2008 Review - Boxing's Biggest Upsets
Published January 13, 2009 by Martin Bean
Article by Angel G. Gonzalez.
We are done with 2008. The years just pass by so quickly. I myself was thinking that the undefeated boxers would have their year in '08 but it was quite the opposite. This was the year for the underdogs. Every fighter is going to have his first loss sooner or later, but you would never figure that they were beaten by the guys that were supposed to lose against them. Let's look at the top five upsets this year. Shall we?
5) De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio
With all due respect, everyone knew that the Pacman was going to win the bout. The critics favored De La Hoya. What we didn't expect was for him to make the Golden boy quit. Manny just fought the way we know and love him for; he dominated the whole fight and made one of the biggest names in boxing quit on his stool.
4) Juan Diaz vs. Nate Campbell
I believe in this fight, that the way Diaz fought, it was just lack of motivation. Juan could have still won the fight yet he makes the excuse that there was blood over his eyes. It just looked like to me that he didn't want to fight.
3) Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Magarito
This fight was just a modern classic, though I was a little disappointed with Cotto. Cotto has shown that if he cannot knock you out, he'll find a way to adjust to the particular style and come out victorious. But the problem was Margarito's stamina. Tony just had that legendary stamina to back him up. Tony kept coming regardless of the punishment he was taking on the way in. That was Cotto's biggest problem. THE PRESSURE. If he wanted to, he could have been reckless and thrown over a thousand punches but Margarito fought this fight with the right strategy, he knew that Cotto gets tired later on in the fight, and from the sixth round onwards, he went up a gear. I'm not saying that Margarito wasn't busy, but he sure as hell was getting clocked throughout the first half of the fight. Cotto is one of the biggest punchers in the sport, so if Margarito could take that, then he not only has that legendary stamina, he also has that Evander Holyfield iron chin.
2) Joel Casamayor vs. Michael Katsidis
This one of the biggest upset throughout the year. Michael Katsidis came into the fight with a (23-0-0, 20 KO's) record. Casamayor just looked old and washed up. The first round was what really got my attention. Casamayor knocked down the favoured Katsidis twice in the first round. This really surprised me. Casamayor then had a good second round too. From then on, Katsidis seemed to take control of the bout and he was catching up in the fight. By the sixth round, Katsidis caught Casamayor with a great left hand to the body that Casamayor did not like one bit. Casamayor looked finished and Katsidis not only knocks Casamayor down, but he also knocked him through the ropes! Casamayor took his time to get back in the ring and somehow survived the round. It was going into the later rounds and Katsidis was ahead on points. By the tenth round, everyone knew that Katsidis would get the decision. But in a stunning turnaround, Katsidis runs right into a perfect straight left hand by Casamayor. It knocks Katsidis down, Katsidis looks unsteady. The Australian manages to beat the eight count, but seconds later, Casmayor pounds on him more and finishes him, with a TKO victory - amazing!
1) Kelly Pavlik vs. Bernard Hopkins
This to me was definitely the biggest upset of the year. I am a real Hopkins fan, but I thought that he was in with the real deal here. I thought to myself that this is not a fight for 'The Executioner'. But once again, as he has done many times before, Bernard proved us wrong - remember similar shocks when he beat Trinidad and Tarver? Bernard basically dominated this whole fight. Not only that, but he also had chances to knock the unbeated Pavlik out in the second, seventh, and final round. Hopkins pretty much just took Pavlik, undisputed middleweight champion, to school and taught him to respect his elders. The way that Hopkins dominated this fight was simply astonishing.
My name is Angel Gabriel Gonzalez, and I have been a Die Hard boxing fan since I was a child. If you have any questions or comments about this article, then you can email me @ brooklynnbronx@yahoo.com. If you are trying to find me on myspace, then you can use the email address boxeoboricua4life@yahoo.com.
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