To put things succinctly, 2012 was a great year for boxing fans.
MMA Crossfire Expert Noel Clubb checks in with his thoughts on the year that was for boxing in 2012.
Welcome back to The Crossfire.
MMA Crossfire ? The hard-hitting blog that features expert MMA commentary.
MMA Crossfire wishes everyone a happy and healthy 2013.
MMA Crossfire Expert Noel Clubb:
MMA Crossfire Expert and professional boxing instructor Noel Clubb.
Certified professional boxing instructor Noel Clubb divides his time between MMA World Academy/Clubb Canada (Amateur & Professional Boxing) located in Scarborough, Ontario, where he is currently building a competitive boxing team, instructing technical boxing classes and providing personal training. Noel also instructs at Pound 4 Pound MMA, at both locations in Markham and Pickering, Ontario.
Clubb: 2012 was a year that made some history for the sport of boxing. In August, the London Olympic Games commenced with a new medal category in the sport of boxing ? Women?s Olympic Boxing. We as Canadians had high hopes that we would do well in comparison to the 2008 Beijing Games.? Our super heavyweight contender was Sean Kean, Custio Clayton our Canadian welterweight contender and Mary Spencer, our female representative in the middleweight division.
But Spencer lost her fight right out of the gates, while our two male representatives won convincingly early on in until the finals.
In the end, Canada did improve on 2008, in which we had only one Olympic qualified boxer, Adam Trupish.
?MMA Crossfire Vault: Noel Clubb?s post Olympic Games boxing thoughts
I would like to see Canada help improve the funding to the Olympic program. In time, we can see a steadier and more consistent number of competitive fighters. In Canada, there is a lot of untapped talent. However, due to the lack of funding, we continue to put up mediocre results. Like I said, Canada and Ontario especially, have a lot of talent. We need to promote them much more to help create a real buzz in the fighting community.
It was the first time in Olympic history the American male boxers did not bring a medal back home. In fact, London was the worst showing for the American men in recent memory, and the question for them is: What went wrong?
There will be a lot of self examining going on to see how and where they can improve. Meanwhile, Claressa Shields, the female middleweight 2012 Olympic champion saved grace for U.S.
The biggest story in boxing during the Games was the gold medal victory by Britain?s very own, Nicola Adams in the women?s flyweight (51kg) division, up against the fast hands of China?s female flyweight representative, Cancan Ren. ?Adams was simply better and quicker for Ren.
?Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion Katie Taylor was named RT? Sports Person of the Year during the live broadcast of the RT? Sports Awards in Ireland, in association with the Irish Sports Council.
A look ahead into 2013
This was another year, another opportunity missed where the biggest fight, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather could not come to terms, and now that window is quickly closing and sealing up permanently. After Pacquiao lost two bouts with Timothy Bradley and then to Juan Manuel Marquez, it is obvious that Pacquiao?s mind is completely on his new career as a congressman in the Philippines.
The Bradley vs Pacquiao was the most controversial fight this year.
MMA Crossfire Vault: After The Crossfire ? Pacquiao vs Bradley
Pacquiao was clearly trying to knock Bradley out on numerous occasions throughout the fight. Big thunderous right crosses being thrown, and big left hooks from the fighting congressman. Yet Bradley wins the fight in a close decision with a pre-arranged second bout already established before the last bell was rung of the first bout. This fight will go down as one of the worst judging decisions in boxing history. It reflected upon boxing very poorly and caused Bob Arum to make a formal inquiry request into the title bout between Pacquiao and Bradley with the Nevada State Attorney General?s office.
?On the horizon:
At the moment Saul Alvarez is looking to close a fight deal with Floyd Mayweather that would be scheduled for May 4, 2013, providing they have an agreement. The 35-year-old Mayweather has a record of (43-0, 26 knockouts), while the 22-year-old Alvarez has an impressive record of (41-0-1, 30 knockouts). It could be dangerous bout for Mayweather but an exciting match, if and when it takes place.
Top 5 Best Professional Fights of 2012
Brandon Rios vs. Mike Alvarado
Brandon Rios vs Mike Alvarado. Image courtesy Chris Farina, Top Rank.
It was just recently confirmed that Rios vs. Alvarado 2 will be taking place on March 16, 2013 on HBO at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, CA. Let?s rewind back to October 13, 2012 at the Home Depot Centre, in Carson, California, when Brandon ?Bam Bam? Rios fought Mike Alvarado for the first time. The fight initially had expectations of being a great matchup and potentially the ?fight of the year?. It was a close bout with lots of action back and forth until the sixth round when Alvarado ended up getting hurt and in the?seventh round Rios knocked Alvarado down.
Rios improved to a (31-0-1, 23 knockouts) record while Mike Alvarado fell to a (33-1, 23 knockouts).
The Round of the Year goes to Sergio Martinez ? Julio Chavez Jr.
Julio C?sar Ch?vez Jr vs Maravilla Mart?nez ROUND 12 ?Caida del Maravilla!
