Winner
Francisco Vargas vs. Takashi Miura
It was a shame that a large portion of the crowd who came to see Saul "Canelo" Alvarez take on Miguel Cotto didn't show up for the co-feature. That fight was a battle of wills between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura. Unfortunately the crowd on hand was small and subdued and really took something away from such a special fight. Miura entered the fight with the title belt but in the very first round the challenger, Vargas caught Miura with a big right hand that nearly dropped Miura. Somehow the champion stayed on his feet but he was badly hurt and seemed to be on the brink of being stopped. In the second round Vargas continued to find success against Miura and it looked like it could be a short night. However, in the middle rounds Miura turned the tide and not only did he open a cut under Vargas' right eye but also started to beat him up. In the fourth round Miura dropped Vargas with a stiff straight left hand and really took control. Then in the eighth round Miura hurt Vargas with another straight left that buckled the Mexican's legs. The fight was looking as if Miura would stop Vargas in the next few rounds when the unthinkable happened. Vargas came out very aggressive in the ninth round and caught Miura with a straight right hand and uppercut that sent him to the canvas. Miura was able to beat the count but was badly hurt and although he tried his best to clinch until the round ended he took too many punches and when Vargas caught him clean a few more times referee Tony Weeks waived the fight off. In between those knockdowns and dramatics both men turned in some of the best body punching you will ever see. The reason this fight reigns supreme in 2015 is because you had the champion nearly stopped in the first round, only to come back to dominate the fight for the next handful of rounds, to then look like he was on the verge of stopping the challenger only to have the challenger stop him. Incredible.
Runner-Up
Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov
It just doesn't seem like any Fight of the Year list would be complete with Lucas Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov's names in the mix. That is why when they agreed to fight each other fans were expecting a war. Early on Matthysse was in complete control and when a bad cut opened up near Provodnikov's left eye it looked like the fight might end prematurely. Luckily for fans Porovodnikov showed a tremendous amount of heart and not only kept fighting back but started to put a pounding on Matthysse. Provodnikov started to attack that body and that is what got him back in this fight. While neither fighter went down both had moments of serious danger and after the first few rounds it was a back and forth battle that could have just as easily taken place in a phone booth. It was the type of fight where both sluggers seemed to mutually agree that defense would be forgotten about and only heavy leather would be traded. When the fight was over it was Matthysse who got the majority decision win but neither fighter could lose in a fight as good as this one.
Honorable Mention
Nonito Donaire vs. Cesar Juarez
When Nonito Donaire signed on to fight Cesar Juarez not many fans were expecting a great fight. Juarez only had a career record of 17-3 and he had never faced a fighter at the level of a Donaire. Early on Donaire looked faster and stronger than his Mexican challenger and when he dropped Juarez twice in the fourth round it looked like it would be an easy night for Donaire. The plan for Juarez though was to absorb the attack of Donaire early on and mount his own attack later in the fight. In the middle rounds Donaire started to slow down and Juarez never let up on his aggression. As the fight wore on Donaire started to box less and less and kept getting pulled in to a war with Juarez who started to land some serious power punches. Even though Juarez may not have been winning many rounds he was winning himself many new fans because he looked like a fighter who wouldn't see the sixth round but turned things around to make this fight an absolute war. When the scores were announced Donaire was awarded the unanimous decision win but it was really Juarez who came away the big winner.
In the Running
Krzysztof Glowacki vs. Marco Huck
The fight between Krzysztof Glowacki and Marco Huck made it on most award lists this year. The sixth round of that fight was awarded Big Time Boxing's 2015 Round of the Year Honorable Mention and the knockout made it to In the Running status on the list of Knockout of the Year. Huck was defending his cruiserweight title against a fighter most American fans had never heard of. Huck started the fight slow which let Glowacki build a small lead but all that changed in the sixth round. The champion caught Glowacki with a devastating left hand that dropped him and had him in bad shape. Somehow Glowacki was able to survive the round but from that point on Huck was able to take control and it looked like he would be leaving with the title belt he came with. Then in the 11th round Glowacki caught Huck with his hands down and dropped him, which was the first time Huck had ever been down as a pro. While Huck made it to his feet it was clear he was in bad shape and when Glowacki followed up and nearly sent Huck through the ropes the fight was over giving Glowacki a huge comeback victory and the biggest win of his career.
Andrzej Fonfara vs. Nathan Cleverly
Spike TV had itself a very nice year with PBC cards. There were a lot of good fights that showed up on Spike TV but none were better that the battle between Andrzej Fonfara and Nathan Cleverly. While Cleverly's boxing skills allowed him to control the fight early once Fonfara figured him out he took control. When the fight ended Fonfara was awarded the comfortable unanimous decision win but this fight was all about the volume of punches. Fonfara and Cleverly combined to set the CompuBox record for most punches ever thrown and ever landed in a light heavyweight fight. The two pugilists threw a total of 2,524 punches and 936 of them landed. This fight wasn't the closest in the world and neither fighter ever tasted the canvas or appeared to be in any serious danger but the amount of punches thrown and eaten by both fighters was something to marvel out and it is why this fight makes the list.
