Final thoughts on the year's final big fight & Awards

The Holyfield-Valuev fight was one of the slowest and safest bouts I've ever watched. Neither man was ever even in danger of receiving a damaging blow. Valuev is not a powerful puncher. Holyfield tries to minimize the actual punching. I scored it for Holyfield by 1 point, but I can accept the judges' decision. Valuev did actually try to make the fight more than Evander did. Both fighters are shameful in comparison to champions of the past and even the Klitschko brothers. I titled the picture below, "Nice guys awful fight."

Now, for some awards:

FIGHTER OF THE YEAR: Manny Pacquiao (proved himself at 130, 135 and 147 in the same year)
Runner-up: Joe Calzaghe (wins in superfights with Hopkins and RJones)

FIGHT OF THE YEAR: Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez 3 (No question, skill and heart at the highest level)

Runner-up: Antonio Margarito-Miguel Cotto (a fight which displayed skill slowly giving way to power)

FADING INTO THE SUNSET: Oscar DeLa Hoya, Roy Jones (tie)

Runner-up: Hasim Rahman (his dropoff has been huge)

RISING STAR IN THE GAME: Juan Manuel Lopez (no question, he gets KOs)

Runner-up: Chad Dawson (wins over Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver)

WORST FIGHT OF THE YEAR: Nikolay Valuev-Evander Holyfield (nuff said)

Runner-up: Wladimir Klitschko-Sultan Ibragimov (yay, heavyweights!)

TOUGH GUY AWARD: Ricky Hatton, Manny Pacquiao (tie), (these guys will fight anyone)

Runner-up: Bernard Hopkins

WORST PERFORMANCE IN A TITLE FIGHT: Samuel Peter (vs Vitali Klitschko)

Runner-up: Hasim Rahman (vs Wladimir Klitschko)

PRIMED FOR A GREAT 2009: Paul Williams

Runner-up: Juan Manuel Lopez

HOLY SHIT

Well JB's assessment was spot on, and by most accounts, Holyfield should have won on the cards... but Valuev escaped with a majority decision win in what boxing fans around the world are calling one of the most abysmal heavyweight title fights in history. But the real winner was me, because I did not see the fight. JB can give a better synapsis of this "fight" later since he paid for it.

And with that, it brings a close to the boxing calendar for the year 2008. It was an interesting year, a lot of good things happened, and a lot of bad. But where does boxing, as a sport, stand now compared to a year ago? Who cares, because we're all huge fans anyway, right?

So stay tuned to the Flyweight site, we ain't going anywhere. In fact, our year is far from over... I will be posting a Year in Review, and me and JB both have to give you our Year-End Awards. Look for that in the upcoming days. Until then, enjoy your holidays and stay warm.

Yours in pugilism,
Richard C. Nougat

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The Hitmen and Larry Merchant's Vodka Breath await...

Jay and I are going to spring for the Holyfield-Valuev fight today on PPV. I know we probably shouldn't, but Valuev's fights are hard to catch and this could be Evander's last. This should be Evander's last. Evander looks ripped as usual at 214 lbs and Valuev is surprisingly light at 311. He weighed 328 for his title defense against Monte Barrett just two years ago.

In my estimation, this fight comes down to how much true stamina Evander Holyfield has. The moment he becomes a sitting duck for Valuev, this fight could end. While Valuev is not a huge puncher, he can knock people down and he can also put punches together. While his greatest weapon is unquestionably his jab, Valuev also fights with caution and possesses a great chin.

What Evander has to offer is a different story. Holyfield is likely to be the faster fighter. He is also the better tactition (meaning that he delivers punches with more skill) and can throw impressive combinations. However, Evander takes long breaks during rounds and has a tendency, at this stage of his career, to lean in with one punch and then clinch. Valuev has battled very competitively with John Ruiz through 2 fights (in 2005 and 2008). I'm going to use that as a barometer for this fight. Ruiz battled competitively with Holyfield in 2000 and 2001. Since that time, Ruiz has declined slightly but Holyfield has declined significantly. Because Holyfield is not as good as Ruiz and because Ruiz could not defeat Valuev, I make Valuev the favorite by either unanimous decision or late round TKO. There is only an outside chance that Holyfield's faster hands and better looking combinations could steal rounds in a tactical match, leading to Holyfield emerging victorious in a close decision. This is why we're watching...

