Hall of Fame Induction Weekend

 I. Home

"Here in Canastota, you can feel the heart of boxing."

-- 2022 IBHOF Inductee Regina Halmich

Nestled in the northern fringes of the Alleghany Plateau about 25 minutes east of Syracuse, Canastota is a bucolic village of 4,800 people that epitomizes the beauty and serenity of large portions of Upstate New York. On the drive into town there's green as far as the eye can see, with hills and mountains not too far in the distance. The main street has no more than a couple of traffic lights. The homes are modest, but well-maintained. It's an unusual yet stirring setting to honor boxing, a sport that's associated more with urban travails than rustic pleasures.

Canastota was home to Carmen Basilio, the great welterweight and middleweight of the 1950s, and that is the village's prime connection to boxing, other than Ed Brophy's quest to honor the sport with the brick-and-mortar museum that was erected in the 1990s. And yet towns like Canastota have played a huge role in boxing. Several towns in New York's Catskill Mountains were famous training locations for many top fighters. A couple hours south of Canastota rests the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, where Muhammad Ali would often hold training camp. These serene locations have frequently been utilized by boxers to refresh, focus and prepare for their biggest nights in the ring.

Photo by Adam Abramowitz

The International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) museum itself is modest, and perhaps a tad disappointing for those who have visited other halls of fame, such as baseball's, just over an hour away in Cooperstown. The IBHOF museum has lots of interesting items and pieces of memorabilia. You can find the old Madison Square Garden ring, tons of fight robes, gloves, plaques for all of the inductees, famous fights shown on loop on the monitors, tickets, programs, and other ephemera. There also is a refreshing nod to today's boxers, with memorabilia from fighters such as Spence, Fury and Lomachenko on display. But the IBHOF surely has far more memorabilia than its three rooms can showcase. And I hope that the museum can eventually expand to display more of its collection.   

The museum itself only played a small role in the weekend's festivities. Brophy and his team at the IBHOF pulled out all the stops. Leading up to induction day, events were held at a huge outdoor stage. Bernard Hopkins and Ring Magazine Editor Douglass Fischer held a great Q&A session. There was also a wonderful referee roundtable that featured luminaries such as Tony Weeks, Jack Reiss, Kenny Bayless, Mark Nelson, Benjy Esteves and others. 

Hundreds watched these sessions in seats facing the stage. Hundreds more stood and lined the perimeter. Fighters signed autographs in tents beyond the stage area. And fans jumped on these opportunities. They didn't care if they were 80th in line to get a Roy Jones autograph; that's the reason why they came to Canastota, to interact with their heroes. IBHOF merchandise flew off the shelves in the museum shop. Boxing dignitaries, fans, media members and those involved in the sport floated around the grounds, stopping for conversations, pictures, handshakes and hugs. 

The Hall of Fame annual boxing memorabilia show was on Saturday about half a mile away from the museum at the high school. Vendors from across the nation displayed their treasures (and some trash) to boxing's hardcore. It was almost impossible not to part with some money. Signed pictures, autographed gloves, old magazine covers, boxing artwork, books, figurines, newspapers from yesteryear – in its own way it was a paradise. I bought a really interesting book on Philadelphia boxing history. The stage in the gymnasium featured a table for boxing dignitaries. 2022 Hall of Fame Inductee James Toney was signing autographs and the line was over 150 deep. 

This year's induction ceremony covered three years – 2020, 2021 and 2022 – and included huge talents such as Mayweather, Hopkins, Marquez, Ward, Cotto, Jones, Toney, Mosley and many more. The unique opportunity to see all of these legends on the same stage compelled thousands of boxing fans to make the pilgrimage for Hall of Fame Weekend. Because of outsized demand, the induction ceremony was moved from the Hall of Fame to the Turning Stone Events Center.

