11-20 are in the books, and now we move on to the first half of the top ten for the year.

Part One (20-16)

Part Two (15-11)

10. Vicente Escobedo v. Carlos Hernandez
April 4, 2009 - Austin, Texas

As the second bout of the Golden Boy-produced Lightweight Lightning pay-per-view, former Olympian Vicente Escobedo and rugged veteran Carlos Hernandez locked horns, and little was really expected of this fight. Escobedo was best-known to many boxing fans as the guy you wondered about on "Fight Night Round 3." In particular, "Why was he there?" Hernandez, 38, had been a past opponent for Genaro Hernandez (1997), Floyd Mayweather Jr. (2001) and Erik Morales (2004), among others.

The show was designed to be an eight-man, single elimination lightweight tournament. Golden Boy never made good on that, though Escobedo and Michael Katsidis did later fight on the Mayweather-Marquez undercard, which I chose to recognize as the Lightweight Lightning tournament finals, as in my mind, Edwin Valero and Rolando Reyes simply dropped out of the tournament.

Escobedo turned pro in 2005 and had yet to really step up competition at all. Hernandez promised that if he didn't win, that would be it for him. He would retire. And both of them fought like they needed this one -- Escobedo to prove he was no joke prospect, and Hernandez to prove that he still had something left in the tank.

Hernandez went down in rounds one and two, but stayed in the fight for the full ten rounds, hammering back when he could against a bigger, younger, faster, stronger opponent. "El Famoso" was giving up a full eight inches and reach, and when Escobedo wanted to use it, it showed. But for the most part this one could've been fought in a phone booth. The two warriors hammered away on one another, embracing at the opening of the 10th and final round, and leaving every ounce of energy they had in the ring. Escobedo couldn't finish Hernandez, and the proud veteran went out on his shield. Thus far, Hernandez has been true to his word, not fighting since. It was one of the year's least talked-about great fights.

9. Jose Lopez v. Marvin Sonsona
September 4, 2009 - Rama, Ontario, Canada

At just 19 years of age, Filipino prospect Marvin Sonsona stepped into the ring with WBO junior bantamweight titlist Jose "Carita" Lopez on September 4 in Rama, Ontario. The 37-year-old Puerto Rican had come in on a 16-fight unbeaten streak (15-0-1) dating back to 2001, when he had lost a 12-round decision to Fernando Montiel.

The veteran was confident, but so was the kid. Lopez looked strong early, but a ripping left hand sent him to the mat in the fourth round, and afterward Lopez said he felt that blow for the rest of the fight. The middle rounds saw Lopez kick up the pressure, attempting to rattle the young challenger. But he just couldn't do it. In the end, Lopez handed his title over to the prospect, who now was a titlist. Sonsona won a unanimous decision over 12 exciting rounds. Lopez offered no excuses, and hoped only to land a rematch, which did not come his way. Lopez also praised Sonsona after the fight, showing his true class.

8. Andre Berto v. Luis Collazo
January 17, 2009 - Biloxi, Mississippi

HBO's boxing year got off to a great start with this criminally underrated fight from January, a fight that was forgotten quickly due to the shock of Shane Mosley dominating Antonio Margarito seven days later, and then the subsequent controversy surrounding that fight. But Berto-Collazo was without any question a vastly superior contest, far more competitive and with one of the most dramatic finishes of 2009.

The much-hyped Berto came in against the experienced, crafty Collazo holding the WBC welterweight title, which was for all intents and purposes given to him when Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced his make-believe retirement in 2008. Berto beat non-contender Miki Rodriguez to win the vacant title, and then defended against non-welterweight Steve Forbes before signing on to face Collazo.

Collazo wobbled an overconfident Berto early in the fight, and then Andre lost a point in the fourth round for excessive holding. With his back then slightly against the wall, he was forced to accept that he was in there with a fighter who could beat him.

