We ask boxing fans to come together and look at the year so far. What has been the highlight? The biggest let down? Most anticipated fight? And politics aside, the dream bout of 2014? Find out below.
Steve Wellings of Irishboxingreview, founder of First Class Boxing
Paul Webb, Nuthouse
Podcast host
Andy Paterson, dart player extraordinaire and big boxing fan
Chris Mason, Heavyweight boxer
Clarence Tillman and Nuthouse podcast member and producer
Kurt Ward give their opinions.
Highlight of the year so far?
Steve: Klitschko vs. Leapai of course! Seriously though, there have been a few moments of interest here and there but we really need a strong end to the year if it is to match 2013, which was great. Mayweather-Maidana was interesting in the way Maidana forced the fight and succeeded in making it closer than most of Floyd's other recent bouts which is about as much as we can hope for at the moment with him.
Stiverne's comprehensive knockout of Arreola has opened up a potentially noteworthy period in the heavyweight division.
The Froch-Groves rematch was a highlight more for the event than the fight but at least it provided a conclusive finish to the pre-fight animosity and confusion of the first fight.
Lomachenko making history with his win over Gary Russell Jnr.
Paul: Curtis Woodhouse winning the British title. I was fortunate to be sat ringside as the former footballer achieved a life long dream of winning the Lonsdale belt. It was one of the most emotional atmospheres I have experienced at a fight as the crowd and majority of press seemed to be willing him on in a contest on paper he had no business winning. Darren Hamilton boxed well but was out jabbed and hustled by Woodhouse and when the loud mouth MC John McDonald bellowed "and the new" the celebrations in and out the ring were something special.
Andy: Nothing really sticks out other than some great scraps in the UK so far. Won’t forget Tommy Coyle’s war with Daniel Brizuela; it was one of those fights where your score card was all over the place. I think I ended up abandoning my score card and just let the fight play out.
It was nice to see Gavin Rees also go out on a winning note and on his own terms, he has always been an underrated technician by some people. And then there was round 5 of Travis Dickinson against Matty Clarkson, the police should have been called in for that one!
Chris: Tough question. I liked Lucas Matthysse vs John Molina Jr, but for me it's the rise of Chris Algieri and his win over teak tough Ruslan Provodnikov.
Clarence: Carl Froch's knockout of George Groves. Can't get too much better than that.
Kurt: The event that was Froch - Groves II. Seeing 80,000 pack out Wembley stadium for a sport which has been viewed as dying by some was incredible to see. Boxing was in the mainstream, and people who don't follow the sport were actually interested in what was happening. We will hopefully see more of these huge events over the coming years.
Biggest let down of the year so far?
Steve: I'm disappointed that Kovalev Stevenson has not yet been agreed. Once again we have seen the bizarre situation in boxing where the best do not have to fight the best. A champion can make good money and defend one or even two belts without facing off against the best in his division. It's a sad state of affairs but nothing new in the modern era.
Fury-Chisora II was a letdown. I was looking forward to the fight and the manner it fell through, rather than the fact that it did, was poor form. Withdrawals are never ideal but I feel sorry for Fury having so many opponents pull out on the actual week of the fight. This also greatly affects the fans who have shelled out ticket and hotel money. I don’t doubt that Chisora's injury was genuine but after being messed about by Haye it is tough for Fury not getting any decent ring time.
Mike Perez was a huge letdown last weekend. After working his way up through the rankings for the past seven years, on to HBO television and the verge of a world title shot, to then come in to the ring in such poor shape is unforgiveable. It's different even from the likes of Odlanier Solis who despite being arguably more talented is always running around with a muffin top hanging over his shorts and blowing out of his backside after a few rounds. We have come to expect that from Solis who is operating on a lesser scale against guys like Tony Thompson and often displays such unprofessionalism. But for Perez this was wholly unacceptable.
Paul: Fury - Haye second postponement.
I was so desperate for this fight to happen as I believe Fury would have been completely destroyed and end all thought of him ever fighting for a world title. Sadly for the second time it was called off leaving fans disappointed and Fury back in the mix to face Klitschko. If that fight happens I think the Ukrainian will pick up a first round stoppage for the first time in 11 years.
Andy: Adonis Stevenson ducking Sergey Kovalev, no question about it. Yvon Michel justifies the blatant duck that Kovalev doesn’t put a lot of bums on seats; that it beyond pathetic. It will be interesting to see how the law suit that was lodged by Main Events plays out. My understanding is they have a solid case.
Chris: Been a few. Fury not getting a fight has been frustrating, but personally I was gutted to see Groves get KTFO by Froch.
