By Alphonso Costello

The inaugural Quick Jabs Blank of the Year Awards are brought to you by the great and not so great. These are awards that others have failed to recognize during the long and strenuous year of 2006.

We are in the middle of the awards season. The motion picture industry kicked off the awards season by handing out the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards. And in a few weeks the Academy Awards will take place in the entertainment capital of the world.

The following awards are for your consumption only. A delectable appetizer minus the glitz, glamour and hype.

Without further ado, let the show begin.

The Dirtiest Player in the Game Award: Jose Medina

During a televised bout from San Juan , Puerto Rico, Medina landed three consecutive low blows and kneed his opponent in the groin. The super welterweight failed to secure the DQ loss, but he is recognized as the dirtiest fighter who exhibits malicious unsportsmanlike conduct.

Runner-up: Bobby Pacquiao

Dishonorable Mention: Zab Judah

Bore Fest of the Year: Acelino Freitas vs. Zahir Raheem

These two kicked off Boxing After Dark with a John Ruiz-like performance. There was more hugging and rubbing in this match than in a R. Kelly music video.

Runner-up: Shannon Briggs vs. Sergei Liakhovich

35 minutes and 30 seconds of pure boredom. At least there was a knockout at the end.

The Over Achiever of the Year: Carlos Baldomir

Defeating Zab Judah for the undisputed welterweight title and knocking out the blood and guts warrior Arturo Gatti was surprising. But the biggest accomplishment for Baldomir was going the distance against Floyd Mayweather Jr. If Baldomir had any foot speed at all, he would have defeated Mayweather and retained his title in the 400-meter sprint.

Quote of the Year:

“The referee, the judges, the judge John Stewart were high, drunk, constipated…whatever.”

James Toney speaking on his controversial draw with Hasim Rahman

Glorified Sparring Session of the Year: Joe Calzaghe vs. Jeff Lacy

Calzaghe’s defining moment was a breathtaking and jaw dropping performance. The 12-round annihilation of Jeff Lacy was simply phenomenal.

Mismatch of the Year:

Anything that was shown on HBO Boxing After Dark or Bob Arum’s Versus boxing cards.

Promoter of the Year: Main Events

It was a banner year for the New Jersey based company. Their biggest stars lost all the big fights in 2006. Arturo Gatti, Fernando Vargas, Calvin Brock and Jason Litzau all got knocked out in destructive fashion. Rocky Juarez lost twice to Marco Antonio Barrera and bolted to join Golden Boy Promotions. Joel Julio lost his undefeated record and Juan Diaz took his lightweight title and joined Don King’s stable. Main Events had their fair share of losses, but they could take some solace in winning a Quick Jab Award.

Runner-up: Gary Shaw Productions

Gary Shaw’s 2006 rap sheet gave Main Events a run for their money. GSP started out the year by losing Manny Pacquiao and Winky Wright’s promotional rights, witnessing the destruction of Jeff Lacy and forcing two men to fight at an unhealthy weight. In addition, to promoting a farcical lightweight title fight at the welterweight level, Shaw promoted an insignificant super middleweight tournament for a worthless AEIOU championship title.

Most Inspirational Boxer of the Year: James Toney

Toney inspired me to lose some unwanted pounds.

Screw Job of the Year: Dimitri Kirilov vs. Luis Alberto Perez

Kirilov seemingly outboxed Perez en route to a super flyweight title victory. But two of three inexperienced and incompetent Massachusetts ringside scorers gave the fight to Perez. The crowd voiced their displeasure at the judge’s decision and Showtime’s press row scoring echoed the crowd’s sentiments.

Runner-up: Naoufel Ben Rabah vs. Juan Urango

 

The corrupt Florida judges gave Urango a gift decision along with the vacant IBF junior welterweight title. ESPN commentator Teddy Atlas nearly suffered a stroke from this abysmal decision.

Dishonorable Mentions: Zertuche-Zuniga, Toney-Peter I, Quartey-Forrest and Arnaoutis-Torres

Overused Word of the Year: Disgraceful

In a disgraceful display of disgust and anger, people within the boxing world uttered the word disgraceful too many times.

Runner-up: Fiasco

The Kanye West Sore Loser of the Year: Winky Wright

Wright found himself in a suspenseful middleweight championship fight against Jermain Taylor. The fight was Winky’s to win entering the 12th round, but he decided to strut and one-two step his way to a draw. His post-fight behavior was dare I say disgraceful. The victory was within reach, but Mr. Road Warrior decided to dance the night away.

