It’s the beginning of a great new year, and boxing – looking to capitalize on the momentum it established in 2007 – is expected to deliver even more excitement and thrills than a year ago. So, as a preview of ’08, and a review of ’07 – perhaps the era when this great sport became meaningful to the mainstream again - here is a “Best of Boxing” Roundup. Feel free to rip to shreds.
 
•Pound-for-pound: 1.Floyd Mayweather; 2.Manny Pacquiao; 3.Joe Calzaghe; 4.Juan Manuel Marquez; 5.Miguel Cotto; 6.Israel Vazquez; 7.KellyPavlik; 8.Rafael Marquez; 9.Bernard Hopkins; 10.Ricky Hatton
 
•Punchers: 1.Kelly Pavlik; 2.Manny Pacquiao; 3.Rafael Marquez;  4.Edwin Valero; 5.Antonio Margarito; 6.Daniel Ponce-DeLeon; 7.Kermit Cintron; 8.Miguel Cotto; 9.Edison Miranda; 10.Israel Vazquez
 
•Boxers: 1.Floyd Mayweather; 2.Juan Manuel Marquez; 3.Bernard Hopkins; 4.Winky Wright; 5.Joe Calzaghe; 6.Chris John; 7.Cory Spinks; 8.Miguel Cotto; 9.Vernon Forrest; 10.Shane Mosley
 
•Chin: 1.Floyd Mayweather; 2.Bernard Hopkins; 3.Joe Calzaghe; 4.Israel Vazquez; 5.Oscar De La Hoya; 6.Winky Wright; 7.Glen Johnson; 8.Juan Diaz; 9.Juan Manuel Marquez; 10.Manny Pacquiao
 
•Right hand: 1.Kelly Pavlik; 2.Rafael Marquez; 3.Antonio Margarito; 4.Kermit Cintron; 5.Miguel Cotto
 
•Left hand: 1.Manny Pacquiao; 2.Edwin Valero; 3. Daniel Ponce-DeLeon; 4.Oscar De La Hoya; 5.Nonito Donaire
 
•Jab: 1. Winky Wright; 2. Floyd Mayweather; 3.Joe Calzaghe; 3.Wladimir Klitschko; 4.Juan Manuel Marquez; 5.Vernon Forrest
 
•Body puncher: 1.Juan Diaz; 2.Miguel Cotto; 3.Ricky Hatton; 4.Rafael Marquez; 5.Israel Vazquez
 
•Defense: 1.Floyd Mayweather; 2.Joe Calzaghe; 3.Bernard Hopkins; 4.Cory Spinks; 5.Winky Wright
 
•Most exciting: 1.Kelly Pavlik; 2.Juan Diaz; 3.Miguel Cotto; 4. Israel Vazquez; 5.Rafael Marquez
 
•Future greats: 1. Edwin Valero; 2.Chad Dawson; 3. Andre Berto; 4.Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.; 5.Robert Guerrero
 
•Referee: 1.Joe Cortez; 2.Tony Weeks; 3. Steve Smoger; 4.Kenny Bayless; 5.Robert Byrd
 
•Blow-by-blow commentary: 1. Jim Lampley; 2. Steve Albert; 3. Joe Tessitore.
 
•Expert commentary: 1. Emanuel Steward; 2.Al Bernstein; 3. Teddy Atlas
 
•Cities: 1. Las Vegas; 2. New York; 3. Anywhere Ricky Hatton fights
 
•Network: 1. HBO; 2. Showtime: 3. ESPN2.
 
•Ring announcers: 1. Michael Buffer; 2. Jimmy Lennon Jr.; 3.Lupe Contreras
 
•Best Fighter of '07: 1.Miguel Cotto; 2.Floyd Mayweather; 3.Kelly Pavlik
 
•Best Fight of ’07: 1.Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez II; 2.Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor; 3.Miguel Cotto-Zab Judah
 
•Best Round of ’07: 1.Pavlik-Taylor (2); 2.Vazquez-Marquez II (6); 3.Cotto-Judah (1)
 
•Upset of ’07: Nonito Donaire KO 5 Vic Darchinyan; 2.Paul Williams W 12 Antonio Margarito; 3. Israel Vazquez KO 6 Rafael Marquez
 
•Knockout of ’07: 1.Nonito Donaire KO 5 Vic Darchinyan; 2.Kermit Cintron KO 2 Walter Matthyse; 3.Robert Guerrero KO 1 Martin Honorio
 
•Comeback of ’07: 1.Vernon Forrest; 2.Israel Vazquez; 3.Juan Manuel Marquez
 
•Ripoff of ’07: 1.Joel Casamayor W 12 Jose Santa Cruz
 
•Best ’08 matchups: 1. Mayweather-Cotto; 2.Pacquiao-Marquez 2; 3.Hopkins-Calzaghe; 4. Vazquez-Marquez 3; 5.Pavlik-Taylor 2; 6.Hatton-Juan Diaz; 6.Calzaghe-Pavlik; 7.Guzman-Valero; 8.Klitschko-Peter 2;  9.Hopkins-Pavlik; 10.Juan Diaz-Katsidis
 
•Best of 20 years ago: 1. Marvin Hagler; 2. Thomas Hearns; 3. Michael Spinks; 4. Azumah Nelson; 5. Mike Tyson.
 
•Best of 10 years ago: 1. Roy Jones Jr.; 2. Pernell Whitaker; 3. Felix Trinidad; 4. Oscar De La Hoya; 5. Mike Tyson.
 
•Best of past 25 years: 1. Sugar Ray Leonard; 2. Pernell Whitaker; 3.Julio Cesar Chavez; 4. Marvin Hagler; 5. Thomas Hearns; 6. Larry Holmes; 7. Roberto Duran; 8. Evander Holyfield; 9.Floyd Mayweather Jr.; 10. Roy Jones Jr.; 11. Mike Tyson; 12. Mike McCallum; 13. Michael Spinks; 14. Bernard Hopkins; 15. Felix Trinidad; 16. Oscar De La Hoya; 17. Floyd Mayweather; 18. Aaron Pryor; 19. Alexis Arguello; 20. Salvador Sanchez
 
•Best fights of last 25 years: 1. Hagler-Hearns; 2. Corrales-Castillo 1; 3. Ward-Gatti 1; 4. Chavez-Taylor 1; 5. Barrera-Morales 1.

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