But the fight was interesting in a lot of ways. When Berto stayed at distance, Collazo was absolutely no match for him. Berto's enormous speed advantage gave Collazo fits. But when they got close, Collazo put a whooping on Berto, who had never been in the ring with someone as resilient and smart as the Puerto Rican.

Going into the 12th and final round, I had the fight at 104-104, counting that fourth round deduction against Berto. From where I was sitting, he NEEDED to win the 12th round, to prove he was a true "champion," whatever diluted meaning that word still has in boxing.

And he did just that. With a ferocity heretofore unseen in either this fight or really his entire career, Andre Berto dug deep down and took the fight to Collazo, who seemed ill-prepared for that sort of onslaught. Unable to time Berto anymore, Collazo was forced into the role of survivor. When all was said and done, I scored the fight 114-113 for Berto, and so did two of the official judges (the other had it 116-111 for Berto, which was very wide).

It was with this fight that, in my opinion, Berto finally earned his status as a welterweight titleholder.

7. Joseph Agbeko v. Yonnhy Perez
October 31, 2009 - Las Vegas, Nevada

From this fight on, we're into the territory of what I consider the TRUE Fight of the Year contenders. Any one of these fights could be argued as the best of the year, I believe.

Seeing as how I'm not six years old, nor do I go to bars to do anything other than drink and kick ass at karaoke, Halloween holds zero appeal for me anymore. But the folks at Showtime put together what wound up being a thrilling main event, with Don King back in Las Vegas at the Treasure Island Casino to promote his man, Joseph Agbeko, against Colombian contender Yonnhy Perez.

While this fight had sleeper status, I don't think anyone expected it to be quite as great as it was. Reigning 118-pound titlist Agbeko had come off of a win over a white-hot Vic Darchinyan in July, and Perez had scored a big comeback stoppage of Silence Mabuza in May. (Mabuza-Perez I should have mentioned on the cut list post as well. I have not seen the full fight, so I couldn't rank it.)

I don't recall a single clinch in this fight. The workrate was astounding, with both men throwing a ton of punches, particularly the hyper-active Perez. Perez scored a controversial 10th round knockdown, which it appeared at first might have wound up being a deciding factor. But for as closely contested as this war was, the scores were fairly wide at 116-111, 116-111 and 117-110. I scored it 116-111 for Perez myself, feeling he clearly won the fight over the always-tough Agbeko, but those scores don't reflect what a great, great fight this was. This year's Halloween wound up pretty damn memorable for the boxing fans that stayed in to watch this one, a true treat for the hardcore audience.

6. Jamie Moore v. Ryan Rhodes
October 23, 2009 - Bolton, England

In my view, without question this was the British Fight of the Year. Dubbed the "War of the Roses," Salford's Moore put his European 154-pound title on the line against Sheffield's Rhodes, who was looking to complete a comeback story with what would be a stunning win over a top ten worldwide junior middleweight.

Moore started the fight very strong, making Rhodes look bad in the opening frame, but meeting a bit more resistance in the second round and beyond. Still, though the fight was constant action and zero clinching, thus quite exciting to watch, I had Moore up 4-0 at the end of four rounds.

But there was a moment in the fourth when the tide seemed to turn. Rhodes hurt him to the body after absorbing more offense, and it would be the fifth round that I finally got Rhodes on the board with a winning three minutes. It was also that fifth round when you could tell for sure that there was a special fight brewing in the air.

Rhodes took the first half of a wonderful sixth round, with Moore coming back strong. On what appeared to be weakening legs, Moore made a major rally and took the round. He may well have gassed himself out, as he already appeared to be tiring. The sixth round might have been a valiant, last-ditch attempt, and it nearly did work.

But in the seventh, Rhodes dropped Moore with a right hand, right as Moore was making another run at a big push. The titleholder got back to his feet to fight on. The two then went toe-to-toe, firing everything they had. Moore suddenly wobbled Rhodes, but just as quickly, Rhodes landed a big right hand that sent Moore stumbling. Rhodes pounced, and with Moore being hammered on the ropes, the referee called an end to the action, giving Ryan Rhodes the dramatic, epic comeback victory.

