By Terence Dooley

2010 was a stop-start year for boxing fans.  Major fights such as Floyd Mayweather versus Manny Pacqiaou and David Haye against one of the Klits failed to materialise.  Fans have clamored for these clashes for over a year and are keeping all appendages crossed in the hope that one or all of the above takes place during 2011.

However, the boxing year did throw up some highlights: Ricky Burns’ upset win over Roman Martinez gave Scottish boxing a huge lift, David Haye’s continued reign as WBA heavyweight boss was also a source of comfort, Rendall Munroe and Jason Booth both vied for super-bantamweight honors, losing out to Toshiaki Nishioka and Steve Molitor respectively, and Amir Khan made good on promise to fight Marco Rene Maidana, earning himself a ton of plaudits in the process.

Good, bad, indifferent or, in the case of the major fights, elusive, boxing still managed to enthrall, frustrate and entertain during the calendar year.

British Fighter of the Year:

Carl Froch went 1-1 during 2010 yet his level of opposition continues to put most active fighters to shame.  Since December 2008, Froch has taken on Jean Pascal, Jermain Taylor, Andre Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler (his sole career reverse) and Arthur Abraham, giving Froch the best top-flight run since James Toney fought Merqui Sosa, Alberto Gonzalez, Michael Nunn, Reggie Johnson, Francesco Dell'Aquila and Mike McCallum in the space of a single year.

Froch takes on Glen Johnson in the Spring for a place in the final of the Super Six tournament, Andre Ward is also expected to cruise through; wins over Johnson and Ward would ensure that Froch, 27-1 (20), finishes 2011 with one hell of a resume.

Indeed, ‘The Cobra’ only lost out to Kessler by a narrow, if fair, margin.  Moreover, his display against Abraham was a riposte to those who believe that Carl cannot box, he showed plenty of guile and ability in the lopsided points win and may have knocked the Super Six stuffing from his Armenia-born, Germany-based rival.  Carl also had to travel to the continent for both contests, in contrast to Andre Ward who has boxed within Oakland’s city limits during the Super Six.

For his overall record, services to boxing, willingness to take on the best and tongue-in-cheek services to trash talking, Froch is our deserved British Boxer of the Year for 2010.  Roll on 2011.

Young Boxer of the Year:

Scott Quigg came of age in 2010, winning WBA Inter-Continental super-bantamweight honours.  The Bury-based boxer also performed an admirable civic duty, his rising popularity prompting the Bury borough leaders to rescind a ban on the sport of boxing that had been implemented as a kneejerk reaction to Mike Tyson’s cannibalisation of Evander Holyfield in 1997. 

Ricky Hatton and Hatton Promotion’s CEO Gareth Williams backed Quigg’s Bury bid, their efforts paid off – Quigg has now had two fights in his hometown and he scored impressive wins in both outings.

Quigg, 21-0 (14), is on the rise, he is eying super-bantamweight rivals Jason Booth and Rendall Munroe.  Certainly, Quigg is not one to shirk a challenge; he already looks capable of holding his own with the two daddies of the domestic 122lb division.  Look for big things from Quigg during 2011.

Domestic Fight of the Year:

Amir Khan’s WBA light-welterweight war against Maidana will sit in and around the top of most people’s 2010 rankings.  However, this is the award for the best fight involving two Brits and there can only be one winner – Gary Sykes’s vacant British super-featherweight title win over Andy Morris back in March.

Sykes won the right to fight for the title by out-pointing Anthony Crolla in May 2009.  That particular contest had been a FOTY contender, the main complaint? It was only a ten rounder.  Sykes-Morris took place over the championship distance and was the domestic equivalent of Khan-Maidana.

Sykes looked all at sea during the early going, Morris’s intelligent boxing proving too much for his teak tough foe.  A right hand towards the end of round one changed all this, Morris, a former British featherweight champion, dipped in confidence for a couple of sessions but was soon back on his boxing game.

Cue a fight back from Gary, plenty of clean, accurate shots and a narrow decision win for ‘Sykesy’ – it was stirring stuff, similar to Khan’s WBA defence only with cleaner punching, for the most part, and some fine boxing from both men.

Sykes went onto defend his title against Kevin O’Hara before suffering a shocking first round KO reverse to Gary Buckland in Prizefighter: The Super-Featherweights.  Morris picked up a TKO win over Nugzar Margvelashvili in May but was then stopped by Anthony Crolla in their October English title thriller.  Both Sykes and Morris ended 2010 on a low yet their contest was high quality stuff – one for the purists and pagans alike.

KO/Upset of the Year:

Gary Sykes was on the right end of our FOTY pick; his second appearance sees him on the wrong end of a crushing KO defeat.  The 26-year-old enter November’s Prizefighter: The Super-Featherweights in prime form, wins over Morris, O’Hara and Scott Lawton, in the quarter-final of Prizefighter, had brought some quality to Sykes’s undefeated slate.

On the other hand, Gary Buckland had dropped down to 130lbs after losing an EBU lightweight title bid – Manchester’s John Murray hammered him into defeat over eleven rounds back in May. 

Buckland defeated Stevie Bell to secure the Prizefighter semi-final with Sykes.  Such was the nature of Buckland’s pounding at the hands of Murray that many, this writer included, had believed that he would be a faded force down at super-feather.  Gary proved the critics wrong by landing a solid right hook to the head of Sykes to end their contest at 0:45 of the opening stanza.

Gary stopped Liverpool’s Derry Matthews in the final to scoop the Prizefighter crown, a deserved win for the Welsh boxer and further proof that a fighter can bounce back from a debilitating defeat.

