Real Combat Media UK: British Boxing Awards – 2012

By: Callum Meads

Hull, UK (January 2nd, 2013) – As the New Year begins, we look back on what was an action packed year of British Boxing. As is the case every year, there are moments that British boxing fans will remember for a long time, and some moments that we will all be looking to forget. With 2013 now well under way, it’s time to look back on all those moments we enjoyed last year. We at Real Combat Media UK present to you our annual awards ceremony.

With the likes of Kell Brook stepping up to world level and leaving the prospect tag behind, a void needed to be filled, and we think we have a more than capable replacement. Carl Frampton, nicknamed ‘The Jackal’ has compiled an impressive 15 victories in as many contests, knocking out 10 of those opponents. Most recently Frampton stepped up and earned a brilliant 6^th round TKO victory over Steve Molitor, becoming only the second fighter to stop Molitor. The slick Super Bantamweight has a crowd pleasing style that can be attributed to the ever improving skill set that continues to lure people on to the Frampton bandwagon.

Throughout his 15 fight career, Frampton has not just shown that he can overwhelm limited opposition. Frampton has great footwork, coupled with great timing. It is this combination that has allowed Frampton to often drop his hands and pick out the holes in opponents defence. You can’t truly asses his ability until he steps up his competition to European and world level, but don’t worry, you don’t have long to wait. Frampton has confirmed a 2013 clash with European champion Kiko Martinez. This is the fight that could transform Frampton from a prospect into a genuine world title contender.

It is for these reasons that Carl ‘The Jackal’ Frampton is Real Combat Media UK’s prospect of the year. Keep your eye out; this kid could be something special.

We feel it is only right that this award be dedicated to a fight involving two British fighters, and wow, what a fight it was. Anthony Crolla v Derry Matthews was an action packed fight with back and forth action. When you envisage great fights in your mind, you think knockdowns, power shots, changes in momentum. This fight ticks all those boxes and more. Anthony Crolla was the bookmaker’s favourite to put away veteran British fighter Derry Matthews, no one expected it to be easy, but I don’t think anyone could have predicted what ensued that night in Oldham.

Crolla began the fight positively, taking control of the opening round with the cleaner activity. The second round was much of the same, only the action had begun to heat up with both fighters exchanging power punches.  It was in the third round that the experienced Derry Matthews come into his own, upping the pace and dropping Anthony Crolla to the canvas within the opening minute of round.  At this point in the fight, it looked as if Crolla was there for the taking, as he was visibly hurt for the remaining two minutes of the round. The mancunian showed huge resilience and determination to survive the round and come out for the 4^th round fighting for the victory.  The next two rounds were full of back and forth action from both fighters, but with Matthews knowing he could hurt Crolla, it seemed only a matter of time before he once again imposed his power. That moment came in the 6^th round, when Matthews landed a hard shot that stumbled Crolla. A barrage of punches followed and the referee intervened to save the 26 year old fighter from a further beating.

This kind of action only comes around once a year, and this is why Anthony Crolla v Derry Matthews is Real Combat Media UK’s fight of the year.

The best KO of the year is often that one shot that stands out in your memory, and I think for many British boxing fans, that is certainly the case here. When David Haye and Dereck Chisora signed to fight each other off the back of a press conference brawl, many people were quick to write off the fight. But the more people began to think, the more interested people become. Irrespective of the circumstances, this was a fight between two genuine British heavyweights. Not only did the fight make sense on paper, it made sense to us boxing fans. This was a true clash of styles.  The British public began to question whether Chisora’s relentless pressure could wear down the freakish athletic ability of David Haye. We all knew that Haye had stamina issues and less than exceptional punch resistance on occasions, and we all knew that Chisora enjoyed the exact opposite attributes. What we didn’t know was whether David Haye had to power to hurt the iron chinned Chisora. A fighter who had took Robert Helenious’ and Vitali Klitschko’s best shots without worry.

