|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
In April, Garcia defended his championship against wily old former champ Zab Judah, in Judah's backyard of Brooklyn. Danny was in total control of the bout until the proud home-towner rallied toward the end of the fight. After 12-tough rounds, Garcia won a unanimous decision, in a good learning experience for the still-developing young champion. In September, Garcia faced feared puncher Lucas Matthysse of Argentina. Most fans and media expected the touted Matthysse to destroy Garcia, much like he had done against Lamont Peterson earlier in 2013. While everyone prepared for Matthysse to prove he was one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, Garcia prepared for Matthysse, and the results were spectacular.
In the bout, Garcia gave the performance of his career. He not only won the fight, he answered every question that existed about him. Garcia was the better boxer, the harder puncher, took a better punch, and proved to be the tougher and more composed of the two. He closed Matthysse's right eye and even put him on the deck once. In round 11, Garcia took a tremendous shot that launched his mouthpiece into the crowd. Matthysse kept up the pressure and was having his best round of the fight before Garcia landed a combination that put Matthysse down. It was a case of Garcia refusing to be denied in the biggest fight of his life.
Very few gave Garcia a chance in the fight, but the champion proved them all wrong. It was a performance that proved exactly how tough and how good Garcia is. The victory extended Garcia's undefeated streak to 27-0, 16 KOs, kept his championship belts securely around his waist, and also made Danny Garcia the "Philly Fighter of the Year" for the third year in a row. Garcia was presented with his "2013 Philly Fighter of the Year" award on October 19, 2013, at the Flat Iron Sports Bar & Grill in South Philadelphia. (PHOTOS)
The other
nominees for 2013 Philly Fighter of the Year: |
||||||||
|
For the first time in Briscoe Award history, no fight qualified as the PHILLY fight of the year. During 2013, only four fight cards, with just 22 total bouts, took place within the Philadelphia city limits. None of these could be called the fight of the year. Therefore this year, we added a special award to recognize the best fight in the Philly-Area, since our fighters filled out numerous boxing shows in neighboring towns like Chester, Valley Forge, Bethlehem, etc.
Going in to the bout, you had to favor Dhafir's superior boxing skills - that potent left jab and all that experience. However, Caputo Smith did what he always does on fight night - he came into the ring and fought with more heart and determination than anyone would have ever guessed was possible.
It was a terrific battle between two of the area's toughest fighters. The bout was expertly matched by Zac Pomilio, and promoted by Joey Eye. Over the past few years, Joey Eye Boxing has been on an excellent roll at Harrah's Chester, pitting local talent in evenly-matched contests. Smith vs. Smith was one of his typically good matches, and in 2013 it was the best fight in the entire Philadelphia area.
Anthony
Caputo Smith and Dhafir Smith were presented
with their Briscoe Medals
on October 19, 2014, at the Flat Iron Sports Bar & Grill in
South Philadelphia. (PHOTOS)
The other
nominees for 2013 Area Fight of the Year:
2)
Hasan Young TKO 5 Julio De Jesus, September 13, 2013 at Harrah's
Racetrack and Casino, Chester, PA, promoted by Joey Eye Boxing
(Joey Eye & David Feldman). |
||||||||
It was a
match to determine the very best Garcia out-worked, out-boxed, out-punched, and out-toughed Matthysse to win a unanimous decision after 12 rounds. It was a spectacular performance by Garcia that cemented his reputation, put him in the pound-for-pound race, and finally earned him real respect. For those who did give Garcia a chance of winning the fight, it was still a surprise how completely and straightforwardly he was able to do it. No Philly fighter in 2013 came close to posting a performance of this caliber. This one was top-notch in quality, level of difficultly, size and stakes. It was Danny Garcia's best showing to date, and made us all realize just how good he really is.
Danny
Garcia was presented with his Briscoe Medal (along with his
Briscoe Award for "Fighter of the Year") on October 19, 2013,
at the Flat Iron Sports Bar & Grill in South Philadelphia. (PHOTOS)
|
||||||||
Ellis somehow climbed to his feet in time, and referee Steve Smoger allowed him to continue, albeit on wobbly legs. Wasting no time, De Jesus met Ellis in ring center and launched another right hand bomb that cracked Ellis on the jaw, sent his mouthpiece rocketing into the crowd, and deposited the South Philly fighter on the floor once again. This time, Smoger didn't bother to count, and called the fight a KO win for De Jesus of Millville, NJ. The total elapsed time of the bout was just 50 seconds. It was one of the most brutal KOs we've seen in quite a while, and easily took the award for 2013.
Julio De
Jesus was presented with his Briscoe Medal for the "2013 KO
of the Year" on October 19, 2014,
at the Flat Iron Sports Bar & Grill in South Philadelphia. (PHOTOS)
|
||||||||
Williams fought five times in the year, posting three knockouts, one unanimous decision, and one No Contest that he was well on his way to winning. The level of his competition greatly increased in 2013, and he took the added difficulty in stride. All of his 2013 opponents had more experience than Williams, but watching those five fights, you never knew it. J-Rock was in charge all year long. Julian stopped Jeremiah Wiggins (10-1-1) in seven rounds, Dashon Johnson (14-10-3) in three rounds, defeated Joachim Alcine (33-4-1) by 8-round decision, and halted Orlando Lora (29-4-2) in round three. The only fight he didn't win in 2013 was a 4th round No Contest against Hugo Centeno for the vacant WBC International title. Williams appeared to have the fight in the bag before an accidental head butt prevented Julian from claiming the belt. However by the end of the year, it became very clear that Julian Williams was on the brink of very big things. Williams ended the year with a record of 14-0-1, 10 KOs.
