TOP RUNNER-UP: TERENCE CRAWFORD
If the award were limited to the most visible candidates on this side of the world, then the unbeaten lightweight would be a slam dunk choice. As it stands, he will – and has already has – earn such honors from several other publications, and for good reason.
The past 12 months were very kind indeed to the fighting pride of Omaha, Nebraska. It was a year in which he singlehandedly turned the college football-crazed Cornhusker State into a boxing haven, thanks to a pair of hometown wins playing to sold-out crowds.
Crawford’s year began on the road, however, facing then-lightweight titlist Ricky Burns in front of a partisan crowd in Glasgow, Scotland. Twelve rounds later, Crawford had his first belt around his waist, scoring a well-earned decision, one where he boxed so well that the judges couldn’t deny him, in an environment that had played host to strange scoring in recent past.
The centerpiece of his 2014 campaign came in late June, knocking out Yuriorkis Gamboa in the 9th* round of a fight that screamed everything that’s right about a sport that far too often gets it so very wrong. Both fighters boasted identical records (23-0, 16KOs) heading into the HBO-televised event, marking the first time ever the network aired live from Omaha, Nebraska.
A crowd of more than 10,900 was treated to one of the very best fights of the year, with Crawford overcoming a slow start to dismantle Gamboa, repeatedly sending the unbeaten Cuban – regarded as one of the greatest fighters in amateur boxing history, and also a damn good pro to boot – to the canvas before forcing the stoppage. The win solidified his credentials as a bright spot for the future of the sport, with the capacity crowd confirming his local drawing power.
The CenturyLink Center was sold beyond capacity for his return appearance, a 12-round whitewash over Raymundo Beltran. Many hailed the battle-tested Mexican challenger as the uncrowned lightweight champion, on the strength of his controversial draw with Burns the previous September. As such, he and Crawford entered their November clash as the top two-rated lightweights in the world, thus making the fight eligible to crown a World lightweight champion.
That man would be Crawford, who only ran into minor trouble late into the fight, but never to the point where his unbeaten record was in jeopardy. The fight was to be his last at 135, as he plans to move up to the 140 lb. division.
Given the level of talent at that weight class and what he physically brings to the table, it doesn’t figure to be the last time Terence Crawford’s name is mentioned in this award category.
FOR THE BRONZE: AMNAT RUENROENG
Easily the surprise entry of the field, Ruenroeng wasn’t on anyone’s radar when 2014 began. Three wins came of the year, all covering the entire span of his current flyweight title reign.
The biggest of the bunch was his 12-round upset of previously unbeaten former two-division titlist Kazuto Ioka in May. The fight was believed to be a springboard for Ioka to claim a belt and set up a unification bout – and rematch – with old adversary Akira Yaegashi. Ruenroeng thwarted those plans, effortlessly outclassing the local favorite in Osaka, Japan.
The unbeaten Thai capped the year with a hard-fought 12-round points win over mandatory challenger McWilliams Arroyo. Had his year begun with a win over MOISES Fuentes rather than Rocky Fuentes, there stands a greater chance Ruenroeng’s name receives top bill for this category. Instead, he looks to continue the good fortunes in 2015, hitting the road for a showdown with three-time Olympic medalist Zou Shiming in China this coming March.
OTHERS RECEIVING CONSIDERATION
Sergey Kovalev – There’s no telling what would have come of his year had he managed to land a coveted showdown with World light heavyweight king *- and 2013 Fighter of the Year – Adonis Stevenson. Instead, Kovlaev spent 2014 making lemonade, scoring a pair of HBO-televised knockouts over unbeaten but untested competition before registering a career-defining win, a 12-round shutout over the legendary Bernard Hopkins in a virtuoso performance. That win alone puts him in discussion, with the dominant performance behind it giving the flame throwing Russian strong consideration for top honors.
Róman Gonzalez – Four knockouts in as many fights, including a championship win, is always good enough to make this list. Gonzalez became just the second fighter in Nicaragua’s boxing history to capture belts in three weight classes, joining the late legendary Alexis Arguello following his 9th round stoppage of World flyweight champion Akira Yaegashi in September. The rest of the year was spent with water-treading wins, though all of which continued to illustrate his presence as one of the very best fighters in the world.
Manny Pacquiao – Not since having won the award three times in the span of just four years – the last coming in 2009 - has the Filipino icon been given serious consideration in this category. His rematch win over Tim Bradley in April was good enough to enter the conversation, with his clear-cut unanimous decision over one of the world’s top fighters proof that he was all the way back. Pacquiao capped the year with a 12-round humbling of unbeaten 140 lb. titlist Chris Algieri, knocking the “caged” fighter down a total of six times in their November headliner in Macau, China.
Nicholas Walters – The Axe Man cometh! Top Rank now has three of the four major titlists (including Walters) at featherweight, though the popular belief is that none are in a hurry to step to the unbeaten knockout artist from Jamaica. His 2014 reign of terror will be well showcased in the Knockout of the Year category, delivering a pair of highlight reel finishes in destructions of Vic Darchinyan and Nonito Donaire. Walters delivered the standout performance of the night on a May show in Macau loaded with featherweights, destroying former two-division champ Darchinyan in five rounds. Five months later, Donaire showed his warrior heart in braving such a dangerous challenge, but ultimately landed on the business end of a vicious knockout that continues to resonate with boxing fans. Let the 28-year old titlist get a piece of any combination of Jhonny Gonzalez, Vasyl Lomachenko and/or Evgeny Gradovich, and there’s no question his name remains in this discussion 12 months from now.
Wladimir Klitschko – The World heavyweight king continues to be without peer, though hardly due to not seeking out the best competition. Lineal title defenses nine and ten came in the form of matching 5th round knockout wins. The year began with a one-sided rout of Alex Leapai in April, but what lands the 38-year old Ukrainian on the list was the manner in which he manhandled unbeaten perennial number-one contender Kubrat Pulev in November.
Miguel Cotto – In a year that was up for grabs for 363 days, a single win was enough to land the Puerto Rican superstar on the list. His 2014 campaign was limited to a June “homecoming” at Madison Square Garden. The night provided his long sought career-defining win, having his way with longtime World middleweight king Sergio Martinez through nine rounds, forcing the Argentine star to be declared unfit to continue at the start of round ten.
Carl Frampton – Had he not already scored a knockout win over Kiko Martinez a year prior, perhaps the Belfast brawler sees his 2014 campaign cast in a greater light. Still, it was a hell of a year for the unbeaten 27-year old, who began with a two-round destruction of Hugo Cazares before dethroning Martinez in their 12-round war of a super bantamweight title fight in September.
Floyd Mayweather – Say what you want, but a pair of wins over a Top 5 contender warrants consideration, especially in a year where not a lot happened. Mayweather deserves a healthy share of the blame for the year that wasn’t, but made the best with the two fights he had, surviving a stiff challenge from Marcos Maidana in May before having a much easier go of things in their rematch in September. As an aside – and really nothing at all to do with this category - both bouts served as the two best-selling pay-per-view events of 2014.
Gennady Golovkin – The lack of a notable win among his three on the year keeps the Kazakhstani limited to Honorable Mention status for the second consecutive year. Three more knockouts were added to his resume, stopping – in order – Osumana Adama (seven rounds), former titlist Daniel Geale (three rounds) and Top 10 contender Marco Antonio Rubio (two rounds) to establish himself as the best middleweight in the world and one of the rising stars in the sport.