Throughout the weekend in Canastota, in the lobby and bars of the host hotel (Turning Stone Resort Casino), at the ShoBox card on Friday night, at the banquet on Saturday night, and during the induction ceremony on Sunday, boxing was everywhere. And for those accustomed to following the sport in relative isolation, here was a centralized locus for like-minded people. There were old friends to catch up with, boxing fans to meet, and opportunities to bump into the scores who work in boxing in one capacity or another. It was wonderful! And as Halmich said in the quote above, you could feel the heart of boxing. Here, boxing felt vibrant, present and real.  

II. Family

"Without family, you don't have anything."

 -- 2022 IBHOF Inductee Bill Caplan

Although boxing is often viewed as the ultimate solitary sport, a fighter alone in the ring trying to conquer his or her opponent, a key takeaway from Induction Weekend was the importance of family, and this extended to blood relatives, surrogate families and even the boxing community as a whole. 2021 Hall of Fame inductee Shane Mosley credited his accomplishments to his father, Jack. Floyd Mayweather referred to his father as a genius and a great man. Mayweather was joined by over 50 friends, family members, colleagues and business associates to help celebrate the weekend. Bernard Hopkins called two people up to the stage for his induction speech, his son and Rudy Battle, a mentor and former boxing referee from Philadelphia. Kathy Duva, who had lost her husband Dan decades ago, was delighted that her three children could attend the ceremony. An adopted child, Duva was able to locate members of her birth family in the downtime during the pandemic, and she was exuberant that many of them were able to attend the induction ceremony.  

Bernard Hopkins on Saturday
Photo by Adam Abramowitz

Sportswriter Bernard Fernandez, a great scribe from Philadelphia, couldn't attend the ceremony in person as he has been tending to his ailing wife, but Hopkins and Fernandez's fellow Philly writer and friend Joe Santoliquito called him live from the stage during the ceremony, and Hopkins, whom Fernandez covered intimately during his professional career, inducted him. 

Marian Trimiar, a female boxing trailblazer from the '70s and '80s, thanked dozens who had helped her during and after her boxing career, including her live-in medical orderly, whom she regarded as her "sister."

The ceremony was also filled with children, grandchildren and other relatives on hand to accept awards on behalf of inductees who had passed away. 

The induction ceremony encompassed whole ranges of emotions. There was bliss. There was laughter. There was loss. You could feel the inductees' love, joy, hardships and sacrifices. It was raw and at times cathartic. 

III. Victory...but at a cost

"People ask me who was the biggest puncher, who was the toughest opponent. It was the sport of boxing."

-- 2021 IBHOF Inductee Andre Ward

As wonderful as boxing can be, Induction Weekend was a reminder of the dark side of the sport. James Toney, the preeminent trash talker of his day, spoke for no longer than a minute as words no longer come easily for him, at least not in a public setting. Ward admitted that the draw of coming back to the ring has been strong, but every day that he didn't fight meant that he had beaten the sport of boxing. You could still feel Mayweather's antipathy towards those who doubted his ability to become a star or believed that he would squander all of his money. Lou DiBella talked about how hard it has been for him to smell the roses during his time in boxing. Throughout the weekend there were a couple of older ex-fighters making the rounds who walked with visible discomfort, reinforcing the physical toll of the sport.

Even in the ring on Friday night during the ShoBox card, there was a reminder that the dark side of boxing remains present. Heavyweight George Arias won a split decision over Alante Green as a last-minute replacement. But Arias was only on TV because Elvis Garcia had failed a performance enhancing drug (PED) test. 2021 IBHOF Inductee Dr. Margaret Goodman revealed that she had left the Nevada Athletic Commission as a ringside physician because she didn't believe that the commission was doing enough to clean up the sport. In her speech Goodman beseeched the audience to do more to get PEDs out of boxing. And I'm sure the irony wasn't lost on her that on the very same stage where she was being honored for helping to clean up the sport, there were a couple of fighters, now Hall of Famers, who had failed PED tests. 