In a British fight of the year contender, the clash of styles held true, as both fighters caused issues for each other. Haye soon began to land power punches, but it still wasn’t clear as to whether he could hurt Chisora. The time for assessment came in the fifth round, and David Haye passed the test in brutal fashion.  As Chisora begun to lunge, Haye began laying traps. After just missing with a similar left hook moments before, Haye made no mistake with his second opening. Chisora was hit with a beautiful left hook that levelled him to the canvas. Unbelievably, Chisora was able to get up and survive for a few seconds longer before he was once against knocked down with a heavy power punch and ruled not fit to continue by the referee. This is a testament to both the chin of Dereck Chisora, and the undoubted power of David Haye.

Although this was not a one punch KO as such, the original left hook was a beautifully prepared shot that would have knocked a lot of fighters out cold. It is for this reason David Haye’s  5^th round victory over Dereck Chisora is Real Combat Media UK’s knockout of the year.

Unfortunately, not every British fighter this year has impressed us. Welsh fighter Nathan Cleverly entered the year with a lot of promise, big fights across the pond were in sight and after his hard earned victory over Tony Bellew, we all wanted to see what he was capable of.  Despite being rumoured to be in talks with fighters such as Bernard Hopkins, Nathan Cleverly failed to step up his competition in 2012. The WBO title holder defended his title against Tommy Karpency and Shawn Hawk, two solid fighters, but two fighters who don’t belong in the same ring as Cleverly.  A lot of people would say that this is the work of his promoter Frank Warren, who may be looking to add depth to Cleverly’s record until the right fight comes along.

It is clear that Nathan Cleverly has a lot of talent to go along with perhaps the best workrate in boxing.  The solid physical attributes and clear natural skill set would make Cleverly a difficult fight for any elite fighter. This very fact makes Cleverly’s current career path even more frustrating. Fighters need to be brought up in opposition carefully, and there is no harm in going at your own pace, but as a World Champion, Nathan Cleverly is obligated to fight the best available to his title. If Cleverly does not begin to do that soon, his reputation may become damaged beyond repair. There are boxing fans who believe Cleverly’s title run to be the weakest in the sport.

With that said, Cleverly is a good fighter, and I believe he will eventually step up his competition and establish himself as one of Britain’s top fighters. Unfortunately, 2012 was not the year for Nathan, and for that reason, Nathan Cleverly is Real Combat Media UK’s Underachiever Of The Year.

2012 was the year for Nottingham fighter Carl Froch to prove to everybody that he belongs in the upper echelon of the sport. After losing convincingly to current Pound for Pound #2 Andre Ward, it was unclear as to whether Carl Froch could compete at the highest level of the sport. Although Froch had amassed an impressive run of world title contests, not all of them were convincing victories. A controversial split decision over Andre Dirrell and a last second knockout of Jermain Taylor did not completely convince the American audience of his ability. There was something else that was needed to solidify Carl Froch’s position as a great fighter.

In 2012, that something became clear. Carl Froch was given to the opportunity to fight the dangerous Lucian Bute. At this stage, Bute was still somewhat of an unknown commodity. We had seen a bunch of impressive knockouts emanating from clinical and almost surgical like punching power. However, a lot of boxing fans were not bought by the level of Bute’s opposition. This made for an interesting fight, but a fight that Bute was favourite to win. As a clinical counter puncher with natural boxing fundamentals, it was thought that Bute would be too clever, too quick and ultimately too good for Carl Froch.

As we all now know, this was most certainly not the case. Carl Froch marched to victory in a British boxing classic. Empowered by the vociferous roar of the Nottingham crowd, Froch beat Bute from pillow to post, proving to be far too strong and resilient for the Romanian southpaw. Not only did Froch prove to everybody that he belonged with the best, he proved to everybody that he can beat the best. The 5^th round TKO of Lucian Bute was one of the best British boxing victories in recent memory.  As if that wasn’t enough, Froch decided to keep himself active against Philadeplhia fighter Yusaf Mack. Although Mack was not considered a legit threat to Froch, the three round demolition job was still an impressive victory, and one that was done in fewer rounds than Tavoris Cloud and Glen Johnson could manage.

This is why Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch, is RealCombatMedia UK’s fighter of the year.

DONATE TO THE VICTIMS OF HURRICANE SANDY : www.redcross.org/donate

HELP STOP WORLD HUNGER: www.realcombatmedia.com/rcm-stop-world-hunger

LEARN HOW TO FIGHT, WORKOUT & IMPROVE ENDURANCE: RCM MMA  & BOXING STORE