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WOODS: I’m Liking Sergey Kovalev For Fighter of the Year

Terence Crawford, a lot there to like, for sure.
Gennady Golovkin, breakout year for the good boy with the worst of fistic intentions when he gloves up.
But for me, my Fighter of the Year pick as of right now, as we head down the home stretch of a semi-cruddy year in boxing, is Sergey Kovalev.
As I Tweeted out after Crawford decisioned ex Manny Pacquiao sparring partner Ray Beltran on Saturday, when you think back on this year in boxing, are you going to remember the three guys who Crawford and Golovkin beat, or will you recall that 2014 was the year that we definitively learned that Bernard Hopkins isn’t immune to the affects of aging, and even more so, is not immune to the affects of a super-strong and technically adept and quite cerebral practitioner of the sweet and savage science, Kovalev?
Hey, we can all have our different criteria when picking and choosing Fighter of the Year. You can factor in strength of schedule, or can attach excess import to one most-meaningful win..or you can even widen it out, and think about who meant the most to the sport as a whole, and fold in factors like personality or quality of character, and how that makes the sport as a whole look. But the single most telling factor for me, when I make my vote, is the fact that Sergey Kovalev completely schooled a master pugilist, and did that in a manner that I didn’t see anyone predict he would. Oh sure, you can hunt around and find a couple smarts who liked Kovalev to beat down the (formerly) ageless wonder. And those smarts may in fact possess a wondrous ability to size up styles and arsenals and predict what happened on Nov. 8 in AC…and were not in fact going out on a limb to make a flashy prediction which can be bragged about if it plays out…and rapidly dismissed if it doesn’t. But this was a 50-50 fight in the eyes of media polled, and many pro hitters I talked to liked Hopkins to use his guile and grab the W. Not to mention, I spoke to one highly placed exec with intimate knowledge of the fighters and their abilities who told me he thought a mistake was being made by Team Kovalev, that the Russian was being thrown to the wolves in something of a cashout cash-grab.
Wins over Cedric Agnew and Blake Caparello aren’t going to land anyone a single vote for Fighter of the Year, of course…but when we look back at this year in boxing, the distance between Agnew and Caparello, and the guys Golovkin beat (Curtis Stevens, 2-2 in his last four, Daniel Geale, Marco Antonio Rubio) and the guys Crawford beat (Ricky Burns, 1-2-1 in his last four, undersized Yuriorkis Gamboa, Ray Beltran) will be negligible, I think. But Bernard Hopkins, that’s a NAME, that’s a legend, that’s a guy higher on pound for pound lists than anyone those other cats beat..yes, even at 49. C’mon now, don’t be dissing the 49-year-old and telling me you knew Kovalev was going to do that to him with a revisionists’ clarity. Or if you do, send me all your prediction picks pre-fight, and help me make some moolah!
No surprise, Kovalev’s promoter, Kathy Duva, agrees with my choice of Kovalev as Fighter of the Year 2014, unless some bizarre and super-scintillating occurrence unfolds on a card between now and New Year’s day. Here’s Duva’s take on why Kovalev should get BWAA love as FOY: “I find it interesting that people are so eager to write off the two undefeated fighters that Sergey fought earlier this year,” she told me. “They were no worse than Burns and Beltran. I tend to think that Agnew, in particular, is underrated if only because Sergey made it look so easy. Also, as you have pointed out, Hopkins is a legend, and half the media was picking him to win! That should trump Gamboa, who was undersized, coming off a long layoff and more distinguished as an amateur than as a pro. Finally, I think that Sergey earned Fighter of the Year not necessarily because he won the fight with Hopkins, but because of the WAY he won the fight. It was a masterful boxing and banging performance against a great boxer. How much more can you do?” I concur…
Also no surprise, our man Bernie Bahrmasel, publicist who does work for Team Golovkin, likes Triple G for 2014 FOY. Here’s why: “With all due respect to the rest of the fighters being considered, GGG is the 2014 Fighter of the Year.” he cited, “3 KOs, stopped two-time former world champion Daniel Geale with the KO of the Year, sold 8500 tickets in NYC, less than 90 days later sold 9300 tickets in LA (that’s Oscar-like popularity on both coasts), tremendous international interest for his fights, seen by over 200 countries, 18 straight KOs.
Lee Samuels, the esteemed gent who heads Top Rank’s PR office, told me he thinks Crawford deserves the nod for FOY, for these reasons: “Absolutely, Top Rank likes Crawford for Fighter of the Year. He defeated Ricky Burns overseas for a title, won a knockdown war over Gamboa, had a UD12 win over a strong Beltran, who came to win. It was a great 2014.”
Plenty of room for debate here, and by no means am I married to my list of three top entrants for FOY honors. Feel free to add your own, in our Forum, and also weigh in on the merits or lack thereof for Kovalev, Golovkin or Crawford getting their hand raised as 2014 Fighter of the Year.
