by BoxingScene.com staff

Six writers for BoxingScene.com — Jake Donovan, Lyle Fitzsimmons, Thomas Gerbasi, David P. Greisman, Thomas Hauser and Cliff Rold — have been recognized in this year’s “Bernies” competition, which honors the best boxing writing among members of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

He also received honorable mentions in the category of event coverage for "Tyson Fury Upsets Wladimir Klitschko," an article that ran on TheSweetScience.com; in the column category for "Mayweather-Pacquiao and The Media," an article that ran on BoxingScene.com; and in the category of features under 1,500 words for "'I'm the Golden Boy but I'm also Oscar,'" an article that ran on RingTV.com.

Those can be read at:

Hauser has now won 11 first-place prizes and numerous other BWAA writing awards.

Gerbasi received three honorable mentions: in event coverage for "Holm's upset of Rousey is her victory, not boxing's," an article that ran on RingTV.com; in the column category for "Arturo Gatti: Reflecting Back on The Legend of 'Thunder,'" an article that ran on BoxingScene.com; and in the news story category for "Tony Ayala Jr. Was No Legend," an article that ran on BoxingScene.com.

Those articles can be read at:

Gerbasi has now won two first-place awards, one second-place award, two third-place awards and nine honorable mentions.

Donovan received an honorable mention in the category of features under 1,500 words for "It's About More Than Boxing For Terence Crawford."

Donovan now has one second-place award, one third-place award and three honorable mentions.

Fitzsimmons received an honorable mention in the column category for "Breaking Down Kellerman's Speech on Manny Pacquiao."

He has now won one third-place award and six honorable mentions.

Rold received an honorable mention in the category of investigative reporting for his 12-part series, "Mayweather-Pacquiao: 17 Years to a Superfight"

Those articles can be read at:

This is the third honorable mention for Rold.

Greisman won an honorable mention in the event coverage category for "Roy Jones' Masochistic Masquerade."

The article can be read at:

Greisman has now won two first-place prizes, three second-place awards and 13 honorable mentions.

The following is the official news release from the Boxing Writers Association of America:

BWAA Announces Bernie Award Winners

The Boxing Writers Association of America is very proud to announce the winners of its 2015 Bernie Awards, the 15th annual writing contest named after former BWAA President Bernard Fernandez.

This year’s big winner is Boston Herald writer Ron Borges, who won a first in Event Coverage, second in the Column category and a third for Feature Under-1,500 words. He also achieved an honorable mention for News Story.

Other multiple winners included ESPN’s Dan Rafael, who placed second in Event Coverage and third in Feature Under-1,500 words. Springs Toledo, from the thesweetscience.com, took seconds in Event Coverage and Investigative Reporting, and Ivan Goldman, from boxinginsider.com, garnered a second in Feature Under-1,500 word and third in Investigative Reporting. SI.com’s Chris Mannix received a first in News and a third in Investigative Reporting.

Thesweetscience.com’s Diego Morilla was awarded first in the Column category, San Antonio Express-News’ John Whisler achieved a first for Feature Under-1,500 words, ESPN Magazine’s Tim Keown was first in Feature Over-1,500 words and Thomas Hauser was first in Investigative Reporting for his story on the USADA for SBNation.      

Former BWAA presidents Fernandez (second in News, for the Philadelphia Daily News) and Jack Hirsch (third in Column, for Boxing News Annual) also placed, as did the Los Angeles Times’ Lance Pugmire (second in News), The Ring’s Norm Frauenheim (third in News), ESPN Magazine’s Pablo S. Torre (second in Feature Over-1,500 words) and Tim Struby (third in Feature Over-1,500 words) for Playboy.

The BWAA would like to congratulate all of the winners and honorable mentions in a record year of 137 entries to the contest.

2015 BERNIE WINNERS

BOXING EVENT COVERAGE

First Place
RON BORGES, “Money Good Enough,” Boston Herald, May 3, 2015

Second Place
SPRINGS TOLEDO, “Jack Dempsey’s,” thesweetscience.com April 27, 2015

Third Place
DAN RAFAEL, “Floyd Mayweather Beats Manny Pacquiao In Unanimous Decision,” ESPN.com, May 3, 2015

Honorable Mention: Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times; Bernard Fernandez, thesweetscience.com; Thomas Gerbasi, ringtv.com; Ivan G. Goldman, boxinginsider.com; David P. Greisman, boxingscene.com; Thomas Hauser, thesweetscience.com; Kieran Mulvaney,insidehboboxing.com; John Whisler, San Antonio Express-News; George Willis, New York Post

