Fight of the year is a tough one. A lot of great brawls. Juanma-Salido 2, Rios-Alvarado, Pacquiao-Marquez 4, etc. Worst decision of the year is a tough one, too, as is upset of the year. Too many lousy decisions, and not enough upsets. Abril over Rios wins both in my view... if it was scored correctly it would have been the upset. People are having a hard time with fighter of the year, though, and they should not. Nonito Donaire. 4-0, all against current or former world champions. In dominating fashion, he beat all 4. Nobody else came close to that.
Speaking of not coming close, anyone who thinks Alexander Povetkin is a serious challenger to Wladimir Klitschko need only pay attention to his own behavior. Between injuries, trainer disagreements, and recent struggles against lower level opposition, he has done everything he can to attain belt status without fighting anyone of note. And... he is barely beating them! The bloom is off the rose. His chin, and Wlad's patience may allow Povetkin to make it to the final bell, but he will lose every round in dominating fashion. He would also lose to Chris Arreola, David Haye, and maybe even Chambers if they rematched.
Speaking of fashion, I don't mind fighters making a statement, but coordinate with each other. If you're going to take it as seriously as women do, the same rules apply... meaning wearing the same outfit as another is shameful. I am a fan of both Karim Mayfield and Adrien Broner, but it looked like twin day when they both showed up at Ward-Dawson. Give each other a call, fellas!
Speaking of a call... someone needs to call whoever is managing Amir Khan, and slap them. I love all the action he has provided, but he has had enough tough tests in opponents backyards. His path is a clear one. Revenge fights with Prescott, Peterson, and Garcia... in that order, all in the UK, for all the belts. He would be favored heavily in the first one, slightly in the second, and maybe even slightly in the third. If he pulls it off, by this time next year, he is one of the biggest stars in boxing.
Speaking of biggest stars, Marquez is on top of the world, and there may be nowhere for him to go. A return to 140 for tougher opponents and less money should not interest him, neither should another sure-thing decision loss to Floyd. Even fight number 5 with Pacquiao is not that exciting a concept for him, as he cannot do much better than he did the last fight. Even if he dominated Pacquiao this time, it would be blamed on Pacquiao slipping. Call me crazy, but he may only be in a position to do a rare thing, and walk away at the top. He probably won't, but it would set a good example.
Chris Strait
www.convictedartist.com