Kohei Kono vs. Koki Kameda
The fight between Kohei Kono and Koki Kameda also appeared on a PBC card aired on Spike TV and it happened to be the co-feature to the main event fight between Andrzej Fonfara and Nathan Cleverly. Fans who showed up for that card certainly went home happy because they saw two electric fights. Both fighters hailed from Japan and if U.S. fans learned anything about Japanese fighters in recent years it is that they always give a good show. While Kono was the champion Kameda was the attraction because he is a star in Japan. However that star would get dropped in the second round and was deducted a point in round three. Kono was able to get a close unanimous decision win but both fighters earned some fans in the U.S. by going toe-to-toe for twelve rounds and fighting hard until the final bell.
The Jean Pascal Fights
Jean Pascal fought twice in 2015 and while he ended the year 1-1 and was knocked out in that lone loss he put on a show in both fights. Pascal is a boxer-puncher who has enough flaws to make any fight fun. His first fight of the year came against Sergey Kovalev and while Kovalev stopped Pascal in the eighth round and had him badly hurt on multiple occasions Pascal was also able to rock Kovalev a few times and the fight was good enough to warrant a rematch in January of 2016. Next Pascal went on to fight Yunieski Gonzalez and that fight was a back and forth war that could have easily gone either way and actually probably should have gone Gonzalez's way. In both fights Pascal took, and gave out plenty of punishment and while he may not be considered elite, Pascal is always entertaining.
David Lemieux vs. Hassan N'Dam
The fight between slugger David Lemieux and tough man Hassan N'Dam was not a very competitive one. Lemieux was in control for what seemed to be the entire fight. In fact Lemieux was able to drop N'Dam a total of four times over their 12 rounds in the ring together. Lemieux dropped N'Dam once in the second round, twice in the fifth round, and dropped him once more in the seventh round for good measure. So how does this fight make the list? Because N'Dam never stopped trying. N'Dam showed an unreal amount of heart and each time he rose from the canvas he didn't just try to survive he tried to win and was able to catch Lemieux with heavy leather despite tasting so much of it himself. This fight certainly wasn't the most competitive of 2015 but it was one of the most exciting.
Francisco Vargas vs. Takashi Miura
It was a shame that a large portion of the crowd who came to see Saul "Canelo" Alvarez take on Miguel Cotto didn't show up for the co-feature. That fight was a battle of wills between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura. Unfortunately the crowd on hand was small and subdued and really took something away from such a special fight. Miura entered the fight with the title belt but in the very first round the challenger, Vargas caught Miura with a big right hand that nearly dropped Miura. Somehow the champion stayed on his feet but he was badly hurt and seemed to be on the brink of being stopped. In the second round Vargas continued to find success against Miura and it looked like it could be a short night. However, in the middle rounds Miura turned the tide and not only did he open a cut under Vargas' right eye but also started to beat him up. In the fourth round Miura dropped Vargas with a stiff straight left hand and really took control. Then in the eighth round Miura hurt Vargas with another straight left that buckled the Mexican's legs. The fight was looking as if Miura would stop Vargas in the next few rounds when the unthinkable happened. Vargas came out very aggressive in the ninth round and caught Miura with a straight right hand and uppercut that sent him to the canvas. Miura was able to beat the count but was badly hurt and although he tried his best to clinch until the round ended he took too many punches and when Vargas caught him clean a few more times referee Tony Weeks waived the fight off. In between those knockdowns and dramatics both men turned in some of the best body punching you will ever see. The reason this fight reigns supreme in 2015 is because you had the champion nearly stopped in the first round, only to come back to dominate the fight for the next handful of rounds, to then look like he was on the verge of stopping the challenger only to have the challenger stop him. Incredible.
Runner-Up
Lucas Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov
It just doesn't seem like any Fight of the Year list would be complete with Lucas Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov's names in the mix. That is why when they agreed to fight each other fans were expecting a war. Early on Matthysse was in complete control and when a bad cut opened up near Provodnikov's left eye it looked like the fight might end prematurely. Luckily for fans Porovodnikov showed a tremendous amount of heart and not only kept fighting back but started to put a pounding on Matthysse. Provodnikov started to attack that body and that is what got him back in this fight. While neither fighter went down both had moments of serious danger and after the first few rounds it was a back and forth battle that could have just as easily taken place in a phone booth. It was the type of fight where both sluggers seemed to mutually agree that defense would be forgotten about and only heavy leather would be traded. When the fight was over it was Matthysse who got the majority decision win but neither fighter could lose in a fight as good as this one.
