, Ortiz by UD. Ortiz is now scheduled to fight Floyd Mayweather in September and Berto has turned to twitter to reference that Ortiz had used “something” to help him win the fight. A first loss for any fighter is devastating however taking your issues to twitter is never the way to go. Berto will be back and I for one would like to see him against Timothy Bradley.

Even with the let down of the Pacquiao vs Mosley fight in May, boxing fans still had a lot to be happy with. The next 6 months should prove that 2011 was a great year of boxing and its starts this weekend with Wladimir Klitschko vs. David Haye

Happy 4th of July.

Honorable Mentions:

Giovani Segura vs Ivan Calderon, Felix Sturm vs Matt Macklin , Devon Alexander vs Alex Matthysey

David Lemieux vs Marco Antonio Rubio