KO Digest Q&A with Tony "The Tiger" Thompson

Will Thompson's arms be raised against Klitschko?

Not many professional fighters get a shot at the legitimate Heavyweight Championship of the World and even fewer fighters get a second shot at that title but if things go according to plan, Washington DC native Tony "The Tiger" Thompson (36-2 w/ 24 KO's) will get his second shot at Wladimir Klitschko and the heavyweight championship of the world this summer. KO Digest caught up with Thompson following the YouTube announcement from Klitschko that he would seek to defend his title against Thompson, most likely in Germany - following his recent destruction of Jean-Marc Mormeck. During the interview, I found Thompson to be articulate, humorous, and perhaps more than anything: confident.


KO Digest: Hi Tony, thank you for taking the time to talk to KO Digest. You must be very excited to be getting a second shot at the heavyweight championship of the world, what can you tell boxing fans about the negotiations for the fight against Wladimir Klitschko?

Tony Thompson: No date or location is set yet, we are in the very early stages of negotiation. I am very excited. I've worked hard to get back to this position, it's been four hard years and I finally made it so I'm ready to be the Heavyweight Champion of the World. I know that he is going to accept my fight, there's been a lot of talk that maybe he'd vacate the IBF title just to avoid me but that's not true. Wladimir has proven to be a great champion and he's showing it again by taking the toughest fighter out there for him and that's me.

KOD: Where would you like the fight to be held?

Thompson: I'd like the fight to be in the back of my yard! I really don't care where the fight winds up. I mean obviously it would be a great thing to win the Heavyweight Champion of the World here in the United States in my hometown of Washington DC but that's far fetched so I'm gonna go wherever I have to go to capture the title.

KOD: How much do you expect your purse to be for this fight?

Thompson: Ha! I really couldn't tell you but he's selling 50,000 tickets. Maybe no HBO TV but he's got plenty of TV. Whatever it is, I'm expecting it to be a raise from the last time.

KOD: How much were you paid last time you fought Wladimir, back in 2008?

Thompson: A little under a million dollars.

KOD: Some might call you an endangered species, an American heavyweight challenging for the Heavyweight Championship of the World. For the people out there across America who have forgotten there is even such a thing as heavyweight boxing, how do you plan to shock the world and return the title to America? 

Thompson: Well, I have a great game-plan, we're putting together a great team. I'm very confident with the skill-set that I have that I can beat Wladimir Klitschko. The biggest thing for me is conditioning. Everything else will take care of itself. Everybody would love to see me bring the title not only back to America but to Washington DC, the nation's capital.

KOD: It's been over ten years since there has been an American heavyweight champion, 22 years since Douglas beat Tyson, and there has been only one southpaw heavyweight champion, do you think about these things and just how historic it would be if you beat Wladimir Klitschko?

Thompson: Most definitely I think about those things - among the other things I have my mind - a guy walking into the gym off the streets, 27 years old, no experience fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world, for the second time. There's just a whole bunch of things there that's just momentous too so I think about it all.

KOD: What will you do differently this time against Klitschko? Will you take more risks? How far are you willing to go to win?

Thompson: They're gonna have to carry me out of the ring. I don't care about getting knocked out, I don't care about getting hurt, damaged. I just want to do what I have to do to knock Wlad out before the 11th round - like he stopped me- I have to stop him before the 11th round. As far as going all out, I've always been a fighter that went all out. The only difference in this fight will be my conditioning. If my conditioning is what it's supposed to be, I'm not injured anymore, believe me I will bring it to Wladimir. I brought it to him as much as I could on one leg, give me two legs and great conditioning and you'll see a lot better Tony The Tiger Thompson!

How it ended in 2008: Klitschko KO11 Thompson

KOD: Were you injured for your first fight against Wlad? Can you elaborate on that?

Thompson: I had a torn meniscus in my right knee and I didn't know it at that time. I just knew my right knee was hurt, and instead of doing the proper roadwork, I didn't do any roadwork. I resorted to other means to get my conditioning and it didn't work. I didn't know any better at the time but experience is a great teacher. I went through it, I've learned from it and I'm coming out wiser. Since the fight, I've had two operations on the knee. After the fight was over I went to see what was wrong with my leg because I knew something was wrong. You're taught as a fighter to fight through pain so I decided to fight through the pain but eventually I had to check and see what was wrong with my knee. I came to find out I had a torn meniscus.

KOD: How is the knee now?

Thompson: It's sound enough where I can get in condition, believe me. I'm able to do roadwork. I'm able to do everything.

KOD: What was the hardest part about fighting Klitschko and how do you get around that this time?

Thompson: The hardest part about fighting him was chasing him. He's a very defensive fighter. He makes you work for every punch that you land on him. That will probably be the hardest part besides being away, out of America, and a little jet-lagged.

KOD: As somebody who has felt it, how you would you describe Wlad's power and how does it compare with the other  fighters you have faced?

Thompson: Wlad is just so immensely strong. I wouldn't say he's a huge puncher even though it translates into punching power. He's just so damn strong, basically he can decapitate you with a punch. But I wouldn't put him in a class of punchers like DaVarryl Williamson whose so much smaller but hits like a brickhouse. Or somebody like a Hasim Rahman who is also immensely strong but has huge punching power to go with his strength.

KOD: What does trainer Emanuel Stewart add to Wladimir Klitschko's game?

Thompson: Emanuel Stewart added so much to the Klitschko style. I know its very exasperating and frustrating for Emanuel that he can't get Wlad to go out there and totally dominate and humiliate people but he did what he could with the temperament that Wlad had. Not just the physical but also the mental and the confidence he's added to him. He taught Wlad so many things from a mental and confidence standpoint and I think it translates into the ring.

KOD: Since your first fight against Wladimir in 2008, who has improved more, you or him?

Thompson: I have definitely improved more as a fighter. I've improved because of him! He is the pinnacle of the division. I learned so much just being in the ring with him, fighting him, being around the whole hoopla of fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world. He's done nothing else  but the norm for him. So I don't know how else he would be able to  improve. I have to give the edge to me just because of the caliber of competition - he's at the top, I fought him. After me he fought nobody even close to me.

KOD: How do you feel Wladimir compares to the great heavyweights of the past?

Thompson: Well, I think that in any era a guy that's 6'6, 250 lbs with the athletics that he has and the punching power, he will give anybody problems. Wlad is very underrated athletically. In history I put him right below Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and George Foreman. Then Wladimir. Obviously Ali is the top choice for me.

KOD: You're from Washington DC, what did you think about the last big fight in DC, Lamont Peterson against Amir Khan?

Thompson: I thought it was great, you could see the city was behind Lamont the whole time, it was electric! Everybody underrates Washington DC as a fight town or even as a sports town. We are some of the best fans a team or a person could have and it showed in Peterson's fight against Khan and it will show again if I get to fight Wlad in DC.

KOD: Are you a boxing fan? Do you follow the sport of boxing closely? Who are some of your favorite fighters?

Thompson: Ever since I started fighting, I follow the sport more. I am a boxing fan but I wouldn't say I'm a boxing historian. I do follow the sport. I started watching boxing when Sugar Ray Leonard was out, people like that. I have people I like in boxing and of course my favorite of all time is Muhammad Ali, and it wasn't even anything to do with boxing, he's my favorite boxer but it went so much beyond what he did in the ring. Lamont Peterson, Ty Barnett, Seth Mitchell, a bunch of my homeboys, those are my favorite fighters right now outside of somebody like an all time great like Floyd Mayweather.

KOD: How did you first get into boxing?

Thompson: Back in 1999, I was just living around in the peaks of my life wondering what I was going to do to make enough money to support my kids. My dream actually was to become a police officer, but once I got into a bit of trouble with a police officer, that dream was squashed so I needed another way to provide for my family. I just had to find something I was good at and obviously I was good at kicking people's ass, so I translate that into money.

Tony The Tiger

KOD: How did you get the nickname Tony The Tiger?

Thompson: Something my kids came up with.

I have a tattoo of a tiger on my right arm. I'm a fan of Big Cats, everybody who knows me knows that. I'm also a big fan of Frosted Flakes, which we were eating for breakfast and one of the kids said 'why not be Tony The Tiger?' - it works for me and it's been that way ever since.

