Welcome to The Queensberry Rules’ annual year-end boxing awards, continuing this week. Here’s how we do it around these parts:
The major categories are Knockout of the Year, Round of the Year, Fight of the Year and Fighter of the Year. The final leg, which will finish after, is a pu-pu platter of awards ranging from Trainer of the Year to more frivolous topics.
For each category, we give five finalists, with video and/or relevant info. You tell us if our finalists and honorable mentions are lacking, and give your vote on who you think should win. Maybe you sway us to adjust the list, and maybe you sway us on the eventual winner. On the second day after a category is introduced, we’ll give you the winner and explain why.
So, up now: 2015 Knockout of the Year candidates. Previously: 2015 Fight of the Year candidates; 2015 Round of the Year candidates; 2015 Fight of the Year winner. On deck: 2015 Round of the Year.
2015 KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR FINALISTS (IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)
Zolani Tete-Paul Butler
That’s an uppercut straight from hell.
Mitchell Smith-Antonio Horvatic
Not the world’s most meaningful fight, but the flying mouthpiece and the shots landed on the way down push it into the top five.
James Kirkland-Canelo Alvarez
Anytime you can send someone flying halfway across the ring, you landed a good shot.
Mairis Briedis-Manuel Charr
Manuel Charr got shot twice in 2015 — once by an actual gun, once by that combination.
Gabriel Bracero-Danny O’Connor
Prediction no one offered ever: “When Danny O’Connor and Gabriel Bracero fight, the winner will deliver a Fight of the Year candidate.”
2015 KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR HONORABLE MENTIONS (IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)
Yenifel Vicente-Juan Dominguez
Claudio Marrero-Rico Ramos
Artur Beterbiev-Gabriel Campillo
Felix Verdejo-Josenilson Dos Santos
Takashi Uchiyama-Jomthong Chuwatana
Randall Bailey-Shusaku Fujinaka
Daniel Rosario-Alphonso Black
Amir Imam-Fernando Angulo
Ola Afolabi-Rakhim Chakhkiev
Anthony Joshua-Dillian Whyte
Krzysztof Glowacki-Marco Huck
Dmitry Kudryashov-Francisco Palacios
Erkan Teper-David Price
Luis Ortiz-Matias Vidondo
Alexander Povetkin-Mike Perez
Courtney Blocker-Dominic Goode
Enzo Maccarinelli-Roy Jones