On September 15, 2012 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV, for the WBC Middleweight championship between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez? Jr. For the first 11 rounds of the championship bout, Martinez was simply dominating Chavez Jr.? Chavez Jr. was bruised and battered by the 11th round.
So the 12th round commences and it initially starts off with Rios picking up where he left off in the previous round, and in classic boxing fashion, the very man who was down and out, just hanging on for dear life, in the 12th round, and the clock is ticking away in Martinez favor. Chavez Jr. begins throwing and now landing his left hooks, slowly landing with more precision and power and ?drops? Martinez with little time left in the 12th round and in the end, Martinez hangs on to win the WBC Middleweight championship.
Martinez was later hospitalized after the championship fight as he suffered a broken left hand and he also sustained a right knee injury during the 12th round, most likely caused by the fall after the Chavez left hook landed.
Martinez improved upon a (50-2-2, 28 KOs) while Chavez Jr. dropped to a (46-1-1, 32 KOs)
Adrien Broner vs. Antonio DeMarco
Antonio DeMarco vs Adrien Broner. Photo credit: Will Hart.
Clubb: On November 17th 2012 in Atlantic City, Adrien Broner and Antonio DeMarco fought for the WBC Lightweight championship. Broner was making his debut as a lightweight divisional contender. At the time entering into the lightweight championship, DeMarco was the WBO lightweight champion who was also ranked as #1 in the Ring magazine for his division.
In the opening rounds, Broner was working his jab exceedingly well keeping DeMarco off balance and applying his great ?Philadelphia? shoulder roll style making himself even more difficult to hit and making it more frustrating for DeMarco in the process. Broner was landing his quick and explosive left hook counters with such ease, precision and power.
Things began to change in the 4th round when the two engaged into infighting, going toe-to-toe mostly in the centre of the ring.
In the 8th round, Broner?s hand speed and power was becoming too much for DeMarco. It was a Broner?s left uppercut that ended the match as DeMarco was dropped to the canvas for the first time in his career. This knockdown solidified Broner?s second world title (Broner had the WBO featherweight title) as the WBC lightweight champion. Broner improved to 25-0 while DeMarco fell to 28-3-1.
Broner is scheduled to fight Lightweight Gavin Rees in February.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Miguel Cotto
Floyd Mayweather vs Miguel Cotto. Getty Images.
May 6, 2012 saw Floyd Mayweather Jr. (43-0 26 KOs) square off against Miguel Cotto (37-0 30 KOs) in a WBA world light middleweight title bout at the MGM Grand Garden Area in Las Vegas, NV. The bout started with Cotto pressing and pressuring Mayweather Jr. in the first round. As the fight progressed, of course things changed and the momentum swung to Mayweather?s favor. Cotto put up the toughest fight that Mayweather Jr. had endured in over 10 years since he faced off against Jose Luis Castillo. Miguel Cotto also left Mayweather?s nose bloodied from Cotto?s jabs landing earlier in the fight. Mayweather then adjusts and adapts to his opponent style and begins to take control of the fight by turning up his speed, with quicker and more devastating counter crosses and hooks.
It was a good performance for Cotto, however Mayweather?s hand speed, quick countering abilities, great defensive skills on the ropes, in the corners, Mayweather?s skills were just too much for Miguel Cotto.
Andre Ward vs. Chad Dawson
Andre Ward vs Chad Dawson. Photo Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.
Andre Ward (26-0 13 KOs) knocked down Chad Dawson (31-2-1- 17 KOs) by a technical knockout in the tenth round for the WBC and WBA super middleweight title fight. Ward outpunched Dawson in every round. Dawson was also dropped a few times throughout the fight. The Compubox (scoring system) indicated that Ward landed 155 punches to Dawson?s 29 at fights end. Ward did have complete control over Dawson in this match-up.
A Boxing tribute to ?The Great Ones? that we lost in 2012
?
EMANUEL STEWARD ? Professional boxing trainer (July 7, 1944 ? October 25, 2012)
On October 25, 2012 we lost the great boxing trainer and HBO commentator/ analysis, Emanuel (Manny Steward) Steward. Steward was born in Bottom Creek, West Virginia, on July 7, 1944. Steward passed away in Chicago, Illinois at the age of 68. Emanuel moved to Detroit at an early age with his mother, after his parents divorced.
Steward began his Amateur boxing career at the Brewster Recreational Centre where Joe Louis and Eddie Futch had originally trained. Steward had a (94-3) Amateur boxing record.
Steward made the transition to the nearby, Kronk gym. Steward started teaching part-time at the Kronk gym, which was located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The Kronk gym was opened in post World War I era, in 1920 and the gym was later closed in 2006. The gym itself was operated out of a basement of the oldest recreation centre in the City of Detroit, Michigan.
Steward trained 41 professional prize fighting World Champions throughout his great boxing career such as; Canadian Lennox Lewis, Thomas Hearns, Wladimir Klitschko.
ANGELO DUNDEE ? Professional boxing trainer (August 30, 1921 ? February 1, 2012)
Muhammad Ali and Angelo Dundee. AP Photo.