Clarence: Erislandy Lara vs. Canelo Alvarez. When you're in a winnable fight you have to take it. Lara, for some reason, didn't.
Kurt: The potential Stevenson - Kovalev fight falling through after Stevenson signed with Haymon and moved to rival network Showtime. The fight could still happen, of course, but this move just puts a few more roadblocks in the way. I believe the fight is very unlikely to take place, which is a real shame as that is a fight everyone wants to see.
Fight you are most looking forward to in 2014?
Steve: I'm not sure the fight will live up to expectations but Bellew vs. Cleverly should be good fun in the build-up. Hopefully Bellew will be at his shit-talking best and give plenty of nuggets for the "Bellew of the Week" segment of the podcast. Other than that there's not a great deal that excites me. Mayweather-Maidana is going over old ground. If Stiverne-Wilder gets nailed down then that could be interesting. I really hope Kell Brook vs. Shawn Porter happens. Brook cannot afford another pull out and if he does then I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hearn drop him. Porter has looked like a beast in his last two fights, against Malignaggi and Alexander, a sharp contrast to the guy that struggled with Julio Diaz.
Paul: Frampton Martinez II. There are a lot of unmade fights that have a lot of intrigue but this rematch for the IBF title is one I can't wait to see. How much has Martinez improved since the first fight? Will Frampton be complacent thinking he has already beat him? All will be answered in front of a huge crowd in Belfast. Most importantly a win will give him leverage in the Scott Quigg negotiations.
Andy: At this moment in time it is probably the rematch between Carl Frampton and Kiko Martinez. Martinez has been on a reign of terror recently but I still don’t see any improvements in his game from the 1st fight. Roman Gonzalez vs Akira Yaegashi is another one. Everyone who follows the lower weight classes will know that Gonzalez is the de-facto #1 fighter at Flyweight, now he has the chance to prove it by grabbing the lineal title.
Chris: Porter v Brook, Cleverley v Bellew, Wilder v Stiverne, Chino v Floyd, But it has to be Pacman v Algieri.
Clarence: Deontay Wilder vs. Bermaine Stiverne. We finally get to see Wilder in with someone who's actually there to fight.
Kurt: Probably Porter defending his title against Kell Brook. On paper it looks to be a very close fight and any outcome could be possible. This is Brook's chance to show the world he really is as good as some believe after years of struggling to land that one big fight. Will he sink or swim? A massive British showdown with Amir Khan awaits if he does something rare; take the title off an American on US soil.
Promoter/Network bullshit aside, what would your dream fight be in 2014?
Steve: Golovkin vs. Cotto would help to sort out the middleweight picture and once Golovkin has cleaned up, he then has a natural path to move up and chase Froch and Ward (if he comes out of a self-enforced retirement).
On a personal level I'd like to see Frampton vs. Santa Cruz if and when Frampton beats Kiko. Frampton-Quigg would be good too but strangely it could be the Rigondeaux fight that gets made first as Rigo is so difficult to match and promote and would be willing to travel anywhere for a scrap.
In the UK Saunders vs. Eubank Jnr would be a tasty affair and surely has to be made soon.
Paul: Alvarez vs Golovkin. Golovkin is the man right now, blowing everyone away and a fight with Cotto is a possibility, but the Puerto Rican has been stopped twice and would likely suffer a similar outcome. Alvarez, however, is huge at the weight, has a decent chin and has proved his ability following the Mayweather loss with some solid wins. It would be a huge fight and a lot more competitive than you think.
Andy: I don’t have one, I have several; Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao, Adonis Stevenson-Sergey Kovalev, Carl Frampton-Scott Quigg, Marco Huck against either Nathan Cleverly or Tony Bellew, a rematch between Takashi Miura & Sergio Thompson and Vasyl Lomachenko against Donaire or Rigondeaux.
Chris: GGG v Froch, GGG v Floyd. Golovkin is one of my current favourite fighters and I want to see him tested and pushed.
Unless Algieri beats Pacman then I suppose the one we all want to see is him face Floyd.
Clarence: The obvious one... Mayweather vs Pacquiao but since we know that's not going to happen I'd say GGG vs. Andre Ward.
Kurt: It's still Mayweather - Pacquiao for me. The fight should have happened years ago; it hasnt, and, in my opinion, will never happen, but this is still the biggest fight in the sport and would be a huge boost for boxing. They have been the two best boxers in this sport for a long time and it would be a travesty if they never faced off in the ring before ending their hall of fame careers.
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Others receiving points: Chisora (11), DeGale (7), Macklin (3), Saunders (3).
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