Super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire has been named Fighter of the Year for 2012 by the Boxing Writers Association of America. Donaire successfully defended his world title four times in 2012, the last two by stoppage, as he surged toward the top of most pound-for-pound fighter lists. It marks the fourth time in the last seven years that a boxer from the Philippines has won the BWAA’s Sugar Ray Robinson “Fighter of the Year” award. Countryman Manny Pacquiao won in 2006, 2008, and 2009.
The BWAA’s 2012 awards banquet will be held in New York this spring at a venue and date to be announced.
Donaire’s trainer Robert Garcia has been recognized as winner of the Eddie Futch “Trainer of the Year” award. In addition to Donaire, Garcia has developed world title holders including Mikey Garcia and Brandon Rios.
Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez have boxed four times. In December 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Marquez was behind on points and scored a sensational one-punch knockout in the sixth round. It was a breathtaking encounter that propelled the battle ahead of other worthy candidates for the BWAA’s Muhammad Ali – Joe Frazier “Fight of the Year” prize.
Manager Al Haymon has consistently won his fighters lucrative opportunities and paydays. His work on behalf of his fighters has been recognized by BWAA members, who have voted him 2012 “Manager of the Year.” The award is named after Mike Tyson’s mentor, Cus D’Amato. Plans are being made to have Tyson in attendance to present the award.
Max Kellerman has always been one of the more charismatic, intelligent and independent voices about boxing on television, on HBO and before that on ESPN. The BWAA will recognize Kellerman with its award for “Excellence in Boxing Journalism.”
Just a year or so ago, middleweight Danny Jacobs’ biggest fight was outside the ring. A battle with cancer not only threatened his ring career, but his life. Everyone is ecstatic that Jacobs, now recovered, resumed his career last October. The BWAA has voted to bestow upon the Brooklyn fighter the 2012 Bill Crawford award for “Courage in Overcoming Adversity.”
It was only a matter of time before Kathy Duva and Bruce Trampler won the newly named Barney Nagler award for “Long and Meritorious Service” to the sport of boxing. Duva and Trampler finished tied in BWAA member voting, and both will be honored. Trampler, with promoter Top Rank, is a grass-roots matchmaker who developed many a champion and contender over the years. Kathy Duva, since taking over the reins at Main Events, has led her company to a resurgence.
Steve Farhood is no stranger to winning BWAA awards. He has previously won awards for Broadcasting, Long and Meritorious Service and Excellence in Boxing Journalism. The Showtime broadcaster now has won yet another: the Marvin Kohn “Good Guy” award.
It had been previously announced that Dave Kindred won the 2012, Nat Fleischer award for “Excellence in Boxing Journalism”, and Peter Finney the A.J. Liebling award for “Outstanding Boxing Writing.”
For more information about the Boxing Writers Association of America, see the BWAA website at www.bwaa.org.
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