KOD: What is your life like outside the ring?

Thompson: I'm a married man with 7 kids, 2 dogs and a huge extended family. I'm a regular Joe. I bowl on Thursdays in a league. I golf when I get a chance with a whole bunch of buddies. I'm just a regular Joe, nothing special.

KOD: As a professional fighter who is active on Facebook, what are the pros and cons of social media from your perspective?

Thompson: The benefits are being able to let your fans know about your upcoming events or anything that's coming up that might include you, if you're a fan. You're right there listening to fans opinions which you might not agree with all the time  so you have to be able to temper your attitude down and understand, it's just an opinion.

KOD: How do you respond to critics who say you are a boring fighter who doesn't deserve a second shot at the heavyweight title and that you're just going to lose again anyway?

Thompson: Well, if you think I'm a boring fighter, guess what? I used to think I was a boring fighter too! But I think people have to rate me on a curve. I haven't been fighting since I was 10 years old. I started fighting as a grown man. I'm still in the infancy of my learning curve. But having said that, I still think I'm doing great. Critics can say I'm boring or whatever - my temperament is my temperament. I'm coming out of that shell a little more, I'm being a lot more aggressive. I'm knocking people out now. Just sit back and wait, the best is yet to come. Even though I'm at this advanced age, I've always taken care of my body. I'm not beat up. The best Tony Thompson is still yet to come. It might look awkward but it's going to be effective. I am going to win with this style.

KOD: How exactly did you get into this position, as the #1 IBF contender?

Thompson: Eddie Chambers cancelled twice. The IBF made the right decision by declaring me the IBF #1 contender because I already dispatched of a very underwhelming Maurice Harris in a 4-man competition. There is nobody left to fight. It was just me so they did the right thing.

KOD: Do you feel you deserve this title shot over fighters like Arreola, Dimitrenko, and Boytsov, boxers rated in the top 10 by Ring Magazine?

Thompson: Listen, who did those guys fight? It's not for me to say what I deserve. It's for the organizations to say. They saw fit to make me the mandatory challenger so obviously I did deserve it in their eyes and that's all that counts. It does not matter who thinks I don't deserve a title shot. The IBF said I am the top rated contender and here I am.

KOD: Do you have to beat both Klitschkos to become heavyweight champion of the world or does beating Wlad make you THE champ?

Thompson: Beating Wlad makes me the Heavyweight Champion of the World. Beating both of them makes me a legend.

KOD: How long do you think you will be fighting?

Thompson: About five more years, I think I can fight legitimately until I'm 45.

KOD: You've described winning the heavyweight championship of the word as your dream. What is that dream like for you?

Thompson: It's an incredible dream. This is not something I picked up as a kid saying I want to be heavyweight champion of the world - no. It's something that came on later in life and once I started competing in this sport my focus was incredible. To accomplish something this big with that type of focus, with such a late start, would be absolutely monumentous! And to bring the title back to America, I mean, how big would that be?

KOD: How do you envision your life changing if you win the championship?

Thompson: I'd be a lot busier, people asking me to do things, be places. But other than that I don't see my life changing too much. I have a great life, I love my life. I don't require a whole bunch of material things. I just want to make sure my kids get secure. I'm going to go on being the same boring Tony The Tiger Thompson outside of the ring. I'm a very boring person outside the ring so I know how that translates into the ring.

KOD: What is your official prediction for the fight?

Thompson: Tony Thompson inside of ten!

The 2012 New England Open Class Championships

2012 New England Heavyweight Champ Sean Bettencourt

LOWELL MA - Lowell Golden Glove New England Open Class Tournament of Champions (2/22/12) FINALS results. Female 119 lbs: Melanie Costa W4 Nephateria Miller. Female 125 lbs: Rashida Ellis W4 Liz Leddy. Male results as follows. 123 lbs: William Foster W3 Elijah Peixoto. 132 lbs: Tim Ramos W3 Anthony Marsella. 141 lbs: James Perella W3 Rashidi Ellis. 165 lbs: Gerald Schifone W3 Khiary Gray Pitts. 178 lbs: KJ Harrison Lombardi W3 Jason Bukanowski. 201: Sean Bettencourt W3 Bryan Daniels

The Thomas F. Costello Trophy for outstanding boxer goes to James Perella. The Rocky Marciano Trophy for the New England Open Class Tournament Heavyweight Champion goes to Sean Bettencourt. The William "Bill" Hoar Memorial New England Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions Team Trophy is awarded to Southern New England. 

KO Digest Fight of the Night: Sean Bettencourt W3 Bryan Daniels
Fighting at a significant weight disadvantage and with an injured tendon in his right hand, Sean Bettencourt upset the odds by defeating Bryan Daniels via decision to win the 2012 New England Open Class Heavyweight Championship. Bettencourt hurt the larger Daniels in the 1st, forcing a standing 8-count and he connected with several strong right hands in the 3rd to secure the victory.

Click HERE for 2/22/12 Pictures!

The Lowell Golden Gloves Box

Lowell Golden Gloves RESULTS from February 21st (2/21/12) In the opening round of the New England Open Class Tournament of Champions, results are as follows. Female 119 lbs: Melanie Costa W4 Amanda Provone. The following results are all male. 123 lbs: Isaiah Peixoto W3 John Lopez, Williams Foster W3 Jonathan Perez. 132 lbs: Tim Ramos W3 Josh Bickford, Anthony Marsella W3 Edwin Cotto. 141 lbs: James Perella W3 Casey Kramlich, Rashidi Ellis W3 Zack Ramsey. 152 lbs: Richard Ford W3 Alejandro Rendon, Jon Smith W3 Greg Vendetti. 165 lbs: Gerald Schifone W3 Emmanuel Figueroa, Khiary Gray Pitts TKO2 John Janiszyn (RSC at 1:21 of round 2). 178 lbs: Kevin Harrison-Lombardi W3 Moises Marrero, Jason Bakanowski TKO3 Dan Magistrali. 201: Sean Bettencourt TKO2 Jason Carrier (RSC at 1:14 of round 2)

KO Digest Fight of the Night: Cory Matthews W3 Jay Lussier
In a fight for the novice class New England 178 lb title, Cory Matthews dropped Jay Lussier hard in the first round with a right cross to the chin. Lussier beat the count and for the next two rounds these two warriors went toe-to-toe in an all-out slugfest, much to the delight of the fans! Matthews wins a hard fought, well deserved split decision to take fight of the night honors.

Click HERE for 2/21/12 Pictures!

Congratulations to all the newly crowned Golden Gloves Champions, and good luck moving forward!

2012 Lowell Golden Gloves New England Open Class Male Champions:

123 lbs: William Foster from New Haven, CT representing Ring One Boxing and Western New England
132 lbs: Tim Ramos from Framingham, MA representing Bancroft Boxing and Central New England
141 lbs: James Perella from Mansfield, MA representing Manfredo's Gym and Southern New England
152 lbs: Jon Smith from Cranston, R.I. representing Manfredo's Gym and Southern New England
165 lbs: Gerald Schifone from Brockton, MA representing Big East Boxing and Southern New England
178 lbs: KJ Harrison-Lombardi from E. Providence, R.I. representing Manfredo's Gym and Southern New England
201 lbs: Sean Bettencourt from Stoughton, MA representing Big East Boxing and Southern New England
201+ lbs: Owen Minor from Worcester, MA representing Camp Get Right and Central New England.

