I recently bumped into a fellow fan, and he confidently proclaimed, "better late than never" in regards to the upcoming non-title bout between Roy Jones, Jr. and Felix Tito Trinidad.  After hearing this statement, the only word that rung true to me was "late."  The fight ticket should be printed as a coupon with an expiration date of June 2001 - because that is about the time when the fight should have taken place. At these advanced stages of their respective careers, we can only hope for the best when Jones and Trinidad meet this Saturday.

The ever-confident Jones is predicting a wipe-out of Trinidad within four rounds. If this were the year 2000, I'd believe him, but it is not, so I don't.  This version of Roy Jones still has good speed, footwork, and stamina, as evidenced in his most recent wins over little-known Prince Badi Ajamu and Anthony Hanshaw.  However, I have a hard time believing he will stray too far from his defensive, counter-punching roots, which usually lead to a decision win. Old habits die hard.

Trinidad is confidently predicting that he will shatter Jones's proverbial glass chin at some point of the fight.  I am always skeptical of a fighter who is hoping to catch their opponent with the perfect punch in order to win.  It's the equivalent of making a down payment on a house with a lottery ticket.  It's simply not a sound strategy. What if the punch never lands? What is plan B?  This shortsighted battle plan is realistically Tito's only way to win, but I think it's also a recipe for disaster.  Trinidad has always had trouble with defensive-minded fighters with good footwork (De La Hoya, Hopkins, Wright).  This seemingly spent version of Jones will pose similar problems.

Look for the past-prime Jones to befuddle and pot-shot Trinidad over twelve, repetitive rounds.  Could their be a knockout? Sure, there could be one when you have two, prideful warriors fighting well below their normal capacities.  Will there be one? I seriously doubt it.  My main goal is to stay awake and hope a fight breaks out this Saturday.

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I present my list of the year's best fights.  I place a heavy emphasis on quality of opposition, based largely on each fighter's Ring rating, as well as what is at stake in terms of title belts.  Most importantly, the fight must be exciting, with an element of drama.  By drama, I mean that at some point during the fight its outcome must have been in doubt.

Many were qualified, but only five were worthy.  Check out my selections below.

#5 Sakio Bika TKO 8 Jaidon Codrington For what these fighters lacked in boxing ability, they made up in terms of heart, punching power, and (lack of) defense.  No world title was on the line here, but the combatants were closing out season three of the Contender reality television series. And close it out is just what they did, as viewers were treated to the greatest Contender show of all-time.

#4 Floyd Mayweather, Jr. TKO 10 Ricky Hatton Few superfights matched this one in terms of intensity inside the ring as well as outside of it.  The year's final superfight played out like a classic novel.  The rising action, HBO's pre-fight reality show and televised weigh-in created the buzz, while Floyd Mayweather's blazing fists closed the show.

#3 Miguel Cotto TKO 11 Zab Judah Like Mayweather-Hatton, this fight was fairly one-sided (in favor of Cotto) yet exciting.  As usual, Judah shocked and awed with his speed and power early on.  Cotto ultimately weathered the storm and systematically beat Judah into submission like no fighter had ever done before.  Judah's wild hay-makers and Cotto's shaky chin kept fans on their toes for 10 rounds, until Judah finally succumbed in round 11.

#2 Israel Vazquez TKO 6 Rafael Marquez II Were it not for both men weighing less than an eighth grader and being as recognizable as a snowflake in Alaska, this fight would be #1 on my list.  Don't believe me?  Do a YouTube search for "Rafael Marquez."

#1 Kelly Pavlik KO 7 Jermain Taylor What do you get when two undefeated fighters meet, in their physical primes, for the undisputed middleweight championship of the world?  You get the 2007 fight of the year.  Kelly Pavlik got off the floor in round two, and the rest, Jermain Taylor included, was history.

If Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was the shining star of boxing in 2007, Kelly Pavlik sure was it's fastest rising one.  I don't know about you but I can not wait until next year!

