It ain't so, Joe.
While the sport wasn't quite able to match the banner year it enjoyed in 2007, 2008 didn't disappoint. There were a number of exciting matches, twists, turns and surprises.
But perhaps more than anything, 2008 will be remembered as a year of change.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced his retirement and, even more surprising, so far has stayed retired.
Based on his shellacking at the hands of Pacquiao, De La Hoya appears likely to retire. Calzaghe says he's fought his last fight and Roy Jones Jr., after losing to Calzaghe, may have reached the end of a 19-year career.
The economy has taken its toll on the sport, too.
Las Vegas is hurting, Univision canceled its “Solo Boxeo” program on Telefutura and ESPN pulled the plug on its “Wednesday Night Fights” show.
Locally, 2008 was marked by shock and sadness. The brain injury suffered by Oscar Diaz during a bout in July at Municipal Auditorium hit the local boxing community hard.
Here, then, are my annual year-end awards:
FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
Manny Pacquiao: This Filipino phenom wins his second award in three years, this time in runaway fashion.
With signature wins over Juan Manuel Marquez and De La Hoya, sandwiched around a dominating performance against David Diaz — each in a different weight class — Pacquiao established himself as the top fighter in the sport today. John Whisler - Express-News
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