Julian
Williams was presented with his Briscoe Medal as the "2013
Prospect of the Year", on October 19, 2014
at the Flat Iron Sports Bar & Grill in South Philadelphia. (PHOTOS)
|
||||||||
Farmer posted nice wins over John Willoughby (W6), Esteban Rodriguez (W6), Jesus Bayron (W4), Johnny Frazier (W8), and Noel Eshevarria (W8), but truly made his mark in the year with two surprising technical knockouts over well-respected tough guys. In June, Farmer stopped Victor Vasquez in the 8th round, and then in December, scored a TKO over Carlos Vinan in six rounds. Neither guy has ever been easy to stop. In fact they are both known for upending the climb of many rising boxers. However, Farmer ended both nights early using his customary entertaining and energetic southpaw style. In 2013, Farmer proved that once "The American Idol" starts punching, you just can't stop him. At the end of 2013, Farmer's confidence was sky-high, was sitting with a good-looking record of 14-4-1, 3 KOs, and was riding the longest winning streak of his career. No other Philly fighter made such a breakthrough.
Tevin
Farmer was presented with his Briscoe Medal as the "2013
Breakout Fighter of the Year", on October 19, 2014,
at the Flat Iron Sports Bar & Grill in South Philadelphia. (PHOTOS)
|
||||||||
However, Manny Folly made the biggest impact and appeared to be the most promising of them all to make it in the pros. Folly only fought twice during the year (TKO2 Elvis Rodriguez and W4 Jesus Gonzales).
Manny fights out of the Rock Ministries Gym in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, and is trained by Buddy Osborne. Folly found much success as an amateur, but looks even better suited for the pros. After another two fights in 2014, Manny took time off from boxing to attend the Philadelphia Police Academy. Thankfully for boxing fans, he plans to resume the fight game after his graduation in September.
Manny
Folly was presented with his Briscoe Medal as the "2013
Rookie of the Year", on October 19, 2014,
at the Flat Iron Sports Bar & Grill in South Philadelphia. (PHOTOS)
|
||||||||
In April 2013, Fulton placed second at the U.S. National Championships, where he competed in the 123 pound division. The following month, Fulton dropped down to the 114-pound division and captured the national championship at the National Golden Gloves tournament. In October 2013, Fulton traveled to Moscow to compete in the World Combat Games, where he won the Bronze Medal. By December, Fulton was considered the #1-ranked 123-pounder in the USA. Fulton is a product of the James Shuler Memorial Boxing Gym in West Philly, where he trains under Hazma Muhammad. Last year, Fulton also won the Everett Brothers Award at the 2013 Briscoe Awards.
Scooter
Fulton was presented with his Briscoe Medal as the "2013
Amateur of the Year", on October 19, 2014,
at the Flat Iron Sports Bar & Grill in South Philadelphia. (PHOTOS)
|
||||||||
|
The 7th Annual Briscoe Awards were sponsored by:
IBF / USBA |
||||||||
|
2008 WINNERS (Year #2) |
||||||||
|
2007 WINNERS (Year #1) |
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
For
the third straight year, junior welterweight world
champion Danny "Swift" Garcia is the "Philly Fighter of the
Year". In 2013, Garcia matured as a champion, defending his
belts twice, including a masterpiece of a performance that was
clearly the best of his career thus far. 
On
September 14, 2013, Garcia and Matthysse met in Las Vegas on the
Mayweather-Canelo undercard, but this was no preliminary fight.
The match up between the two very best 140-pounders in the world
was the fight of the night. 
After
12 full rounds, Garcia won the decision by scores of 114-112
(twice) and 115-111. The victory showed the world that Danny
Garcia was the best junior welterweight on the planet and a true
player in the pound-for-pound race. 
It
was boxer versus brawler when Anthony Caputo Smith and Dhafir
Smith faced off for the Pennsylvania state light heavyweight
title, at Harrah's Chester on April 19, 2013. 
The
fight was a nip-and-tuck battle with Dhafir much slicker and
Caputo much busier. Both fighters took turns leading the
way, but after 10 razor-close rounds, Anthony Caputo Smith came
away with a narrow majority decision AND the PA state
championship. But don't tell Dhafir that! This fight was
just that close. 
Few
gave Danny Garcia a chance of defeating Argentine boogeyman
Lucas Matthysse when they faced off in Las Vegas on September
14, 2013 in Las Vegas. 
In
a fight that many thought would be a closely fought match, Julio
De Jesus immediately shocked Ramon Ellis with a
crushing right hand that sent him crashing to the canvas in the
opening round. 
Julian
"J-Rock" Williams has been steadily rising up the junior
welterweight ladder since his 2010 debut, but in 2013 he sent
the message that he was the real deal and ready to fight the
best of the division. 
Tevin
Farmer completely transformed his career in 2013. He
started the year as a local fighter with a modest 7-4-1, 1 KO
record. However in 2013, Farmer reeled off seven victories that put his
career on track for big fights and big opportunities in the
future. 
2013
was a very good year for brand new Philly fighters, with a few
very promising rookies making there start in the professional
ranks during the year (Damon Allen, Antonio Dubose, Sultahn
Staton, Khalib
Whitmore). 
Stephen
"Scooter" Fulton had a terrific year in 2013. He competed in the
Open (Senior) class in major amateur tournaments and came away
with a
national title as well as a couple of other high placements. By
the end of the year he was ranked #1 in the country. 
|
|
|
|
