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Fighter of the
Year
Mangte Chungneijang Merykom
(aka: Mary Kom) of India |
| Mangte
Chungneijang Merykom (aka: Mary Kom)
of India, has worked for years
to become of one of the best amateur
boxers in the sport today. Mary Kom is a three time
world champion who is emblematic of the rise of women's boxing in
India.
(History First for WBAN - First Amateur
chosen as Fighter of the Year)
More on Marykom
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Most
Inspirational Boxers
of the Year
Ann Marie Saccurato
Susianna Kentikian |
| Ann Marie Sacurato (Top
photo) overcame tremendous odds just to be walking today. In
1995, she was a passenger in a devastating car wreck while
returning from a volleyball competition at the Empire State
Games. The driver of the vehicle was killed and Ann Marie
suffered a punctured lung, broken pelvis, hip, two broken legs,
a shattered arm, broken ribs and severe nerve damage. She was
not expected to live the night, let alone ever walk again.
Saccurato has been an inspiration to other women in the sport.
In 2006, she went into Edmonton, Canada, fighting a hometown
favorite, Jelena Mrdjenovich, and defeated Jelena in a split
decision.
More on Ann Marie Saccurato
Susianna "Susi" Kentikian
(lower photo) was born in Jerevan, Armenia and fights out of
Hamburg, Germany. She went to Germany with her family in 1996,
seeking asylum from the civil war in Armenia, under constant
threat of expulsion. More than once the family was dragged out
of bed by the German police in the middle of the night and
transported to the airport for deportation. Fortunately actual
expulsion was avoided through the intervention, of among others,
Susianna's boxing trainer Frank Rieth. Kentikian is NOT
only one of the most Inspirational boxers on the scene, she is
an exceptional boxer.
More on Susianna Kentikian |
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Highest
Achievements
of the year
Regina Halmich |
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Top Amateurs of the Year
Mary Kom (India)
Yun Kum-Ju (North Korea)
Ariane Fortin (Canada)
Aya Cissoko (France)
Katie Taylor (Ireland)
Irina Sinetskaya (Russia)
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Top
Rookies of the Year 2006
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Vanessa Juarez |
Vanessa Juarez, 18 years
old, 5-0-0 (1KO) who came out of the amateurs, with an
extensive amateur background, turned pro in 2006.
She fights out of Fort Worth, Texas. Juarez is
part of the new trend we are seeing develop in the sport
where the boxer has paid their dues in the amateurs for
years before turning pro.
More on Juárez
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Kaliesha West |
| Kaliesha West, another
18-year old, 5-0-0, and former amateur boxer and champion
turned pro in February 2, 2006. In West's pro
debut she defeated Suszannah Warner. In her last fight
in November of 2006, she fought for six rounds against
another impressive boxer on the scene, Stella Nijhof and
won by a decision.
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Top History-Making Fighter
of the year 2006
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Giselle Salandy |
| Giselle Salandy, just 19
years old, from Siperai, Trinidad, has made her country
extremely proud of her accomplishments. On December 9,
2006, Salandy made boxing history when she fought for five
world titles against Mariem Brakache. She won the WBA, WBC,
NABC, WBE, and IWBF Jr. Middleweight titles.
[More
details] |
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Most Controversial "KO"
or "TKO" of the Year
Laura Ramsey vs. Erin Toughill
This fight was originally called
into WBAN as a "KO", then we were told it was changed or was a TKO.
No one seem to be in agreement to what had actually happened, so WBAN
obtained PERMISSION from AROTO to allow boxing fans to view the
footage of the short fight, so that they could judge for themselves!
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Biggest Upsets of
the Year!
Terri Blair vs
Sumya Anani (twice)
Blair Stopped Anani twice in 2006, in a ninth
round TKO.
Alejandra Oliveras vs. Jackie Nava
In a surprising upset, Argentina's Oliveras
KO'd Mexico's Nava, in Tijuana, México, May 2006. |
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Fight of the
Year
Jaime Clampitt vs.
Missy Fiorentino
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The Most
(Avoided) Opponent
Chevelle Hallback
This talented and
entertaining boxer has not fought ONE fight in 2006! We are
well-aware of the matches she has tried to get, but has not been
considered an opponent by either the fighter or the fighter's team. |
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The "Road Warriors" of 2006
Terri Blair
Angel Martinez
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| It is amazing that some of
the most interesting and top boxers in the sport--actually
do not have pristine, unblemished records. In reality, some of
the less impressive boxing records of some of the women
boxers, are the fighters who actually take risks to take fights that
are not home-brewed, or on short notice. |
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Most Improved
Boxers
of the Year 2006
Holly Holm
Holm has accumulated the
TOP score on Dee Williams independent World boxing ratings with
a score of 14246! Holm continues to look more impressive in the
ring with each bout that she takes on.
Hollie
"Hot Stuff" Dunaway
Dunaway has come a very
long way in women's boxing. She began her boxing career as
an opponent, but she proved this year that she is a champion.
She took a fight in Hungary, and fought to a 10-round split
decision over one of Hungary's top boxers, Krisztina Belinszky.
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THE BUSIEST Boxer of the Year
Savanna Hill
(United States)
She fought nine bouts for the year |
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"Grudge
Match" of the Year
Olga Heron vs. Sandy Tsagouris
Heron went as far as to
have her vehicle painted with her opponent in the ring from
their first fight. When Tsagouris saw what Heron did, she
was not very happy about it. In the rematch, Tsagouris
defeated Heron for the second time. Maybe it is time for
Heron to get a new paint job--you think?
