Winner
Adonis Stevenson
There were three legitimate contenders for the 2013 Fighter of the Year award, however it was Adonis Stevenson who shined the brightest. Stevenson compiled a record of 4-0 with 4 stoppages against solid competition. Stevenson also become the lineal light heavyweight champion of the world and put his stamp on 2013 by knocking out then champion Chad Dawson in the first round. Stevenson also fought Darnell Boone, avenging his only career loss, Tavoris Cloud, and Tony Bellew. This was Stevenson's breakout year, the world really took notice after his stunning upset of Dawson and boxing fans saw how lethal his power could be. However Stevenson showed fans another wrinkle to his game when he showed he wasn't just a power puncher but could also out-slick a skilled boxer in Cloud. That combination of skills is what makes Stevenson so talented. He is a power puncher who doesn't need to bum rush his opponent to win, he can lay back and outbox his foe until the moment to land a knockout punch presents itself and he always seems to capitalize on that moment. Now having shown the world how good he can be Stevenson will look for some big money fights in 2014 and has mentioned Bernard Hopkins and Carl Froch as possible opponents. The fight the world wants to see however is a matchup between Stevenson and fellow light heavyweight star Sergey Kovalev. Whoever Stevenson chooses to fight next it is clear that 2014 will be very good to him.
Runner-Up
Gennady Golovkin
If Adonis Stevenson hadn't steam rolled Chad Dawson in the first round of their fight than it would be Gennady Golovkin who would be named Fighter of the Year. Golovkin had started to make some noise late in 2012 but really exploded onto the scene in 2013. This year saw Golovkin go 4-0 without any of the fights going the distance. Golovkin earned a tremendous amount of fanfare with his fan friendly style and with the fact that he always goes for the knockout and he seems to be HBO's prized fighter. In 2013 Golovkin fought and beat Gabriel Rosado, Nobuhiro Ishida, Matthew Macklin, and Curtis Stevens and beat them all convincingly. Some question still remain about how good Golovkin's defense is because he does take his fair share of punches but those questions probably won't be answered anytime soon considering most other middleweights want nothing to do with him. Outside of a fight with middleweight king Sergio Martinez there doesn't seem to be a middleweight who could really challenge Golovkin. That means it won't be easy for Golovkin to get the big money fights that Stevenson seems poised for but it is clear that whenever Golovkin fights the fans will tune in.
Honorable Mention
Sergey Kovalev
Sergey Kovalev may not be as well known to casual boxing fans as Adonis Stevenson or Gennady Golovkin but he may end up being better than both. Kovalev, who goes by the nickname "Krusher" does just that to all his opponents and that was never more evident than in 2013. This year Kovalev went 4-0 and no fight even made it past the 4th round. He fought Gabriel Campillo, Cornelius White, Nathan Cleverly, and Ismayl Sillakh and if had had a marquee name such as Chad Dawson on his resume he may have well earned the top spot for this category. Kovalev started the year fighting on NBC Sports Network and immediately had big time boxing fans talking. He finished the year out by appearing on HBO and has put himself in line for a fight against Stevenson. While Stevenson earned Fighter of the Year honors it is Kovalev who many boxing heads think is the best light heavyweight in the world and a fight between the two would be one of the biggest bouts that could be made in 2014. If Kovalev continues to try and learn English like Golovkin has been doing, he could be a big star and 2014 could be a career making year for him.
In the Running
Floyd Mayweather
If Floyd Mayweather fought more than twice a year he could have easily won this award. However Mayweather only fought twice so his 2013 wasn't as impressive as some of the others on the list. Still Mayweather deserves to be mentioned in the discussion considering he beat Robert Guerrero and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Not only did he beat two top fighters but it can be argued that of the 24 rounds he boxed in 2013 he didn't lose a single one. Mayweather still has a few years left before he retires and he says he plans to fight twice a year until he hangs the gloves up. It looks like no opponent in the world has a chance to really upset Mayweather and the rumor mill right now has Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana as the frontrunners to earn a fight with Mayweather in May.
Mikey Garcia
Of all the fighters on this list it is Mikey Garcia who has the highest ceiling. Fans started to take notice to Garcia in 2012 but things really blew up for him this year. He went 3-0 against Orlando Salido, Juan Manuel Lopez, and Roman Martinez and every fight ended early. The only real letdown for Garcia was the fact that his fight against Salido was stopped early in the 8th round because Garcia suffered a badly broken nose. Still he easily won that fight on the scorecards and had dropped Salido four times up to that point. Garcia looks like a seasoned veteran in the ring using the early rounds to study his opponent until he destroys them in the middle rounds. Although he didn't win Fighter of the Year he should break into the top ten pound for pound rankings as early as 2014 and should be a superstar for years to come. Garcia won't wait long to fight in 2014 as he already has a fight scheduled for January 25th against Juan Carlos Burgos.
Adonis Stevenson
Runner-Up
Gennady Golovkin
Honorable Mention
Sergey Kovalev
In the Running
Floyd Mayweather
If Floyd Mayweather fought more than twice a year he could have easily won this award. However Mayweather only fought twice so his 2013 wasn't as impressive as some of the others on the list. Still Mayweather deserves to be mentioned in the discussion considering he beat Robert Guerrero and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Not only did he beat two top fighters but it can be argued that of the 24 rounds he boxed in 2013 he didn't lose a single one. Mayweather still has a few years left before he retires and he says he plans to fight twice a year until he hangs the gloves up. It looks like no opponent in the world has a chance to really upset Mayweather and the rumor mill right now has Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana as the frontrunners to earn a fight with Mayweather in May.
Mikey Garcia
Of all the fighters on this list it is Mikey Garcia who has the highest ceiling. Fans started to take notice to Garcia in 2012 but things really blew up for him this year. He went 3-0 against Orlando Salido, Juan Manuel Lopez, and Roman Martinez and every fight ended early. The only real letdown for Garcia was the fact that his fight against Salido was stopped early in the 8th round because Garcia suffered a badly broken nose. Still he easily won that fight on the scorecards and had dropped Salido four times up to that point. Garcia looks like a seasoned veteran in the ring using the early rounds to study his opponent until he destroys them in the middle rounds. Although he didn't win Fighter of the Year he should break into the top ten pound for pound rankings as early as 2014 and should be a superstar for years to come. Garcia won't wait long to fight in 2014 as he already has a fight scheduled for January 25th against Juan Carlos Burgos.
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