WHO IS YOUR CHOICE FOR 2016 FIGHTER OF THE YEAR?

It’s been another eventful year in boxing where some real mega stars have emerged, raised expectations and have excited the boxing fans for what is to come in 2017.

Every year since 1928 ring magazine have been awarding its “fighter of the year” selected by magazine editors. Obviously the winners have been an array of top quality boxers over the years. The 2015 winner was Tyson Fury who I disagreed with. Nevertheless, I have put together the boxers who I feel are the contenders in the running for the 2016 award.

In no particular order…….

ANTHONY JOSHUA

You cannot deny it has been a career changing year for AJ. Winning the IBF world heavyweight title in April against Charles Martin with a highly comfortable second round stoppage, then defending it twice in June against a resilient Dominic Breazeale, eventually crushing him in the 7th round.

Then in December, destroying a lackluster Eric Molina who provided not much residence at all. Some may say his opponents haven’t exactly been of the highest caliber, thus not being challenging enough so not exactly worthy of fighter of the year award. But he can only beat who is put in front of him and you cannot deny he has beaten all three opponents in exactly the way he should have, in performances you couldn’t really fault him in.

ERROL SPENCE JR

Though he has been talked about in the welterweight division for a few years. You could say this was the year he established himself as being a real top quality fighter. In April he destroyed Chris Algieri in five rounds, dropping him once in the fourth and twice in the fifth. A fighter who had never been stopped and went the distance with Amir Khan & Manny Pacquiao.

In August he beat Leonard Bundu a tough, pressure fighter. Handing him his first stoppage defeat with a devastating knockout in the sixth round. Bundu had previously gone the distance with Keith Thurman. This victory made him the mandatory challenger for the IBF title. The general consensus for his two fights in 2016 were both not top-notch opponents but both had been finished unlike no other fighter had done.

ROMAN GONZALEZ

To many, this slick Nicaraguan boxer is widely known as one of the top pound for pound fighters of today. To others, he has not done enough or fought any credible enough fighters. Previous to 2016, he claimed titles in the minimum weight, light flyweight and flyweight divisions. In April he defended his flyweight title in a one-sided affair where Puerto Rico boxer McWilliams Arroyo won only a combined two rounds on all three judges scorecards.

In September Gonzalez moved up to challenge the 34 fight, 27 ko’s undefeated , WBC super flyweight Mexican champion, Carlos Cuadras. In a brutal, hard-fought, grueling battle where Gonzalez was giving up height and reach advantages. He was cut in the 6th & 8th rounds and his face was considerably puffed up. But he managed to claim his 4th title in 4 weights with a tough, close, slightly contentious but fight of the year contender unanimous points decision.

ANDRE WARD

For a man who  had only four fights in four years between December 2011 & December 2015. For him to fight three times in 2016 was an achievement in itself. On top of that, all three were his only fights at light heavyweight division. In March he handed Cuban boxer Sullivan Barrera, who had just won a IBF title eliminator his first defeat in 18, with a comfortable unanimous points victory.

In August he won the vacant WBO international light heavyweight title by defeating Colombian Alexander Brand in another unanimous points victory winning everyone round on all three judges cards. Then in November, he unified the division with what many people are still saying a very contentious points victory over Sergey Kovalev, where Ward was down in the second round but recovered very well to box superbly. A rematch looks a certainty though.

TERENCE CRAWFORD

Every time I mention this Nebraska native I say he gets better with every fight and that’s still the notion. What makes you raise eyebrows is that he shows something different in every fight which may suggest he is getting even bettter. In February he took apart Hank Lundy in a clinical display of punching power and accuracy to retain his WBO title in five rounds. Then he went on to face the other top fighter of his weight, WBA title holder Viktor Postol in a title unification fight, where many considered it to be a 50/50 battle.

Crawford showed his defensive, slick movement and footwork skills many thought he did not have, as well as slick, accurate punching to win a unanimous points victory, knocking down Postol twice in the fifth round to retain his WBO and win the WBA crown. Recently in December, Crawford fought John Molina Jr and demonstrated a mature, controlled style, picking Molina apart with intelligent, accurate shots then finished the fight when the opening came in the eighth round in what was another highly impressive performance.

CARL FRAMPTON

The Irish superstar had two career high wins in 2016 which both could have easily gone either way. In February he battled Manchester’s undefeated Scott Quigg in his own back yard for the unified WBA & IBF super bantamweight titles. Frampton started slow but his slick boxing won out breaking Quigg’s jaw in round four in a grueling, hard-fought split decision points victory.

Frampton then moved up to fight another undefeated fighter, Leo Santa Cruz, for the WBA super featherweight title in July. In another grueling fight where Frampton had to dig deep. Again his slick boxing was the difference, producing the more cleaner shots to claim the WBA title via a majority decision where bizarrely one judge scored it a draw. Many considered it to be Frampton’s finest performance. Although a rematch is scheduled for late January.

VASYL LOMACHENKO

I don’t think there has ever been a fighter revered so much and ranked so high in everyone’s p4p list after such few professional fights. Not that it’s not justified as Lomachanko is a rare breed of fighter. In June he moved up from featherweight to challenge for the junior lightweight title against Puerto Rico’s Roman Martinez. It was a one-sided affair where Lomachanko showed his considerable skills to record a devastating fifth round knockout.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, in November he defended his title against former two weight world champion Nicolas Walters. Although the Jamaican had been out the ring in almost a year and used this as an excuse to quit at the end of the seventh round. It was another highly impressive display of slick boxing, accurate shots, superior movement to solidify his lofty place in everyone’s pound for pound list.