British Trainer of the Year: 

Just over two years ago, Kerry Kayes handed over the keys of Billy Graham’s CNP-sponsored Phoenix Gym to Joe Gallagher, the space was renamed Gallagher’s Gym and became the home of a remarkable achievement in 2011 when Gallagher moved to 41-0 as a trainer – this run saw him nudge ahead of Enzo Calzaghe’s 40-0 record.

Gallagher’s run includes British, European and English title fights as well as a stack of amateur crowns.  Still, the trainer is not satisfied, he recently told me that he will not rest until that winning record includes a world title win or two.  Both John Murray and Matthew Macklin are highly rated and awaiting breakthrough fights, Gallagher believes that both boxers will bring home world titles in 2011 to keep that remarkable streak chugging along.

Joe has guided John and Joe Murray throughout their entire pro careers, Matthew Macklin is back in the fold, Anthony Crolla is firing and there are the likes of Liam Cullen, Mark Heffron and Danny Randall on their way through.

Maintaining a long undefeated run across different levels is a commendable achievement; an apt reward for the work put in by Gallagher and Kerry Kayes, experienced cuts man Mick Williamson completes the team.

British Highlight of the Year:

Ricky Burns suffered defeat in British super-featherweight challenges in 2006 and 2007, to Alex Arthur and Carl Johanneson respectively, before roaring back to win the Commonwealth strap in 2008.  Burns, though, looked to be having a quiet year early in 2010, his May points win over Youssef Al Hamidi was controlled and effective but hardly electric. 

Roll on four months and Burns was in the fight of his life against WBO super-featherweight boss Roman Martinez.  Ricky was floored early only to confound expectation by out-fighting his heavy hitting foe to nab a deserved points win.  Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall rocked, Burns swayed, Martinez wilted and Scottish boxing crowned a new champion after a remarkably atmospheric night of boxing.

It was that rare combination: a pleasure to watch, an experience to remember and an atmosphere to savour.

Ones to Watch in 2011:

Joe Murray, Frankie Gavin and Karl Place have impressed during 2010, the three fighters show a guile and ability beyond their years, all three look poised to fight for titles in 2011, they already look mature enough to trouble the best in their domestic divisions.  This trio represent the future of the domestic game and are the pick of an exciting bunch of prospects.

Super-bantamweight hopeful Murray is 9-0 (5).  Gavin has moved to 8-0 (7) during his light-welterweight campaign.  Fellow 140lber Place is leading the pack after moving to 11-0 (7) with a third round TKO of Maurycy Gojko earlier this month.

Overseas Fighter of the Year:

It would be hard to look beyond Manny Pacquiao for this one.  However, the Philippine tornado went 2-0 in fights he was fully expected to win during 2010.  Furthermore, his ludicrous decision to bring Antonio Margarito down to 150lb for a vacant WBC “light-middleweight” title fight reflected badly on everybody involved.

Battering the inert Joshua Clottey did not dissect the Coleman’s, either.  For all the good that Manny has achieved in his career the fact that a Mayweather fight is still on ice and the repeated failure to secure a third fight against Juan Manuel Marquez reflects badly on the sport. 

Marquee names are great for any sport but they need to take part in bona fide marquee fights.  Clottey and Margarito followed by Shane Mosley and the possibility of the winner of Miguel Cotto versus HBO’s favoured punch bag Ricardo Mayorga (sure, Mayorga can sell a fight, but he can no longer mount one at this level) means that Manny will spend 2011 treading water.

Nah, in lieu of a defining top-level encounter I’ve opted for quality and service to the sport when naming the top fighter of 2010.  Step forward Juan Manuel Marquez, 2-0 this year and back where he belongs, at the top of the lightweight rankings.

Consider, Marquez was written off after losing widely to Floyd Mayweather in September 2009, he dusted himself down, skipped the de rigueur easy comeback fight and went back in with Juan Diaz, the man who had given him hell during their 2009 lightweight war.

Juan repeated the trick, this time on points, to resume his 135lb reign, he then took on the streaking Michael Katsidis in a FOTY candidate, emerging as the winner after nine torrid sessions.

Juan’s overall record stands at 52-5-1 (38), he holds wins over Joel Casamayor, Marco Antonio Barrera, Manuel Medina and drew with Manny in their 2004 epic.  In fact, the Anaheim resident has done 24 rounds with Super Manny and would have won both fights but for the odd knockdown. 

Promoter Bob Arum recently suggested that Marquez placed too high a price when negotiating a third meeting with Manny.  Many forum posters believe that Manny is now a different proposition and would be too much for the faded Mexican.  This writer feels that Manny would take the rubber match in a heartbeat; his advisors, though, probably feel that they could do without Marquez – a testimony to the quality of ‘Dinamita’.

Ring general, craftsman supreme, miracle worker (review the first round of the first Pacquiao fight), technician and a man who can look you in the eyes and state that “I’d drink my own piss if I thought it was going to bring me a win over Mayweather” – you cannot knock Marquez, even if he does decide to dig up and destroy the ancient Erik Morales early in 2011.

The ‘Sh*t or get off the throne’ award:

This one goes to Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Wlad and Vitali Klitschko and David Haye.  No more exhibitions, no more warm ups, as enthralling as the public negotiations and virtual jousts have been it is time for you guys to sort things out in order to give the heavyweight division and the P4P list a definitive shape.

You are millionaires, you have secured your legacies and you are the best in your respective divisions – time to settle matters in the ring or leave the sport behind so that we can bring through the next generation.

Please send news and views to neckodeemus@hotmail.co.uk