Follow Woods on the Twitter. https://twitter.com/Woodsy1069
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‘Krusher’ Kovalev Exits on a Winning Note: TKOs Artur Mann in his ‘Farewell Fight’

At his peak, former three-time world light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev ranked high on everyone’s pound-for-pound list. Now 42 years old – he turned 42 earlier this month – Kovalev has been largely inactive in recent years, but last night he returned to the ring in his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia, and rose to the occasion in what was billed as his farewell fight, stopping Artur Mann in the seventh frame.
Kovalev hit his peak during his first run as a world title-holder. He was 30-0-1 (26 KOs) entering first match with Andre Ward, a mark that included a 9-0 mark in world title fights. The only blemish on his record was a draw that could have been ruled a no-contest (journeyman Grover Young was unfit to continue after Kovalev knocked down in the second round what with was deemed an illegal rabbit punch). Among those nine wins were two stoppages of dangerous Haitian-Canadian campaigner Jean Pascal and a 12-round shutout over Bernard Hopkins.
Kovalev’s stature was not diminished by his loss to the undefeated Ward. All three judges had it 114-113, but the general feeling among the ringside press was that Sergey nicked it.
The rematch was also somewhat controversial. Referee Tony Weeks, who halted the match in the eighth stanza with Kovalev sitting on the lower strand of ropes, was accused of letting Ward get away with a series of low blows, including the first punch of a three-punch series of body shots that culminated in the stoppage. Sergey was wobbled by a punch to the head earlier in the round and was showing signs of fatigue, but he was still in the fight. Respected judge Steve Weisfeld had him up by three points through the completed rounds.
Sergey Kovalev was never the same after his second loss to Andre Ward, albeit he recaptured a piece of the 175-pound title twice, demolishing Vyacheslav Shabranskyy for the vacant WBO belt after Ward announced his retirement and then avenging a loss to Eleider Alvarez (TKO by 7) with a comprehensive win on points in their rematch.
Kovalev’s days as a title-holder ended on Nov. 2, 2019 when Canelo Alvarez, moving up two weight classes to pursue a title in a fourth weight division, stopped him in the 11th round, terminating what had been a relatively even fight with a hellacious left-right combination that left Krusher so discombobulated that a count was superfluous.
That fight went head-to-head with a UFC fight in New York City. DAZN, to their everlasting discredit, opted to delay the start of Canelo-Kovalev until the main event of the UFC fight was finished. The delay lasted more than an hour and Kovalev would say that he lost his psychological edge during the wait.
Kovalev had two fights in the cruiserweight class between his setback to Canelo and last night’s presumptive swan song. He outpointed Tervel Pulev in Los Angeles and lost a 10-round decision to unheralded Robin Sirwan Safar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Artur Mann, a former world title challenger – he was stopped in three rounds by Mairis Briedis in 2021 when Briedis was recognized as the top cruiserweight in the world – was unexceptional, but the 34-year-old German, born in Kazakhstan, wasn’t chopped liver either, and Kovalev’s stoppage of him will redound well to the Russian when he becomes eligible for the Boxing Hall of Fame.
Krusher almost ended the fight in the second round. He knocked Mann down hard with a short left hand and seemingly scored another knockdown before the round was over (but it was ruled a slip). Mann barely survived the round.
In the next round, a punch left Mann with a bad cut on his right eyelid, but the German came to fight and rounds three, four and five were competitive.
Kovalev had a good sixth round although there were indications that he was tiring. But in the seventh he got a second wind and unleashed a right-left combination that rolled back the clock to the days when he was one of the sport’s most feared punchers. Mann went down hard and as he staggered to his feet, his corner signaled that the fight should be stopped and the referee complied. The official time was 0:49 of round seven. It was the 30th KO for Kovalev who advanced his record to 36-5-1.
Addendum: History informs us that Farewell Fights have a habit of becoming redundant, by which we mean that boxers often get the itch to fight again after calling it quits. Have we seen the last of Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev? We woudn’t bet on it.
The complete Kovalev-Mann fight card was live-streamed on the Boxing News youtube channel.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 322: Super Welterweight Week in SoCal

Two below-the-radar super welterweight stars show off their skills this weekend from different parts of Southern California.
One in particular, Charles Conwell, co-headlines a show in Oceanside against a hard-hitting Mexican while another super welter star Sadriddin Akhmedov faces another Mexican hitter in Commerce.
Take your pick.
The super welterweight division is loaded with talent at the moment. If Terence Crawford remained in the division he would be at the top of the class, but he is moving up several weight divisions.
Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) faces Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs) a tall knockout puncher from Los Mochis at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday April 19. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also features undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora. We’ll get to her later.
Conwell might be the best super welterweight out there aside from the big dogs like Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk and Sebastian Fundora.
If you are not familiar with Conwell he comes from Cleveland, Ohio and is one of those fighters that other fighters know about. He is good.
He has the James “Lights Out” Toney kind of in-your-face-style where he anchors down and slowly deciphers the opponent’s tools and then takes them away piece by piece. Usually it’s systematic destruction. The kind you see when a skyscraper goes down floor by floor until it’s smoking rubble.
