| 30 December 2011
I was all set to lead off this post by stating that there was no Gatti-Ward during 2011. Then I realized that I led with that last year.
So yes, no instant classics during the last 363 days, though it felt like there were more really good fights overall than in 2010. Some highly anticipated bouts didn't turn out quite the way we may have expected. Fights like Mares-Agbeko II proved to be more tactical than balls to the wall. Others, like Cotto-Margarito II, just weren't as close as truly great fights should be.
Still, in terms of action, drama and intrigue, it was hard to top what transpired when Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto met in April. I daresay it exceeded all expectations.
Always known as a big puncher, Ortiz drew first blood by sending Berto down in the first round. Andre hung in there and responded with his own knockdown in Round 2, though his wasn't as devastating.
After that, it was bombs away for 10 more rounds. Berto looked hurt enough that he lost any ability to do much but stand and trade, while Ortiz showed that he's still just vulnerable enough to get tagged more than he should. Both men ended up on the canvas again. When it was all said and done, Ortiz got a big victory in his first significant welterweight fight, setting himself up for his infamous meeting with Floyd Mayweather. Berto won many admirers with his display of heart and bounced back to win another 147-pound belt in his next outing.
It was certainly good enough to warrant a rematch, which we'll see less than two months from now. History suggests the second go-round will have a hard time living up to the first, but if it does, we're in for a treat.
Other fights we considered: It was close and compelling the whole way, and it ended with a bit of a surprising outcome. Yet Lamont Peterson UD12 Amir Khan just wasn't decisive or explosive enough to warrant taking Fight of the Year honors... I mentioned it in the Knockout of the Year post, so it's time to give yet another nod to Mike Alvarado TKO10 Breidis Prescott. It had plenty of action but wasn't fought at quite as high a level of Berto-Ortiz, plus it lacked momentum swings since Prescott was ahead the whole way. Um, until the end, of course... Some guys just always seem to be in good fights. So it's hard not to give some props to Marcos Maidana MD12 Erik Morales, a scrap between two men who fit that description... It seems almost sacrilegious saying Manny Pacquiao MD12 Juan Manuel Marquez III didn't match up favorably to others on this list, but let's face it: It really didn't. It did have it's share of sustained tension, though, and 12 rounds between two of the best boxers of their time is never a bad thing.
Previous Winner: 2010 - Amir Khan UD12 Marcos Maidana
Special Award - 2011 Round of the Year: James Kirkland-Alfredo Angulo, Round 1
Talk about coming out with guns blazing. Angulo smashed Kirkland with the very first clean punch he landed, making it look like this one wasn't going to come close to going the distance. It didn't, but that's because Kirkland rebounded by hurting Angulo so badly that he wasn't ever quite the same before being bludgeoned into submission in the sixth round. Serious bombs landing and a breathtaking reversal of fortunes makes this a slam dunk for Round of the Year.