Many of the female fighters who were inducted during the ceremony reminded those in attendance about the limited opportunities that they had at the time. They didn't necessarily want to be trailblazers; they just wanted to fight, and they didn't have the options or the financial possibilities that many of their male counterparts did. It was great to see Ann Wolfe and Christy Martin and Holly Holm onstage, but if they were fighting now their financial prospects would have been exponentially higher.  

IV. Boxing

"Boxing is the most relatable sport. Everyone knows how it feels to be knocked down in life and that you have to pick yourself back up. It's universal."

-- 2020 IBHOF Inductee Lou DiBella 

As many legends of boxing were honored over the weekend, the next generation was also present. Welterweight champion Terence Crawford was around all weekend, so was his last opponent, the recently retired Shawn Porter. Junior middleweight contender Sebastian Fundora was also there. Oh, there was also a fun fight card. 

Bakhodir Jalolov, the Tokyo Olympics super heavyweight gold medalist, headlined the card and fought into the eighth round for the first time in his professional career. The power in Jalolov's left hand is real and he does different things with it. He walks opponents into it, he can go upstairs or downstairs, and he throws a mean uppercut. He shares some similarities with fellow southpaws Oleksandr Usyk and Zhanibek Alimkhanuly in that his back hand is more than just his dominant power hand; he can use it creatively. 

Jalolov before Friday's fight
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Trapp

Jalolov is now 11-0 with 11 stoppages. With his power, amateur pedigree and the fact that he's in the heavyweight division, he will get significant opportunities sooner rather than later. But he still has a lot to work on. His right hook is more of a concept than an actual punch at this point. He also is a little too impressed with his power. On Friday he repeatedly hit Jack Mulowayi with his biggest punch, but stood there in almost disbelief as Mulowayi remained upright. Instead of following up a big shot with subsequent power punches, Jalolov did a lot of posing, admiring his work. He will need to understand that knockouts often come by putting punches together instead of just landing single shots in a vacuum. But that is all for another day. He still has more than enough time to refine his skill set and he is one of the top heavyweight prospects in the sport.  

And it wouldn't be ShoBox without some obscure guy impressing as the "opponent." Chann Thonson is a 30-year-old lightweight from Quebec who fights out of Toronto. Although he's been a pro for almost six years, he only had ten fights coming into Friday's match, where he squared off against undefeated prospect Ty Tomlin, a DiBella fighter. 

After tasting some serious leather in the first round, Thonson figured out that Tomlin was left-hook happy. He realized that if he moved to Tomlin's right side, he wouldn't face the same amount of danger. Having solved problem #1, Thonson proceeded to crack Tomlin with sharp combinations. When Tomlin would rush in irresponsibly, Thonson would make him pay. Thonson's clean punching continued to have more and more of an effect as the fight progressed and he was able to open up a huge cut on Tomlin. Eventually the fight was stopped in the fifth round because of the cut and no one protested the stoppage. It was a solid, clean TKO victory for Thonson, who could be fighting a lightweight of note really soon. 

***

Overall, there's much more I could say about Induction Weekend, but I'm sure we can agree that this article has gone on long enough. So, let me end with this: If you have never been to Induction Weekend, you must put it on your list. If you love boxing, you will walk around all weekend with a huge smile on your face. The experience will enhance your connection to the sport and to those who love it like you do. It was unforgettable. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Opinions and Observations: Davis-Barrios

Between the ninth and tenth rounds of Gervonta "Tank" Davis' fight with Mario Barrios, Floyd Mayweather, Tank's promoter and mentor, came over to the corner and told Davis that Showtime's unofficial scorer had him behind in the fight. Davis at first was incredulous, believing that he was ahead. But Floyd was insistent. Mixing in tough love with genuine affection, Floyd cajoled his fighter and told him how he needed to assert himself throughout the rest of the fight. 

Tank left the corner determined and engaged in a vicious back-and-forth with Barrios in the tenth. In a fantastic exchange, Barrios landed a left hook to the body and a left uppercut. Tank then followed with a blistering straight left hand. Both were landing thudding power shots. And even though Tank had dropped Barrios twice in the eighth round, Barrios was still giving everything he had offensively. The tenth was one of the better rounds of boxing I've seen this year; it was gripping stuff to watch. 

