BOXING NEWS PROMOTER OF THE YEAR 2021- EDDIE HEARN
THE promoter a section of hardcore fans love to hate was unquestionably the hardest working promoter in 2021. Across 10 different countries, Hearn promoted or co-promoted 44 events, from which eight fights were ranked among our Fight of the Year and British Fight of the Year lists. Responsible for two massive stadium shows (Canelo Álvarez-Billy Joe Saunders and Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua), Hearn and his Matchroom outfit – while also churning out content for Sky Sports, DAZN and various multi-media platforms – were prolific in the extreme. For context, Hearn’s closest rival, Bob Arum and Top Rank, put together 20 shows in 2021 in four different countries.
DAVE HARRIS – HERO OF THE YEAR
Despite being met with a cold shoulder from the sport’s major powerbrokers, and a pandemic throwing many of his plans into chaos, Harris and his team at Ringside Charitable Trust managed to get past the £100,000 barrier in funds raised. It is unknown why promoters, and even current big name fighters, are reluctant to throw their arms around the only registered charity designed to help ex-boxers.
RETIREMENTS
Ryan Fillingham; Stacey Copeland; Anthony Mundine; Carl Frampton; Jamie McDonnell; Stephen Smith; Luke Campbell; David Price; Manny Pacquiao; Shawn Porter.
HALL OF SHAME
Florida Athletic Commission allowing Evander Holyfield to fight at 58; Triller for inviting badly eroded fighters back to the ring; Triller bodging their attempt to stage López-Kambosos; Daniel Kinahan remaining one of the most powerful figures in the sport while operating in the shadows; failed negotiations between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury; Errol Spence and Terence Crawford not even beginning negotiations; Óscar Valdez being allowed to fight despite irregularities being found in a drug test; Jean Pascal and Sergey Kovalev failing drug tests; rematch clauses putting progress on hold time and again; a rise in uncompetitive fights on undercards and at small hall level; major promoters failing to get behind Ringside Charitable Trust; Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul; the sanctioning bodies, WBA and WBC the worst offenders, sprouting yet more belts and champions and confusion; promoters and broadcasters throwing their arms around those belts and champions to heighten that confusion.
WORST SCORECARDS OF THE YEAR
Steve Gray and Bob Williams (Zelfa Barrett 118-111 Kiko Martínez); Greg Burgess (Joseph Parker 119-109 Junio Fa); Carlos Sucre (Juan Francisco Estrada 117-111 Román González); Chris Tellez (Jennifer McCaskill 100-89 Cecilia Brækhus); Marcus McDonnell (David Adeleye 58-57 Kamil Sokolowski); Don Trella (Jerwin Ancajas 117-110 Jonathan Rodriguez); Viktor Fesechko (Magomed Kurbanov 117-112 Liam Smith); Michael Alexander (Joseph Parker 114-112 Derek Chisora); Nelson Vazquez (Jermell Charlo 117-111 Brian Castaño); Gloria Martinez Rizzo (Gabriel Maestre 117-110 Mykal Fox); Robert Hoyle (John Riel Casimero 117-111 Guillermo Rigondeaux); José Robert Torres (Daniel Matellon 117-111 José Argumedo; Javier Geido (Yamila Abellaneda 95-95 Estefania Alaniz).