FIGHT OF THE YEAR: Such were the array of choices in this award we eventually decided to have both a domestic and International award. Throughout 2013 fight fans were subject to some of the most dramatic and exciting fights in the history of the sport. Unheralded Russian, Ruslan Provodnikov, announced himself onto the World Stage with two enthralling & gruelling battles with Tim Bradley and Mike Alvardo respectively
whilst the former was also involved in a war of attrition with Brandon Rios. At cruiserweight Guillermo Jones & Denis Lebedev surved up a fight akin to something out of Rocky. Meanwhile on home shores fight fans were treated to battles such as Tommy Coyle vs Derry Matthews, Billy Joe Saunders vs John Ryder yet when all was said and done 2 fights stood out more than any others.
This was supposed to be a mis-match, a fight which Froch felt Groves
didn’t deserve and one which almost everyone felt was coming far too
soon for the young Londoner. Despite wins over James DeGale
& Glen Johnson, Groves had never mixed with anyone on Froch’s level.
The Cobra was coming into the fight off perhaps his greatest victory to
date; a 12 Round decision over Mikkel Kessler. There was plenty
of needle in the build-up which transferred into the fight.
Groves left Froch and the world stunned in the first after dropping Carl
with a hard counter right; exactly what he told Carl he was going to do
in the days leading up to the bout. For the next 5 Rounds ‘The Saint’
picked his opponent apart, landing the jab and right hand at will .
It was a startling sight for all at ringside as Carl was left looking amateur.
Yet as he has done throughout the man from Nottingham continued to stand, his will and chin dragging him through numerous tough spots. By the 7th Round he began to edge his way back into the contest. Groves was struggling to get in and out as well as he had and was having to take more to land his shots. The next 2 rounds saw both men trading…and come the 9th Froch managed to get on top of Groves. Following a hard chopping hook, Groves found himself on the ropes and 15 seconds later the fight was over, Howard foster deeming him unable to continue. It was a decision which left many, included George Groves baffled and what followed was talk of conspiracies and robbery. Yet despite the controversial end to the contest it will go down as not just the domestic fight of the year but one of the greatest British Fights of all time.
DOMESTIC: FROCH VS GROVES
INTERNATIONAL: FIGUEROA VS ARAKAWA
The lighter boxing weights can often be overlooked, especially amongst casual fans. In 2013 a fight occurred which would stand front and center in any presentation of just what makes boxing the enthralling sport it is. If a poll was done on the round of the year; this fight could put forward all 12 such was the intensity and brutality of every minute of the fight. Whilst the scorecard read a lopsided victory for Figueroa the truth was he had to rely on every bit of energy to overcome perhaps the toughest and most resilient fighter to step into the ring. For 36 minutes Arawaka ploughed forward, undeterred by the punches coming his way. At times it became uncomfortable to watch, yet never would it have been fair for the contest to be stopped such was the ability for both fighters to continue teeing off. Whilst Figueroa was always in control of the fight, the sheer determination of his opponent led him to wilting through the final few rounds, in fact had this been a 15 Rounder the impossible may well have just happened and Nihito could have won. Come the end both men embraced in the ring, battered and bruised but with an admiration for one other which everyone
sat ringside and who had watched also shared. The statistics told you everything you needed to know: Figueroa landing 450 power shots, 716 of the 790 landed were power shots with an average of 179 punches thrown per round. This was boxing at its best and at its most uncomfortable….one of those fights which have to be seen to be believed!