Brick has handled the last few of these, but October is a three-fight race, and they are all legitimate Fight of the Year contenders. After a year with plenty of good fights but only a couple of truly great scraps, October served up a killer menu of wars in what was easily the most action-packed boxing month of 2009 (so far).

Here are the three contenders for October Fight of the Month, in dated order.

October 10: Juan Manuel Lopez v. Rogers Mtagwa

Puerto Rican phenom and 122-pound titleholder Juan Manuel Lopez took his spotless record and string of dominant performances to New York City for a fight with rugged veteran Rogers Mtagwa. When the bout was first signed, many fans groaned. Lopez was even unhappy with the fight, as it was hardly the step up in competition he probably wanted.

But there remained the slight chance that Mtagwa, who is miles better than his record, would give Lopez a game fight. It was more than that. Mtagwa came damn close to stopping the young fighter in what would have been the easy Upset of the Year.

Not only did Lopez survive, but in many ways he proved a lot more about himself than we knew going in. We knew his offensive firepower, but we'd never seen his chin tested. Mtagwa rattled him, nearly stopped him in the 12th, and had him in trouble on multiple occasions. But Lopez did not buckle. If there were any doubts about his chin, those are now finished. He's got a good one.

In the end, Lopez took a deserved decision victory, but it was by far the toughest fight of his professional career, and dented his armor somewhat. It also appears to have bought another money fight for the suddenly very highly-respected Mtagwa, who has now been in a FotY contender in two straight years. In January, Mtagwa will likely fight featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa, on an undercard featuring Lopez's jump to 126 pounds to meet Steven Luevano.

Bad Left Hook's Full Coverage: Juan Manuel Lopez-Rogers Mtagwa

October 23: Jamie Moore v. Ryan Rhodes

The fans in the UK were excited for this one, and their excitement was well-rewarded. Salford action star Jamie Moore put his European junior middleweight title on the line against a revived Ryan Rhodes, a veteran who had held the British title at 154 way back in 1996, just after he turned 20 years old.

It was a long trip for Rhodes to get back here, with plenty of falls and a career that at one point was very much on the rocks. But with his rousing comeback victory over Moore, he's now the WBC's mandatory contender as well as European champ at junior middleweight.

It started as many expected: Moore dominating, bullying Rhodes around the ring for about three rounds. At the end of the fourth, the fight changed. Moore was clearly rocked and went back to his corner in rough shape. But Moore rallied to win the fifth and sixth rounds, and had Rhodes in big trouble in the latter frame.

But the seventh round was the end of the night. Rhodes landed a massive right hand that sent Moore backwards, then his legs buckled and down he went. The courageous Moore got back to his feet and attempted to fight on, but the veteran Rhodes put the charge on, and referee Howard John Foster called a stop to the action. Ryan Rhodes had his hand raised after a stunning TKO victory.

After the fight, neither man took anything away from his opponent. It was an stirring performance by Rhodes, a game effort by Moore, and when all was said and done, they were class professionals.

Bad Left Hook's Full Coverage: Jamie Moore v. Ryan Rhodes

October 31: Joseph Agbeko v. Yonnhy Perez

A promising fight turned into a non-stop battle between two guys at the top of their game in the bantamweight division. I said in a previous comment that after this fight and Agbeko's decision loss, boxing didn't lose anyone from the top tier, it simply added another fighter, and I truly believe that. Joseph Agbeko is still one of the very best at 118, a tremendous division at the top of the ranks. And Yonnhy Perez has joined that group after this incredible performance.

The controversy from the fight isn't really controversy at all. Agbeko can complain all he wants, but the headbutt that knocked him down was his own fault and didn't really play that much into the fight anyway. Many had it very close, but I felt Perez clearly won, and the three ringside judges agreed -- not that I'm saying ringside judges get everything right, or that I do either, but Yonnhy, in my view, just beat Agbeko at his own game on this night.

