RSR 2015 Year End Awards

(Publisher Note: Each year for many, we have asked our team of talented writers their input for EOY Awards.  This year, the assignment was giving to Dave “Mythical” Siderski to come up with categories and compile our thoughts. He did an outstanding job on this assignment as he does with all of his articles both on Ringside Report and NewzBreaker.  Thanks Davey Boy!

Compiled by Dave “Mythical” Siderski

So what happens when you lock eight testosterone filled boxing writers in a virtual room with the task of coming up with our year end picks? It was pure chaos. Our fearless leader “Bad” Brad Berkwitt gave us the task and the “The Commissioner” gaveled us to order; Anthony brought stacks of video for us to review; Dave threatened to boycott when he was told mythical topics were off the table; The “Boxing Historian” dazzled us with tales of yore; “Quick” had us rolling on the floor with his Dolemite impersonation; “Boom Boom” kicked us all in our bagels when we got too far off track; And the “Sharpshooter” hustled us all in pool. Finally, Santa stopped by with some spiked egg nog which made the night pass by more smoothly. After all the dust settled, we came up with the following list.

Fighter of the Year: Tyson Fury

“As much as it pains me, and as boring as his fight with Wlad was, he totally outclassed the champ. Juked him out of his shoes! Not every year we have a new legit HW champ.”– Ian “The Boxing Historian” Murphy

Our fighter of the year is new Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury who narrowly edges out Floyd Mayweather, JR. for the award. Fury started the year by stopping Christian Hammer in 8 rounds and ended it by dethroning long-time Heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko by a convincing unanimous decision. Fury may be obnoxious at times but he brings to the table a colorful personality that the division sorely needs. We’ll find out in 2016 whether he’s truly a budding star or just a blip on the radar of Heavyweight boxing history.

Honorable Mention: Floyd Mayweather, JR., Daniel Jacobs, Gennady Golovkin, Roman Gonzalez and Canelo Alvarez

Fight of the Year: Francisco Vargas TKO 9 Takashi Miura

“This fight had action and drama…..[Vargas] finds a way to drop the iron chinned Muira and stop him in round nine of a truly epic fight.”—“The Commissioner” Alan J. Kindred

On the undercard of Canelo vs Cotto, Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura battled for the WBC Super Featherweight championship, giving us a classic which contained all of the elements that a fight of the year should. Vargas rocked Miura in the first round. However, the champion rallied, staggering and flooring Vargas in the 4th. Vargas was badly cut both above and below his right eye. By the 9th, the challenger’s eye was nearly swollen shut and he was trailing on points. Just when he appeared to be out of the fight, Vargas mounted a desperate rally, hurting and stopping Miura in the 9th to capture the championship. This was absolutely outstanding and worthy of “Fight of Year” honors.

Honorable Mention: Mares MD12 Santa Cruz, Jacobs TKO 1 Quillan, Matthysse MD12 Provodnikov and Kovalev TKO 8 Pascal

Upset of the Year: Tyson Fury UD 12 Wladimir Klitschko 

“I know it was a horrible fight, but nobody gave him any chance for the most part…..Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s.”–Packy “Boom Boom” Goldstein

Unlike Vargas vs Miura, this one featured very little action or drama. Fury-Klitschko might have been the dullest fight of the year, with neither man landing more than 100 punches. However, the result was historic as the lineal Heavyweight championship changed hands. Wladimir Klitschko dominated the Heavyweight division for a decade, hardly ever losing a round, never mind a fight. Fury proved to be his kryptonite pulling off the improbable upset. It may not have been aesthetically pleasing to watch but Tyson Fury’s dethroning of the long reigning Dr. Steelhammer convincingly earns him the award.

Honorable Mention: Grandos TKO 8 Imam, Glowacki TKO 11 Huck and Martinez UD10 Alexander

Knockout of the Year: Canelo Alvarez KO 3 Lamont Kirkland

“Brutal and clever at the same time. Nice feint by Canelo.”–Ian “The Boxing Historian” Murphy

Canelo is not known as a one punch knockout artist but his demolition of Kirkland was a thing of beauty and the runaway winner for our Knockout of the Year award. Canelo administered a horrible beating to Kirkland over the course of their short three round fight. Alvarez capped off the fight with a “Good night Irene!” right hand to the chin, which nearly ripped Kirkland’s head off, spun him around and left him down and out on the canvas. There were a number of great knockouts over the course of 2015 but none had the devastation and shock value of this one.