2012 Lowell Golden Gloves New England Open Class Female Champions:

119 lbs: Melanie Costa from Norton, MA representing Cruz Boxing and Southern New England
125 lbs: Rashida Ellis from Lynn, MA representing  Sommerville Boxing and Central New England

The 2012 New England Golden Glove Novice Championships

165 lb New England Novice Class Champion Adam Paolino

Lowell Golden Gloves RESULTS from February 10th (2/10/12) In the opening round of the New England Novice Class Championships, results are as follows. Female 119 lbs: Elizabeth Erna W3 Rinisha Soto. The following matches were all male class. 123 lbs: Isaiah Peixoto W3 Richard Wetherell, Dominic Lessieur W3 Edgar Figueroa. 132 lbs: Francis Cotto W3 Nick Anderson, Ricardo Dellasantos W3 Ranse Andino. 141 lbs: Luis Mendiola W3 Matt Doherty (Doherty knocked down in 2nd), Roberto Colon W3 Alex Hight. 152 lbs: Jayson Richter W3 Jonathan Figueroa, Kevin Weeks W3 Angel Ortiz Santos. 165 lbs: Adam Paolino W3 Miguel Figueroa, Alexander Juarez W3 Jacob Sleeper. 178 lbs: Jay Lussier W3 Conrad Diaz, Cory Matthews W3 Ed Worley. 201: No fights. 201 plus: Donald Smith W3 Dylan Mess, Cassius Chaney W3 Ben Santos.

KO Digest Fight of the Night: Dominic Lessieur W3 Edgar Figueroa
West End Gym's Dominic Lessieur showed the fans why trainer Joey Ramalho thinks he might be a future World Champion. The first round was close but the crowd favorite Lessieur made the right adjustments in the second and third putting on a boxing and punching clinic to convincingly defeat Figueroa with an impressive performance to advance to the final round of the New England Novice Class Championships.

123 lb New England Novice Class Champion Dominic Lessieur

Lowell Golden Gloves RESULTS from February 16th (2/16/12) In the FINAL round of the New England Novice Class Championships, results are as follows. Female 112 lbs: Kelsey Kaiser W3 Kristina Carvillo. Female 119 lbs: Elizabeth Erna W3 Marcia Agripino. Female 132 lbs: Misty Gray W3 Kathy Urenick. Female 165 lbs: Alana Royale W3 Maureen O'Brien. ~ Following results are all Male. 114 lbs: Nathaniel Bettencourt W3 Jonathan Carrasco. 123 lbs: Dominic Lessieur TKO2 Isaiah Peixoto (RSC 1:14 of 2nd round). 132 lbs: Ricardo Dellasantos W3 Francis Cotto. 141 lbs: Luis Mendiola W3 Roberto Colon. 152 lbs: Jayson Richter W3 Kevin Weeks (Richter knocked down in the 1st). 165 lbs: Adam Paolino W3 Alexander Juarez. 178 lbs: Cory Matthews W3 Jay Lussier (Lussier knocked down in the 1st). 201 lbs: Brandon Montella W3 Justin Kennie. 201 plus: Cassius Chaney W3 Donald Smith.

KO Digest Fight of the Night: Cory Matthews W3 Jay Lussier
In a fight for the novice class New England 178 lb title, Cory Matthews dropped Jay Lussier hard in the first round with a left hook. Lussier beat the count and for the next two rounds these two warriors went toe-to-toe in an all-out slugfest, much to the delight of the fans! Matthews wins a hard fought, well deserved split decision to take fight of the night honors as well as the novice class New England 178 lb title.

For Pictures click HERE and/or HERE

Male Novice Class New England Champions:

114 lbs: Nathaniel Bettencourt from Worcester, MA representing Central New England
123 lbs: Dominic Lessieur from Lowell, MA representing Central New England
132 lbs: Ricardo Dellasantos from Pawtucket, RI representing Southern New England
141 lbs: Luis Mendiola from Bridgeport, CT representing Western New England
152 lbs: Jayson Richter from Portland, ME representing Northern New England
(Richter named the Outstanding Novice Class Boxer by USA New England Boxing)
165 lbs: Adam Paolino from Warwick, RI representing Southern New England
178 lbs: Cory Matthews from St. Johnsbury, VT representing Northern New England
201 lbs: Brandon Montella from Malden, MA representing Central New England
201+ lbs: Cassius Chaney from New London, CT representing Western New England

Female Novice Class New England Champions: 

112 lbs: Kelsey Kaiser from Uncasville, CT representing Western New England
119 lbs: Elizabeth Erna from S. Boston, MA representing Central New England
132 lbs: Misty Gray from Amesbury, MA representing Central New England
165 lbs: Alana Royale from E. Hartford, CT representing Western New England

2012 Lowell Golden Gloves Roll Call of Champions

Novice Class Heavyweight Champion Brandon Montella

The preliminary, quarterfinal, and semifinal rounds are over at the 66th Annual 2012 Lowell Golden Gloves and there are new Lowell Champions to be named as the tournament now heads into the New England Novice Championships and the much anticipated New England Open Class Tournament of Champions. What follows is a list of all the newly crowned Lowell Champions broken down by weight class into male, female, open, and novice class divisions. Novice Class Champions advance to the New England Novice Class Championships and will face off against the other Novice Class Champions from around the region and likewise the Open Class Champions advance to the New England Open Class Tournament of Champions where they will face off against other Open Class Champions from the New England area.


The New England Novice Championships are scheduled for Friday February 10th and Thursday February 16th. The New England Open Class Tournament of Champions will take place on Tuesday February 21st and Wednesday February 22nd. For tickets contact the Lowell Memorial Auditorium Box Office at 978-454-2299.

Male Novice Class Lowell Champions:

123 lbs: Dominic Lessieur from Lowell, MA representing Ramalho's West End Gym
132 lbs: Ranse Andino from Worcester, MA representing Camp Get Right
141 lbs: Matt Doherty from Beverly, MA representing Ramalho's West End Gym
152 lbs: Angel Ortiz Santos Worcester, MA representing the Worcester Boys & Girls Club
165 lbs: Miguel Figueroa from Boston, MA representing the S. Boston Boxing Club
178 lbs: Ed Worley from Lowell, MA representing Ramalho's West End Gym
201 lbs: Brandon Montella from Malden, MA representing the Cyr Farrell Boxing Club
201+ lbs: Dylan Mess from Cambridge, MA representing the Cambridge Y Boxing Club

Male Open Class Lowell Champions:

114 lbs: Nathaniel Bettencourt from Worcester, MA representing the Worcester Boys & Girls Club
123 lbs: Jonathan Perez from Lowell, MA representing Ramalho's West End Gym
132 lbs: Tim Ramos from Framingham, MA representing Bancroft Boxing
141 lbs: Rashidi Ellis from Lynn, MA representing Somerville Boxing Club & trained by Rivera Bros
152 lbs: Greg Vendetti from Stoneham, MA representing Tomesello's Boxing
165 lbs: Khiary Gray Pitts from Worcester, MA representing Camp Get Right
201 lbs: Brian Daniels from Worcester, MA representing the Worcester Boys & Girls Club

Female Novice Class Lowell Champions:

119 lbs: Elizabeth Erna from South Boston, MA representing the Peter Welch Boxing Club
132 lbs: Misty Gray from Amesbury, MA representing the Sweatbox Gym
152 lbs: Maureen O'Brien from Hull, MA representing the Cyr Farrell Boxing Club
165 lbs: Alina Nalbandian from Belmont, MA representing the Sweatbox Gym

Female Open Class Lowell Champion:

119 lbs: Amanda Pavone from Burlington, MA representing the Peter Welch Boxing Club

Congratulations to all the new Lowell Champions and good luck moving forward into the New England Championships!

Images & Words by Jeffrey Freeman

The 2012 Lowell Golden Gloves

The Historic Lowell Memorial Auditorium

Lowell, MA -  Images & Words by Jeffrey Freeman

Rejoice fight fans, the 66th annual Lowell Golden Gloves amateur boxing tournament kicks off tonight at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium, the very same building in Lowell, MA where boxing greats like Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, and Mike Tyson all fought as young amateurs.

Micky Ward, Dickie Eklund, and the rest of Lowell's Finest all fought there. It's where Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach fought his last professional fight in 1986, losing a ten round decision to David Rivello. The great tradition of boxing in the Mill City continues and KO Digest will be there to cover it.

New England Golden Gloves Director Bobby Russo told KO Digest that applications this year to fight in the Lowell Golden Gloves were numerous and that he hopes to offer at least ten preliminary bouts on the tournament's opening night. According to the website www.usaboxingnewengland.org, there are 19 opening round fights scheduled for opening night but Russo expressed concerns that weather and human variables could bring that number down considerably by the opening bell at 7:30pm.

No bad seat in the house at the Lowell Golden Gloves!

