Winner
Terence Crawford
While there may be other fighters who are just as worthy of winning Big Time Boxing's 2014 Fighter of the Year award none announced their presence like Terence Crawford did. Crawford went 3-0 in 2014 with 1 knockout and he did it all against some of the toughest competition his division had to offer. He started off the year by outpointing Ricky Burns in Burns' native Scotland then followed that up by stopping the lightning fast Yuriorkis Gamboa in the 9th round of a Fight of the Year candidate. However Crawford's most impressive performance may have come in his last fight of the year against the tough Raymundo Beltran. Beltran was the underdog but was supposed to give Crawford a dogfight. Instead Crawford cruised to an easy victory winning all but one or two rounds. Crawford didn't just win this award for going 3-0 in 2014, he also won it because he really became a star this year. Once thought of as a slick defensive fighter, Crawford showed some real grit this year and whenever an opponent was able to land a punch and even hurt Crawford he came back angrier than ever and always made his opponent pay. Crawford had a monster year and looks like he is on his way to a very successful career as one of the stars of the sport.
Runner-Up
Sergey Kovalev
Last year Sergey Kovalev was the honorable mention for Fighter of the Year. This year Kovalev has moved up one spot and is now the runner-up for the same award. In 2014 Kovalev went 3-0 with 2 knockouts but it was his last fight of the year that really showed how special he was. That fight was against the legendary Bernard Hopkins who many thought would spoil the rise of Kovalev. Instead Kovalev dropped Hopkins in the very 1st round and controlled nearly every second of the fight from that point on. Kovalev had been known as a devastating puncher but people wondered how he would handle an intelligent boxer in the late rounds. Well that question was answered emphatically against Hopkins. The Russian slugger started the year off by knocking out Cedric Agnew after being cut over both eyes then got up off the canvas in the 1st round against Blake Caparello to stop him in the very next round. Next up for Kovalev is a bout with fellow light heavyweight Jean Pascal but the fight fans hope to see in 2015 is a bout between Kovalev and lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson.
Honorable Mention
Roman Gonzalez
A name casual fans might not be familiar with but that hardcore fans are obsessed with is Roman Gonzalez. Gonzalez who goes by the nickname "Chocolatito" tore through every fighter that was put in front of him in 2014. Gonzalez went 4-0 with 4 knockouts and no fight lasted more than 9 rounds. Certainly Gonzalez can box but what makes him so entertaining and what made him the honorable mention for Fighter of the Year is his incredible power. The only reason Gonzalez isn't a superstar is because he fights in the flyweight division which doesn't get much attention stateside. Still whenever Gonzalez fights it is must see TV which he thoroughly proved in 2014. Lately the flyweight has mentioned moving up in weight but fans hope to see a rematch with Juan Francisco Estrada before that happens. Gonzalez won their first fight but it did go the distance, however since that fight Gonzalez has stopped all seven of his opponents before the final bell.
In the Running
Nicholas Walters
If featherweight title holder Nicholas Walters fought more than twice in 2014 he very well have made it into the top three for Fighter of the Year. Walters only fought twice but he was very impressive in both fights going 2-0 with 2 knockouts and neither fight went passed six rounds. It wasn't just that Walters went undefeated in 2014 it was who he was able to beat. Walters took on two very good fighters and possibly at least one future Hall of Fame inductee in Nonito Donaire and Vic Darchinyan. Walters didn't just beat Donaire and Darchinyan, he destroyed them. In fact Walters beat Donaire so badly that in his post-fight interview Donaire said flat out that Walters kicked his ass. 2014 was definitely a coming out year for Walters in 2015 should be even better.
Gennady Golovkin
While 2013 was Gennady Golovkin's coming out party 2014 was equally impressive. This year Golovkin really made a statement that he is the best middleweight in the world and is in fact the real deal. Golovkin went 3-0 and scored 3 knockouts, all of which were brutal. His first fight of the year came against Osumana Adama who was dropped three times by Golovkin before the fight ended in the 7th round. Next came Daniel Geale who had never been stopped as a professional as was supposed to take Golovkin into deep water. Instead Golovkin floored Geale with a flush right hand that earned in the running status as the 2014 Knockout of the Year. Golovkin finished the year by demolishing Mexican veteran Marco Antonio Rubio. Rubio was the heaviest hitter Golovkin had faced and was supposed to test his chin. What happened instead was that Golovkin dropped Rubio in the 2nd round which forced the Mexican fighter to quit because he wanted no part of Golovkin's power. Up next for Golovkin is a February fight against Martin Murray and hopefully after that he steps up to take on some of the best, that is if they are willing to get in the ring with him.
