Comments Thread For: My Fighter of The Year For 2013

[Ray Corso]

Nice read, its not easy to change your life style!
Fighter of the year for me is Tim Bradley. Tremendous heart and determination and the kid comes to win! How anyone could not appreciate this kids efforts is beyond me.
Ray.

[blak81]

Surely Stàrks isn't the only fighter to walk away from boxing this year.

FOTY = Guillermo Rigondeaux.

accomplished the unimaginable in just 12 pro fights and made it look easy. Didn't struggle with any opponent in 2013.

[JakeNDaBox]

Finely written article and the gesture is noble and insightful. But the fighter of the year award should go to the fighter who has thrived in whatever way, not walked away from the sport.

As an ex-fighter, I would feel offended and rather upset with a leading boxing web site if I had put in that year of intense work, that is the sport, only to be dismissed for a guy who hadn't even fought a round in 2013 and who had furthermore walked away the year before.

Being an ex I also completely understand walking away. I did it much earlier in my 'career' but we did it for the same reason. I saw and knew just as he saw and knew what this sport can do to you. True, walking away is hard but it can not be compared to the daily grind and war fare; mind, body and spirit, that is professional boxing.

Again, nice read with stolid reasoning to back it all up. But this award should be given in honor of accomplishments in the ring not the walking away from it.

If self preservation wins boxings fighter of the year award than I may have been the fighter of the year for 1992. I had alot of potential, already fighting at the Palace on Tv and such with Jackie Kallen looking after me. I had it all lined up and was ready to blast off. A string of events occured and even with the obvious potential and talent I walked away with self preservation being the main reason.

Just sayin'................... Rockin'

Seems like a lot of people are missing the article's intention. Tom prefaced right from the opening that this isn't an award being issued - he mentions all of the proper candidates for Fighter of the Year as we traditionally recognize. It's not an award-issuing piece; it's a writer's recognition of a fighter who was smart enough to know when to call it a career - and more importantly to stay away from the game.

it's not part of Boxingscene.com's awards.

[Tyler_Durden]

Great article!

[drool]

One of the best articles I've read on this site.
Kudos.

Don't worry guys, there will be several other threads about your beloved fighters for FOTY.

[nycsmooth]

From myself, & hopefully all the great guys that read & contribute 2 this rag, a long & healthy life 4 Gary, & his family...

[elvin]

Yer it`s a great article but indeed some people are missing the point.

[Rockin']

Seems like a lot of people are missing the article's intention. Tom prefaced right from the opening that this isn't an award being issued - he mentions all of the proper candidates for Fighter of the Year as we traditionally recognize. It's not an award-issuing piece; it's a writer's recognition of a fighter who was smart enough to know when to call it a career - and more importantly to stay away from the game.

it's not part of Boxingscene.com's awards.

ok, I did think that it was some kind of award given by boxing scene.

I didn't miss the writers intetions at all though, on the contrary, I understood it better than most having lived on both side of the fences........... Rockin'

[mathed]

Great article...

[Frank Ducketts]

By Thomas Gerbasi - 2013 was a great year for boxing, one with memorable fights, stirring performances, and efforts that could have earned any of a number of boxers a Fighter of the Year nod. But this isn’t about Floyd Mayweather, Timothy Bradley, Danny Garcia, Gennady Golovkin, Adonis Stevenson, or Sergey Kovalev.

No, my Fighter of the Year didn’t even step through the ropes once in 2013. Yet last year, Gary Stark Jr. did the toughest thing a boxer can do. He didn’t go 12 hard rounds with an opponent intent on separating his head from his shoulders; he didn’t rise from the canvas to win a championship fight in the final round or move up in weight to take on the sport’s latest hot prospect.

Instead, he walked away. At 33, about to start a comeback, he decided that his time in the sport as an active fighter was done. [Click Here To Read More]

Very heart felt post Pop. People can't even take a lil slap in the face let alone punches for 12 rounds.