Round seven of this one was my Round of the Year. They lived up to the "War" in the fight's title for sure.

Photo Credits

Escobedo-Hernandez: The Daily Texan

Lopez-Sonsona: insidesports.ph

Berto-Collazo: Naoki Fukuda / notifight.com

Agbeko-Perez: Tom Casino / Showtime

Moore-Rhodes: Chris Royle / The Boxing Bulletin

Yonnhy Perez stayed undefeated and won the IBF bantamweight title, outpointing Joseph Agbeko in an electric, toe-to-toe Fight of the Year contender tonight in Las Vegas.

Perez (20-0, 14 KO) won on scores of 116-111, 117-110 and 117-110. Bad Left Hook scored it 116-111 for Perez. The fight's workrate was absolutely astounding, as there were no lulls in action and I can't recall a single clinch.

A controversial knockdown in the 10th round went Perez's way, as Agbeko complained of a headbutt, turned his back, and was punched. He then went to his knee and kept complaining of the headbutt. A replay of the butt showed that there was in fact a headbutt there, but truthfully, it looked like it was Agbeko, a noted user of the tactic, throwing the headbutt that wound up hurting him. He also cut Perez earlier in the fight with a headbutt, and blatantly butted him on at least one other occasion.

To be completely honest, Agbeko complaining of headbutts (especially with his head swinging toward Perez on the butt in question) is ridiculous. The guy is maybe the best headbutt machine in the game today. He uses the move liberally.

Agbeko (27-2, 22 KO) is hardly back to the drawing board. He's still clearly among the bantamweight elite, and he wants a rematch. I think the people that saw this one would love to see a rematch, too. I know I would. It was an outstanding fight, an epic war that surpassed even the highest expectations.

Congratulations to Yonnhy Perez on his first major title, and hats off to both of these gutsy fighters for a great, great fight.

Antonio DeMarco won the interim WBC lightweight title tonight in Las Vegas, dominating Jose Alfaro and stopping the Nicaraguan in the 10th round after two knockdowns and Alfaro taking a final knee. Referee Joe Cortez waved the fight off at that point.

It was a pretty masterful performance for the 23-year old DeMarco (23-1-1, 17 KO), who is now in line to face the monster punching full WBC titlist, Edwin Valero. His win was no surprise, as he was the favorite, but Alfaro (23-5, 20 KO) was barely in the fight at all.

Valero-DeMarco probably isn't likely to happen any time soon, but DeMarco is really showing a ton of promise. He's strong, he's fighting smarter and smarter, and he's very young. He's got some good wins over solid opponents already and is knocking on the door at 135 pounds.

Bad Left Hook had it 89-82 for DeMarco at the time of stoppage. That was the same score on two of the three official scores, with the third card at 90-81.

On the untelevised undercard in Vegas, Ray Austin stopped DaVarryl Williamson in four. Our live thread is continuing for the 118-pound title fight in the main event between Joseph Agbeko and Yonnhy Perez. Join us!

Happy Halloween! Tonight's Showtime Championship Boxing double-header starts at 9pm ET. Ghosts and spooky, etc. Join us tonight!

JOSEPH AGBEKO		YONNHY PEREZ
	Main Event

ANTONIO DEMARCO		JOSE ALFARO

Continue reading this post »

Yonnhy Perez: Joseph Agbeko Is 'Fighting A Real Man' (FanHouse)
"He's not facing a nobody, he's fighting a real, future champion. He's not fighting his wife, he's fighting a real man. But if he says that he's going to deliver, that's great. I'm ready for any type of battle to happen in the ring." -- Yonnhy Perez

Will Agbeko live to his middle name King Kong? (Ghana Business News)
"I’m small, maybe, in height, but I’m King Kong inside. I have the heart of the real King Kong. He’s in my bones and in my heart. I come out and fight like I’m really King Kong." -- Joseph Agbeko (My favorite thing is that there is apparently a "real" King Kong.)