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Before you scroll down to see my pick for fighter of the year and pass any judgment, please read my selection criteria first.  My criteria are simple.  1) The fighter of the year must have beaten at least two fighters who had top ten Ring ratings at the time.  2) The fighter of the year must have defeated at least two of his opponents by unanimous decision or knockout.  3) The fighter of the year must have captured at least one Ring championship belt.  As you can see, I not only subscribe to the Ring magazine, but also to its rating system.  Their system is not perfect, but it is sure better than the often inconsistent ratings I have seen released by the IBF, WBA and WBC.

The 2007 Fighter of the Year is...Kelly Pavlik (32-0, 29 KO).
The reasons are simple: 1) he beat two top three-rated middleweights this year - Ring Champion Jermain Taylor (27-0-1, 17 KO) and Edison Miranda (28-1, 24 KO); 2) he knocked out both men in impressive fashion in the seventh round, and 3) he captured the Ring Middleweight Championship in the process.  Add it up, and you have my fighter of the year. 

I know you are wondering why I did not select boxing's best and richest active fighter, Floyd Mayweather, or boxing's fastest-rising superstar, Miguel Cotto, as my fighter of the year.  If my selection criteria is not clear enough to you, drop me a line and I will gladly explain why.

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The night began ominously for Floyd Mayweather before he even entered the ring.  The British invasion was in full effect last night, as the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas was turned into the American version of the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England. The arena was filled with the screams and singing of rabid Ricky Hatton fans who had traveled across the Atlantic to see their man beat the Pretty Boy.  Venerable British crooner Tom Jones sung the British national anthem to boisterous cheers while American R&B crooner Tyrese Gibson had his rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner drowned out by the boos and whistles of the pro-Hatton crowd.  Somewhere Paul Revere was shaking his head.  Surprisingly, Floyd entered the ring to Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A., in an attempt to blunt the British fervor.  It didn't seem to work. It appeared that Hatton had firmly established the "home-ring advantage."  The only problem is that this was the only advantage that Hatton would enjoy all night.

The first four rounds were marred by mauling, elbows, forearms, and clinches.  Referee Joe Cortez had to use his hands as much as the fighters, as he repeatedly broke up clinches and admonished both fighters for their dirty tactics (Hatton would eventually lose a point for a rabbit punch). This came as no surprise to me, as I predicted that Hatton would press the action and try to force Mayweather into a back-alley brawl.  But like I also predicted, it would not work.  Even when Hatton was pressing the action, Floyd was picking him off, especially with counter right hands. He used this punch to open a bad cut over Hatton's right eye in round three and keep his game challenger at bay over the first half of the fight.  The HBO Boxing crew gave the impression that the fight was fairly close by the midway point, but it was clear to me that Mayweather was slowly dissecting Hatton and using his aggressiveness against him.  By the eighth round it became proverbial batting practice for Floyd.  He repeatedly countered, confused and dazed Hatton until finally putting him out of his misery in round ten, courtesy of a wicked counter left-hook (which led to the first knockdown) knockdown and a follow-up flurry (which led to the second and final knockdown) in round 10.

The fight started ominous and ugly for Floyd, but as he had done 38 times before, the Pretty Boy remained unscathed, undefeated, and left with his #1 Ring pound-for-pound status.  He even scored in the post-fight interview, as he showed grace and humility in his comments regarding Ricky Hatton and his legion of British fans.  No one but Floyd really knows how sincere his comments were, but it was refreshing nonetheless. It also shows that he is finally comprehending what is needed to become the mega-star that he always promised that he could be.  Sure, a follow-up win against rising superstar Miguel Cotto would further solidify his already legendary, Hall of Fame credentials.  But let's just sit back and soak in the satisfying result of the year's last superfight.  The fight was hyped extremely well (the reality show Mayweather-Hatton, 24x7), had a great atmosphere (British fans taking over Las Vegas), and exceeded expectations in the ring (Mayweather displaying more offense than usual).

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