Sure, it got a little dirty in there, but it always does when Agbeko fights. He's like a little Evander Holyfield. Good as he is, you know what you're dealing with, and it's not always nice. Perez proved himself as a top fighter, and Agbeko proved that his reputation for having great stamina is certainly no joke. Both men put on astounding performances with their endless back-and-forth pressure fighting, toe-to-toe exchanges, and constant action. It was one of those fights that just flies by, and it's almost a shame someone has to lose, because the stock of both men was raised as far as I'm concerned, and I'm surely not the only one feeling that way.

Bad Left Hook's Full Coverage: Joseph Agbeko v. Yonnhy Perez

So now that that's done, get to votin'!

Tony Grano beats Travis Kaufman via monster clothesline.

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Past winners:

• January 2009: Antonio Margarito v. Shane Mosley (53%)
• February 2009: Juan Manuel Marquez v. Juan Diaz (93%)
• March 2009: Ricardo Cordoba v. Bernard Dunne (81%)
• April 2009: Carl Froch v. Jermain Taylor (49%)
• May 2009: Carlos Abregu vs. Irving Garcia (35%)
• June 2009: Marcos Maidana vs. Victor Ortiz (45%)
• July 2009: Cristobal Cruz vs. Jorge Solis (32%)
• August 2009: Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi / Juan Urango vs. Randall Bailey (tie, 45%)

September was a month with a lot of good, but not great boxing matches.  There weren't the fireworks some might have expected, but there was still at least one good fight pretty much every weekend.

Marvin Sonsona vs. Jose "Carita" Lopez - A classic matchup of the wily vet against the up and coming prospect, Sonsona wrested away Lopez's hard earned belt by unanimous decision.  There was a lot of back and forth action, and every time it seemed like Sonsona might take control, Lopez came roaring back.  In the end, the slightly fresher legs were able to prevail, as Sonsona proved he has the stamina to be an elite fighter.

Tyson Fury vs. John McDermott - For a heavyweight bout, this one had a fair amount of action.  The heavily hyped Fury just couldn't get Big John to back off of him, and ended up winning a fight by referee's decision that most thought McDermott won.

Simphiwe Nongqayi vs. Jorge Arce - In a fight that looked like a chess match at times and broke out into a few mini wars, Nongqayi probably ended Arce's career as a relevant fighter by just showing good slickness and the ability to counter at will.

Tony Grano vs. Travis Kaufman - This one was short and sweet, and had a little bit of crazy going on.  After a feeling out round, the two heavyweights started landing bombs on each other left and right, with neither fighter seeming to care a lick about defense.  Kaufman seemed to be taking control in the third, and in the fourth, Kaufman effectively seemed to have Grano put away when Grano nailed him with an intentional low blow, buying him some time.  Kaufman jumped back on him and had Grano hurt again, and then Grano spit out his mouthpiece.  That break gave Grano the time to recover, and as he came back, he landed a huge haymaker that wobbled Kaufman, followed by about 15 power shots before eventually ending Kaufman's night.

Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym vs. Bernard Dunne - Another short fight, these two went at it almost right off the bat.  The first round was an exciting boxing match, but by the second, Poonsawat had lured Dunne into a war.  This wasn't good for Dunne, as Poonsawat was able to knock down Dunne three times in the third, each time during an exchange, to end the fight by Ireland's three knockdown rule. 

Nobuo Nashiro vs. Hugo Cazares - This title fight wasn't aired in the US, but is now available on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXJBjZ1VugA&feature=related.  A very evenly matched bout, Nashiro and Cazares went back and forth as to which fighter was the stalker and which fighter was the counterpuncher.  Cazares' aggression won him rounds early, but as the fight wore on and Cazares slowed down a bit, Nashiro was able to come on strong, landing lots of solid, hard counter shots to salvage a draw.

