Has Ward already wrapped up the fighter of the year award?
I dont see what anyone else can do tp even come close.
Kovalev was the boogeyman, and Im saying it as a compliment.
Ward went up in weight and beat him TWICE.
Discuss.
Guys in the running: Ward, Canelo/GGG winner, Joshua, Berchelt, Santa Cruz, Thurman, Spence, Mikey Garcia, Briedis, Lomachenko, Wangek, etc.
As Foxx said, a lot of time is left and many guys haven't fought twice yet.
Way too damn early. We're not even half done. Ward does take the 6 month award though. He wrecked a top 5 P4P fighter. No other candidate has come close to that this year.
Nah Brook is definitely not enough. He would have to add Thurman, Crawford or Pacquiao to put him in the conversation.
Just by making Canelo-GGG and Ward-Kovalev the standard this year got moved up a smidge. Whoever wins this year will have had a very strong year.
It's a great year for boxing that's for sure. I still think there's a good chance we get a Pacquiao-Crawford match too.
I forgot about that great Spence win vs Brook. Another top welterweight win would put him into the race; IDK if Brook by himself is enough.
Nah Brook is definitely not enough. He would have to add Thurman, Crawford or Pacquiao to put him in the conversation.
Just by making Canelo-GGG and Ward-Kovalev the standard this year got moved up a smidge. Whoever wins this year will have had a very strong year.
I guesssssss that would fly
I think Chavez Jr is horrible though
Yeah JCC sucks ass.
If Ward ends up doing nothing else, Canelo/GGG winner definitely takes it though.
I mean anyone with one big win could conceivably be a serious contender if they add on another, but it's not likely those fights would get made. Eg AJ beating Wilder or Ward beating Stevenson or something like that.
But as far as fights that are scheduled go, I agree that the clearest path someone has is GGG beating Canelo.
Ohhhh, yeah I didn't think about AJ. It could definitely be him, too, with another big win.
I don't figure Ward fights again this year. But I'd give it to him if he beat Stevenson for sure. He beat Kovalev's ass in the latter part of that fight.
Ward only beat Kovalev once this year.
Also it's too early to call FOTY as several other fighters already have big wins this year that they could add to for FOTY consideration:
Errol Spence going to UK and stopping Kell Brook +
Thurman beating Garcia + (seems likely to be shelved though)
Santa Cruz beating Frampton +
Golovkin beating Jacobs (+ possibly Canelo)
Canelo beating Chavez (+ possibly Golovkin)
Mikey Garcia beat Zlaticanin + possibly Broner +
Some of those guys would need a big signature win in the second half of 2017, but depending on what they do and how Ward finishes the year, I'd say FOTY is still very much up for grabs.
Even a guy like Badou Jack, who got robbed of a victory against Degale, or Anthony Joshua could be in consideration by the end of the year.
Not sure but what he did was nothing short but legendary!
I rate Kov highly, he has one of the best jabs in boxing and has nasty power and knows how to use his reach well!
If he fights Stevenson in the fall and wins then yes but like Bob said, Golovkin has a great chance to get it due to having beaten Jacobs who's very good and then if he gets past Canelo who's elite IMO would beat out having being the first to stop a Prime Krusher Kovalev just by a tiny bit!
Another one would be if Badou Jack's beats Cleverly and then fights Stevenson and beats him!
He'd have (IMO) Degale, Cleverly and Stevenson plus the WBC belt and make a claim for being a top 3 Lightheavy!
Crawford as well if he beats Indongo after taking down and toying with Felix Diaz who I rate very well!
Lots of high level competitive fights going on this year!
If GGG wins it's him.
He won't. But if he does...
I mean anyone with one big win could conceivably be a serious contender if they add on another, but it's not likely those fights would get made. Eg AJ beating Wilder or Ward beating Stevenson or something like that.
But as far as fights that are scheduled go, I agree that the clearest path someone has is GGG beating Canelo.
Ward moving up to cruiserweight and beating any titleholder there would also be a very big accomplishment. But yeah as it stands I think the GGG/Canelo winner will have a comparable win to this.
Ward only has 1 win and I don't think he's going to fight again this year, if he does I don't think it would be as good as GGG beating Jacobs+Canelo, hypothetically speaking. Who knows though, maybe Ward-Stevenson gets done by some miracle and yeah, that would be a big year.
Yeah, Ward beating Stevenson to close the year out would make 2017 a huge year for him and might clinch him as FOTY.
Ward only has 1 win and I don't think he's going to fight again this year, if he does I don't think it would be as good as GGG beating Jacobs+Canelo, hypothetically speaking. Who knows though, maybe Ward-Stevenson gets done by some miracle and yeah, that would be a big year.