Q & A with Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko (15rounds.com)
"Yonnhy is a good fighter, he’s a nice person. Nothing personal." -- Agbeko

Joshua Clottey Wishes Agbeko Well (Ghana News)
"King Kong remains our only world champion now so we have to pray for him to beat Perez and keep the title for Ghana. I wish him well and I know he will not disappoint us." -- Joshua Clottey

Joseph Agbeko Brings Momentum to the Desert (BoxingScene.com)
"I think bantamweight has good fighters, good names. I think I'll turn out to be the best among all of them." -- Agbeko

Don King says bantam bout to bring ‘glory’ back to Vegas (Las Vegas Sun)
"I'm just happy to bring Vegas back, to the extent of giving them the excitement." -- King

Perez not afraid of King Kong (The Press-Enterprise)
"Yonnhy is the best contender for my title, and I'm the only person that can beat him." -- Agbeko

As Eric Morel is unable to enter Japan due to his criminal record in the United States, Hozumi Hasegawa has found a new opponent for his December 18 bantamweight title defense in Kobe. Nicaraguan Alvaro Perez (18-1-1, 12 KO) will be the challenger for Hasegawa's WBC title.

I didn't think Morel had much of a chance with Hasegawa, and I know for sure that Perez doesn't. The 26-year old Perez has fought just once outside of his home country, and that came in 2005 in Panama. His loss came to William Gonzalez, who knocked him out in the fifth. You may remember Gonzalez from a tough 2008 fight with Joseph Agbeko.

Agbeko, by the way, recently commented on Hasegawa in a press release leading up to his October 31 fight with Yonnhy Perez on Showtime. Said Agbeko of Hasegawa, "After I beat Yonnhy, there's this coward in Japan named Hozumi I want to beat."

Hasegawa-Agbeko would almost certainly have to happen in Japan, but it'd be great if Hasegawa would take the leap and come to the States. His promoters might not allow for that, but one thing I'm hoping that Chris John's long overdue arrival in the U.S. this year will do is influence other fighters of that stature to make their way over. I'm not saying Hasegawa or anyone else needs to fight in the States to be considered good or even great fighters, but it helps.

Agbeko also better be focused entirely on Perez, who's a 100% legitimate challenger. Perez is one of those fighters with zero fear, plus he's got real power, and we know what Agbeko can do. That's a great looking fight for Saturday.

BoxingScene.com's Rick Reeno reports that Showtime is setting up an October 31 double-header featuring bantamweight titlist Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko's return to the ring. Agbeko is coming off of the biggest win of his career, an upset decision over a red-hot Vic Darchinyan.

Agbeko (27-1, 22 KO) would face undefeated Yonnhy Perez (19-0, 14 KO) in a main event that could produce fireworks. Perez is a 30-year old Colombian now living in California, and earned his title shot by stopping Silence Mabuza in the 12th round in Mabuza's home country of South Africa in May. Mabuza's only two losses prior to that fight came at the hands of Rafael Marquez.

The other fight would pit Showtime favorite Antonio DeMarco (22-1, 16 KO) against Jose Alfaro (23-4, 20 KO), another potential banger of a matchup. DeMarco is also sitting on a mandatory and a fight against Alfaro is no gimme. He knocked out Anges Adjaho on the Agbeko-Darchinyan undercard in July.

Right now, all Showtime officially has set up for their Showtime Championship Boxing series is Super Six shows and the September 12 Kessler and Ward showcase, which is meant to mostly promote the two fighters and their inclusion in the Super Six. Adding a card like this would be most welcome. Without it, October is looking quite thin, with only the Abraham-Taylor and Froch-Dirrell show truly a "major" card on the schedule.