SHOCK OF THE YEAR: GONZALEZ VS MARES
In August 2013, in California, Johnny Gonzalez landed one of the best left hooks you are likely to see, sending Abner Mares to the canvas. Whilst the Mexican was up before the count of 10 he hadn’t recovered and Jhonny Gonzalez pounced onto him, forcing the ref to call a halt to the proceeds at the 2.55 mark of the 1st Round. Mares was a 3 weight world champion, unbeaten and on the cusp of huge potential fights with the likes of Donaire & Rigondeux and while Gonzalez was a former World Champion at both 118 & 126lbs he hadn’t beaten anyone of note for some time. The saying everything to gain and nothing to lose is a term used often in boxing for underdogs and was befitting to the situation Gonzalez was in the moment he stepped through the ropes…he upset the apple cart in stunning and emphatic fashion and is a worthy winner of our shock of the year!
KO OF THE YEAR: GENNADY GOLOVKIN
Knockouts! What the casual wants from a boxing bout and the explosive ending which can occur at any moment. 2013 was not short of contenders and each one would have been worthy winners. From Stephen Smith’s perfect uppercut which almost cut Gary Buckland in half, to Adonis Stevensons KO of Dawson…a punch which shook the world as well as the American himself; fight fans have been treated to a multitude of OMG moments. Yet one man ran through his division knocking out everyone who dared get in his way. In fact such is his punching power he himself had 2 KO’s in the final 4 for consideration.
In the end we decided on Gennady Golovkin as our winner; the KO punch which wins him the award…the huge right hand which he landed on Nobuhiro Ishida in March. Whilst his opponent left a little to be desired, he was still someone who had taken out James Kirkland in 1 and gone the distance with Paul Williams and Dimity Pirog, no slouches in the punch department. Yet GGG showed exactly why is one of the hottest commodities in world boxing at the moment; destroying the Japanese Middleweight with a punch which literally took him off his feet and left half of his body inside the ring, the other sprawled over the judges in the front row.
PROSPECT OF THE YEAR: HUGHIE FURY
‘Here at V2 we are continuously talking about prospects; how we feel they will fare, whether they are being managed correctly and everything else in between. One criticism labelled at many youngsters with plenty of exposure and hype is a lack of activity in the early stages….a criticism which our Prospect of the year is not guilty of. Hughie Fury has entered the paid ranks with plenty of publicity; cousin of Tyson Fury he will inevitable be spoken about more than most. Yet in 2013 he went about his work quietly, getting plenty of rounds under his belt and ensuring he was soaking up everything he possibly could in these early stages of his career. 12 fights on its own is no mean feat…add in his 7 KO’s and a couple of victories over tough journeymen such as Dorian Darch and it’s been a fantasic year for the youngster. He has boxing abilities which far outstrip that of his cousin, something which Tyson himself has readily admitted…this year will need see him stepping it up but everything so far indicates he will be well equipped to deal with that step up when it comes.