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By Jake Donovan - There was a point where boxing fans wondered if a true Fight of the Year candidate would ever emerge.
Then came Giovani Segura’s stirring upset knockout of Ivan Calderon. From there, the floodgates were opened, though the fight remains the year’s leading candidate.
In a mundane year for the sport, an even greater concern has been the lack of a standout year from any given fighter.
That could change by early Sunday morning.
More so than the lineal middleweight championship being at stake, this weekend’s championship rematch between Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams could help settle another debate.
No, not the one that still lingers from their fantastic first fight last December, although it’s one of the many fascinating storylines surrounding this weekend’s feature attraction at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City (Saturday, HBO, 10PM ET).
But there’s also the matter of the Fighter of the Year race. Depending on Saturday night’s outcome, the race could either open up for discussion or very well be decided on the spot.
There have been plenty of solid campaigns in 2010, but none that immediately emerge from the pack as one that fans have no choice but to point to as the absolute leader of the pack.
For much of the first half of the year, Sergio Martinez (45-2-2, 24KO) was as close as there was to being that guy.
His dismantling of long reigning middleweight king Kelly Pavlik earlier this year helped breathe life into a division that had long ago lost its swagger. Pavlik’s reign lasted for more than 2½ years, but peaked with his off-the-canvas knockout win over Jermain Taylor to win the crown and managed to underwhelm every step of the way afterward. [Click Here To Read More]
Then came Giovani Segura’s stirring upset knockout of Ivan Calderon. From there, the floodgates were opened, though the fight remains the year’s leading candidate.
In a mundane year for the sport, an even greater concern has been the lack of a standout year from any given fighter.
That could change by early Sunday morning.
More so than the lineal middleweight championship being at stake, this weekend’s championship rematch between Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams could help settle another debate.
No, not the one that still lingers from their fantastic first fight last December, although it’s one of the many fascinating storylines surrounding this weekend’s feature attraction at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City (Saturday, HBO, 10PM ET).
But there’s also the matter of the Fighter of the Year race. Depending on Saturday night’s outcome, the race could either open up for discussion or very well be decided on the spot.
There have been plenty of solid campaigns in 2010, but none that immediately emerge from the pack as one that fans have no choice but to point to as the absolute leader of the pack.
For much of the first half of the year, Sergio Martinez (45-2-2, 24KO) was as close as there was to being that guy.
His dismantling of long reigning middleweight king Kelly Pavlik earlier this year helped breathe life into a division that had long ago lost its swagger. Pavlik’s reign lasted for more than 2½ years, but peaked with his off-the-canvas knockout win over Jermain Taylor to win the crown and managed to underwhelm every step of the way afterward. [Click Here To Read More]
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