BOXING COLUMN

First Place
DIEGO M. MORILLA, “Billion Dollar Daddy – Or How Arum Lost His Fight To Father Timing,” thesweetscience.com, May 2, 2015

Second Place
RON BORGES, “Contradictions Abound,” Boston Herald, April 29, 2015

Third Place
JACK HIRSCH, “Hype Of The Century,” Boxing News Annual, December, 2015

Honorable Mention: Lyle Fitzsimmons, boxingscene.com; Norm Frauenheim, The Ring; Thomas Gerbasi, boxingscene.com; Thomas Hauser, boxingscene.com; Kieran Mulvaney, insidehboboxing.com; T.K. Stewart, examiner.com; Tim Struby, Playboy; Michael Woods,thesweetscience.com;

BOXING NEWS STORY

First Place
CHRIS MANNIX, “Sources: Antonio Tarver Failed Drug Test Before Steve Cunningham Bout,” si.com, October 19, 2015

Second Place (Tie)
BERNARD FERNANDEZ, “Beyond The Blue Horizon,” Philadelphia Daily News, November 2, 2015
LANCE PUGMIRE, “Waiter Has A Hand In Floyd Mayweather – Manny Pacquiao Matchup,” Los Angeles Times, February 21, 2015

Third Place
NORM FRAUENHEIM, “How It Happened,” The Ring, May, 2015

Honorable Mention: Ron Borges, Boston Herald; Thomas Gerbasi, boxingscene.com; Lee Groves, ringtv.com; John Whisler, San Antonio Express-News; George Willis, New York Post

BOXING FEATURE (Under 1,500 words)

First Place
JOHN WHISLER, “His Life is Boxing – And Losing; At 4-29-1, He Wants To Be A Contender,” San Antonio Express-News, July 10, 2015

Second Place (Tie)
IVAN G. GOLDMAN, “NY State Dragging Its Feet Reporting On Mago Abdusalamov Tragedy,” boxinginsider.com, January 9, 2015
DAN RAFAEL, “Jim Lampley, The Voice Of Boxing For Nearly 30 Years,” ESPN.com, June 13, 2015

Third Place:
RON BORGES, “Roach Still Eyes Prize,” Boston Herald, April 30, 2015

Honorable Mention: Jake Donovan, boxingscene.com; Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times; Bernard Fernandez, ringtv.com; Thomas Hauser,The Ring; Jack Hirsch, boxingnewsonline.com; Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times; Joseph Santoliquito, ringtv.com; David Weinberg,Press of Atlantic City;

BOXING FEATURE (Over 1,500 words)

First Place
TIM KEOWN, “A Legacy on the Line,” ESPN The Magazine, April 29, 2015

Second Place
PABLO S. TORRE, “The Perfect Opponent,” ESPN The Magazine, April 30, 2015

Third Place
TIM STRUBY, “The Ballad of John Joe,” Playboy, August 2015

Honorable Mention:
Bill King, Sports Business Journal; Chris Mannix, si.com; Ronan Keenan, thesweetscience.com; Joseph Santoliquito, sherdog.com; Ryan Songalia; ringtv.com

BOXING INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

First Place
THOMAS HAUSER, “Can Boxing Trust USADA?,” SB Nation, September 8, 2015

Second Place
SPRINGS TOLEDO, “The Ringside Belle,” thesweetscience.com, February 5, 8, and 12, 2015

Third Place (Tie)
IVAN G. GOLDMAN, “California Commissions Get Cold Feet After Crossing Mighty Al Haymon,” boxinginsider.com, July 3 and June 25, 2015
CHRIS MANNIX, “How It All Came Together,” si.com, May 4, 2015

Honorable Mention: Brin-Jonathan Butler, Bleacher Report; Bernard Fernandez, thesweetscience.com; Tim Graham, Buffalo News; Lee Groves, ringtv.com;        
Cliff Rold, boxingscene.com

2015 BERNIES JUDGES:
TOMMY DEAS, Executive Sports Editor, Tuscaloosa News; 1st Vice President, Associated Press Sports Editors
GEORGE DIAZ, Sports Writer, Orlando Sentinel
STEVE FARHOOD, Boxing Commentator, Showtime
STEVE HUMMER, Sports Columnist, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ROSCOE NANCE, Sports Writer, USA Today, Retired
RICK TELANDER, Sports Columnist, Chicago Sun Times