Other solid fights considered: Michael Katsidis vs. Vicente Escobedo; Chris Avalos vs. Giovanni Caro; Donnie Nietes vs. Manuel Vargas; David Diaz vs. Jesus Chavez

Robert Guerrero helped make one of the best fights of the month. via www.goldenboypromotions.com

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Past winners:

• January 2009: Antonio Margarito v. Shane Mosley (53%)
• February 2009: Juan Manuel Marquez v. Juan Diaz (93%)
• March 2009: Ricardo Cordoba v. Bernard Dunne (81%)
• April 2009: Carl Froch v. Jermain Taylor (49%)
• May 2009: Carlos Abregu vs. Irving Garcia (35%)
• June 2009: Marcos Maidana vs. Victor Ortiz (45%)
• July 2009: Cristobal Cruz vs. Jorge Solis (32%)

This month, the best was saved for last.  It looked like it was going to be a relatively weak crop of fight of the month candidates, but we get a number of really solid fights in the last two weekends of the month.

Robert Stieglitz vs. Karoly Balzsay - There was a fair amount of back and forth action in this one which saw Balzsay start out hot, but completely gas out and fade away late, leading to the knockout victory by Stieglitz.

Robert Guerrero vs. Malcolm Klassen - Much like the first fight, this one saw Guerrero start strong and Klassen come on late, only this time Guerrero was able to hang onto the decision.  Guerrero didn't have as much pop on his punches as usual, but threw about 100 punches a round, while Klassen generally landed the harder shots and was much more accurate with his placement.

Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi - Almost as if you had scripted it, Diaz spent most of the fight coming forward and trying to pressure Malignaggi, while Malignaggi controlled the distance with his jab and popping off shots from the outside.  A good fight, slightly sullied by the ending, where Diaz received a questionable hometown decision in what was generally a tough fight to score.

Tavoris Cloud vs. Clinton Woods - While it was a bit one-sided, there was good action in the fight between Cloud and Woods, especially coming from Cloud, who threw tons of punches for a light heavyweight. 

Juan Urango vs. Randall Bailey - Almost like Diaz vs. Malignaggi, except both guys could punch and the overall skill level was a bit lower.  Urango bullied forward the whole fight while Bailey tried to control the distance.  In the 6th round, Bailey flashed his power, knocking down and badly hurting Urango, who miraculously got up and made it through the round.  Urango came right back, however, dominating from the seventh round on, knocking down Bailey in the 9th and 10th before Bailey's corner stopped the fight in the 11th. 

Cruz-Solis has my personal vote for fight of the month - which fight is yours?

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Past winners:

• January 2009: Antonio Margarito v. Shane Mosley (53%)
• February 2009: Juan Manuel Marquez v. Juan Diaz (93%)
• March 2009: Ricardo Cordoba v. Bernard Dunne (81%)
• April 2009: Carl Froch v. Jermain Taylor (49%)
• May 2009: Carlos Abregu vs. Irving Garcia (35%)
• June 2009: Marcos Maidana vs. Victor Ortiz (45%)

This month, the highest profile fights weren't necessarily the best fights, but there were still some solid scraps that happened.  A few of the bouts that promised to be good on paper didn't quite live up to the hype, but some unsung fights that seemed like foregone conclusions ended up being exciting and well contested bouts.  The candidates are (in order of occurrence):

Selcuk Aydin vs. Jackson Bonsu: Two punchers without much reach who don't know how to back down squared off against each other.  Not too much there by way of setting up shots, but both guys were able to land their fair share of bombs.  Unfortunately, the legal stream for this one was atrocious, meaning US viewers missed pretty big chunksa of the fight, and what we could see was too scrambled to get more than a general idea of what was going on.  At the end, Aydin was able to outclass Bonsu with his Arthur Abraham-esque style, scoring a 9th round knockout after scoring two previous knockdowns, with Bonsu winning most of the rounds when he wasn't knocked down. 