Amir Khan
Amir Khan may not have had a very busy 2014 but he had a damn near perfect one. Khan went 2-0 this year and while he didn't score a knockout it can be argued that he also didn't lose a single round. Since both of Khan's 2014 fights were title bouts he ended up fighting 24 rounds and probably didn't lose any of them. First Khan outpointed the usually slick Luis Collazo in dominant fashion then came a showdown against fellow lightning fast boxer Devon Alexander. The fight against Alexander was looked at as a toss up but Khan dominated every minute of it. In the past Khan has been bashed for having a glass chin but his lightning fast hands and improvement under trainer Virgil Hunter have helped him get passed that. For a few years now Khan has been a rumored opponent of Floyd Mayweather and Khan may finally get that fight in 2015 and a few people would even have Khan as the favorite or at the very least a very live underdog. As long as Khan can protect his chin it doesn't look like he will lose again anytime soon.
Mauricio Herrera
The name Mauricio Herrera on a Fighter of the Year list may seem ridiculous since he finished the year with a record of 1-2. Also Herrera's lone win was a majority decision against Johan Perez so it isn't like he dominated that fight. Here is where it gets interesting, Herrera lost to junior welterweight champion and the best fighter in the division Danny Garcia via majority decision but to everyone watching the fight, besides the judges, it was clear that Herrera had won the fight handily. To finish the year Herrera took on red hot, undefeated prospect Jose Benavidez and while most fans and writers thought Herrera easily won that fight he was again robbed by the judges and ended up losing by the way of unanimous decision. Just think if the judges had actually watched the fight between Herrera and Garcia then Herrera would have been a the junior welterweight champion and the number one fighter in the division. So while his record wasn't impressive in 2014 his fights certainly were.
Terence Crawford
Runner-Up
Sergey Kovalev
Honorable Mention
Roman Gonzalez
In the Running
Nicholas Walters
If featherweight title holder Nicholas Walters fought more than twice in 2014 he very well have made it into the top three for Fighter of the Year. Walters only fought twice but he was very impressive in both fights going 2-0 with 2 knockouts and neither fight went passed six rounds. It wasn't just that Walters went undefeated in 2014 it was who he was able to beat. Walters took on two very good fighters and possibly at least one future Hall of Fame inductee in Nonito Donaire and Vic Darchinyan. Walters didn't just beat Donaire and Darchinyan, he destroyed them. In fact Walters beat Donaire so badly that in his post-fight interview Donaire said flat out that Walters kicked his ass. 2014 was definitely a coming out year for Walters in 2015 should be even better.
Gennady Golovkin
While 2013 was Gennady Golovkin's coming out party 2014 was equally impressive. This year Golovkin really made a statement that he is the best middleweight in the world and is in fact the real deal. Golovkin went 3-0 and scored 3 knockouts, all of which were brutal. His first fight of the year came against Osumana Adama who was dropped three times by Golovkin before the fight ended in the 7th round. Next came Daniel Geale who had never been stopped as a professional as was supposed to take Golovkin into deep water. Instead Golovkin floored Geale with a flush right hand that earned in the running status as the 2014 Knockout of the Year. Golovkin finished the year by demolishing Mexican veteran Marco Antonio Rubio. Rubio was the heaviest hitter Golovkin had faced and was supposed to test his chin. What happened instead was that Golovkin dropped Rubio in the 2nd round which forced the Mexican fighter to quit because he wanted no part of Golovkin's power. Up next for Golovkin is a February fight against Martin Murray and hopefully after that he steps up to take on some of the best, that is if they are willing to get in the ring with him.
Amir Khan
Amir Khan may not have had a very busy 2014 but he had a damn near perfect one. Khan went 2-0 this year and while he didn't score a knockout it can be argued that he also didn't lose a single round. Since both of Khan's 2014 fights were title bouts he ended up fighting 24 rounds and probably didn't lose any of them. First Khan outpointed the usually slick Luis Collazo in dominant fashion then came a showdown against fellow lightning fast boxer Devon Alexander. The fight against Alexander was looked at as a toss up but Khan dominated every minute of it. In the past Khan has been bashed for having a glass chin but his lightning fast hands and improvement under trainer Virgil Hunter have helped him get passed that. For a few years now Khan has been a rumored opponent of Floyd Mayweather and Khan may finally get that fight in 2015 and a few people would even have Khan as the favorite or at the very least a very live underdog. As long as Khan can protect his chin it doesn't look like he will lose again anytime soon.
Mauricio Herrera
The name Mauricio Herrera on a Fighter of the Year list may seem ridiculous since he finished the year with a record of 1-2. Also Herrera's lone win was a majority decision against Johan Perez so it isn't like he dominated that fight. Here is where it gets interesting, Herrera lost to junior welterweight champion and the best fighter in the division Danny Garcia via majority decision but to everyone watching the fight, besides the judges, it was clear that Herrera had won the fight handily. To finish the year Herrera took on red hot, undefeated prospect Jose Benavidez and while most fans and writers thought Herrera easily won that fight he was again robbed by the judges and ended up losing by the way of unanimous decision. Just think if the judges had actually watched the fight between Herrera and Garcia then Herrera would have been a the junior welterweight champion and the number one fighter in the division. So while his record wasn't impressive in 2014 his fights certainly were.
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