My Completely Left-Of-Center Top Ten List For 2017 - #10

A true cause for celebration. 

So yeah, it's the time of the year for lists. It doesn't matter whether yer old Saint Nick or just some boxing writer, there's a strange compulsion to just sit down and put things into some kind of order. So, with that mind, I'm spending the next ten days talking about ten fighters, from lowest to highest in rank, who I think deserved accolades in 2017. Prepare to be surprised. Or shocked. Or disappointed. Or all of those things at once. That sort of thing is what makes these lists fun.

And so, with no further ado (or is it adieu?), my number 10 pick for 2017...Mr Shawn Porter. Go on, laugh. I know the guy hasn't done a whole lot, only fighting twice and all - and against less than stellar competition at that. But, in my opinion, the guy wanted more. A lot more. And that (coupled with a warrior's heart and an under-rated skill set) is why he's on this list. How's Keith Thurman been lately? How about Errol Spence? Yeah, those guys have solid matches coming up (and are both ranked higher on this list, by the way), but neither looks to be the eager beaver Porter is.

So, yeah, Mr. Porter deserves a lot of credit. Alexander. Malignaggi. Brook. Thurman. Berto. The guy's always up for a challenge, and is one of the only fighters I know of who gives the impression that he wishes he could engage in more real challenges than he actually does. Who else at welterweight, I ask, gives that impression? Who else in the entire upper levels of boxing?

When it comes to good, old fashioned ambition, Porter is in rare company with (perhaps) a handful of others. In my humble opinion, his ranking on this list is well deserved. As always, though, feel free to disagree.

Why Danny Garcia-Brandon Rios Isn't a Bad Fight

This isn't a match to turn your back on.

I know, I know - Danny Garcia is being Danny Garcia again. Here's the thing, though - I don't think it's the case this time. Sure, Garcia has earned his reputation as an unambitious cherry picker (and judges favorite), but on this occasion, I'm going to cut the Philadelphia native some slack.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about here: Garcia is returning from a sound besting by Keith Thurman earlier this year to face to Brandon Rios in 2018. Yes, the same Brandon Rios who Pacquiao used as target practice and who seemed to forget to show up for his battle with Tim Bradley. But Rios is nothing if not a fighter. He's also been out of the spotlight for a while now and will most likely be hungry.

Let's also keep in mind that Garcia suffered his first defeat at the gloved hands of Thurman. In this day and age, where zeroes on a record have arguably replaced genuine achievement for fandom, that's a very, very big thing (though it obviously shouldn't be). Garcia will have also spent a long time out of the ring since the Thurman fight (I'm no Al Haymon hater but what's with his top guys being part time boxers?).

So no, I'm not going to fault Garcia for taking this match. And, if I'm being completely honest, I'm not even sure it's a gimme for the fighter known as Swift. A Rios victory, although an upset, wouldn't stun me. A Garcia win, though,  would do Garcia much good - that is, if he'd actually like to build on it. Attaining glory doesn't seem to be Garcia's big thing, after all.

Is Gervonta Davis Avoiding Vasyl Lomachenko?

First things first - there's a lot not to like right now about Gervonta Davis. His Twitter account, his inability to make weight for his last fight and myriad other matters are cause for serious fan displeasure. Now there's something else for fans to criticize Davis for - the fact that either he, his mentor Floyd Mayweather, or both, don't appear much interested in facing wunderkid Vasyl Lomachenko. Is that a fair criticism, though - even for a guy as poorly behaved as Davis?

For starters, Loma's been calling the man out lately. Davis has responded, maybe, by tweeting: "Can't rush greatness baby." Let's face it, that sort of thing makes for terrible PR. The truth, though, is that I'd almost feel sorry for Davis, if he would only act like a gentleman, which is something he seemingly isn't interested in doing. Loma is one hell of a challenge, after all. Even someone of Davis' ability - and the man has plenty - will probably have a hard time with the Ukrainian, even on his very best day. 

Still, as has been pointed out, Davis is already a decorated athlete. That makes him open game. Saying Lomachenko is a bully who should move up in weight isn't going to wash, not when we're talking about a former world champion with an 19-0 record, eighteen of those wins being by knockout. Davis is well known, has a good boxing pedigree and is in the same weight class as Loma. That makes the lad a reasonable opponent - whether he wants to be or not.

People have a right to defend Davis all they want, but the fact remains, like it or not, the man is stuck in between a rock and a hard place right now. If he takes the fight, he risks being humiliated in his prime. Yet if he doesn't take the fight, then Davis is apt to be charged with cowardice. It's not a fun situation to be going through. And some might say it all couldn't be happening to a nicer guy. 

Adrien Broner: Proof That Personality (Unfortunately) Trumps Performance

Adrien Broner looks like he'll be fighting again - and people seem excited. It doesn't matter who he'll be fighting, or how much his star has dimmed, or if he's even particularly relevant to the fight game anymore, people are excited. Broner, after all, is a character - perhaps not a great character, but a character nonetheless. And people love characters. In fact, it's pretty clear people put personality over performance, not just in the boxing world, but universally.

This, however, is a boxing site, so let's stick to the sweet science. We're told over and over again that boxing is more entertainment than sport. If that's the case, then, yes, may the most popular or notorious man win. Let's just make Broner our pound for pound king, followed by Tyson Fury and up and comer Conor McGregor (hey, he IS officially a boxer now) and call it a day. What boxing ultimately comes down to, though, is what happens in the ring. You can run on personality for a while, but it's going to catch up with you - even if your name is Adrien Broner.