Joseph Agbeko vs. Vic Darchinyan: So it wasn't the fight of the year candidate that one might have hoped on paper, but the bout did have its fair share of entertaining spots.  Still, it was much more of a one-sided beatdown than the final scorecards indicated. 

Cristobal Cruz vs. Jorge Solis: It wasn't pretty, but it sure was entertaining.  Between the two fighters, a total of six points were deducted for various low blow, rabbit punching, tackling and leading with the head infractions, and I think there might have even been a noogie thrown in there for good measure.  Still, there was a ton of back and forth action, with Cruz pulling his usual schtick of throwing 100+ punches a round, while Solis played the matador and was nailing tons of clean counters as Cruz was coming in.  Both fighters seemed hurt multiple times, and whenever one guy took over the momentum, the other would storm right back to make sure they wouldn't keep it.  At the end of the day, Cruz was able to retain his title, even though Solis had been a very heavy favorite before the fight.

Nathan Cleverly vs. Danny McIntosh: This one was a demolition, but it was an entertaining demolition, with Cleverly bombing away on McIntosh all night and scoring four knockdowns.  Moment of the afternoon came after McIntosh was knocked down, and he actually did a kip up to pop back to his feet.  Maybe not the best move in the world, however, as he was knocked down again later in the round.

Eddie Hyland vs. Oisan Fagan: According to reports, there were tons of momentum swings in this fight where both fighters stood toe to toe, never backing down from the other, as the best tribute to Arturo Gatti this month.  Hyland had control of most of the fight, but Fagan was able to work his way back into it in the middle rounds, and in the 12th, did his darndest to try knocking Hyland out, pinning him against the ropes until Hyland opened fire and pushed him back out to the middle of the ring.

Tyrone Harris vs. Marvin Quintero:  Quintero, a Mexican pressure fighter, kept trying to apply that pressure to Harris, but Harris had the answer, landing clean counters over and over again.  Harris finally broke down Quintero, landing a barrage of shots that forced the referee to step in and score the upset for Harris.
 

Past winners:

• January 2009: Antonio Margarito v. Shane Mosley (53%)
• February 2009: Juan Manuel Marquez v. Juan Diaz (93%)
• March 2009: Ricardo Cordoba v. Bernard Dunne (81%)
• April 2009: Carl Froch v. Jermain Taylor (49%)
• May 2009: Carlos Abregu vs. Irving Garcia (35%)

Yeah yeah yeah.  We're halfway through July, but here comes the fight of the month poll for June.   In my humble opinion, one fight really stands out, but I'll let you guys make the decision.  Still, it was a really solid month of fights.  The candidates are (in order of occurrence):

Miguel Cotto vs. Joshua Clottey - This one was a dirty fight but an entertaining fight with a lot of changes in momentum.  Clottey came out strong early but faded late as Cotto was able to win via unanimous decision, overcoming a nasty gash in the process.

Jean Pascal vs. Adrian Diaconu - Tons of back and forth action in this one as Pascal was able to grind down Diaconu in a fight between Montreal residents.

Fernando Beltran Jr. vs. Monty Meza-Clay - Tons of leather thrown in this bout, as Beltran averaged over 100 punches a round, and not to be outdone, Meza-Clay averaged nearly 90 punches a round himself.

Marcos Maiadana vs. Victor Ortiz - Both fighters had to make their way up from the mat in this bout, but at the end of the day, Maiadana was able to weak Ortiz down, who essentially quit when one eye started to swell while he had a cut over the other one. 

Really shallow month for good-to-great fights on American TV. You've gotta do some digging to see this month's good stuff, but there was definitely good stuff.