Honorable Mention
Nonito Donaire vs. Cesar Juarez
When Nonito Donaire signed on to fight Cesar Juarez not many fans were expecting a great fight. Juarez only had a career record of 17-3 and he had never faced a fighter at the level of a Donaire. Early on Donaire looked faster and stronger than his Mexican challenger and when he dropped Juarez twice in the fourth round it looked like it would be an easy night for Donaire. The plan for Juarez though was to absorb the attack of Donaire early on and mount his own attack later in the fight. In the middle rounds Donaire started to slow down and Juarez never let up on his aggression. As the fight wore on Donaire started to box less and less and kept getting pulled in to a war with Juarez who started to land some serious power punches. Even though Juarez may not have been winning many rounds he was winning himself many new fans because he looked like a fighter who wouldn't see the sixth round but turned things around to make this fight an absolute war. When the scores were announced Donaire was awarded the unanimous decision win but it was really Juarez who came away the big winner.
In the Running
Krzysztof Glowacki vs. Marco Huck
The fight between Krzysztof Glowacki and Marco Huck made it on most award lists this year. The sixth round of that fight was awarded Big Time Boxing's 2015 Round of the Year Honorable Mention and the knockout made it to In the Running status on the list of Knockout of the Year. Huck was defending his cruiserweight title against a fighter most American fans had never heard of. Huck started the fight slow which let Glowacki build a small lead but all that changed in the sixth round. The champion caught Glowacki with a devastating left hand that dropped him and had him in bad shape. Somehow Glowacki was able to survive the round but from that point on Huck was able to take control and it looked like he would be leaving with the title belt he came with. Then in the 11th round Glowacki caught Huck with his hands down and dropped him, which was the first time Huck had ever been down as a pro. While Huck made it to his feet it was clear he was in bad shape and when Glowacki followed up and nearly sent Huck through the ropes the fight was over giving Glowacki a huge comeback victory and the biggest win of his career.
Andrzej Fonfara vs. Nathan Cleverly
Spike TV had itself a very nice year with PBC cards. There were a lot of good fights that showed up on Spike TV but none were better that the battle between Andrzej Fonfara and Nathan Cleverly. While Cleverly's boxing skills allowed him to control the fight early once Fonfara figured him out he took control. When the fight ended Fonfara was awarded the comfortable unanimous decision win but this fight was all about the volume of punches. Fonfara and Cleverly combined to set the CompuBox record for most punches ever thrown and ever landed in a light heavyweight fight. The two pugilists threw a total of 2,524 punches and 936 of them landed. This fight wasn't the closest in the world and neither fighter ever tasted the canvas or appeared to be in any serious danger but the amount of punches thrown and eaten by both fighters was something to marvel out and it is why this fight makes the list.
Kohei Kono vs. Koki Kameda
The fight between Kohei Kono and Koki Kameda also appeared on a PBC card aired on Spike TV and it happened to be the co-feature to the main event fight between Andrzej Fonfara and Nathan Cleverly. Fans who showed up for that card certainly went home happy because they saw two electric fights. Both fighters hailed from Japan and if U.S. fans learned anything about Japanese fighters in recent years it is that they always give a good show. While Kono was the champion Kameda was the attraction because he is a star in Japan. However that star would get dropped in the second round and was deducted a point in round three. Kono was able to get a close unanimous decision win but both fighters earned some fans in the U.S. by going toe-to-toe for twelve rounds and fighting hard until the final bell.
The Jean Pascal Fights
Jean Pascal fought twice in 2015 and while he ended the year 1-1 and was knocked out in that lone loss he put on a show in both fights. Pascal is a boxer-puncher who has enough flaws to make any fight fun. His first fight of the year came against Sergey Kovalev and while Kovalev stopped Pascal in the eighth round and had him badly hurt on multiple occasions Pascal was also able to rock Kovalev a few times and the fight was good enough to warrant a rematch in January of 2016. Next Pascal went on to fight Yunieski Gonzalez and that fight was a back and forth war that could have easily gone either way and actually probably should have gone Gonzalez's way. In both fights Pascal took, and gave out plenty of punishment and while he may not be considered elite, Pascal is always entertaining.
David Lemieux vs. Hassan N'Dam
The fight between slugger David Lemieux and tough man Hassan N'Dam was not a very competitive one. Lemieux was in control for what seemed to be the entire fight. In fact Lemieux was able to drop N'Dam a total of four times over their 12 rounds in the ring together. Lemieux dropped N'Dam once in the second round, twice in the fifth round, and dropped him once more in the seventh round for good measure. So how does this fight make the list? Because N'Dam never stopped trying. N'Dam showed an unreal amount of heart and each time he rose from the canvas he didn't just try to survive he tried to win and was able to catch Lemieux with heavy leather despite tasting so much of it himself. This fight certainly wasn't the most competitive of 2015 but it was one of the most exciting.
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