After the tenth, Mayweather again came to Davis' corner. Floyd told him that he had a good round, but he had to press Barrios. And boy did Davis respond. Although Davis has always been economical with his punches in his career, in the eleventh he went after Barrios like a house on fire. He cracked him with a beautiful left uppercut to the body for his third knockdown in the fight. Barrios beat the count, but then Davis connected with a menacing straight left hand that forced Barrios to stumble awkwardly into the ropes, causing referee Thomas Taylor to wave the fight off. Overall, it was one of Davis' more dramatic victories in his career. 

Davis (left) after scoring his third knockdown
Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott

In the post-fight interview Davis stated his belief that he had made the fight harder for himself than it needed to be. When pressed for an explanation, he admitted that he was concerned about Barrios' power at 140 lbs. and if he could take Barrios' best shots. All of that was refreshingly candid. 

However, it wasn't just Barrios’ power that caused Davis to be reluctant to throw in the early rounds. Overall, Barrios fought intelligently, specifically by limiting Davis' countering opportunities. Barrios had been well prepared by his trainer Virgil Hunter. Almost to a fault, Barrios kept his distance whenever possible, utilizing his reach advantage to cut down the number of exchanges. He didn't get greedy. He only threw one or two punches at a time. When Davis did hang along the ropes, Barrios was keen not to fall for any traps. He kept his distance and composure and refused to be overexuberant or rush in with punches that could be easily countered. 

Davis can be a fantastic counterpuncher, but Barrios' game plan forced Tank to create his own openings. Tank hit pay dirt in the eighth when he connected with a beautiful lead right hook that dropped Barrios. It isn't just that he landed the shot on the button, but he sold a feint before throwing. Barrios believed that Davis' left hand was coming, but instead Davis whipped his right hand around the guard and caught Barrios perfectly flush. 

Later in the round Davis landed an overhand left that knocked down Barrios for a second time. The shot had a little loop to it and it illustrated another one of Davis' considerable talents: he's a fantastic improvisor. He saw the opening and landed a shot that he hadn't thrown to that point in the fight. 

The Barrios fight answered several questions about Davis in the ring. Davis has had problems with his gas tank and conditioning at points in his career, but watching the tenth and eleventh rounds, those were among him most impressive showings in the fight. He had more than enough to give in the championship rounds. 

In addition, he showed he could take a real punch at 140 pounds. Barrios certainly didn't unload on Davis throughout the fight, but he landed his fair share of power shots to the head and body; Davis was unmoved. And while Barrios connected with a number of impressive punches, his success was sporadic, in part because Davis' defense was much sharper than advertised. 

Davis and Mayweather after the victory
Photo courtesy of Amanda Westcott

I was also impressed with Davis' hand speed. It's not just that Davis has impressive power, but he gets his shots home fast. It's his combination of power, speed and accuracy that really troubles opponents. Yes, his power is among the best in the sport, but he can routinely beat opponents to the punch.

Finally, one has to credit Davis for being coachable. His trainer, Calvin Ford, kept telling him to go to Barrios' jab side (his left) and Davis' first knockout came directly from that piece of instruction. And when Mayweather came to Davis late in the fight, Tank listened to what his mentor had to say and took his words to heart. Perhaps even more importantly, he responded affirmatively. 

The Mayweather-Davis dynamic has been an interesting one. Filled with love and momentary periods of frustration over the years, the Barrios fight showed the level of respect and trust between them. It hasn't always been smooth sailing for the pair, but on Saturday in their own way each of them performed to the best of his abilities. 