Past winners:

• January 2009: Antonio Margarito v. Shane Mosley (53%)
• February 2009: Juan Manuel Marquez v. Juan Diaz (93%)
• March 2009: Ricardo Cordoba v. Bernard Dunne (81%)
• April 2009: Carl Froch v. Jermain Taylor (49%)

This month's contenders:

Carlos Abregu v. Irving Garcia, May 1

On YouTube (Part 1 of 2)

Abregu and Garcia both tasted canvas before the unbeaten Abregu stopped Garcia in four. A lot of folks missed it, because it was on Shobox and not all that hotly-anticipated or anything, and it was also a mere one day prior to Hatton-Pacquiao, so nobody could much be bothered with lesser fights, but it wound up being the most competitive fight of the weekend, too, and the best fight shown on American TV this month.

(For anyone wondering why Hatton-Pacquiao isn't here, it's because it was a two-round mauling. It was memorable and classic and stunning, but not exactly "good.")

Ricardo Torres v. Raul Pinzon, May 15

YouTube Highlights

I'm putting this here not because I've seen the full fight, but because someone might have, and because it adds up to at least being pretty good. Former 140-pound titlist Torres moved up to 147 after failing to get down to 140 for a rubber match with Kendall Holt in December, and he matched up with Pinzon, a lightly-regarded fellow Colombian who had lost by first round TKO to Saul Alvarez in December in his previous bout. But Pinzon floored Torres in the fourth and seventh rounds before the favored man rallied for three 10th round knockdowns, stopping the underdog's upset bid in the final frame.

Giacobbe Fragomeni v. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, May 16

On YouTube (Part 1 of 8)

Really good cruiserweight title fight, but not without controversy. 39-year old WBC titlist Fragomeni defended on his home turf against 27-year Wlodarczyk, and both guys came pretty hungry. Fragomeni was the aggressor for much of the fight, and was dropped in the ninth on a left. Mere moments later, it looked like Wlodarczyk might be putting him away as he floored him again, this time with a right hand. But referee Ian John-Lewis ruled no knockdown due to a shot that landed from Wlodarczyk while Fragomeni was down, and gave Fragomeni recovery time. That may have saved Fragomeni's hide, because he was in some trouble. The fight wound up a draw.

Toshiaki Nishioka v. Jhonny Gonzalez, May 23

On YouTube (Part 1 of 4)

Gonzalez put Nishioka down in the first round and was looking sharp through the second. In fact, it looked like he would cruise past the visitng Japanese titleholder, with the Mexican fans urging him forward. But Gonzalez -- as happens with him -- got caught in the third, this time by a picture-perfect left hand that all but knocked him out flat cold. He got up, but was staggering so badly that referee Kenny Bayless had to call it off then and there. For a three-round fight, you can't ask for a lot more.

Daniel Geale v. Anthony Mundine, May 27

On YouTube (Part 1 of 6)

Never say that Aussie fans aren't some of the sport's most passionate. Their "big fights" rarely resonate on the world stage to any great degree, but Geale-Mundine features a rocking crowd and some outstanding atmosphere, plus two guys putting on a hell of a show. It was a very, very close fight that went to Mundine on the scorecards. Geale was knocked down in the second round, which wound up being the difference on judge Marcus McDonnell's scorecard. McDonnell gave it to Mundine, 114-113, while the other cards were 116-113 Mundine and 115-112 Geale.

Some good stuff this month after a shallow March that at least had one truly great fight that definitely deserves its FotM status.

Past winners:

January 2009: Antonio Margarito v. Shane Mosley (53%)

February 2009: Juan Manuel Marquez v. Juan Diaz (93%)

March 2009: Ricardo Cordoba v. Bernard Dunne (81%)

Instead of adding new notes, I'm just going to put our post-fight thoughts from the original articles, since those really describe things better, I feel.