Sponsored by the Lowell Sun Charities, the Lowell Golden Gloves tournament runs through January and into February. After countless punches have been thrown in the name of sport and charity, the Lowell Golden Gloves concludes on February 22nd with the New England Open Class Tournament of Champions.

Preliminaries matches are January 13th, 17th, and 27th. Novice & Open Semi-Finals are January 31st. Novice & Open Finals are February 7th. The New England Novice Championships are February 10th and 16th. The New England Open Class Tournament of Champions is February 21st and 22nd.

Randy Frechette paints during Golden Gloves opening night

Lowell Golden Gloves RESULTS from January 13th (1/13/12) Preliminary round Novice class are as follows. 141 lbs: Evangel Maggiolo W3 Ryan Madden, Brian Allen W3 Fabio Dambrose, Matt Doherty W3 Durin Colucci, Mike Campanella W3 Ed Lee. 152 lbs: Vincent Dilorio W3 Paul Treano, Angel Ortiz Santos W3 Tyler Cochran, Chris Boyle TKO2 Javin Gore. 165 lbs: Brian Kennedy W3 James Johnson, Miguel Figuera W3 Robert Butler, Chris McCue W3 Carl Gustafson. 178 lbs: Raphael Rivera W3 Elizamanuel Urena, Andy Medina W3 Nick Provencher.

KO Digest Fight of the Night: Chris Boyle TKO2 Javin Gore
Click for fight PICTURES (1/13/12)

The finished artwork of Randy Frechette

Lowell Golden Gloves RESULTS from January 17th (1/17/12) Quarterfinals Novice class are as follows. 132 lbs: Oscar Vergara W3 Melvin Garcia, Range Andino W3 Chad Kelly. 141 lbs: Frank Maggiolo W3 David Bonefont, Mike Campanella W3 Patrick Murphy (Murphy penalized a point for losing his mouthpiece.) 152 lbs: Jeff Houne W3 Vincent Dilorio, Angel Santos Ortiz W3 Tony Salvador, Chris Boyle Technical W2 Miquel Chavez (fight stopped due to both fighters bleeding from the nose, fight went to scorecards after two rounds) 165 lbs: John Navien W3 Angel Vasquez, Brian Kennedy W3 Tves Thruenin, Miguel Figueroa W3 Keith Holmes. 178 lbs: Shawn Murray W3 Noel Medina, John Rosa W3 Raphael Rivera, Brian Shwartz W3 Andy Medina, and Ed Worley W3 Eziquer Zayas.


KO Digest Fight of the Night: Angel Ortiz Santos W3 Tony Salvador.
Lots of great toe-to-toe exchanges!
Click here for PICTURES (1/17/12) 

The legendary Tony DeMarco acknowledges Gloves fans!

Lowell Golden Gloves RESULTS from January 27th (1/27/12) Female Novice Semi-Finals are as follows. 112 lbs: Christina Carvilla W3 Sarah Walsh. 132 lbs: Misty Gray W3 Kimberly Wabik. 152 lbs: Liz Figueroa W3 Indya Sheehan. Male Novice Semi-Finals are as follows. 123 lbs: Domenic Lessieur W3 Jose Rivera. 141 lbs: Matt Doherty W3 Frank Maggiolo (Maggiolo knocked down in the 2nd), Kin Moy W3 Mike Campanella (Campanella hit low twice in the 3rd.) 152 lbs: Angel Santos Ortiz TKO3 Jeff Hong (1:49 of 3rd round, ref stops fight after two standing 8-counts.) 165 lbs: John Navien W3 Gerald Rhude, Brian Kennedy W3 Shawn Murray, Miguel Figueroa W3 Ruso Rhubeiashuiz. Heavyweights: Brandon Montella W3 Vlad Duda (Duda rocked by a strong left hook in 2nd round), Jose Cabrera W3 Jonathan Tannian. Open Class Quarter-Finals are as follows. 152 lbs: Greg Vendetti W3 James Murrin, Joe Farina TKO1 Dennis Leach (0:58 of the 1st round.) 165 lbs: Joe Spinelli W3 Mike Mitrowski (Mitrowski down in the 1st, took two standing 8-counts in the 3rd round.)

KO Digest Fight of the Night: Greg Vendetti W3 James Murrin
Very entertaining, back and forth fight!
Click here for PICTURES (1/27/11)

Three novice class fighters from the 2012 Lowell Golden Gloves who have so far distinguished themselves in the preliminary round are Angel Ortiz Santos, Miguel Figueroa, and Brian Kennedy. The trio are each 3-0 with each having won on all 3 nights of the tournament so far. Santos (152) fights out of the Worcester B&G Club, Figueroa (165) fights out of the S. Boston Boxing Club, and Kennedy (165) fights out of the In the Ring Fitness Gym. Looks like Figueroa and Kennedy might be on a collision course!

West End's Matt Doherty wins big in the fight of the night!

Lowell Golden Gloves RESULTS from January 31st (1/31/12) Male semi-final novice class are as follows. 114 lbs: Nathaniel Bettencourt W3 Omar Padilla. 165 lbs: Brian Kennedy W3 John Navien. 178 lbs: Ed Worley W3 Brian Swartz. Heavyweight: Brandon Montella W3 Jose Cabrera. Female semi-final novice class as follows. 152 lbs: Maureen O'Brien W3 Melissa Kelly. Female novice class FINALS results as follows. 119 lbs: Elizabeth Erna W3 Kate Durgin. 132 lbs: Misty Gray W3 Alycia Moulton. Male novice class FINALS results as follows. 132 lbs: Ranse Andino W3 Oscar Vergara. 141 lbs: Matt Doherty W3 Kin Moy. Open class semi-finals results as follows. 152 lbs: Greg Vendetti W3 Aaron Petrocelli, Joe Farina W3 Joe Meuse. 165 lbs: John Xifaris W3 Neal Sullivan, Khiary Gray Pitts W3 Joe Spinelli. Female Open class semi-final results as follows. 119 lbs: Roberta Pappas W4 Bunthy Chhiu-Lim  

KO Digest Fight of the Night: Matt Doherty W3 Kin Moy
Both of these fighters box and do Mixed Martial Arts. They fought an amateur MMA fight last year and Moy won that fight by decision. Doherty won the boxing match tonight on the strength of his persistent and effective aggression. Good, entertaining fight. Doherty wins the male Novice Class 141 lb Lowell title.
Click here for PICTURES (1/31/12)    

Alina Nalbandian rallies to win the Fight of the Night!

Lowell Golden Gloves RESULTS from February 7th (2/7/12) Female novice class FINALS results as follows. 152 lbs: Maureen O'Brien W3 Liz Figueroa. 165 lbs: Alina Nalbandian W3 Rebecca Murray. Female open class FINALS result as follows. 119 lbs: Amanda Provone W4 Roberta Pappas. Male novice class FINALS result as follows. 123 lbs: Dominic Lessieur W3 Edwin Rivera. 152 lbs: Angel Ortiz Santos W3 Chris Boyle. 165 lbs: Miguel Figueroa W3 Brian Kennedy. 178 lbs: Ed Worley W3 John Rosa. 201 lbs: Brandon Montella W3 Chris Massero. 201+ lbs: Dylan Mess W3 Matt Moran. Male open class FINALS results as follows. 123 lbs: Jonathan Perez W3 Frederick Mercardo. 132 lbs: Tim Ramos W3 David Semprit. 141 lbs: Rashidi Ellis W3 Julio Perez. 152 lbs: Greg Vendetti W3 Joe Farina. 165 lbs: Khiary Gray Pitts TKO1 John Xifaris (1:51 of the 1st, RSC) ~ Also, Nathaniel Bettencourt wins the 114 lbs novice FINALS by default when his opponent Ben Au did not show up and Brian Daniels wins the 201 lbs open FINALS by default when his opponent John Roach did not show up.