Great article on Pac-DLH fight

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http://www.maxboxing.com/Hauser/Hauser121808.asp

Fascinating article that offers some great insight on the business side of boxing, and a behind-the-scenes look at some of the events leading up to the Pacquiao-De La Hoya fight.

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Fights Fights Fights

The world of boxing has been active lately. First, one must give credit to Juan Manuel Lopez for another victory (another 1st round KO) last Saturday on the DLH-Pacquiao undercard. The WBO Junior Featherweight Champ moves to 24-0 and Simply Juanderful moves to 6-0 with the win.

On Thursday, Dec. 11th, IBF Cruiserweight Champion Steve Cunningham fought an entertaining bout against mandatory challenger and former Light Heavyweight Champion Tomasz Adamek of Poland. Cunningham ( proved weak of chin in the fight and his three trips to the canvas ended up being the difference in the fight as Adamek (34-1) won by split decision. Adamek moves to the top spot in the Cruiserweight (200 lb.) division.

Wladimir Klitschko (of Larry Merchant's Vodka Breath) scored a dominating 7th round TKO over Hasim Rahman. Klitschko landed his jab at will, controlling the fight at all times. Rahman had no answer and didn't seem to care that much. Vodka Breath moves to 3-0 with 2 KOs.

James Toney returned to action against former title challenger "Fast" Fres Oquendo. I watched some of the fight and Toney looked sloppy and winded. Oquendo looked weak but had a little more fire in him than Toney. I thought Oquendo won a close decision, but alas the judges found Toney the winner by split verdict.

In other news, former champion Riddick Bowe did finally make his way back into the ring on the Klitschko-Rahman undercard. According to reports, Bowe was slow and hittable but still possesses a decent left jab. Bowe won an 8-round decision to move to 43-1.

League Records:
Simply Juanderful (6-0)
Children Eaters (4-0)
Vodka Breath (3-0)
Knuckle Sandwich (2-0)
Hitmen (2-1)

Farewell to the Golden Boy

Manny Pacquiao moved up to welterweight and dominated Oscar De La Hoya, with "The Golden Boy" quitting on his stool after round 8. Pacquiao weighed 142 lbs, retaining enough quickness and adding enough strength to completely outbox Oscar. Oscar seemed to be proving a point by weighing in at 145 lbs. but by all accounts he was not the physical specimen, or the fighter he once was. For Mark's Knuckle Sandwich, Pacquiao adds a quality win, complete with knockout. Pacquiao has now proven himself as the no. 1 fighter in the sport. Oscar has proven that his career at the top is over. Good bye, Roy Jones. Good bye, Oscar De La Hoya. And, for God's sake, on Dec. 20th, I hope we say a FINAL goodbye to Evander Holyfield.

Simply Juanderful posts a 5-0 record

Paul "the Punisher" Williams easily moved up to 154 lbs. and defeated Verno Phillips for the WBO Jr. Middleweight Title. Williams suffered a cut during the fight but landed far more punches and gradually wore Phillips down. Simply Juanderful moves to 5-0 and Paul Williams becomes the first fighter in our league to have 2 fights.

Next up: De La Hoya-Pacquiao. Mark attempts to snag his 2nd victory with Pacquiao stepping into the ring against Oscar. Pacquiao will easily have the faster hands, but De La Hoya will undoubtedly be longer and stronger. A chance exists that Oscar could bomb Manny out of there with sharp hooks, but Pacquiao always fires back. Oscar took a bit of a facial beating against light-hitting Steve Forbes and Pacquiao is certain to inflict at least as much damage. If Pacquiao does indeed have his body strong at 147 lbs, he is most certainly the better fighter and should win a decision.