Here are the contenders for April:

Vicente Escobedo v. Carlos Hernandez, April 4

Hernandez went down in the first round. He went down again in the second. He later scored a knockdown on Escobedo when he accidentally stepped on his lead foot and Escobedo tripped up. But the 38-year old Hernandez, who was undersized and outgunned, showed remarkable courage and made this a fight to remember, a war of attrition that joins the short list of 2009 Fight of the Year candidates with Marquez-Diaz and Dunne-Cordoba. Escobedo (20-1, 13 KO) became, as Doug Fischer said, a man with this fight. For Hernandez (43-8-1, 24 KO) this was likely the end of the line. He said he'd retire if he lost this fight. He hugged Escobedo at the start of the 12th round and when the final bell rang, the two received a well-earned standing ovation. The fight was simply outstanding, rough and tumble with two guys who badly needed the win and fought like it. If this truly is the end of Hernandez's career, he went out on his shield like so many great warriors before him have. Happy trails, Carlos, and thanks for one more great fight.

Timothy Bradley v. Kendall Holt, April 4

Bradley (24-0, 11 KO) unified his WBC 140-pound title with Holt's WBO strap, and put himself in position for a fight with a bigger star, though that may end up just being Nate Campbell and not the Hatton-Pacquiao winner or anything. For Holt (25-3, 13 KO) this was a heartbreaker, as he lost on scores of 115-111 (twice) and 114-112. Both guys were in good form, the fight was pretty crisp and moved quickly, and Bradley proved for certain he's no one-fight wonder, he's a world class guy at 140 pounds. Holt also acquitted himself pretty nicely against a good boxer. The two competitors exhibited great respect for the other man, which might explain why their forced trash talk was so awkward in the build-up for this fight.

Ulises Solis v. Brian Viloria, April 18

Brickhaus handled this one:

In a spectacular bout, Viloria knocked out Solis in the waning seconds of the 11th round.  Both fighters really gave all they could in the ring.  Viloria was Solis early in the fight, landing the bigger shots, and wobbling Solis a few times, but every time he had Solis hurt, Solis would fall back into the ropes and Viloria would throw a wild combination that would mostly miss.  He did manage to open cuts over both of Solis's eyes, including a gusher near his left eye, but Solis's corner did a great job of patching them up and they didn't become a major distraction.  In the middle rounds, Solis came back to control much of the fight from the middle of the, being more aggressive and stalking down Viloria, throwing lots of good jabs and doing nice work to the body, but Viloria still having a lot of nice spots where he'd hit the mark with big counters.  In the later rounds, Viloria's corner really admonished him not to let another title fight fall out of his grasp, and he turned the aggressiveness back up to 11.  Every time Solis came in, Viloria came right back with twice what Solis dished out.  And finally, with seconds to go in the 11th, Viloria landed a picture perfect right hand on the chin that wobbled Solis's knees and put him down.  It didn't look like he was so hurt that he couldn't get up, but he just didn't have enough breath and energy left to get back up.  He was on his knees, on the floor, helpless to get up until the referee hit 10, and Brian Viloria was a titlist once again.

It's a great start of a second act for Viloria, who said after the fight that he would have contemplated retiring had he lost the fight.  He fought five times last year, and while he didn't face worldbeaters, it was the trip down the Yellow Brick Road that Viloria needed, and the Tin Man was able to find his heart.  For Solis, it was a nice run, and he should be back.  He's still a very good fighter, and he showed a ton of heart and grit.  He makes great fights, and here's to hoping he can make it onto US TV more often in the future.

Cory Spinks v. Deandre Latimore, April 24

Spinks (37-5, 11 KO) won on scores of 115-112, 114-113 and 112-115 despite being dropped in the first round by the fast-starting, younger Latimore (19-2, 16 KO). Latimore seemed to lose a lot of steam after the first four or five rounds, and a sloppy, clearly declining or at least really rusty Spinks was able to take advantage and swing the fight in his favor for the majority of the latter half of the contest.

It was a decent showing for the young Latimore, whose offense needs straighter punches and whose defense needs to start existing, but it was clear he just wasn't quite ready for a deep fight. He was really exhausted in the 12th and final round, which essentially won the fight for Spinks. Latimore looked like a stiff breeze could've blown him over in the waning moments.