KO Digest Fight of the Night: Alina Nalbandian W3 Rebecca Murray
Murray was having her way with Nalbandian for the first two rounds, landing solid rights to the head of her opponent with regularity. In the third round, Nalbandian pulled off a huge rally and hurt a tiring Murray with several head shots of her own forcing Murray to at one point turn her back before she was administered a standing eight count by the referee. Nalbandian wins the 165 lb female novice class Lowell title with a come from behind split decision win. 
Click here for PICTURES (2/7/12) 

Total Wins by GYM:

Ramalho’s West End Gym: (10), Peter Welch Boxing Club: (7), South Boston Boxing Club: (6), Cyr Farrell Boxing Club: (5), Ionic Worcester Boys & Girls Club: (5), Nonantum Boxing Club: (4), In the Ring Fitness: (4), Camp Get Right: (4), Total Performance Gym: (3), Sweatbox Gym: (3), Tomesello's Boxing: (3), Averill’s: (2), Intenze 978 Gym: (2), Rivera Brothers: (1), Sommerville Boxing Club: (2), Nashua PAL: (1), The Ring Boxing Club: (1), Lawrence Boxing Club: (1), Redline Sports (1), Hudson Boxing: (1), Bancroft Boxing: (1), Cambridge Y Boxing Club: (1), and Grealish Boxing: (1)

Jackie Morrell gives pre-fight instructions

Lowell Golden Gloves RESULTS from February 10th (2/10/12) In the opening round of the New England Novice Class Championships, results are as follows. Female 119 lbs: Elizabeth Erna W3 Rinisha Soto. The following matches were all male class. 123 lbs: Isaiah Peixoto W3 Richard Wetherell, Dominic Lessieur W3 Edgar Figueroa. 132 lbs: Francis Cotto W3 Nick Anderson, Ricardo Dellasantos W3 Ranse Andino. 141 lbs: Luis Mendiola W3 Matt Doherty (Doherty knocked down in 2nd), Roberto Colon W3 Alex Hight. 152 lbs: Jayson Richter W3 Jonathan Figueroa, Kevin Weeks W3 Angel Ortiz Santos. 165 lbs: Adam Paolino W3 Miguel Figueroa, Alexander Juarez W3 Jacob Sleeper. 178 lbs: Jay Lussier W3 Conrad Diaz, Cory Matthews W3 Ed Worley. 201: No fights. 201 plus: Donald Smith W3 Dylan Mess, Cassius Chaney W3 Ben Santos.

KO Digest Fight of the Night: Dominic Lessieur W3 Edgar Figueroa
West End Gym's Dominic Lessieur showed the fans tonight why trainer Joey Ramalho thinks he might be a future World Champion. The first round was close but the crowd favorite Lessieur made the right adjustments in the second and third putting on a boxing and punching clinic to convincingly defeat Figueroa with an impressive performance to advance to the final round of the New England Novice Class Championships.

Trainer Tom Janc and his fighter Brandon Montella

Lowell Golden Gloves RESULTS from February 16th (2/16/12) In the FINAL round of the New England Novice Class Championships, results are as follows. Female 112 lbs: Kelsey Kaiser W3 Kristina Carvillo. Female 119 lbs: Elizabeth Erna W3 Marcia Agripino. Female 132 lbs: Misty Gray W3 Kathy Urenick. Female 165 lbs: Alana Royale W3 Maureen O'Brien. ~ Following results are all Male. 114 lbs: Nathaniel Bettencourt W3 Jonathan Carrasco. 123 lbs: Dominic Lessieur TKO2 Isaiah Peixoto (RSC 1:14 of 2nd round). 132 lbs: Ricardo Dellasantos W3 Francis Cotto. 141 lbs: Luis Mendiola W3 Roberto Colon. 152 lbs: Jayson Richter W3 Kevin Weeks (Richter knocked down in the 1st). 165 lbs: Adam Paolino W3 Alexander Juarez. 178 lbs: Cory Matthews W3 Jay Lussier (Lussier knocked down in the 1st). 201 lbs: Brandon Montella W3 Justin Kennie. 201 plus: Cassius Chaney W3 Donald Smith.

KO Digest Fight of the Night: Cory Matthews W3 Jay Lussier
In a fight for the novice class New England 178 lb title, Cory Matthews dropped Jay Lussier hard in the first round with a right cross to the chin. Lussier beat the count and for the next two rounds these two warriors went toe-to-toe in an all-out slugfest, much to the delight of the fans! Matthews wins a hard fought, well deserved split decision to take fight of the night honors.

Heavyweight Sean Bettencourt advances with a big KO!

Lowell Golden Gloves RESULTS from February 21st (2/21/12) In the opening round of the New England Open Class Tournament of Champions, results are as follows. Female 119 lbs: Melanie Costa W4 Amanda Pavone. The following results are all male. 123 lbs: Elijah Peixoto W3 John Lopez, Williams Foster W3 Jonathan Perez. 132 lbs: Tim Ramos W3 Josh Bickford, Anthony Marsella W3 Edwin Cotto. 141 lbs: James Perella W3 Casey Kramlich, Rashidi Ellis W3 Zack Ramsey. 152 lbs: Richard Ford W3 Alejandro Rendon, Jon Smith W3 Greg Vendetti. 165 lbs: Gerald Schifone W3 Emmanuel Figueroa, Khiary Gray Pitts TKO2 John Janiszyn (RSC at 1:21 of round 2). 178 lbs: Kevin Harrison-Lombardi W3 Moises Marrero, Jason Bakanowski TKO3 Dan Magistrali. 201: Sean Bettencourt TKO2 Jason Carrier (RSC at 1:14 of round 2)

KO Digest Fight of the Night: Gerald Schifone W3 Emmanuel Figueroa
The first two rounds were close and competitive but in the third round things really got cooking as Brockton native Gerald Schifone came on strong with several vicious uppercuts and a great body attack to secure a decision victory to advance to the final round of the Open Class England Tournament of Champions in the 165 lb division.  

Click HERE for Pictures (2/21/12) 

123 lb New England Open Class Champion William Foster

Lowell Golden Glove New England Open Class Tournament of Champions FINALS results from February 22nd (2/22/12) Female 119 lbs: Melanie Costa W4 Nephateria Miller. Female 125 lbs: Rashida Ellis W4 Liz Leddy. Male results as follows. 123 lbs: William Foster W3 Elijah Peixoto. 132 lbs: Tim Ramos W3 Anthony Marsella. 141 lbs: James Perella W3 Rashidi Ellis. 165 lbs: Gerald Schifone W3 Khiary Gray Pitts. 178 lbs: KJ Harrison Lombardi W3 Jason Bukanowski. 201: Sean Bettencourt W3 Bryan Daniels ~ Thomas F. Costello Trophy for outstanding boxer goes to James Perella. The Rocky Marciano Trophy for the New England Open Class Tournament Heavyweight Champion goes to Sean Bettencourt. The Williams "Bill" Hoar Memorial New England Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions Team Trophy is awarded to Southern New England.   

KO Digest goes Beyond the Badge in 2012!

Beyond the Badge

By Jeffrey Freeman - As the writer, editor, and creator of KO Digest, I'm very pleased and proud to announce that KO Digest will be expanding from the cyber page to the printed page in 2012! That's right boxing fans, KO Digest will now appear regularly in a newspaper style publication called Beyond the Badge! With a readership of over 100,000 people within the New England law enforcement community, Beyond the Badge is a great opportunity for KO Digest to grow and reach a wider and more diverse audience.

As a writer, what can I say, it's a dream come true! Perhaps a quick refresher course is in order on the history of KO Digest and how we (and I) got to this point. As a boxing fan for 30 years (getting my start in 1981 at age 11 in Brockton, Massachusetts) I began to get involved in writing about boxing in 2009 when social media websites really started making it very easy for me to interact with other boxing fans and people within the boxing community. I would mostly blog on Facebook, primarily on the Ring Magazine page.

I was trying very hard to get noticed by somebody who might be able to help me get even more involved.

Around this same time, I reunited with an old boxing friend of mine, Edwin Ayala, and this reunion was a huge source of inspiration for me! I learned that my old friend was suffering from a rare and incurable disease and that this disease was slowly but surely robbing him of his ability to communicate, among other things. I realized that as much as I was doing what I was doing for me, I was doing it just as much for my friend. I wanted to give him a voice, a forum, and an outlet for all the boxing related stuff that we had in common as young boxing fans growing up in Brockton in the 80's & 90's. It may sound corny, but I wanted to make OUR dreams of youth come true and on April 16th, 2011 it did, as we attended our first live fight together as credentialed boxing reporters. That fight was Victor Ortiz against Andre Berto at the MGM Grand in Foxwoods, Connecticut. It was also the 2011 Fight of the Year!

