British boxing winds down for a few weeks now after an entertaining season full of ups and downs. Here, Press Association Sport looks back at some of the highs and lows.

THE GOOD

Carl Froch and Amir Khan remain flag-bearers for British boxing. The fearless Froch has a Super Six final unification showdown with Andre Ward to look forward to, while Khan is now a unified light-welterweight champion having added Zab Judah's IBF belt to his own WBA title. Ricky Burns, the WBO super-featherweight champion, needs more meaningful defences but remains a heart-warming success story.

Matchroom Renaissance

The success of the innovative Prizefighter series brought Barry Hearn's Matchroom back into mainstream boxing and 2011 has seen the company make huge strides under Hearn's son, Eddie. While their involvement with Audley Harrison hardly enhanced their status, their work with Paul McCloskey and the partnerships recently struck with star names Carl Froch, Kell Brook and Darren Barker show huge ambition and provide a breath of fresh air to the sport.

Rival Rucks

In a sport blighted by politics and personal agendas, 2011 has seen some of our top men cut through the rubbish and just get it on. Old enemies James DeGale and George Groves opted to settle their differences in the ring in a bout which attracted mainstream coverage, while Kevin Mitchell's recent war with John Murray was a domestic thriller which saw two real gentlemen duke it out for the good of the game. And while David Haye's showdown with Wladimir Klitschko was a let-down, they at least deserve credit for making the fight happen.

Television Interest

Only recently the television picture was bleak for British boxing. No terrestrial stations were supporting the sport, ESPN UK have shown no interest either and perhaps our best fighter, Carl Froch, was in the broadcasting wilderness. Yet in recent months there has been a shift. Sky's refusal to show Amir Khan's clash with Paul McCloskey on Box Office due to a poor undercard was a victory for common sense. Fledgling player Primetime are making a fist of things as a pay-per-view platform. Froch is back on our screens after signing with Matchroom. And, perhaps crucially, the terrestrial Channel Five showed the domestic heavyweight scrap between Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora which took in a commendable peak audience of 2.9million.

THE BAD

Haye v Harrison

Our celebrity-obsessed public gobbled up the prospect of heavyweight champion David Haye battering pantomime villain Audley Harrison. Yet when the fair-weather boxing fans were duped into believing 'A-Force's' bluster and actually expected a fight, they were quick to point the finger of blame at boxing itself when the over-matched challenger caved in pitifully.

Haye v Klitschko

The 'Hayemaker' features again after a startling downturn in fortunes. From world heavyweight champion to monumental disappointment, he followed the Harrison debacle with months of distasteful goading of Wladimir Klitschko. When they finally met in Hamburg, his crude promises of a "brutal execution" were embarrassingly exposed as he feebly failed to walk the walk.

World Title Confusion

The murky world title picture shows no sign of clearing up any time soon. If anything, the situation is worse. As well as the usual 'intercontinental' belts, 'diamond' straps and 'interim' titles, 'super champion' crowns make the situation even more confusing. For example, Wladimir Klitschko beat David Haye but rather than take the WBA title from the Englishman, he is now the WBA 'super champion' while Ruslan Chagaev and Alexander Povetkin contest the 'vacant' regular title. Confused? Exactly.

Macklin's Title Tilt

Matthew Macklin outboxed, outpunched and outworked Germany's WBA middleweight king Felix Sturm in Cologne with a career-best performance only to be denied by a controversial judging decision which saw the champion win by split decision. Such was the support for Macklin's performance, though, the Brummie looks likely to get another chance.

THE UGLY

Khan's Sky Squabble

Amir Khan did his reputation no favours with his fall-out with Sky in April. The broadcaster downgraded his defence against Paul McCloskey from Box Office to its regular subscription channels due to a weak undercard hit by withdrawals. Khan - and, crucially, his team - were so incensed they bit the hand feeding them and jumped ship to Primetime. Short-term the move may have been better financially but long-term it was perhaps less sensible.

Trash-talking let-downs

James DeGale's baiting of George Groves was entertaining but childish and left egg on his face as Groves took the win while Haye's classless trash-talking about both Harrison and Klitschko was over-the-top, particularly when it preceded such a meek performance against the Ukrainian.

Crocked Cook

Nicky Cook's back injury just seconds into his WBO super-featherweight challenge against Ricky Burns was harshly judged at the time. The injury - a prolapsed disc - was genuine, but the fact he had a long-standing problem and the timing of it flaring up was a huge disappointment.