For Spinks, it's another recognized world title and a chance to get back into the mix at 154 pounds. Most probably hoped he would stay gone, but give credit where it's due: As sloppy and rusty as he looked, he came to fight tonight. He didn't run at all. Rather, he was generally the pursuer against Latimore, walking him down and testing his reserves. He wore on him a ton by staying in the pocket endlessly and leaning on the young man. In the end, Spinks' mid-rounds adjustment and savvy wound up paying off.

Carl Froch v. Jermain Taylor, April 25

Carl Froch stunned Jermain Taylor with a late comeback that resulted in a stoppage with just 16 seconds left in the fight, keeping his WBC super middleweight title and his undefeated record, and sending Taylor's career back into limbo.

Taylor (28-3-1, 17 KO) lost his third fight in his last four outings, and it came with the same questions that were raised against Kelly Pavlik. Taylor started hot and was downright dominating Froch for much of the fight. I had him up 106-102 going into the final round -- Taylor had used a piston-like jab and some good power shots, decking Froch in the third round. It was the first time Froch has been down in his pro career, and he recovered quite well. But the difference in handspeed, athleticism and skill was clear much of the fight.

However, in the middle rounds, Taylor seemed to slow down just a bit. He was still winning the fight, but in the final few rounds, it was Froch who took over. In the 12th round, he attacked Taylor with a ferocity, clearly feeling he needed the KO. He turned out to be right: Two of the official judges had it 106-102 Taylor, same as I did.

Froch floored Taylor, who tried desperately to hang on. With 16 seconds left, the referee jumped in to stop Froch's massive assault -- it was the right call. Even though there was almost no time left in the fight, Taylor couldn't be allowed to be pounded on anymore.

Juan Manuel Lopez v. Gerry Penalosa, April 25

Note: This fight is being included mostly out of respect for Penalosa's Herculean effort to stay on his feet under a massive assault against Lopez. It's unreal that he wasn't knocked out, knocked down, or seriously hurt in the fight. This is sort if in the Margarito-Mosley camp of super entertaining, one-sided fights.

Juan Manuel Lopez beat the hell out of Gerry Penalosa for nine rounds before Freddie Roach stopped the fight on behalf of Penalosa. Lopez (25-0, 23 KO) was completely dominant, breaking down Penalosa's defense and just wailing on him for most of the fight. Penalosa went out a warrior, falling to 54-7-2 (36 KO). It may well be his final fight, but who knows? He turned it into a firefight and it didn't work out, but he sure as hell went at it hard.

UPDATE: Poll added with user suggestions.

A new month, a new poll.

Past Winners:

January 2009: Antonio Margarito v. Shane Mosley (53%)

February 2009: Juan Manuel Marquez v. Juan Diaz (93%)

March was a REALLY shallow month for good, widely-seen fights.

March's Contenders:

Nicky Cook v. Roman Martinez, March 14

Not a remarkable fight, but one of the best of a bad group. Cook was in firm control for the first three rounds, even dominating Martinez. But the Puerto Rican challenger roared back in the fourth to stun and drop Cook, and then he stopped him moments later.

Bernard Dunne v. Ricardo Cordoba, March 21

A knock-down, drag-out brawl, a dramatic and excellent fight. Early Fight of the Year contender. If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and find it. I didn't know Dunne had this kind of performance in him to be honest, and I expect Cordoba would eventually overwhelm the Irishman. Cordoba was down in the third, but came back huge to grab a commanding lead, knocking Dunne down twice in the fifth. Before three knockdowns of Cordoba in the 11th signaled the end of the fight, Cordoba was ahead on the official scorecards (97-90, 96-91, 95-92). It was an epic fight.

Before I post the actual poll section, I'm asking for anyone that caught anything that they want to make a case for, to please go ahead and make that case in the comments. It'll be added. I don't want to do a two-fight (really one-fight) poll, but I just don't think anything else I saw is even worth consideration.