Ace Ayala, Kevin Rooney, and I in 1993

But let's back up a bit. In January of 2011, I was contacted by the owner of a small boxing website and he asked me if I wanted to write about boxing for his site. My plan was working! This was a great first opportunity for me and it really lit a fire under my ass. By the end of the year, I had become truly involved in the boxing media and was looking to take things to the next level. The problem now was that I was quickly outgrowing the small website I was writing for.

Citing creative differences, I parted ways with that website in October 2011 and decided to make a go of it on my own. With some invaluable assistance from a friend and boxing publicist named Bob Trieger, I was able to make the transition work with my own boxing website and with my own presence in the boxing media community. Honestly, it was scary to make that change, but it was worth it and I am so glad that I did it.

In December 2011, I wrote a story that would open a new door for me and for KO Digest. That story was Lowell's Finest, my take on the best boxers ever from Lowell, Massachusetts. The story was an instant hit and the feedback was great. For the first time since I started writing about boxing, I could really tell that people were actually reading my work and that the good word about KO Digest was getting out. Traffic to the site was increasing daily and the Lowell's Finest story very quickly became the single most viewed article I had ever written and published. In addition, the KO Digest Facebook page www.Facebook.com/KODigest was also taking off and it quickly became one of the hottest spots on social media for boxing news and talk. Once again, my plan was working!

Enter Beyond the Badge! One of KO Digest's readers and friends on Facebook is a local boxing fan named Jerry Flynn. Unknown to me at the time was the fact that Mr. Flynn publishes a local paper for members of the New England law enforcement community called Beyond the Badge. Initially, Jerry provided some of the critical feedback for the Lowell's Finest story and just when I was ready to move along to the next story and leave Lowell's Finest in the hands of the readers to debate, Jerry asked me if I wanted to write a monthly boxing column for his publication! Sensing a perfect fit, I quickly accepted and began work on my first article for Beyond the Badge. My hope is that readers of Beyond the Badge will enjoy reading it as much as I know I enjoyed writing it. I'm truly looking forward to bringing boxing news and information to my brand new audience! The law enforcement community can be a tough crowd and I know this but I'm up to the challenge.

Thanks again to Jerry Flynn for this amazing opportunity. KO Digest salutes you sir!

And so as KO Digest grows and expands, I also want to thank everybody who has helped me make it what is today and what I hope to make it in the future: the very best boxing website online, a friendly place where fans of all ages and from all generations can interact on the greatest sport of all, professional boxing! And the next time somebody tells you that boxing is dead and that they haven't seen boxing in the paper for years, tell them to go pick up a copy of Beyond the Badge!

Boxing writer Jeffrey Freeman is originally from the City of Champions, Brockton, Massachusetts.

 

The KO Digest 2011 Boxing Awards!

Ortiz kicks off a great 2011 with Berto

Simply put, 2011 was a great year for the sport of boxing. 

There were great fights, great upsets, great rounds, and one totally unforgettable knockout. It was a year that saw the return of Floyd Mayweather to boxing, the third fight in the epic Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez trilogy, and not one but two defenses of the World Middleweight Championship by Sergio Martinez. Stars like Nonito Donaire, Miguel Cotto, and Andre Ward shined bright. Future stars like James Kirkland and Gary Russell Jr made impressive statements. The year was not without it's share of controversies and bad decisions but this is boxing we're talking about. It comes with the territory and keeps things interesting. As boxing years go, 2011 was truly stellar. So as the year draws to a close, we look back at the very best the sport had to offer and present the KO Digest 2011 Boxing Year End Awards. 

KO of the Year: Floyd Mayweather KO4 Victor Ortiz

2011 KO of the Year: Hands Down!

Say what you will about the strange circumstances surrounding this infamous knockout, but the fact of the matter is that no other knockout in 2011 resonated with the general public and with boxing fans the way that Floyd Mayweather's fourth round demolition of Victor Ortiz did.

After surviving a flagrant headbutt from a frustrated Victor Ortiz in the fourth round, Floyd Mayweather waited for just the right moment when Victor Ortiz was done hugging and kissing to KO Ortiz with a truly vicious left hook, right hand combination.

Mayweather's KO got the entire sporting world talking about boxing and on top of that, it sent Victor Ortiz sprawling to the canvas where he stayed for the ten count, knocked out! The knockout of Ortiz also represented the return of Floyd Mayweather to boxing and whetted the appetites of boxing fans who still hunger for a Mayweather-Pacquiao dream fight. And sure, Nonito Donaire landed arguably the best single punch of 2011 when he leveled Fernando Montiel with a devastating left hand last February but the fact of the matter is that Montiel beat the count and resumed the fight, albeit briefly until the referee stopped it with Montiel very much on his feet. At best, call that the TKO of the Year. The KO Digest 2011 KO of the Year belongs to Mayweather KO4 Ortiz. Mayweather's knockout of Ortiz created a huge buzz and it reminded boxers all over the world to protect yourself at all times!

The KO was legal, it was brutal, and it was just what Ortiz was asking for, the 2011 KO of the Year! 

Honorable mention: Nonito Donaire TKO2 Fernando Montiel

Fight of the Year: Victor Ortiz W12 Andre Berto

Fight of the Year

If Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns taught us anything back in 1985, it's that boxing fans like fights that forgo the feeling out process and feature the kind of early fireworks that really grab your attention and then keep it. Victor Ortiz vs Andre Berto was just such a fight. The first round set the stage for what was to come as Ortiz dropped Berto with a vicious uppercut in the corner to kickstart the early fistic festivities. Berto survived the first round assault and then came back with a knockdown of his own in the second round by dropping Ortiz with a big right hand as Ortiz was coming forward punching.


With only two rounds in the bank, both fighters had already been down and the crowd at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Connecticut was on their feet to stay! The third, fourth, and fifth rounds were a slugfest with Ortiz owning the advantage on the ropes. In the unforgettable sixth, the fight truly earned it's Fight of the Year credentials. Andre Berto looked determined to follow the instructions of his corner to stay off the ropes and hit Ortiz in the middle of the ring, and he did just that - landing a booming right hand that sent Ortiz slamming to the canvas! Ortiz was up at "three" - but he was definitely dazed and at a critical crossroads. Would he quit like he did against Marcos Maidana or grit it out and find a way to win? Berto swarmed all over his hurt young challenger and landed another huge right hand. With only seconds left in the round and the referee apparently getting in a position to stop the fight, a sneaky right-left-left combo to the head from Ortiz sent Berto tumbling backwards and down!

Both fighters somehow survived the sixth round and despite the fact that the second half of the fight was fought at a markedly slower pace than the first half, it still featured enough great toe-to-toe action to keep the attention of boxing fans as the best overall fight in 2011. At the post fight press conference following the fight, Ortiz's manager Rolando Arellano joked, "If anyone wants to know why Victor Ortiz performed the way he did tonight, it's because Charlie Sheen is here and he gave Victor some of his tiger blood!" Performance enhancing blood? Winning! For going to war early and often in their unforgettable fight last April, Victor Ortiz W12 Andre Berto earns recognition as the KO Digest 2011 Fight of the Year.

Honorable mention: Pawel Wolak D10 Delvin Rodriguez

Round of the Year: James Kirkland-Alfredo Angulo Round 1 

1st round fireworks!

Were it not for the thrilling first round fought between James Kirkland and Alfredo Angulo, Ortiz and Berto might have taken the honors in this category for their outstanding sixth round. Instead, it was Kirkland and Angulo who put on the Round of the Year in 2011 with arguably one of the best opening rounds in boxing history. Coming into this highly anticipated junior middleweight fight, James Kirkland was thought by many to be at best overrated and at worst damaged goods after suffering an embarrassing 1st round TKO loss to Nobuhiro Ishida in April. As the fight favorite, Alfredo Angulo was seen as a just the kind of durable fighter who could further expose Kirkland as a powerful but chinny puncher.