Honorable Mention: Kudryashov KO 1 Palacios, Jacobs TKO 1 Quillan, Bracero KO 1 O’Connor, Maccarinelli KO 4 Jones, JR. and Vicente KO 3 Dominguez,

Prospects of the Year: Errol Spence, JR. and Anthony Joshua

“Errol Spence, JR. looks to have all the necessary tools in his boxing toolbox to be a champion and one of the big names in boxing in the next few years…I am very impressed thus far from what I have seen.”–“Bad” Brad Berkwitt

“Anthony Joshua has been a monster blowing out everyone in front of him. It is anticipated he will move from prospect to contender next year.”–The Commissioner Alan J. Kindred

In the end, we couldn’t decide between these two undefeated young lions and former Olympians. American Errol Spence, JR., at 19-0, 16 KOs has already cracked the top 20 the RSR ratings of a stacked Welterweight division. With a little more seasoning, he promises to be a handful for the likes of Keith Thurman, Kell Brook and Shawn Porter. British Heavyweight Anthony Joshua, at 15-0, 15 KOs, is already ranked at #15 by RSR. After stopping all of his first 14 opponents within 3 rounds he was finally extended by Dillian Whyte, showing good stamina and durability. The future looks bright for both of these emerging young stars.

Honorable Mention: Oscar Valdez and Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller

Jackass of the Year: Adrien Broner

He works so hard to get it. It would be sad if it were given to someone else”–The Commissioner Alan J. Kindred

“Keeping it classy `Boner’, Not!”–Ian “The Boxing Historian” Murphy

“Adrien Broner! Get the f&*^ outta here!”–Bad Brad Berkwitt

“Who hasn’t he insulted over the past year?”–Dave “Mythical” Siderski

“Because he’s a total Jack off!”–James “Quick” Tillis

I don’t think we need to add anything here. Broner wins Jackass of the Year hands down!

Honorable Mention: Manny Pacquiao and Andre Ward

The Alexis Arguello Class Award: Gennady Golovkin

“Doesn’t run his mouth; he just runs over the opposition! Broner are you paying attention?”–Dave “Mythical” Siderski

GGG gets the narrow edge over Shawn Porter in this one. Unlike many in the sports world, Gennady Golovkin lets his fists do the talking and leaves it at that. He is the anti-Broner! One will not see him trash talking, hurling insults at his opponents or bringing undue attention to himself. GGG just goes out there, gives the crowd its money’s worth and does his job, period! To this point, 33 consecutive opponents can attest to the fact that few, if any, do it better. He is, arguably, the best fighter in boxing as of right now. GGG’s model is one that other boxers and athletes in general would be well served to pay attention to and follow.

Honorable Mention: Shawn Porter, Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillan, Terence Crawford and Abner Mares

The Matthew Saad Muhammad Courage Award: Francisco Vargas and Daniel Jacobs

“[Francisco Vargas] was getting the shit kicked out of him and comes back with the huge KO!”–Bad Bad Berkwitt

“A guy like Jacobs who overcomes cancer to become an elite fighter has to get the award in my view.”–Dave “Mythical” Siderski

Again, in the end, we couldn’t differentiate between two terrific and deserving candidates for this award. Vargas gets the award for his in ring performance against Takashi Miura, showing us an example of heart, grit, and determination that would have made Matthew Saad Muhammad proud. Jacobs is victory over cancer is equally impressive. He’s won 9 consecutive fights since his diagnosis, culminating with his recent, shocking first round stoppage of Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillan. Both of these men did the sport of boxing proud in 2015.
Honorable Mention: Ruslan Provodnikov and Anthony Corolla

So, those are our picks for the best of 2015. Let’s hope that 2016 provides us with even more excitement and drama. The RSR team wishes you a happy and safe holiday season.

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