From Canelo Alvarez to Juan Manuel Marquez, 2011 Has Been the Year of the Mexican Boxer
2011 has been an interesting year for the sport of boxing. There has been plenty notable: Manny Pacquiao bored and later finally tested again, Floyd Mayweather Jr returning and shaking up the boxing world with controversy both on reality TV and in the ring, Klitschko vs Haye finally happening in July only to be most memorable for "Toegate," the Hall of Fame inductions of Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez, and Kostya Tszyu.
Ricky Hatton finally announced an official retirement, which had been overdue but firmly ended the career of one of the last decade's most beloved fighters. David Haye announced a retirement, but no one's really sure just how official that will wind up being.
A great season of ESPN Friday Night Fights saw a ton of quality matchups and upsets galore. Across the pond, British boxing has been on the rise with a wealth of strong young prospects starting to make their marks.
The idea that boxing is "a young man's game" got its fiercest argument ever, when 46-year-old Bernard Hopkins became the oldest champion in boxing history.
Fight of the Year candidates have flown in from all over the world. Fighter of the Year? For the first time in a while, it's a legitimate debate.
But as it stands right now, and there's still a couple of significant fights left to go, I will remember 2011 most as the Year of the Mexican Boxer. It's been one hell of a calendar year for one of the richest boxing cultures in the world.
From young stars like Canelo Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr to old warriors like Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez, Mexican boxers have been phenomenally successful in 2011, frequently defying the odds and coming up with performances no one expected. Champions have been crowned up and down the weight classes.
Let's take a look back at some of the year's big achievements by Mexican fighters, and I think you'll see what I mean: It has been a big, big year for Mexican boxing.
Orale !
Dont hate rick
another one. let me get the drama started
BROWN PRIDE!
That's racist^^ 