VOTE FOR THE BRITISH BOXER OF THE YEAR
BOXING NEWS is proud to give our readers – both in print and online – the honour of choosing this years British Boxing Board of Control Boxer of the Year. There is a shortlist of five candidates – all listed below with a handy reminder of what they each achieved in the voting period (September 1 2009-August 31 2010). The winner will be presented with the award at the Board’s annual luncheon on November 28 and the closing date to register your vote is October 1. Here are the five runners and riders:
Nathan Cleverly
The Welshman has really proved his class over the last 12 months. He confirmed his domestic light-heavyweight dominance before claiming the European title and setting up a shot at the Interim WBO strap in the new season. An enthralling stoppage of a willing Danny McIntosh set the tone for his campaign prior to defending his British and Commonwealth belts by halting Courtney Fry. His ongoing improvement was vibrantly highlighted with a one-sided hammering of Italy’s Antonio Brancalion in February that clinched the EBU belt.
Carl Froch
“The Cobra” confirmed his status as one of the most entertaining fighters in the world by ending the unbeaten record of gifted American Andre Dirrell. Given Dirrell’s subsequent success in Super Six, Froch’s Nottingham decision win is all the more impressive. His second foray in the tournament resulted in a glorious war with Mikkel Kessler in the “Viking’s” Danish den. That Carl came out on the wrong side of a tight and controversial decision should not detract from his frightening thirst for victory.
David Haye
The Bermondsey boy took a trip to Germany in November and returned home as the WBA heavyweight champion after some disciplined boxing extracted the title from the imposing Nikolay Valuev. It was a victory that captured the entire public’s imagination. “Hayemaker” followed that by making exciting and easy work of John Ruiz – a former champion notorious for making life difficult for anyone – with a sublime ninth-round victory.
Amir Khan
Last summer Amir Khan was a flawed lightweight prospect. Today, he can make a very legitimate case for being the planet’s premier light-welterweight. That’s quite a turnaround. In his first stop at 10st, Khan dominated WBA king Andriy Kotelnik (later to push Devon Alexander all the way) before confirming his power and knocking out unbeaten Dmitriy Salita in a round. In May, he took to New York and wowed American audiences by blitzing Paul Malignaggi.
Rendall Munroe
One of Britain’s most consistent fighters of recent years, Munroe fired his performance notch to a new level and secured the world title shot of his dreams. He passed his toughest ever test to close out 2009 by earning a tough decision over world-class Italian Simone Maludrottu in an absorbing war. The European super-bantamweight king then overcame his usual slow start to fizz past Victor Terrazas to set up a Japan date with WBC champion Toshiaki Nishioka in October.
To make your voice heard, simply choose your Boxer of the Year below.