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| Timothy Bradley, left, lands a punch against Ruslan Provodnikov during their spectacular brawl in March. |
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For many years, boxing promoters
and television executives, egged on by risk-averse managers, forgot
about the customer. They put on fights that weren't designed to
entertain fans so much as they were to position themselves better for
the next big payday.
The result was blowout after blowout in safe, non-competitive fights.
The
problem was that fans were getting increasingly dissatisfied and were
essentially giving the sport the cold shoulder. They didn't lose their
love of a good fight, but because promoters were making so few matches
that could rightly be expected to be a good fight, boxing fans began to
spend their entertainment dollars in other areas.
But
in 2011, someone wised up, and there was a series of great fights. It
continued in 2012. And 2013 turned out to be arguably the best year in
the century for boxing and one of the best in the last 25 years.
There were outstanding fights on television shows big and small. Arena cards were stacked with competitive, entertaining bouts.
And
promoters, TV executives and managers finally seemed to get the
message: You lose when you put together a mismatch, not when you put
together a compelling, entertaining fight in which the decision goes
against your guy.
Ten fights
stood out from the pack in a crowded year of excellent fights, however,
and those 10 are my finalists for the 2013 Yahoo Sports Boxing Fight of
the Year.
Here are my finalists, in order that they happened from earliest to latest:
Timothy Bradley W12 Ruslan Provodnikov, March 16
– Bradley was battered and beaten by the hard-hitting Provodnikov in
the first two rounds, and the fight could have been stopped. Bradley
trainer Joel Diaz urged his man to box, and Bradley responded, sort of.
He used a bit of lateral movement, but mostly stood toe-to-toe and
slugged with Provodnikov. It nearly cost him, as he was knocked down in
the 12th and was in serious jeopardy several other times. But Bradley
won the bout as well as a legion of new fans.
Mike Alvarado W12 Brandon Rios, March 30
– Perhaps no fight in 2013 had more anticipation in the build-up than
Alvarado-Rios II. Their first bout, in 2012, had been an incredible
battle that Rios won by seventh-round stoppage. The rematch was not
quite as much of a slugfest, but it was still filled with terrific
action.
Erislandy Lara TKO10 Alfredo Angulo, June 8
– Lara has frequently been labeled a boring fighter, but he put on an
incredible show against Angulo in Carson, Calif., in this bout for an
interim super welterweight title. Lara was blasting Angulo with sharp
punches from all angles, but Angulo never stopped pressing forward and
dropped Lara in Rounds 4 and 9. Lara, though, recovered and stopped
Angulo in the 10th.
Marcos Maidana TKO6 Josesito Lopez, June 8
– This bout occurred immediately following Lara-Angulo and was another
amazing war of attrition. Lopez is frequently outmanned in his fights,
but is so courageous that he just keeps coming and coming and wins
fights by refusing to quit. But Maidana is one of boxing's best
punchers, and his power eventually forced Lopez to succumb in a
phenomenal match.
Omar Figueroa W12 Nihito Arakawa, July 27
– Figueroa knocked Arakawa down twice and won a wide decision, but that
doesn't tell the story of this fight. The two men exchanged big shots
throughout and combined to throw more than 2,100 punches. It was
incredible that Arakawa was able to take the punches he did and keep
coming back. Fans were on their feet as the fight ended.
Giovani Segura KO4 Jonathan Gonzalez, Aug. 17
– Flyweights don't get a lot of attention in the U.S., but if you like
action fights, this is a great division. Segura is one of the best and
most exciting fighters in the lower weight divisions. In this fight,
Segura and Gonzalez exchanged big power shots until the brutal ending.
Segura was stronger and finally knocked Gonzalez out, but Gonzalez
fights fiercely, and this was a fight to see.
Ruslan Provodnikov TKO10 Mike Alvarado, Oct. 19
– This fight was similar to both the Bradley-Provodnikov fight from
earlier in the year and Rios-Alvarado I from 2012. There was little
subtlety in this one, as each was cracking the other with devastating
blows. Provodnikov, though, is the bigger puncher and as the match wore
on, his power took over and Alvarado couldn't make it out for the 11th
round.
Giovani Segura KO12 Hernan "Tyson" Marquez, Nov. 2 –
Marquez was the winner in the 2011 Yahoo Sports Fight of the Year when
he stopped Luis Concepcion in Panama. This fight with Segura probably
tops that for consistent beginning-to-end action, and Segura ends it by
putting an exhausted Marquez down for the count in the final round.
James Kirkland TKO6 Glen Tapia, Dec. 7
– For two rounds, this fight was like one from the Arturo Gatti-Micky
Ward trilogy. Tapia walked out of his corner at the bell and threw a big
right hand that hurt Kirkland. But Kirkland was too big and too strong
and eventually beat Tapia down.
Marcos Maidana W12 Adrien Broner, Dec. 14
– Maidana controlled the bout from beginning to end. His power was
hurting Broner repeatedly, but Broner didn't quit. He kept fighting back
and, despite an act in the eighth round when he tried to get Maidana
disqualified, showed heart many weren't sure he had.
Each
of these matches had something that would allow them to be named Fight
of the Year. But the nod goes to Bradley-Provodnikov.
It
was a competitive, back-and-forth match, with outstanding skills and
courage shown on both sides. There were plenty of momentum swings and
each man came back from the brink to do something dramatic.
For that reason, the March 16 match between Timothy Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov is the 2013 Yahoo Sports Fight of the
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