Michael Rosenthal's List Of The Decade

By Michael Rosenthal

FIGHTER: MANNY PACQUIAO

What more can we say about him? He went 23-1-2 (20 knockouts) in the decade, including a record of 8-1-1 (six knockouts) against probable hall of famers Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto. By contrast, Floyd Mayweather Jr. went 18-0 (8 knockouts) and 6-0 (3 KOs) against probable hall of famers Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo, Arturo Gatti, De La Hoya, Hatton and Juan Manuel Marquez. And it wasn't just that Pacquiao won; it was HOW he won, bringing the fans excitement at every turn. Thus, he was not only the best fighter of the decade but also evolved into the most popular.

FIGHT: DIEGO CORRALES-JOSE LUIS CASTILLO I

Sometimes lost in the epic nature of the 10th and final round is the fact the entire fight was epic. From the opening bell, they furiously exchanged punches with one hurting the other and then the other returning the favor. The 10th round was a microcosm of the fight, ebb and flow, one fighter hurt and then the other. It's too bad it had to end. The fortunate fans in Las Vegas were brought to their feet time and again as the fight progressed and those who watched on TV couldn't look away. And one more thing set it apart -- the skill at which both participants fought. Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward fought with the same passion but not at the same level of ability. Corrales-Castillo was a classic in the most-literal sense of the word.

EVENT: LENNOX LEWIS-MIKE TYSON, JUNE 8, 2002

I was tempted to name the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Oscar De La Hoya fight as the Event of the Decade because of the record-breaking pay-per-view numbers it generated. Nothing could compete with Lewis-Tyson for sheer drama, though. Lewis was again the king of the sport's glamour division after avenging his loss to Hasim Rahman. Tyson was no longer the Tyson we once knew but many fans refused to accept it; to them, he was still a killer. Then Lewis emphatically proved them wrong, stopping the one-time icon in the eighth round on a wild night in Memphis, Tenn. The ring walks alone generated enough electricity to power Manhattan for a week.

TRAINER: FREDDIE ROACH

Observers in and out of boxing have begun to compare Manny Pacquiao to his all-time great predecessors, which arguably is appropriate. The same must be done for Roach. The one-time fringe contender learned from the best (Eddie Futch) and now IS the best. Pacquiao is his masterpiece, taking a raw talent and building him into a monster. He also has worked with such fighters as Virgil Hill, James Toney, Brian Viloria, Amir Khan and many others in what certainly will be a hall of fame career. And, remarkably, he has maintained a grueling schedule even though he battles Parkinson's disease. Roach is nothing short of a wonder.

COMEBACK: VITALI KLITSCHKO

The older of the gigantic Klitschko brothers had no choice but to retire in 2005 because he seemed to have lost his battle with chronic injuries, which attacked various parts of his body. He had to cancel three scheduled fights against Hasim Rahman because of them. However, when time proved to be effective medicine, he returned from a four-year hiatus at an age when most fighters are retired (37) and was never better. He knocked out Sam Peter, Juan Carlos Gomez and Chris Arreola in succession and then easily outpointed Kevin Johnson to make a legitimate claim as the best heavyweight in the world.

UPSET: HASIM RAHMAN-LENNOX LEWIS, APRIL 22, 2001

Lennox Lewis was in his prime and the undisputed king of the heavyweight division when he agreed to fight powerful, but limited Hasim Rahman in South Africa. Rahman, who had been stopped by David Tua and Oleg Maskaev, was a 15-1 underdog. That didn't mean much when his right fist crashed into Lewis' face in the fifth round, knocking the big man down and out to the astonishment of all witnesses. Suddenly, Rahman was the toast of boxing. Then, when they met again, he was just toast. Lewis, training seriously this time, scored a fourth-round KO to reclaim his place at the top of the heavyweight mountain.

ROUND: DIEGO CORRALES-JOSE LUIS CASTILLO I, ROUND 10, MAY 7, 2005

I never get tired of watching it. Corrales, his energy already sapped as a result of a grueling fight, went down twice in the 10th round and appeared to be on his way out. It was just a matter of a relatively fresh Castillo finishing the job. Or so it seemed. Corrales, digging oh so deep, suddenly found the fuel to give us one of the greatest moments in boxing history. He landed one hard punch, then two, then three before finally battering a helpless Castillo against the ropes and prompting referee Tony Weeks to stop it. Corrales left this earth much too early but left us with at least one memory his fans -- all boxing fans -- will always cherish.

KNOCKOUT: MANNY PACQUIAO-RICKY HATTON, ROUND 2, MAY 2, 2009

One could argue that there have been more-important knockouts, Lennox Lewis' demolition of Mike Tyson being one good example. However, no knockout in recent history -- maybe all history -- was more breathtaking. I can see that enormous left smashing into Hatton's jaw clearly in my mind because it made such a dramatic impression, both because of its sheer finality and the awe it inspired by all those who saw it. The latter has a lot to do with Hatton, who was deemed the stronger of two. Pacquiao wasn't supposed to be able to do that. And then he did. No one will ever doubt his power again.


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