Comments Thread For: “Fighting Words” — Pondering 2013’s Fighter of the Year

[Drunken Cat]

To me it's between Mayweather and Bradley.

Garcia beat Zab and Matthysse. But then you have to ask yourself are those fighters better than Guerrero and Canelo. You could make a case for Zab being better than Guerrero (who sucks), but Canelo IMO is def. better than Matthysse. So Mayweather gets the edge.

Then you have to look at Tim Bradley.

Provodnikov's win over Alvarado should help bolster Bradley's chances. Considering he beat him and he beat Marquez. IMO, schooling Marquez was the most impressive win a boxer has had this year.

I completely agree. Floyd should probably be the one. Bradley is I think my number 2, though perhaps he's about level with Garcia. However Judah in 2013 should not be overrated as an opponent.

[MDPopescu]

... They'll give it to Mayweather Jr...

[Black Barty]

Stevenson will deserve it if he beats Bellew but Kovalev should have a decent shout:

Campillo - the real IBF champ KO'd in 3 rounds
White - KO'd in 3 rounds
Cleverly - the WBO champ KO'd in 4 rounds

with another bout pending - another KO in 3 rounds?



Guerrero hadn't and still hasn't done anything at WW.

I disagree on Stevenson. Dawson and Cloud are good name wins, but both were coming out of a tough loss, and even at their best, they weren't all they were hyped up to be. Boone is a journeyman, and Bellew is at best borderline top 10.

Now that I think about it, it's not a stretch to say that if he beats Sillakh, Kovalev will have had a better 2013 campaign than Stevenson.

As for FOTY, my choice is Danny Garcia. Matthysse was red hot when he beat him, and Judah is a pretty good second best win.

I wouldn't rule out Rigo either, if he beats Agbeko. The Donaire win is the best singular win of the year. Agbeko hasn't had a significant win in almost two years though, so in my eyes beating him won't put Rigo ahead of Garcia.

[RawDawgHasSpokn]

Rigo should be the winner especially if he wins his next fight. On, a side note, I can't believe that folks are putting Provodnikov in the mix. I guess since the Matthysee fan boat capsized they jumped ship to Provodnikov?? Just another day on NSB.

[Citizen Koba]

Stevenson will deserve it if he beats Bellew but Kovalev should have a decent shout:

Campillo - the real IBF champ KO'd in 3 rounds
White - KO'd in 3 rounds
Cleverly - the WBO champ KO'd in 4 rounds

with another bout pending - another KO in 3 rounds?



Guerrero hadn't and still hasn't done anything at WW.

Agreed ^

I'd say the 2 guys who have achieved most and won in the most emphatic fashion this year have been Kovalev and Stevenson.

By the end of the year they will each have had 4 fights (and dare I predict 4 KOs), have both become titlists (- though Stevensons lineal title is certainly the stronger claim) and have faced similar levels of opposition including perhaps 5 top 10 fighters between them. (Dawson, Cloud, Campillo, Cleverly and maybe White -who was at 3,5 and 8 with the ABCs)

IMO
Campillo > Cloud
White > Boone
Dawson > Cleverly (but was coming off the Ward beatdown)

All three of Stevensons opponents were coming off losses, whereas of Kovalevs opponents, Clev was unbeaten, White was on a 5 fight win streak after his only loss and Campillo was coming off the Cloud robbery.

For me Floyd winning 2 fights he was expected to in unspectacular fashion against the not particularly great Guerrero and solid but over-hyped Canelo do not make him a fighter of the year. Yes he's a top P4Per and has had a great career, but that's what the HOF and ATG status celebrate. Perhaps he could be a fighter of the decade, but FOTY 2013? No.

DSG has perhaps a better argument, but again with only 2 fights, one against a Judah who did better than expected, he just hasn't done enough.

Much as I like GGG and he also will have had 4 fights and (probably) 4 stopages, the quality of his opposition hasn't been as good as Kovalevs or Stevensons.

Nov 30 may be the day that determines whether Kovalev or Stevenson is most deserving - for me their opponents (Sillakh and Bellew, respectively) are of a similar calibre, and how they win (and of course if they win) may divide the two.

For me no-one else is really in the running, specially considering that it has really been a breakout year for both - specially kovalev, who was almost an unknown before the Campillo win.

[Black Barty]

For me no-one else is really in the running, specially considering that it has really been a breakout year for both - specially kovalev, who was almost an unknown before the Campillo win.

Let's assume Stevenson and Kovalev both win their next fight, and look at what the candidates will have then.

Stevenson will have Boone (a journeyman), Dawson (decent but coming out of a loss and overrated even at his best), Cloud (decent, but coming out of a loss and massively overrated at his best) and Bellew (borderline top 10, best win is Chilemba in a close fight).

Kovalev will have Campillo (hard luck guy, but doesn't have much in the way of official wins), White (fringe contender with a padded record), Clev (decent fighter with some ok wins but a very padded record) and Sillakh (once overhyped prospect trying to get back in the mix).

So you are saying that Floyd isn't in the running because Guerrero and Canelo aren't the type of wins FOTY campaigns are made of. Then tell me how the wins I listed are any better. Or is it that Stevenson and Kovalev have four wins compared to Floyd's two? Then if Floyd had added two mediorce/garbage wins, would that have put him in the running?

[MDPopescu]

Garcia struggled with an old Judah and was a little fortunate against Matthysse in a close one. Not really fighter of the year stuff imo.

I must agree with you -- as I often do...
Danny is a hell of a mid-range hooker, he's smart but I think he doesn't deserve this title just yet...

[MDPopescu]

I disagree on Stevenson. Dawson and Cloud are good name wins, but both were coming out of a tough loss, and even at their best, they weren't all they were hyped up to be. Boone is a journeyman, and Bellew is at best borderline top 10.

Now that I think about it, it's not a stretch to say that if he beats Sillakh, Kovalev will have had a better 2013 campaign than Stevenson.

As for FOTY, my choice is Danny Garcia. Matthysse was red hot when he beat him, and Judah is a pretty good second best win.

I wouldn't rule out Rigo either, if he beats Agbeko. The Donaire win is the best singular win of the year. Agbeko hasn't had a significant win in almost two years though, so in my eyes beating him won't put Rigo ahead of Garcia.

I agree... But there are so few people who really enjoy Rigo's surgical style!...

[MDPopescu]

Let's assume Stevenson and Kovalev both win their next fight, and look at what the candidates will have then.

Stevenson will have Boone (a journeyman), Dawson (decent but coming out of a loss and overrated even at his best), Cloud (decent, but coming out of a loss and massively overrated at his best) and Bellew (borderline top 10, best win is Chilemba in a close fight).

Kovalev will have Campillo (hard luck guy, but doesn't have much in the way of official wins), White (fringe contender with a padded record), Clev (decent fighter with some ok wins but a very padded record) and Sillakh (once overhyped prospect trying to get back in the mix).

So you are saying that Floyd isn't in the running because Guerrero and Canelo aren't the type of wins FOTY campaigns are made of. Then tell me how the wins I listed are any better. Or is it that Stevenson and Kovalev have four wins compared to Floyd's two? Then if Floyd had added two mediorce/garbage wins, would that have put him in the running?

... They'll give it to Floyd! It's about business...

[King_]

No way Floyd should win it , that would be a travesty IMO. Unless I'm missing something here and PPV numbers and revenue generated has something to do with FOTY? Timmy, Rigo and Kovalev are more deserving IMO


Toss up between Rigo and Bradley