Perhaps Saturday's fight wasn't Tank's cleanest performance. It wasn't one-way traffic. But honestly, we've seen enough of those fights. In Barrios he was facing a solid fighter in a higher weight class. Tank was presented with a series of challenges that he had never faced before: a much bigger man, and an opponent who had a winning game plan. Tank solved these problems and solved them with aplomb. From my perspective it was his most well-rounded performance of his career. He was in a real fight and his opponent wasn't making it easy for him. Tank had to make his own luck: and he did just that.  

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

The Decade Awards

As the 2010's come to an end it's time to hand out the hardware for an eventful ten years of boxing. Below you will see the decade-best for fighter, fight, knockout, round, upset, trainer, promoter and network. Here are the Saturday Night Boxing Decade Awards: 

Fighter of the Decade: Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather had the most consequential wins of the decade. He defeated his chief rival, Manny Pacquiao, with relative ease in 2015. In addition, he notched impressive victories over Canelo Alvarez and Miguel Cotto, who both continued to have vibrant careers after their losses to Floyd. Mayweather also survived a tough second round against Shane Mosely, who was coming off one of the best wins of his career against Antonio Margarito, and went on to dominate the rest of the bout. The fighter who troubled Mayweather the most in the decade wasn't a future Hall of Famer, but the rugged Marcos Maidana. Floyd beat Maidana in a shootout in May of 2014 and was victorious in a more-comfortable rematch later in the year (although he did take a few huge shots in that fight). 

Photo Courtesy of Floyd Mayweather

Floyd was of course the money man of boxing throughout the decade, but it was more than that; he never had an off night physically (although I think that he got his tactics wrong for the first Maidana fight). Floyd was the prize. Everyone was gunning for him, but maybe only one fighter was truly competitive with him, a remarkable accomplishment. Andre Ward was a close runner-up for this award.

Fight of the Decade: Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez IV, 2012

Seven years later and perhaps few will remember that many expressed fatigue with the fourth matchup between these Hall of Fame rivals. Their third fight in 2011 was the most technical of the series and resulted in yet another controversial decision, with Pacquiao winning by a majority decision; many thought that Marquez should have been the clear victor. 

The remarkable aspect of this series has been that each fight has played out much differently, both strategically and what happened in the ring. In their third fight, Manny wanted to limit Marquez's countering opportunities and he was far more controlled in his offensive output. In the fourth part, a year later in 2012, Marquez, tired of getting unsympathetic scorecards, was aiming for the knockout, and Pacquiao dispensed with any notion of caution. They were both out to end things.  

Photo Courtesy of You Tube

In the third round Marquez announced to the boxing world that whatever narrative had existing in the previous fights should be thrown out the window. He scored a knockdown, the first time in four fights that he was able to drop Pacquiao. But Pacquiao came back with even more ferocity. He blitzed Marquez in the fifth round, dropped him and had him badly hurt. Going into the sixth, Marquez looked the worse for wear. His face was a mess and his energy seemed to flag. But as the round progressed, he seized an opportunity and landed the singular shot of his career – a counter right hand that turned out Pacquiao's lights. 

Pacquiao-Marquez IV had every possible winning element imaginable. The fight featured two all-time greats who were both "on" that night. Furthermore, they were both going for the knockout. All of their respect for one another (not that their relationship was necessary cordial) was left in their respective dressing rooms. This lead to world-class boxing at its most thrilling. In my estimation, no other fight of the '10s comes close to rivaling this match. Pacquiao-Marquez IV is one of the sport's showcase fights of the past 50 years. 

Knockout of the Decade: Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez IV, 2012

"He's not getting up, Jim. He's not getting up." Those words from HBO Boxing commentator Roy Jones have already become part of boxing lore. I could have just stopped after the quote and everyone would know which fight I was referring to. 

Photo Courtesy of You Tube

The final sequence was the product of Pacquiao repeating a mistake that he had made throughout their series of fights, with Marquez finally being able to land the home run shot. Pacquiao likes to double jab his way into range and occasionally he will wind up too close to his intended target, which makes him susceptible to short counter shots. Once Pacquiao started this double jab sequence, Marquez must have licked his lips; he had been trying to land this specific counter all fight. And as the great counterpunches do, Marquez held his ground an immediately fired off his best short right hand. Pacquiao was so out of position that Marquez's punch may not have even traveled six inches. 