Dundee was born Philadelphia, PA, and much later on moved to New York and then to Miami, Florida. Angelo first went to New York and went to Stillman?s gym, which opened in 1910 to help ex-convicts to make the transition back into society. It was at Stillman?s gym where Dundee met and worked under the guidance of two masterful boxing trainers who everyone copies or inspired by at one point or another. The two great boxing trainers that I am referring to is Ray Arcel and Charlie Goldman.
Dundee will always be remembered as Muhammad Ali?s trainer and cornerman, as they had a great career together spanning from 1960 to 1981. A little side note, before Ali became Ali and before he met Angelo Dundee, Ali, then Cassius Clay was trained by the late, great boxing trainer Archie Moore. Moore later went on to train George Foreman in the 1970?s when Foreman was known as the ?Monster?.
Angelo Dundee trained 15 other world champion boxers, such as; Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman (later on in Foreman?s career), and Jimmy Ellis, just to name a few.
He will be greatly missed in the boxing community as he remains a very important man in the evolution of boxing and the development of great fighters.
BERT SUGAR ? Boxing writer and Sports Historian (June 7, 1937 ? March 25, 2012)
Journalist Bert Sugar.
On March 25th, we lost legendary sports and boxing writer, Bert Sugar who passed away due to cardiac arrest.
Sugar was born June 7, 1937 in Washington, D.C. He graduated from the University of Maryland and once leaving school he went to work in an advertising agency for about 10 years. It was in 1969 when Sugar bought ?Boxing Illustrated ?magazine and was the editor until 1973.
Sugar will be remembered for his boxing write-ups over the decades and especially his very candid, direct approach to reporting the on goings on the sport of boxing. I will miss him especially as I have been a fan of Bert Sugar for a long time.
HECTOR ?MACHO? CAMACHO ? Professional Boxer (May 24, 1962 ? November 24, 2012)
Macho Camacho was a flamboyant boxer. He had quick hands and quick feet. Camacho grew up in New York?s Harlem neighborhood through most of his life. Camacho was the first boxer with the distinction of being a ?septuple champion? as he held the super featherweight championship, lightweight championship, jr. welterweight, just naming a few titles Camacho held during his height of success in the early mid 1980s.
Sadly, Camacho was shot in the face in his own hometown and passed away four days later in a hospital in Puerto Rico. Hector was 50 years of age.
Final personal thoughts in 2013
In 2012, I started instructing at a brand new MMA gym called MMA World Academy/ Clubb Canada (Amateur & Professional boxing) which is located in Scarborough, ON.? I have been training a number of students who are looking to get involved in amateur boxing in 2013. Some of my current growing roster of boxers has previous amateur boxing experience while some others are starting up for the first time.
My youngest amateur boxer is 12 Years old and my current eldest amateur boxer is 43. The oldest Amateur boxer that I trained, briefly about a year ago was, David Booth, who is a writer for the National Post, aged 55 when I last trained him for a Masters league boxing match and he went ontowin his bout held at the famous boxing gym, Gleason?s Gym, in Brooklyn, NY. ?(Master?s league is an Amateur boxing league designed for boxers who are ages 40 years and up).
So in 2013, besides continuing predicting and posting fight analysis for MMA Crossfire, I will be slowly introducing some little stories and videos on amateur boxing as well as boxers from Clubb Canada (Amateur and Professional boxing) as we will be actively competing in 2013.
*Clubb Canada is a certified boxing gym with certified boxing coach Noel Clubb certified by Boxing Ontario (Boxing Ontario is the governing body of Amateur boxing in the province of Ontario, in Association with CABA, Canadian Amateur Boxing Association).
Look to see Clubb Canada (Amateur and Professional boxing) boxing events and fighters in the future as I expect to develop some great talent of our own to show-off sometime in 2013 and? into the future.
At Pound 4 Pound MMA ? Pickering, ON; I have been working with on and off again, with kickboxing champions Matt Kendell and Jordin Henwood. I work with them to help improve their hand speed, punching precision, punching power, head movement and footwork, not to mention expanding their repertoire of punching techniques in boxing and how it can improve their performances in various kick-boxing matches.
I look forward to hearing any comments or opinions you may have.
Keep the fire within alive!
Noel Clubb
Professional boxing trainer
MMA CROSSFIRE RELATED LINKS:
After The Crossfire ? Pacquiao ? Marquez IV
After The Crossfire ? Donaire vs Arce
After The Crossfire: Hatton vs Senchenko
MMA Crossfire ? Noel Clubb?s post Olympic Games thoughts
George Chuvalo visits The Crossfire
Canada.com Pacquiao ? Marquez IV official discussion
Contact Noel Clubb
kandrews@postmedia.com
Kenai Andrews on Twitter
cwmmacrossfire@gmail.com
Cassie Wiseman on Twitter
Source: http://o.canada.com/2013/01/01/mma-crossfire-noel-clubbs-2012-boxing-year-in-review/
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