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The Top "Reality Show" boxers
of the year!
Jenifer Alcorn
ABC's "Wife Swap" Reality
Show
Retired world champion, Jenifer
Alcorn, with husband, Brad Alcorn featured in "Wife Swap, where they swap places for two weeks with another family.
Cristy Nickel
Featured in MTV's "MADE" Reality
Show
Cristy temporarily stepped
down from fighting to film MTV's hit reality show "MADE" where she
single-handedly turned a lazy high school quitter into a
hard-hitting boxer in just 6 weeks.
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Best-Kept Secret in
Women's Boxing
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Laura"Lady Ram" Ramsey |
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Folks...Be on this lookout! |
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This "Best-Kept Secret" in women's boxing
is none other than Laura Ramsey. She had an impressive performance
throughout 2006. She is not afraid to take a fight out of homebrew
territory, short notice, and she has proven she has a punch! She
experienced two losses in 2006, but when you look closer at those losses
you will see that in one of those losses against Shelley Burton, she
took a 10-round world title bout with a 72 hour notice! She fought with
the heart of a lion in that bout. She also took a loss to Erin
Toughill, but in the same year, quickly dispatched Erin in a first round
TKO in a rematch!
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Best Quotes/Comments
of the Year
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Teddy
Atlas |
"The networks underestimate the intelligence of the
fans, they don't give them enough credit. It's like the fast-food
outfits who keep hammering that they're giving you a quarter-pound of
meat. The public wants good quality meat. They want more than the eighth
of a pound they're getting with lettuce, tomato. They bite into it and
all they get is the taste of a fluffy roll. And, the other side, don't
tell `em you're giving `em a half-pound, when it's really only a
quarter-pound. Let `em enjoy good fights, like in the old days."
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Bernie
McCoy |
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Take just a moment and think about how often you have
heard that phrase, "when the time is right" used in
reference to a fight that the entire boxing community
was clamoring for. I'm going to estimate 500 times, but
then I'm only talking about references to "Martin/Rijker."
Add the times that phrase has been used in the same
sentence as "Ali/Wolfe" and you're approaching a good
sized volume. Now, let's examine that phrase in a bit
more depth. Here's what "when the time is right" really
means: "Are you crazy? Why on earth would we want to
take a bout like that, when we can just as easily bring
in a fighter to (fill in the appropriate hometown) that
we know is a sure win." |
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The "NOT SO HOT" In Women's
Boxing For the Year 2006!
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Most
Outrageous of the Year
Female Boxer fights with
forged documents and pretends to be Liliane Balles!
Full
Story |
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Biggest Hype
of the year that fizzled in the ring...
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Laila Ali vs. Shelley Burton |
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fight between Laila Ali and Shelley Burton received a
lot of hype and press---but it did not live up to any
expectation, when Burton was outclassed by Ali in this
bout. The fight was stopped at 1:58 seconds of the
fourth round, with Ali controlling the bout throughout
the first four rounds. |
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The "Now you
See it, Now you Don't" Award
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Kim Colbert |
| Kim Colbert, 2-11-1,
(mostly losses on her record) fought Maureen Shea in May
of 2006 in New York, and in a surprise upset, wins by a
split decision. But then test results come back in a
post fight urine test--and Colbert has tested positive
for Marijuana according to the commission. Colbert's win over Shea--came and
went after the fight was ruled a "no contest."
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"It's Time to
Stop Being an Opponent" Award
Svetla Taskova
Svetla Taskova, 4-17-1 (1
KOs), 36 years old, of Sofia, Bulgaria, has fought everywhere, except her country since the
year 2000. She fought five times in 2006, losing all five fights
in her opponent's home turf. She has lost her last 15 fights since
2001 on others home turf. |
Biggest
Disappointments of
the Year
B-O-R-I-N-G Matchups: There were so many predictable boring matchups. No one needed a crystal ball to
have figured out who was going to win
in some of the fights that took place in 2006. It really comes
to a point when one decides to even "bother" to watch a fight, buy a
ticket to see a fight---or follow boxers who take boring, pointless,
safe, predictable matches.
W-H-O C-A-R-E-S in 2006: We heard a lot of "rattling"
from the top profiles boxers, and they rattled about this boxer won't
fight, and that fighter won't fight---but they seem to have managed to get
"mediocre" boxers to fight---which brings us back to the word, "Boring."
In 2007, boxers do need to stop rattling their mouth, and start fighting some exciting bouts for a change.
The sport is falling asleep from all the talk----and little action.
Same old excuses in 2006: Fighters and/or their
management give for not fighting out of their venues and
hometowns. "If the money was right, we would fight anywhere." We
have heard it all folks----again, there is not going to be money if
boxers and/or their teams
make it an "act of congress" to take a fight. There needs to
be more consistency in making competitive matches.
Top Worn-out Buzz words: Referring
to a fighter as the "Million Dollar Baby"; and/or
"The REAL Million Dollar Baby"...Enough already.
NOTE:
WBAN would like to thank the boxing fans and the WBAN writers and
contributors who all gave valuable input to the 2006 Yearly Awards!
We appreciate the time that everyone took to send in their picks and
their comments. |
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