When the opening bell rang, these two warriors wasted no time going to war and they immediately grabbed the attention of everyone lucky enough to be watching the fight live in Mexico or at home on HBO. Thirty seconds into the round and only moments after HBO's Max Kellerman warned viewers not to blink, Angulo delighted his Mexican fans by dropping Kirkland with a straight right hand to the face that sent the Mandingo Warrior tumbling backwards onto the seat of his pants. It looked like it was going to be Kirkland-Ishida all over again and you could almost feel the air being sucked out of the sails of Kirkland's supporters.

Kirkland crashes in the Round of the Year

Kirkland beat the count though and with Angulo swarming all over him - and with his career in dire jeopardy - James Kirkland somehow survived the onslaught and he found the resolve to come back and drop the now punched out Perro Angulo with a powerful combination on the ropes with less than fifteen seconds left in the first round! Angulo somehow beat the count and the fight continued until the sixth round with Kirkland scoring a huge TKO win. But boxing fans will not soon forget this epic first round. It had it all. Action? Check. Drama? Check. Multiple knockdowns? Check. For three minutes during the epic opening round of Kirkland-Angulo, the boxing world held it's collective breath and enjoyed the KO Digest 2011 Round of the Year!

Honorable Mention: Victor Ortiz-Andre Berto Round 6

Upset of the Year: Orlando Salido TKO8 Juan Manuel Lopez

Salido stuns JuanMa in Puerto Rico

In 2011, the year of the upset, there was no surprise bigger than Orlando Salido's stunning 8th round TKO of Puerto Rican Pound-for-Pound star Juan Manuel Lopez. It wasn't supposed to be like this for the undefeated Lopez in 2011. Orlando Salido was supposed to be just another stepping stone for JuanMa on the road towards a fight against Yuriorkis Gamboa in a featherweight unification dream fight reminiscent of Sugar Ray Leonard against Thomas Hearns in 1981.

Instead what he got was an April shocker in Puerto Rico as the unheralded underdog Salido defeated the P4P favorite Lopez in front of his shocked hometown fans. Salido's upset win over Lopez was a competitive fight through the first four rounds, but then Salido turned the tables in his favor late in the fifth round with a brutal knockdown, courtesy of a sweet right hand shot to the chin. Lopez beat the count but he was badly hurt and he spent the sixth round on the defensive as Salido tried for the finish. In the seventh, Lopez came back and had a good round but in the eighth Salido closed the show by battering Lopez into a corner where referee Robert Ramirez waved the fight off with JuanMa badly hurt but still instinctively punching back.

Upset of the Year

It was seen as a controversial stoppage by Ramirez and some critics called it premature and some even called it unjust. But it was clear to most that Orlando Salido had done enough to earn the TKO win over JuanMa and his stunning upset win is the obvious choice as the KO Digest 2011 Upset of the Year. 

Honorable Mention: Brian Viloria TKO8 Giovani Segura 

Fighter of the Year: Andre Ward

2011 Fighter of the Year: Andre Ward

The self-proclaimed Son of God did everything in 2011 that a boxing messiah should do except for walk on water and then turn that water into wine. So instead, the supernatural super middleweight from San Francisco did the next best thing. He forgave his harshest critics and then proved them wrong with pious punching performances sure to inspire faith among even the most hardened of boxing's disbelievers.

Ward defeated the Biblically named King Arthur Abraham last May in the semifinals of the ungodly long Super 6 tournament and then wrapped up the prestigious Showtime World Boxing Classic by defeating Carl "The Cobra" Froch in December.

With the victory over Froch, Andre Ward unified the WBC and WBA versions of the super middleweight title and earned recognition as the Ring Magazine Super Middleweight Champion of the World. Ward also established himself as a rising Pound-for-Pound star in the sport of boxing and now occupies the #4 spot on the KO Digest P4P rating after having began the year at #7.

No boxer climbed higher in stature in 2011 than Andre the Giant. More than any other fighter, 2011 belonged to the Son of God and Andre Ward is the righteous choice as the KO Digest 2011 Fighter of the Year. "I've always set that out to be one of my goals to be the Fighter of the Year. Over fifteen years of grinding and toiling when nobody's around, when nobody's patting you on the back, and when are there are no light-camera-action. It's been a time long coming."

Amen Andre!

Honorable Mention: Sergio Martinez

Controversy of the Year: The Hopkins-Dawson "TKO" Debacle

What the heck just happened?

When challenger Chad Dawson tossed champion Bernard Hopkins to the canvas with a flagrant foul in the second round of their light heavyweight title "fight" last October, the controversy was only just starting. It would take months to sort itself out into something resembling a fair conclusion. While Dawson waved his glove in disgust, Hopkins grimaced on the canvas in apparent agony and never got back up. The referee ruled the fight a TKO win for Dawson and Bad Chad was declared the new WBC & RING Magazine Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Boxing fans screamed BS! Hopkins cried foul and Dawson acted like he had just emphatically beaten Hopkins fair & square. The WBC quickly overruled the referee's decision and declared Hopkins to still be "their" light heavyweight champion. RING Magazine waffled at a time when they should have led the way, declaring they would wait for the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) to rule on their review of the fight before deciding what to do with their belt. In December, the CSAC declared the fight to be a No Decision. This meant that Dawson had not won by TKO over Hopkins and was not the Light Heavyweight Champion according to anyone, anymore. For involving so many different parties with such varied agendas, the Hopkins-Dawson TKO Debacle is the KO Digest 2011 Controversy of the Year. 

Honorable Mention: Referee Russell Mora's performance in the Abner Mares-Joseph Agbeko lowblow fiasco.   

Robbery of the Year: Paul Williams W12 Erislandy Lara

In a year that featured some pretty bad judge's scorecards, the Williams-Lara robbery rises above all the rest and is the gold standard for robberies in 2011. Erislandy Lara beat the hell out of Paul Williams for twelve rounds on HBO and even a blind man could see that he won the fight with little more than an overhand left which seemed to never miss Paul Williams' face.

Judges Bennett, Whitaker, and Givens ROB Erislandy Lara!

When the judge's scores were announced, a majority decision for Paul Williams, everybody knew that the Cuban born Lara had been robbed and jobbed. It was a shameful disgrace even by boxing standards and its the obvious choice for KO Digest 2011 Robbery of the Year.  

Honorable mention: Robert Helenius W12 Dereck Chisora

Prospect of the Year: Gary Russell Jr
 

Prospect of the Year

Six fights, six wins.

That's how southpaw super featherweight prospect Gary Russell Jr spent 2011. The highly decorated American Olympian is off to a great start as a pro and now stands undefeated at 19-0 w/ 11 KOs.

His first round KO of Heriberto Ruiz on HBO in November was impressive and eye-opening. Russell is widely regarded as one of the best prospects in boxing and he is the 2011 KO Digest Prospect of the Year. 
 
Honorable Mention: Edwin La Bomba Rodriguez


Comeback of the Year: Floyd Mayweather

When 2011 began, Floyd Mayweather had not fought in eight months. He was beginning to drop low or disappear all together from Pound-for-Pound lists, his rating at welterweight was in jeopardy due to inactivity, and the lasting memory of Shane Mosley rocking him in 2010 was still fresh on the minds of many. Floyd changed all that with one single fight in September 2011, a 4th round demolition of Victor Ortiz to win the WBC welterweight title. With the win, Floyd returned to the spotlight with a water-cooler KO, and he re-staked his claim to being the best Pound-for-Pound fighter in the world. At the beginning of the year, few gave Mayweather a chance against Manny Pacquiao. By year's end, few gave Pacquiao a chance against Floyd Mayweather. There was no more impressive a comeback in all of boxing in 2011.  

Honorable Mention: Erik Morales

Quote of the Year: Larry Merchant

"I wish I was 50 years younger and I'd kick your ass!" ~ Larry Merchant to Floyd Mayweather in response to Mayweather's disgraceful verbal assault against Merchant on HBO - immediately after beating Victor Ortiz. The 80 year old Merchant returned fire with fire, good for him. Mayweather wins the very unofficial Ugliest Moment of 2011.



