I Remember 2008 By Brett Conway (Jan 9, 2009) Send this page to friend Give us your feedback I remember boxing in 2008, but my memory runs backwards. I remember December 11 when in New Jersey cruiserweights Tomasz Adamek and Steve Cunningham showed the heavyweights how titles should be fought and how champions should be crowned when they went at it for twelve hard-fought rounds with Adamek winning a split decision. This fight deserves a rematch. I remember Canadian via Haiti Jean Pascal flying over to Nottingham, England, and showing that although he may do an imitation of Roy Jones’s style in the ring, he has a big heart as he slugged it out with undefeated Carl Froch for twelve rounds for one of the 168-pound straps. Froch came out on top, becoming one of many contenders for the title vacated by Joe Calzaghe. He now joins the ranks of Mikkel Kessler, Librado Andrade, Lucian Bute, Bernard Hopkins (maybe), Jermain Taylor, and Andre Dirrell as a contender. Like the welterweights, this division has some depth and some great potential match ups. I remember seeing the new boxing crossover star born when Manny Pacquiao beat up a shell of Oscar De La Hoya in early December at the MGM Grand. In a remarkable performance, Pacquiao showed why he has been my number one pound-for-pound for the last couple of years – when he dominates fighters, he does it in an exciting manner, always trying to close the show; when he’s in a competitive fight, he keeps coming forward, trying to make something happen. On November 8, I remember seeing an America filled with hope from Barack Obama’s presidential victory but seeing a former pound-for-pound king with little hope as Roy Jones got out-Roy Jones-ed by a skinny white dude from Wales named Joe Calzaghe in Madison Square Garden. I remember seeing an October performance by Bernard Hopkins that was not surprising for his victory as for his dominance when he schooled middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik. Hopkins came into this catchweight fight thought of in the same light as Gerry Penalosa when he fought and was robbed a decision against Daniel Ponce De Leon a couple of years ago. Like Penalosa, Hopkins had some close losses on his record and like Penalosa, Hopkins was deemed “too old” to compete, a fighter who should be saved from himself. This evaluation of Hopkins was based on razor thin losses to Jermain Taylor and Joe Calzaghe, fights that could’ve gone Be-Hop’s way had a different pair of eyes been judging. Against Pavlik, Hopkin showed gym-honed skills can defeat brawn any day of the week. I remember seeing light featherweight champion Steve Molitor beaten and KOed by Celestino Cabellero in Ontario, Canada. That night, Molitor was defending his title for the sixth time in less than two years and seemed poised for a shot against Marquez or Vazquez, the kings of the division, provided he defeated the Panamanian. But the arrival of Juan Manuel Lopez -- a slick boxer like Molitor who could punch, something Molitor can’t do – seemed to anticipate the demise of the Canadian star. Juan Manuel Lopez in June, October, and December had first round knockout wins. His first had been against Ponce De Leon, a target Molitor had set in his sites ever since winning his title against Michael Hunter in England. After Molitor’s one-sided loss, I wonder where “the Canadian Kid,” a skilled boxer with little knockout power, can go. I remember seeing a prelude to the Molitor disaster when Lucian Bute, trained by Molitor’s trainer, Stephan Larouche, took on Andrade in Montreal. For 11.9 rounds Bute dominated the action, but he got knocked down right before the bell ending the fight. As the count began, the referee, Marlon Wright, yelled at Andrade to get back to a neutral corner, giving the Romanian ex-pat some precious seconds to regain his senses. He stood up before ten seconds in real-time or in referee time tolled, seemed to be out on his feet, but was allowed to continue. Andrade’s stroll out of the corner and the referee’s unusual decision to punish him for it cost us fans the opportunity to see whether Bute really was fit to continue. For those who are upset and feel Andrade was robbed, you should remember that a rematch of a fight with a controversial end is destined to make him more money. I remember seeing Amir Khan knocked to his ass by smooth punching Breidis Prescott, showing that despite the rise of fighters British fighters like Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe and Carl Froch, some can still be described as horizontal. I remember watching some really exciting Olympic boxing during the summer. It was on ESPN as Michael Spinks and others from the team at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal shared their memories and went over old fight films. Amateur boxing in the 1970s, with no head gear and no computer scoring, looks more like professional fighting; the boxing in Beijing looks more like an art of mixed child games: tag and hide-and-seek. I remember seeing Miguel Cotto in July at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas build an early lead against Antonio Margarito but like Thomas Hearns against Sugar Ray Leonard, he was unable to keep up the pace and got knocked out. I remember Israel Vazquez showed he’s the space between my thumb and forefinger better than Rafael Marquez on March 1 at the Home Depot Centre, Carson, California. I remember hearing a fourth match is needed between them, and I remember hearing and still hear my conscience screaming, “no!” They have given enough of themselves. And I remember January 2, when Yo Sam Choi, a South Korean fighter who held a light flyweight title before being stopped by Jorge Arce earlier in the decade, died. On Christmas Day of 2007, he had won every second of every round of a WBO regional title fight against Indonesian Heri Amol but had been hit with a right hand at the final bell, a right hand that vibrates in my memory. Choi had fallen to the canvas, beaten the count, but collapsed seconds after the bout ended. He never got to hear the ring announcer confirm that he had successfully defended his title. Choi never woke up. Brett Conway is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. brettconway@hotmail.com Today's Boxing Press Discuss this Topic - Go to the forums