Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Year, Fans of Beloved Onslaught - Baker's Dozen 2012 "Fight of the Year" Contender Video Links


366 more days pounded into the hippocampus and amygdala, and we arrive at 2013. For our purposes, 2012 was a very fun year in boxing, more often than not. While many choose to dwell on fights that weren't made, cancellations, the many icons who perished, and the roided-out elephant in the room that is suspected rampant performance-enhancing drug usage in the sport, I choose to instead remind fans of the pugilistic gifts we were given. 

Before running down an abridged list of bout that were potentially Fight of the Year-worthy, I would like to quickly thank all new fans and readers of Beloved Onslaught and my work at Queensberry-Rules.com. This site and my readership have grown tremendously over the last year or so, and I appreciate all of the feedback and encouragement I have been given. Even though I am probably obligated to say this, I truly do believe much bigger things will be coming in 2013, both for me and for boxing. Again, thank you all so much for the support. 


Brandon Rios vs. Mike Alvarado was essentially an embodiment of all the things right in boxing today, as I had stated beforehand. No alphabet title was necessary, and no quarter was given. Winner aside, it was difficult to see a bout like that unfolding any other way, and a wave of adrenaline careened across the fabric of the sport for days afterward. 

The above video of Rios-Alvarado (not in English, but good quality) is the only "Best of 2012" award that will be handed out by Beloved Onslaught. It was the best fight of the year, followed closely by Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Manny Pacquiao IV (video)

Others that were considered:

Kazuto Ioka vs. Akira Yaegashi (video)

Marco Huck vs. Ola Afolabi II (video)

Lee Haskins vs. Stephane Jamoye (video)

Marcos Maidana vs. Jesus Soto-Karass (video download)

Floyd Mayweather vs. Miguel Cotto (video)

Orlando Salido vs. Juan Manuel Lopez II (video)

Sergio Martinez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (video)

Josesito Lopez vs. Victor Ortiz (video)

Robert Guerrero vs. Andre Berto (video)

Brian Viloria vs. Hernan Marquez (video)

Mike Alvarado vs. Mauricio Herrera (video)

As you can see, we were given plenty to choose from, even if there were only a handful of true contenders. And these bouts happened all over the calendar, though many went down in the latter half of 2012. 

Here's to an excellent 2013 for all of us fans, both individually and collectively. 

Happy New Year. 

Patrick


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