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Top 10 Fights of 2013
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10. Adonis Stevenson vs. Chad Dawson
During the lead up to their showdown in June, former light heavyweight champ Dawson proclaimed Stevenson to be nothing but a "tune-up". He was sadly mistaken. The product of the late great Emanuel Steward ended Dawson's reign with a highlight reel right cross KO in the very first round and won The Ring light heavyweight / WBC titles. Stevenson successfully defended his title two more times later in the year and now we can safely say Adonis Stevenson is for real.
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9. Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. Nonito Donaire
Although his style may not be the most fan-friendly, especially to casual boxing viewers, Rigondeaux proved he's one of the sport's best when he surgically picked apart fan favorite Donaire in April. The setting was one to behold as the fight took place in the legendary confines of NYC's Radio City Music. Rigondeaux used his outrageously slick footwork and stellar hand speed to decision and derail the Donaire hype train. However, Donaire had his moment in the 10th when he dropped his opponent with a short right hand but "The Filipino Flash" was unable to finish the job. -
8. Georges St. Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks
In perhaps the most controversial fight of the year, Hendricks was deemed as the biggest threat to GSP's crown, which proved to be true. As soon as the fight began it was clear Hendricks came to win the title. In the second round, GSP was rocked and hurt by a Hendricks barrage on more than one occasion. The bout soon became a seesaw battle as it moved through the third and fifth rounds. GSP didn't look as sharp or comfortable as we've grown accustomed to inside the octagon, but on the flip side, Hendricks didn't show his ferocious killer instinct that fans have grown to love. In the end GSP walked away with the decision much to the dismay of forum dwellers and even UFC head honcho Dana White. Call it the Hagler/Leonard of MMA.
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7. Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez
After his one-sided domination of Robert Guerrero, Mayweather surprised everyone by coming back for another fight in 2013. This time however it would be a "mega-fight" and in his way was the young Mexican bruiser known as Canelo. Many pundits and fans picked Canelo to upset the pound-for-pound king with his obvious size and youth advantage. Unfortunately for Canelo it didn't play out that way. Although one judge baffled us all by calling the fight a draw, the other two judges thankfully saw what we all saw and that was another boxing clinic displayed by the best boxer in the world. Mayweather used his speed and sharp boxing IQ to control the much bigger fighter for most of the night. He also surprised everyone by standing toe-to-toe in short spurts with a fighter that is known to dish out serious punishment. All hail the king.
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6. Marcos Maidana vs. Adrien Broner
Upsets are the reason why we watch fighting. Last Saturday night perhaps the biggest upset on 2013's boxing calendar came from the hands of Maidana. Considered by many to boxing's next big PPV star, Broner came into the ring as confident and cocky as ever but left a humbled man. As soon as the opening bell sounded, Maidana came out like a man possessed and took it to "The Problem" like no one else has. In the second round, however, Maidana made the boxing world take notice when he dropped Broner with a vicious left hook for the first time in his career. Broner, to his credit, rose to his feet and dug deep like we've never witnessed before. The knock on Broner has always been that he doesn't throw enough punches and Maidana took full advantage of it. Maidana outworked his opponent for what seemed like every round and even when he seemed to be getting tired he steam-rolled on. Maidana was awarded the decision and from this we fully expect to see him awarded with a massive payday against another boxing superstar.
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5. Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann
Returning to his former stomping ground (literally) of Japan, "The Axe Murderer" you can bet was looking to give his fans a show. What we got was an absolute war. From the get go, both men went ballistic on one another with wild exchanges at a rapid pace. Stann was able to hurt Silva in the first round when both men were engaged in the Thai collar position. As the exchanges continued it seemed that Stann may have won the first round by getting the better of them for the most part. In the second round the narrative changed dramatically when Silva dropped his opponent with a right hook/ left hook combination that sent the normally reserved Japanese crowd into a full-on frenzy. Classic.
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4. Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva
Unquestionably the greatest fighter in MMA history, "The Spider" has wooed and wowed us for seven straight years in the UFC's middleweight division. But as the seemingly unstoppable and untouchable Silva found out in July, nothing lasts forever. When Weidman challenged Silva for the middleweight title many expected him to be Silva's greatest test to date. Many expected Weidman to take Silva down (which he did shortly), control the champion and look to sink in a submission. No one expected Weidman to do what he was able to do, which is knock out the greatest of all time. During the second round Silva began to taunt Weidman with his hands down and paid for it with a perfectly executed left hook to the chin. Silva went down like a house of cards and Weidman was crowned the new middleweight champion of the world. A rematch is set for December 28th and you can bet the entire MMA world will be watching.
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3. Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson
When it was announced that pound-for-pound king Jones would be defending his light heavyweight strap against "The Mauler," we all thought this would be just another walk in the park for the champ. He's dismantled the best fighters in the 205 division with relative ease since his UFC debut in 2008 and this time it would be no different. Not so fast. Facing an incredibly motivated and game Gustafsson, Jones had to tread through the deepest waters he's ever been in and that's why we're all pining for a rematch. His wrestling didn't work like it had in the past and for the first time we saw the champion matched up with someone who's just as large as he is. Jones walked away with the decision by showing us that he's not just a freak with a tremendous reach and flashy moves. He showed us guts. A showdown in 2014 for these two is inevitable.
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2. Timothy Bradley vs. Ruslan Provodnikov
The beneficiary of a gift decision against Manny Pacquaio in 2012, Bradley looked to gain fan respect when he took on the all action fighter Provodnikov in March. Thought to be a game but under-skilled opponent, Provodnikov entered the ring with a Arturo Gatti-like mindset. All action, all the time. Bradley opened the fight with a style fitting for his opponent and something we haven't seen from him before -- all-out aggression. In the second round ,Provodnikov rocked Bradley to his very core with a right hand that could be heard from the nosebleeds. Bradley was visibly wounded and started to box more conservatively through the middle rounds until the 12th when Provodnikov unleashed another ferocious attack that forced Bradley to take a knee. Awarded with the decision, Bradley later took on and defeated Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez in a rather dull contest.
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1. Mark Hunt vs. Bigfoot Silva
This clash of the titans is undoubtedly our fight of the year. Both men have had their moments throughout the year but this fight will be what they are remembered for. The fight began slow as Bigfoot circled with a cautious stance while Hunt stalked his man. The thick tension-filled air was abruptly cut when Bigfoot dropped Hunt with a short but devastating right hand. Hunt looked hurt but legendary chin held up as the fight continued. Bigfoot's leg kicks became his best weapon of the second round when he wobbled his opponent towards the end of the round. Hunt came out more aggressive in the next round and began to attack the body with hooks until he dropped Bigfoot with a ferocious right hand. The all-out assault continued but Bigfoot was able to survive the round. The killer pace set in the earlier rounds continued as Bigfoot stunned Hunt with a huge right hand and proceeded to land some of the heaviest shots we've ever seen from the top position. Somehow Hunt survived and we were treated to the fifth and final round of the fight. Both men were covered in red as the final moments of the bout concluded and it was easy to see both fighters were completely spent. When the scorecards were read and it was announced the fight was a draw it didn't even seem to matter. What mattered was the display of heart and violence that took place between two goliaths like we've never seen before.
