The John Duddy Fight of the Year – The Smackwear Irish-Boxing.com Awards 2018
Nothing beats a good fight and there have been plenty of wars this year involving Irish boxers.
They mightn’t have always won but they always played their parts in occasions of sporting theatre that are unrivalled.
Below we recognise our best FIVE fights of the year.
This award is named after the Derry Destroyer John Duddy who was involved in many wars and Fight of the Years during his career.
Fight of the Year
Stephen McAfee v Colin O’Donovan 2
A repeat of their 2017 war, the pair with rematched in another small hall brawl. McAfee, with his ferocious work in close, edged a split decision to claim the BUI Celtic super featherweight title.
James Tennyson v Martin J Ward
Dropped hard to the body in the second, Tennyson managed to weather the storm in the third, hurt Ward in the fourth, and finish him in the fifth in an incredible turnaround to claim the Commonwealth and European titles.
Martin Quinn v Karl Kelly
A six-round brawl that had everything – surprisingly strong skills from Quinn, a brave late charge from the relentless Kelly, and a controversial final result. More please.
Ray Moylette v Christian Uruzquieta
An epic fight befitting of the grand stage in Mayo, Moylette somehow recovered from two heavy knockdowns in the fifth to push the tough Mexican hard down the stretch only for a late Uruzquieta charge to seal victory.
Carl Frampton v Josh Warrington
Already christened by Frank Warren as ‘the best fight’ he’s ever seen, Warrington ambushed the Belfast feather early with ferocity. Frampton dug deep and rallied against his younger foe in the second but it was not enough to claim the win on an emotional night.
[yop_poll id=”54″]
You can vote in the earlier polls below:
The Eamonn Magee Jr Prospect of the Year
The Freddie Gilroy Young Boxer of the Year
The Micky Ward Round of the Year
The Patrick Hyland Sr Trainer of the Year
The Alejandro González Jr Opponent of the Year
The Sean Mannion Gallant Defeat of the Year
