What was the best round of the year in boxing?
One of the great aspects of boxing is how easily a great moment in the sport can be bottled up in a time capsule, unveiled decades later and feverishly enjoyed. That’s what the Round of the Year in boxing is all about. It’s about finding one of those moments that you can seal away and even without knowing the details of an encounter, still enjoy at the edge of your seat. There were many great candidates for the Boxing Round of the Year in 2009, but which one takes home the prize?
2009 Boxing Round of the Year 1st Place: Victor Ortiz vs. Marcos Maidana Round 1
Ortiz was ready to move into the spotlight, but Maidana wasn’t ready to let him pass. In the first round of this seesaw battle, Maidana began aggressively swinging for the fences while Ortiz worked in with his stalking, more technical approach. Ortiz pinned Maidana on the ropes and sent him down to the canvas. Maidana popped up and promptly decked Ortiz with a straight right hand that sent Ortiz to the mat. With notably wobbly legs Ortiz fought on and the two men traded for the final minute of the round, each landing big shots.
2009 Boxing Round of the Year 2nd Place: Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz Round 8
As the Marquez vs. Diaz fight continued on, it became clear that Marquez was gaining the upper hand. The back and forth battle swung in his favor as his precision punching, defensive maneuvering and superior power all began wearing down Diaz. Round 8 is when Marquez kicked it into high gear, badly hurting Diaz on several occasions. Diaz tried to rally and never backed down, by the took a beating in the round and came out only to be finished off in the ninth.
2009 Boxing Round of the Year 3rd Place: Paul Williams vs. Sergio Martinez Round 1
As the fight began, Williams was his normal self, throwing his punches and bunches and seemingly extending his arms from one corner of the ring to another. Martinez landed a quick counter right, but it was Williams who got in the best punch, sending Martinez down to the canvas with a left to the top of the head. Martinez was undeterred and unhurt however, and continued picking his moments and timing Williams. At the end of the round it paid off, as a right hand sent Williams splattering backwards, badly hurt and lucky to hear the bell ending the round.
Other Notables: Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Rogers Mtagwa Round 11 as JuanMa struggles to survive; Cello Renda vs. Paul Samuels Round 2 featuring a simultaneous double knockdown; Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto round 4 as Cotto sees his chances of winning disappear in the face of a continuous Pacquiao assault
Make sure you check out the rest of the 2009 Boxing Awards from ProBoxing-Fans.com. It’s the best way to recap the entire up and down, crazy year in boxing. And if you agree or disagree with any of the recipients, let us know in the comments!