In the aftermath of the knockout, Pacquiao needed several minutes to get back to his feet. Not only was it a picture-perfect knockout punch by Marquez, but it forever changed two Hall of Fame careers. (By the way, Pacquiao never fully addressed this flaw. He was still making the same mistake against Keith Thurman this year, but seeing it and reacting to it with a perfect shot are two different propositions.)

Round of the Decade: Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury Round 12, 2018

With apologies to the 12th rounds in Tim Bradley-Ruslan Provodnikov and Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Wilder-Fury was the round I will remember most from this decade. Among the clear-headed individuals watching Wilder-Fury unfold, Fury had boxed his way to large lead in the fight. And even a ninth-round knockdown by Wilder wasn't enough to change the trajectory of the bout.

Photo Courtesy of Esther Lin/Showtime

But in the 12th, Wilder finally detonated his thunder. Landing his best right hand and following up with a left hook, Wilder dropped Fury like a ton of bricks and almost all watching assumed that the fight was over. However, as referee Jack Reiss's count got to five, Fury started moving around on the canvas, and somehow he made it to his feet. It was an astonishing display of intestinal fortitude. Reiss assessed Fury and allowed the fight to continue. And in a crazy turn of events, it was Fury who got the better of the action. Fury had taken perhaps the biggest punch in contemporary boxing, and yet wouldn't be denied. Ultimately, the fight was ruled as a draw (most thought that Fury was the deserved winner), but even the fishy final result does nothing to take the sting out of what was truly an unforgettable moment in the sport. 

Upset of the Decade: Andy Ruiz TKO 7 Anthony Joshua, 2019

Andy Ruiz wasn't even supposed to be the opponent to face Joshua, the reigning heavyweight champ from the U.K., who was making his American debut at Madison Square Garden. Jarrell Miller was the original foe, but he fell out after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. As for Ruiz, he had a solid showing in his previous title shot in 2016 against Joseph Parker, a close loss. But Ruiz's career, on account of indifference, inactivity and a lack of professionalism had lost all of its momentum. His weight continued to be a problem. He switched trainers. Top Rank even granted him a release from their contract. Before facing Joshua, he had only fought 3 times in 30 months. 

All went according to plan early in the fight for Joshua as he landed a blistering left hook in the third round that dropped Ruiz for the first time in his professional career. However, he got greedy in the aftermath and started to trade with Ruiz on the inside, a range where Andy could assert himself. Ruiz soon landed his own left hook that knocked down Joshua. And of the two fighters, it was Joshua who was the one that was more damaged. Ruiz soon scored a second knockdown later in the round.

Photo Courtesy of Ed Mullholland

Ruiz spent the next few rounds wisely investing to the body, attempting to take more starch out of Joshua. And in the seventh, Ruiz again won a battle of left hooks and sent Joshua to the canvas for the third time in the fight. Ruiz was now ready to go for the stoppage and he trapped Joshua against the corner, pounding away at him with his best power shots. Joshua went down again. To his credit, he beat the count, but he was in no condition to continue. 

In the aftermath, boxing fans will remember Ruiz jumping up and down in the center of the ring, one of the most unlikely heavyweight champions that the sport has seen. Eventually, he would go on to lose December's rematch, but with his stunning upset he forever etched his name into boxing history. 

Trainer of the Decade: Robert Garcia

The aspect of Robert Garcia I like the best is his ability to work with and improve fighters of all different stripes. Consider the sublime counterpunching of Mikey Garcia, the patient stalking of Nonito Donaire, the pressure fighting of Marcos Maidana and Brandon Rios, and the inside fighting skills of Jose Ramirez. Garcia has played a huge role in all of these fighters' successes. In short, there's no such thing as a "Robert Garcia Fighter," and I think that's a wonderful thing. He has taken fighters from scratch to the top and also helped to rejuvenate veterans who started with other trainers. In this decade I don't think there's another trainer with a comparable record of success with such diverse talent. 