Say, for instance, that Broner loses his next outing - or perhaps the one after that - to a second tier opponent. You'll begin to see the ratings and guffaws start to fade away, just like the love for Julio Caesar Chavez is finally diminishing (for the record, JCC Jr was loved for his family connections, not his personality, but you get the point). Personality, no matter how engaging, ultimately fades in the face of chronic failure. People  simply move on to the next  popular person.

At least this is true for boxers, but what about boxing's journalists? Many boxing scribes/video personalities, even ones I like and admire, ride on their personalities. And guess what? People like them for it. We're told that making yourself the story isn't something a journalist is supposed to do - but many today want self-promoting journalists at least as much, if not more, than they want quality journalism. And it's understandable why. As with boxers, boxing journalists who are characters are fun to watch.

At what point, however, should objectivity come into play? In the case of Broner and some noted journalists, probably sooner rather than later. 

All Eyes Are Now On Billy Joe Saunders

Saunder's days on the margins are over. 

Billy Joe Saunders, who holds one piece of the middleweight title pie, was seen as a marginalized nuisance. Sure, he was undefeated, but he won his WBO championship against Andy Lee in 2015 and had only defended it twice, once in far from impressive fashion. To make matters worse, it appeared the man had little interest in facing middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin unless some kind of massive payday was involved. Yeah, publicly at least, Saunders didn't seem like much of a sportsman. And people, they piled on - myself included.

This past Saturday, however, a new Saunders - or perhaps the Saunders none of us knew existed - showed up in Canada to take the popular and hard hitting David Lemieux to school. In a performance that can almost be described as Lomachenkoesque, the slick Saunders made the former GGG foil looks almost amateurish. And, after completely shutting his man down, the Englishman made it clear he was ready for all comers. Saunders also, in the process of a Max Kellerman interview, made it clear he hadn't been too keen on himself until fairly recently.

Needless to say, Saunders should be impressed with himself now. The rest of us certainly are after Saturday night. Going into a high ranking slugger's backyard and pitching a shutout? Impressive stuff. The question now is just how good is this man? He certainly looked high end against Lemiuex, but no one knows how Saunders will look against the likes of Golovkin, Canelo or Jacobs until he actually faces those men. Here's where the situations is now, though:

People are suddenly eager to see Saunders take on the big names, not as a belt holder, but as a real challenge. Talk about upping one's image.

Guillermo Rigondeaux Stuns The World Against Vasyl Lomachenko...By Quitting On His Stool

Let's put this in perspective. Guillermo Rigondeaux escaped a brutal Cuban regime, then got dissed unfairly by boxing's powers that be...all while being ducked by pretty much everyone. Then, when this supremely talented man finally had the chance to prove himself...he quit on his stool. He's going to take a lot of heat for that. But, let's face it, there's probably one reason and one reason only why Rigo dropped out of this much hyped bout against Vasyl Lomachenko this weekend. And that reason was his opponent...Lomachenko himself.

Yes, my friends, Loma is that good. He's now the number one pound for pound fighter in the world...hands down. Is he the greatest ever? Well, I'm sure we'll be hearing that he is a lot in the insanely near future. And maybe (maybe) it's true. But, really, let's not even think about that right now. Let's just call it like it is - Loma is the king of boxing. No. he's the king of combat sports. Hell, he might be the king of all sports at the moment. Again, he's that good.

For those who didn't watch, Loma was beating Rigo through the first half of Saturday's bout at Madison Square Garden. I didn't think it was the blowout others seemed to, but it appears I was wrong. For Rigo, the Cuban great, didn't get off his stool for the sixth. Oh man. Man, oh man. Rigo blamed it on a hand injury. Maybe he was right to - but I blame it all on Loma. Why?

Because the guy's a once in a generation talent.

Hoping For Fireworks - Why Lomachenko-Rigondeaux Is A Big Deal

You may be wondering, if you're not much into boxing, why tonight's Vasyl Lomachenko - Guillermo Rigondeaux fight, which will be aired live on ESPN from Madison Square Garden, is such a big deal. And the answer, really, is pretty simple.

These are two of the best boxers in the world. Indeed, they may be the two very best. That's a big deal, no matter which way you slice it. What's more, these were two of the best amateur fighters in the world back in the day. Indeed, they may have been the two very best. Again, that's a big deal, no matter which way you slice it.

Now, with such a high level event going down, you may wonder why it's not on pay per view. The truth is that neither of these two combatants have huge fan bases, and popularity dictates who doesn't and doesn't fight in the pay per view market. That's why the insanely popular Conor McGregor got on pay per view to face Floyd Mayweather without a single professional boxing match to his name.

Speaking of popularity, the business of boxing is so cruel that it has iced out Rigondeaux up until this point at least partially because the man has been so good top level fighters haven't wanted to face him. Indeed, he's had to go up in weight to face Lomachenko - though to call Lomachenko afraid of Rigondeaux would be ridiculous. Here, for once, is a man who isn't afraid to face the Cuban whiz.

Of course, it has to be noted that Rigondeaux can indeed be a boring fighter to watch. Sometimes - not all the time, as his powerful detractors would have you believe - but sometimes,  he's all skill and no thrill. That, friends, doesn't make for good television. Tonight, though, Rigondeaux is taking on a fighter who isn't afraid to bring it. And who seems to be as talented as he is.

Lomachenko is the favorite walking into the fight tonight, and that's completely understandable. Don't be surprised, though, if Rigondeaux walks away with the upset win.