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2011 BRISCOE AWARD NOMINATIONS It is time once again to cast your vote for the Briscoe Awards (2011). As usual two categories are up for grabs: "2011 Philly Fight of the Year" and "2011 Philly Fighter of the Year". The 5th Annual Briscoe Awards will be presented in October.
When casting your vote, please remember that these
nominations are for the 2011 Philly fight year (Jan. thru
Dec.). The careers of some of the nominees have had some
major developments in 2012, but these developments should
not affect your vote for the 2011 awards.
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Total bouts in 2011:
Three (3) Recap: |
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Total bouts in 2011:
Three (3) Recap:
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Total Bouts in 2011:
Two (2)
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Total Bouts in 2011:
Two (2) 2011 Activity: Recap:
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You may vote for your selections by clicking the link at the bottom of the page and sending us an e-mail. You can vote for both categories (Fighter & Fight) in the same e-mail. Once the final selections have been made, the winners will be announced on this web site, as well as Facebook and Twitter. VOTE BELOW
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THE FIGHT (as described by PhillyBoxingHistory.com): "...This was the best-matched bout on the card and it produced a real slugfest. Butler, nicknamed "The Hitman" came out strong. He stunned Denby with a hard right hand, right off the bat. Later in the round, Ardrick hurt Denby again and seemed to be in complete control. In the second, Butler continued his work, stunning Denby two or three times. Just when things looked settled, Denby cracked Butler with his own right hand. Butler felt the punch but fought right back. He hurt Denby with another long right and Denby held on for dear life. As he clung tight, and Butler tried to squirm loose, both fighters crashed to the canvas. Denby jumped right up, but Butler remained down for several seconds. For a moment, it appeared he may have injured his back. However, Butler got to his feet and the fight went on. In the third round, Butler dropped his forward-chugging foe with wild reaching right hand. Butler wound the punch from way back and whipped it directly to Denby's jaw. Denby went down hard, but he had been hurt much worse in the second round while still on his feet. But by this time, Denby was beginning to crack, and the incoming shots were starting to convince him the night was nearly over. But Denby bit down and gave it one more try. The fourth round was close, but Denby won it with his aggressive forward motion. At one point he barreled Butler between the ropes and almost out of the ring. In round five, the fight turned completely, albeit momentarily. While Butler caught his breath and coasted a bit, Denby swung for the fences and landed a looping right along the ropes. Butler went down with his left arm tangled in the ropes. He climbed right up and argued with referee Blair Talmadge that his trip to the canvas wasn't legitimate. But it was. Butler smartly held and kept his distance as best he could, and the round ended before any further damage could be dealt. In the sixth and final round, both fighters went at each other knowing the scoring had to be close (I had it 47-46 for Butler as the round began). Butler seemed to be fully awake now, the knockdown having served as an alarm clock. He jabbed and lashed Denby with sharp punches. Denby kept coming forward and throwing, but he wasn't landing anymore. After one exchange, Denby's head popped between the ropes and he seemed stuck there for a moment. The referee pulled Butler off and tried to help Denby to his feet by tugging him up by the arm. Denby stood up and then stumbled back and down to the canvas, his legs completely gone. Apparently the exchange that put Denby to the ropes contained a stealth punch that took him out. With Denby wobbly and in no condition to continue, Talmadge stopped the bout and awarded Butler the TKO victory. The time was 46 seconds of the sixth. The hard fought battle was a classic club fight, and provided the biggest thrills of the night. It was an exciting well-matched bout, that sadly only happened because BOTH fighters had lumpy records and were not being protected. They were thrown at each other because they could fill a six-rounder and fight to a result that only mattered to the fighters themselves and their fans. And thank God they were..."
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THE FIGHT (as described by PhillyBoxingHistory.com): "...Hackett entered the ring first wearing a mask that read "Art of War". When the bell rang he did his best to wage war on Juan Rodriguez. But Juan's greater skills kept him one step ahead of his surging foe. Hackett came in with a shabby record of 2-8, but his career is filled with last minute fights and tough matches that make his win-loss tally a bit deceiving. Further, over the past year or so, Hackett has whittled himself down from a light-heavyweight to a welterweight. He weighed 149.5 for Rodriguez, 147. Although Hackett looked better than I have ever seen him before, he never quite took control of the fight. His best moments were just that, thrilling moments that, at times, appeared to almost turn the fight around. Hackett landed hard shots quite a few times. However, every time Greg fought his way to the brink of something, the southpaw Rodriguez was able to rely on better skills and some effective cool under pressure. But Hackett made Rodriguez fight hard for all six rounds, which made the fight a very good one loaded with fast-paced back and forth action. After six rowdy rounds, everyone (except maybe the fighters) would have liked a little more. I scored the fight for Rodriguez, 58-56 (4-2 in rounds). The three official judges all saw it for Rodriguez, but differed in margin. Richard Hopkins Jr. also had it 58-56. Lynn Carter scored 59-55. Alan Rubenstein though Rodriguez won every round, and scored it 60-54. Some ringside reporters felt the fight should have been called a draw. The truth is the fight felt close, round to round, but Rodriguez had things under control. Talks of a draw were as off as Rubenstein's one-sided score. The bottom line is the fight was excellent and a rematch would be great to see..."
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By round three, Williams began looking fatigued. Medina took the fourth, but the round, like most of the others was close. In the fifth, a tired Williams miraculously hurt Medina at the bell, but didn't have the time to go for a finish. By the sixth and final round, the opportunity had passed and Williams had to settle for a clear-cut decision victory. At the end, my card read 59-55, the same as official judges Lynn Carter and Dave Greer. Judge George Hill gave every round to Williams, scoring 60-54. Williams, 8-0-1 (4 KO), showed his talent, and Medina (5-7-1 (1 KO) did his job and provided the rising star a good, rugged test. Every round was up for grabs but Williams came up with the answers and banked a nice and crowd-pleasing win..."
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EXPLANATION: 2011 was a tough year for boxing in Philadelphia. Only seven Philly shows - with a grand total of 46 bouts - actually came off during the year. Of those 46 fights, only two were scheduled for 10 rounds and another two scheduled for 8 rounds. The remainder of the bouts - 42 in total - were all 4 and 6 rounders. The two 10-round fights involved two important local fighters, Mike Jones and Gabriel Rosado, while the 8-rounders featured the popular and rising Ronald Cruz and Ray Robinson. However, all four of these fights were one-sided and not particularly critical. They will be remembered as milestones in the winners' careers, but were not "Fight of the Year" type bouts. Thus for the first time in the five year history of the Briscoe Awards, we offer a "No Fight of the Year" option to voters. A vote for this selection basically means that the voter feels that the other three nominations are either not good enough, not important enough, or are otherwise unworthy to be named as Philly's best fight. A vote for "No Fight" also says that you are not satisfied with the lack of in-city ring action, and feel that by naming no fight as the "Fight of the Year" best reflects Philly's boxing year in 2011.
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