Photo Courtesy of
 Robert Garcia Boxing Academy

In addition to his skills as a trainer, he also has been the architect of some huge wins in the sport. Marcos Maidana’s win over Adrien Broner was a result that few saw coming. Of course Maidana could be relentless, but notice the feinting that Maidana did with his left hook to the body. It led to Broner lowering his hands and allowed for Maidana to land his best hook to the head. It was world-level stuff from a boxer who had previously lacked refinement. In 2019 Garcia had another impressive win (and he had many this decade) with Jose Ramirez's unification victory over Maurice Hooker. Although the fight featured its fair share of bombs, it was Ramirez's shorter shots on the inside and clever boxing that led to his victory. It was a far cry from some of Ramirez's cruder attempts at pressure fighting earlier in his career. 

With Ramirez and top prospect Vergil Ortiz, Garcia is well positioned heading into the next decade. His Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, first in Oxnard and now in Riverside, Calif., is world-renown for its sparring. Garcia will have his pick of the litter in terms of top talents moving forward. 

Promoter of the Decade: Matchroom Sport

It isn't just that Matchroom Sport has become the leading boxing promoter in the U.K., but under Managing Director Eddie Hearn, the company has transformed itself into one of the global players in the sport. Over the last decade Matchroom secured an exclusive deal with Sky TV for boxing content, creating a rock-solid foundation to help promote its stable of fighters. And Hearn was just getting started. The streaming startup DAZN invested over $1 Billion into boxing with Hearn as its lead promoter, providing Matchroom with a platform to sign American and international talent. 

Matchroom Sport Managing Director Eddie Hearn
Photo Courtesy of Mark Robinson

Even more than the business, Hearn has staged many of the biggest events of the decade: Froch-Groves 2 and Joshua-Klitschko at Wembley (80,000 strong for each) and Ruiz-Joshua 2 in Saudi Arabia. He also had stadium fights for Kell Brook and Tony Bellew. He dreams big and understands that spectacle and ritual are important parts of a boxing event. Witness the pyrotechnics for many of his events and of course the sing-alongs to "Sweet Caroline." Boxing fans seem to have a blast at his shows. (I was in Sheffield for Brook-Spence, and it was a fantastic experience.) Matchroom will have many challenges in the new decade as they work to build DAZN in several markets, but for the 2010's, no promoter had a better decade. 

Network of the Decade: Showtime 

It should be remembered that Showtime entered the 2010's as HBO Boxing's kid brother. HBO had almost all of the biggest names in North American boxing and had a pay per view infrastructure that may have been the best in any sport. But Showtime kept plugging away. 

Stephen Espinoza, President of Showtime Sports
Photo Courtesy of Boxing Scene

Starting with the hiring of Stephen Espinoza in 2011, the network continued to punch well above its weight class. Espinoza cemented strong alliances with talent procurer Al Haymon and CBS head Les Moonves. Espinoza was able to convince Floyd Mayweather to leave his long-time home at HBO and come to Showtime. Throughout the decade, he also was successful at attracting Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez to fight on Showtime as well. Haymon would eventually take his entire stable away from HBO (helping to hasten the demise of that network's boxing program) and Showtime helped grow the careers of stars such as Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Adrien Broner, Errol Spence, Danny Garcia, Leo Santa Cruz, Deontay Wilder, and many others. 

From the scrappy underdog to participating in two of the most lucrative fights in the history of boxing (Mayweather-Pacquiao and Mayweather-McGregor, Showtime has had quite the ride. As the 2010's conclude, the broadcast pieces on the boxing chessboard have once again changed; Showtime and Espinoza will need to fight hard to keep their plush seat at the table, but as far as success goes, Showtime was the standard-bearer for the decade.

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 
He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.
snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.