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Here are the guys I think have strong arguments for Fighter of the Year so far:
Tim Bradley: Fought a Fight of the Year type fight against Ruslan Provodnikov, showing incredible heart to fight through a concussion and come out victorious. Then when a lot of people thought he might be damaged goods, he cleanly and clearly outboxed a top-3 pound for pound fighter in Juan Manuel Marquez. I've been big on Tim for a while now and his win over Marquez has earned him my vote.
Danny Garcia: Took on Zab Judah in a fight that would set up the opponent for the Matthysse-Peterson winner. The tough veteran gave Garcia a test but Swift came through. Then he took on Matthysse when a lot of people thought he wouldn't and put some great work on him. Danny has cleared out his division and is at least a back-end p4p fighter now.
Mike Alvarado: His year is not yet set in stone, but he already avenged his only loss against Brandon Rios earlier this year in a fight where he was considered the underdog. If he beats Ruslan Provodnikov in a great fight, he'll have as strong of a case as anyone else imo, especially if the Provodnikov fight is another wild war.
Gennady Golovkin: I think his case is a little weaker than the other fighters on here, but he'll also have the distinction of fighting 4 times this year by the time his Stevens fight is over. Rosado, Ishida, Macklin and Stevens may not be world-beaters held in the esteem of a Matthysse or Marquez, but the way Golovkin has dispatched the first three of them deserves consideration.
Guillermo Rigondeaux: He's only fought once this year, but his win was a big one. I think a lot of people expected Donaire-Rigondeaux to be a pick-'em type fight, instead of the one-sided clinic it turned out to be. A win over Agbeko in December would help pad out the Cuban's activity for the year and put him in Fighter of the Year contention.
Adonis Stevenson: Two big knockouts this year over Bad Chad Dawson and Tavoris Cloud have sealed his place as the light heavyweight champion of the world, and he's not done yet, with a fight against Tony Bellew coming up before the end of the year. This accomplishment would have been a lot more impressive a year ago but it's still worthy of consideration.
Did I forget anybody? Please vote and discuss!
Tim Bradley: Fought a Fight of the Year type fight against Ruslan Provodnikov, showing incredible heart to fight through a concussion and come out victorious. Then when a lot of people thought he might be damaged goods, he cleanly and clearly outboxed a top-3 pound for pound fighter in Juan Manuel Marquez. I've been big on Tim for a while now and his win over Marquez has earned him my vote.
Danny Garcia: Took on Zab Judah in a fight that would set up the opponent for the Matthysse-Peterson winner. The tough veteran gave Garcia a test but Swift came through. Then he took on Matthysse when a lot of people thought he wouldn't and put some great work on him. Danny has cleared out his division and is at least a back-end p4p fighter now.
Mike Alvarado: His year is not yet set in stone, but he already avenged his only loss against Brandon Rios earlier this year in a fight where he was considered the underdog. If he beats Ruslan Provodnikov in a great fight, he'll have as strong of a case as anyone else imo, especially if the Provodnikov fight is another wild war.
Gennady Golovkin: I think his case is a little weaker than the other fighters on here, but he'll also have the distinction of fighting 4 times this year by the time his Stevens fight is over. Rosado, Ishida, Macklin and Stevens may not be world-beaters held in the esteem of a Matthysse or Marquez, but the way Golovkin has dispatched the first three of them deserves consideration.
Guillermo Rigondeaux: He's only fought once this year, but his win was a big one. I think a lot of people expected Donaire-Rigondeaux to be a pick-'em type fight, instead of the one-sided clinic it turned out to be. A win over Agbeko in December would help pad out the Cuban's activity for the year and put him in Fighter of the Year contention.
Adonis Stevenson: Two big knockouts this year over Bad Chad Dawson and Tavoris Cloud have sealed his place as the light heavyweight champion of the world, and he's not done yet, with a fight against Tony Bellew coming up before the end of the year. This accomplishment would have been a lot more impressive a year ago but it's still worthy of consideration.
Did I forget anybody? Please vote and discuss!
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