During the Covid days Conwell fought two highly touted undefeated super welters in Wendy Toussaint and Madiyar Ashkeyev. He stopped them both and suddenly was the boogie man of the super welterweight division.
Conwell will be facing Mexico’s taller Garcia who likes to trade blows as most Mexican fighters prefer, especially those from Sinaloa. These guys will be firing H bombs early.
Fundora
Co-headlining the Golden Boy card is Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) the undisputed flyweight champion of the world. She has all the belts and Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs) wants them.
Gabriela Fundora is the sister of Sebastian Fundora who holds the men’s WBC and WBO super welterweight world titles. Both are tall southpaws with power in each hand to protect the belts they accumulated.
Six months ago, Fundora met Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz in Las Vegas to determine the undisputed flyweight champion. The much shorter Alaniz tried valiantly to scrap with Fundora and ran into a couple of rocket left hands.
Mexico’s Badillo is an undefeated flyweight from Mexico City who has battled against fellow Mexicans for years. She has fought one world champion in Asley Gonzalez the current super flyweight world titlist. They met years ago with Badillo coming out on top.
Does Badillo have the skill to deal with the taller and hard-hitting Fundora?
When a fighter has a six-inch height advantage like Fundora, it is almost impossible to out-maneuver especially in two-minute rounds. Ask Alaniz who was nearly decapitated when she tried.
This will be Badillo’s first pro fight outside of Mexico.
Commerce Casino
Kazakhstan’s Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) is another dangerous punching super welterweight headlining a 360 Promotions card against Mexico’s Elias Espadas (23-6, 16 KOs) on Saturday at the Commerce Casino.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card of about eight bouts.
Akhmedov is another Kazakh puncher similar to the great Gennady “GGG” Golovkin who terrorized the middleweight division for a decade. He doesn’t have the same polish or dexterity but doesn’t lack pure punching power.
It’s another test for the super welterweight who is looking to move up the ladder in the very crowded 154-pound weight division. 360 Promotions already has a top contender in Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk who nearly defeated Vergil Ortiz a year ago.
Could Bohachuk and Akhmedov fight each other if nothing else materializes?
That’s a question for another day.
Fights to Watch
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs); Gabriela Fundora (15-0) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1).
Sat. UFC Fight Pass 6 p.m. Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0) vs Elias Espadas (23-6).
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TSS Salutes Thomas Hauser and his Bernie Award Cohorts

The Boxing Writers Association of America has announced the winners of its annual Bernie Awards competition. The awards, named in honor of former five-time BWAA president and frequent TSS contributor Bernard Fernandez, recognize outstanding writing in six categories as represented by stories published the previous year.
Over the years, this venerable website has produced a host of Bernie Award winners. In 2024, Thomas Hauser kept the tradition alive. A story by Hauser that appeared in these pages finished first in the category “Boxing News Story.” Titled “Ryan Garcia and the New York State Athletic Commission,” the story was published on June 23. You can read it HERE.
Hauser also finished first in the category of “Investigative Reporting” for “The Death of Ardi Ndembo,” a story that ran in the (London) Guardian. (Note: Hauser has owned this category. This is his 11th first place finish for “Investigative Reporting”.)
Thomas Hauser, who entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame with the class of 2019, was honored at last year’s BWAA awards dinner with the A.J. Leibling Award for Outstanding Boxing Writing. The list of previous winners includes such noted authors as W.C. Heinz, Budd Schulberg, Pete Hamill, and George Plimpton, to name just a few.
The Leibling Award is now issued intermittently. The most recent honorees prior to Hauser were Joyce Carol Oates (2015) and Randy Roberts (2019).
Roberts, a Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University, was tabbed to write the Hauser/Leibling Award story for the glossy magazine for BWAA members published in conjunction with the organization’s annual banquet. Regarding Hauser’s most well-known book, his Muhammad Ali biography, Roberts wrote, “It is nearly impossible to overestimate the importance of the book to our understanding of Ali and his times.” An earlier book by Hauser, “The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing,” garnered this accolade: “Anyone who wants to understand boxing today should begin by reading ‘The Black Lights’.”
A panel of six judges determined the Bernie Award winners for stories published in 2024. The stories they evaluated were stripped of their bylines and other identifying marks including the publication or website for which the story was written.
Other winners:
Boxing Event Coverage: Tris Dixon
Boxing Column: Kieran Mulvaney
Boxing Feature (Over 1,500 Words): Lance Pugmire
Boxing Feature (Under 1,500 Words): Chris Mannix
The Dixon, Mulvaney, and Pugmire stories appeared in Boxing Scene; the Mannix story in Sports Illustrated.
The Bernie Award recipients will be honored at the forthcoming BWAA dinner on April 30 at the Edison Ballroom in the heart of Times Square. (For more information, visit the BWAA website). Two days after the dinner, an historic boxing tripleheader will be held in Times Square, the logistics of which should be quite interesting. Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez share top billing.
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