Hit play to hear the exchange and the KO Digest 2011 Quote of the Year!

KO Digest Pound-For-Pound (P4P) Ratings Update

Andre Ward: #4 P4P

KO Digest Top 12 Pound-For-Pound

1. Floyd Mayweather (1)
2. Manny Pacquiao (2)
3. Sergio Martinez (3)
4. Andre Ward (6)
5. Juan Manuel Marquez (4)
6. Nonito Donaire (5)
7. Yuriorkis Gamboa (7)
8. Timothy Bradley (8)
9. Lucian Bute (9)
10. Miguel Cotto (11)
11. Wladimir Klitschko (12)
12. Vitali Klitschko (-)



Andre Ward is the big P4P mover following his incredibly impressive showing against Carl Froch to win the Super 6 and establish himself as the best super middleweight in the world. Ward shoots up like the rising P4P star he is from #6 to #4. The best way to climb the KO Digest P4P rankings is by beating others fighters rated P4P and that is just what Ward did, beating a fighter (Froch) that we had rated #10 P4P at the time of the Ward-Froch fight. Ward's dominating defeat of Froch moves him up two notches while Froch exits the KO Digest P4P rankings, falling just off the list from #10 and making room for Vitali Klitschko, new at #12, just below his brother Wladimir.

Vitali has been absolutely untouchable since his return to boxing in 2008 after a four year layoff. What the elder Klitschko has been able to accomplish in his comeback warrants his current P4P rating and may ultimately earn him a place in history alongside the best heavyweights of all time. Not all fans appreciate the Klitschko Brothers but their talent, longevity, and success can no longer be denied.

Vitali & Wladimir: The Brothers Klitschko

Andre Ward defrocks Carl Froch, wins The Super 6!

The Son of God Andre Ward

By Jeffrey Freeman -- In the end it was all Andre Ward as the Son of God soundly defeated Carl "The Cobra" Froch by unanimous decision Saturday night to win the Super 6 World Boxing Classic and unify the WBC & WBA versions of the super middleweight title. The 4-1 favorite Ward looked downright supernatural at times as he skillfully outboxed and out-punched the surprisingly slower-than-slow Carl Froch over twelve exciting rounds in Atlantic City. The left hook was there all night for Ward and he controlled the early part of the fight with it before mixing in his other punches including big right hands that found Froch's chin later in the contest. From the beginning, Froch looked uncharacteristically timid and it was obvious very early on that it would be a long night in the ring for him.

Despite the closer than expected scoring on two of the judge's cards, this was not a close fight in the ring or on paper. KO Digest scored the fight 118-110 in favor of Andre Ward. The three official judges returned scores of 115-113, 115-113, and a more ironically realistic 118-110 from the British judge John Keane.

After easily winning the first five rounds with quick boxing and that great left hook, Ward turned up the heat considerably in the sixth stunning Froch with you guessed it - the left hook. In the eighth round, Froch's frustration began to show as he took a backhand swipe at Andre Ward that fortunately missed. Referee Steve Smoger warned him for it and then continued doing an outstanding job of officiating the match by simply letting the combatants fight. The backhand seemed to irritate Ward though and he drilled Froch with a fierce right hand to the head just moments later.

Froch's frustration continued to show as he hit Ward after the bell to end the eighth round.

Never one to say die, Froch surprisingly had his best round of the fight in the ninth, trading on even terms with Ward to avoid what up until that point had been an apparent shutout. By winning the ninth round, Froch may have convinced Andre Ward that he wouldn't be able to finish him - so from this point on it looked less and less likely that Ward would.

Ward slays The Cobra

The fight slowed in the tenth and then got a little roughhouse in the eleventh but as he was all night - Ward was faster, busier, and more accurate than the Cobra in front of him. In the twelfth, Froch rallied with a nice combination to open the round and he won it on the KO Digest scorecard but by this point it was too little too late.

With the win, Andre Ward stays undefeated, improves to 25-0 w/ 13 KOs, and stakes his claim to the Undisputed Super Middleweight Championship of the World as well as the upper echelon of the current Pound for Pound ratings.

For Carl Froch, it was a disappointing though not entirely unexpected defeat and he falls to 28-2 w/ 20 KOs, defrocked for all the World to see. ~ "Ward is very slippery but that's boxing and he's very good at it."

Indeed, Andre Ward is very good at boxing.

You might even call him supernatural.

Redemption & Revenge: Cotto & Mares win without controversy!

Revenge for Cotto (Image Chris Farina)

By Jeffrey Freeman -- On a big weekend of boxing that featured highly anticipated rematches running simultaneously on HBO PPV and Showtime, it was sweet revenge for Miguel Cotto against Antonio Margarito and some much needed redemption for Abner Mares against Joseph Agbeko.

Defending WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto defeated Antonio Margarito by 10th round TKO when it was determined by ringside physicians that Margarito's badly cut and swollen right eye was too bad of an injury for him to continue getting beaten up by Miguel Cotto after nine rounds had been completed.

Could Antonio Margarito have continued the fight and gone the distance? Probably, but cooler heads prevailed and somebody finally stepped in to protect Margarito not merely from Miguel Cotto but from himself. With the win, Cotto now has his revenge over the man many suspect used illegal hand wraps to defeat him by brutal 11th round TKO in 2008.

The rematch was a good fight, not a great one and forgive me if I suggest that something was missing this time around. For Margacheato, that something might have been the plaster in his gloves while for Cotto it might have been the satisfaction of laying Margarito out on his shield once and for all. For boxing fans, that something might have been the high drama and ensuing controversy stirred up the first time these two met. If their first fight was a modern boxing classic as was suggested at the time by HBO's Max Kellerman, the rematch was more of a modern boxing clinic. With no controversy to be found anywhere at Madison Square Garden on this night, what we were left with was a very business-like Miguel Cotto outboxing and outpunching Antonio Margarito for most of the nine rounds while Margarito did his best impression of a smirking punching bag with cornrows.

A defiant villain to the very end, the defeated Margarito never broke kayfabe as he again insulted Cotto during his post-fight interview saying through a translator, "He punches like a girl." Cotto, more stoic and obviously savoring his victory, took the high road by saying simply, "Margarito means nothing to me."

With the win, Cotto improved to 37-2 w 30 KOs while Margarito falls to 38-8 w/ 27 KOs.

On Showtime, IBF bantamweight champion Abner Mares gained a measure of much needed redemption in defeating Joseph Agbeko by a wide unanimous decision in a fight that featured no significant fouls, no bad calls by referee Lou Moret, and no drama on the scorecards. In other words, it was nothing like their foul-filled first fight. Mares kept his punches up for the majority of the night and in doing so he out-hustled Joseph Agbeko over twelve rounds despite suffering a very nasty gash over his right eye early in the fight, the result of a sharp Agbeko left jab. With blood flowing freely all night from Mares' eye, both fighters fought well throughout the contest and there were some fierce exchanges in the final two rounds of the fight.

Redemption for Mares (Image Tom Casino)

When it was over, both fighters were still standing and it was clear that Mares had done more than enough to win the fight though the unanimous scores of 118-110 from all three judges seemed a bit overgenerous to Mares. No matter the official scores, the right man had won and had done so in as uncontroversial a fashion as could possibly be expected given what took place the first time they fought under the incompetence of Russell Mora.

Mares retains his IBF bantamweight title successfully for the first time and he improved to 23-0 w/ 13 KOs while Agbeko falls to 28-4 w/ 22 KO's.

For the vanquished King Kong Agbeko, it's back to the drawing board. For IBF bantamweight champion Abner Mares, a unification fight with WBA bantamweight champion Anselmo Moreno now looms. "Chemito" Moreno, making his United States coming out party a successful one, looked very sharp on the Showtime undercard in defeating Vic Darchinyan by unanimous decision in defense of his WBA "Super" title. The winner of a potential Mares-Anselmo fight would then have to be recognized as the best bantamweight in the world, particularly with the impending departure of P4P star Nonito Doniare from that division.

Officially, the Showtime Bantamweight tournament is now complete but it cannot truly be considered finished until tournament winner Abner Mares faces the highly talented Anselmo Moreno in a much needed bantamweight unification fight!