FOTY:
Men: 2020 had some tremendous fights for the limited amount of time boxing was available. It was hard for me to pick between these 2 fights so I will list them both as my fight of the year and both of them were rematches. Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 2 was an exceptional fight because it was nothing like the first. Fury was in control pretty much throughout the entire fight and he was sensational in beating the heavy-handed Wilder. The amount of excitement that this fight had plus the buildup was amazing. If anyone out there learned anything from this fight should be that if you masturbate 8 times A-day you could one day become the heavyweight champion of the world lol.
Juan Francisco Estrada versus Carlos Cuadras is the other fight that I had in mind for the fight of the year. Just like the first fight, it was exciting and both fighters touched the canvas. It was an all-out war and that was something that boxing needed. There’s not much to say about this fight as I can do it no justice by trying to describe it. Go watch it and see.
Women: In all honesty, I did not see many fights from the women’s side. It would be unfair for me to give a candidate since a lot of fights weren’t available for me to watch.
Fighter of the year:
Men: It’s hard to pick this year as most (not all) of the top fighters fought only once due to Covid. The Ring Magazine picked Tyson Fury and Teofimo Lopez. I agree 100% with those choices and I’d like to throw Cabelo in that mix too. Fury obviously because he dominated and stopped Deontay Wilder and was sensational doing so. Lopez because he clearly beat Lomachenko and it’s still very early in his career. There’s more to him than we knew or expected. Canelo took on the top guy at 168 lbs. and completely dominated him. No one expected it to be that wide of a fight.
Women: Katie Taylor is hands down the fighter of the year for women. She was the most active against high-level opposition. There’s no doubt that she’s special and she shows it when she’s in the ring.
Prospect of the year:
Men: Edgar Berlanga. It’s obvious this kid is something special. You’ve heard everything there is to hear about him and he has shown why he is must-see TV. Now the next step is to step up the competition and see how he fares.
Women: Kim Clavel. She seems to be something special as well. I haven’t seen much from her but like what I have seen. Definitely need to get more opportunities to watch her fight. She’s only 3 years into her career and she’s making quite the name for herself.
Comeback of the year:
Men: Roman Gonzalez. One of my favorite fighters of all time. Gonzalez had it rough with his fights against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. In the first fight, he was headbutt numerous times and I feel he was cheated by the judges. He had won that first fight. The second fight along with the passing of his trainer was a bad mixture. Gonzalez turned back the clock earlier in the year when he bested Khal Yafai to win back a world title and his performance on the undercard of Estrada-Cuadras 2 was sensational as well. He showed that he still has a lot left and will bring that momentum into his rematch with Estrada.
Women: Jelena Mrdjenovich. Mrdjenovich has had a long career with over fifty fights. She is not my choice for the comeback fighter because of a loss before her previous fight she was victorious. My reason for picking her is the hell she has gone through with her trainer Milan Lubovac suffering a stroke and then being in a coma. Lubovac is a second father to Mrdjenovich and if she would have retired after what happened to him no one would have complained. Instead, she tried to move ahead because that’s what he would want her to do and he would be damn proud of her for her performance.
Trainer of the year:
Sugarhill for his work with Fury, Golovkin and Mrdjenovich. Reynoso for his work with Canelo, Valdez and Garcia.
Honorable mention to Mark Breland for possibly saving Wilder’s life. No one stepped in when it was necessary except Breland.