Runner-up: Zab Judah

After his upset loss to Carlos Baldomir, Judah blamed Don King for his struggles in the ring. Instead of ripping Don King a new one in the post-fight interview, Judah should have known the name of the guy who had just beaten him.

Dishonorable Mention: Bobby Pacquiao

According to Manny’s little brother, whacking Hector Velazquez in the family jewels 51 times isn’t enough to be disqualified.

Chump of the Year: Zab Judah

Losing the undisputed welterweight title to the biggest underdog of the year, instigating a dangerous brawl during a prizefight, getting fined, suspended and arrested all in the same year will earn you the chump of the year award.

From chumps to champs, there was a non-televised heavyweight title fight that went partially unnoticed by the American public.

 

It seems there was some divine intervention taking place during the WBA heavyweight title fight between Nicolay Valuev and Jameel McCline.

 

Billed as the largest championship fight in heavyweight history, Valuev and McCline entered the ring at a combined weight of 590 pounds.

Valuev retained the title with a TKO victory when McCline suffered a knee injury and was unable to continue.

There is no telling what may have transpired if McCline’s freak knee injury didn’t occur at the end of the third round.

For the third time in his last five fights Valuev was lucky to walk away with his undefeated record intact.

Valuev’s record now stands at 46-0, just three wins away from tying Rocky Marciano’s hallowed 49-0 record.

With the kind of stiffs that are being put in front of him, Valuev will surpass Marciano’s long standing record in no time.

So when will the ghost of Rocky Marciano show up to sidetrack Nicolay Valuev’s undefeated “championship” run?

Marciano’s legacy was strong enough to carry Larry Holmes’ jock strap, but will it be strong enough to carry the jock strap of a 322-pound giant?...

The prospect of watching Jose Luis Castillo and Ricky Hatton pounding it out in a few months is simply exhilarating.

Castillo and Hatton’s respective wins on HBO Championship Boxing were far from exciting, but both fighters got the wins needed to put themselves on course for one of the best boxing match ups of 2007…

The middleweight division should stand at attention because Kelly Pavlik is a legitimate middleweight prospect. His spectacular knockout victory over Jose Luis Zertuche was devastating.

The suits at HBO should also be impressed with Pavlik's performance. He is the first fighter to knock down and knock out Zertuche. Pavlik showed the masses he can take a punch. He withstood many of Zertuche's blistering shots and displayed some good defensive skills.

A couple more victories over the likes of Edison Miranda or Arthur Abraham should land Pavlik a big money title fight against Jermain Taylor or Winky Wright.

Zertuche gave Pavlik a tough challenge for the first three rounds. The jab-less gun slinger ate Pavlik's uncanny punching power and he should be commended for his tremendous heart and courage.

Unlike, Julio Ler's cowardly fight plan.

 

In Boxing After Dark’s main event, Julio Ler displayed the heart of a fruit fly against the Mexican sparkplug Jorge Arce.

Riding in on a dancing horse, playing the role of a matador and breaking down a few dance moves was not enough for Arce to score his ninth consecutive knockout.

 

Instead the fiery super flyweight begrudgingly scored the unanimous decision victory over the obscure 26-year-old Argentinean.

 

Ler should trade in his boxing gloves for some soccer shoes. His four-corner rope-a-dope strategy frustrated Arce and a crowd of 7,091 fight fans at the Honda Center in Anaheim , California .

 

One spectator actually enjoyed Ler’s dull fight plan. HBO commentator Max Kellerman gave Ler more credit for running a track meet, instead of praising Arce’s stalking style and fighting spirit.

 

Kellerman enjoys fights that are too tactical so he could talk, explain and take center stage. In other words, he loves to hear himself talk.

 

Perhaps a switch to a sport like patty-cake, jump rope or hide and seek would satisfy Kellerman’s infatuation with “competitors” that refuse to stand in front of each other and fight…

 

The paper championship known as the WBA “regular” middleweight title has been passed around more times than the Whizzinator in a NFL locker room.

 

Mariano Natalio Carrera scored an eleventh round TKO over Javier Castillejo on December 2.

 

The 26-year-old Argentinean becomes the fourth different fighter to claim the paper championship in as many fights.

 

Over the last ten months the title belt has changed hands three different times. Castillejo, Maselino Masoe and Felix Strum failed to defend the middleweight trinket in three consecutive title defenses.

 

However, the title may change hands once again. Carrera failed his post-fight drug test and the title may be returned to Castillejo.

 

It’s never too late for a 33-year-old man to overcome his fear of hand-to-hand combat…

Published reports from the Philippines say Manny Pacquiao has been granted exemptions for 20 firearms.

 

Citing the safety of his family, Pacquiao’s firearm exemptions were approved by the Commission on Elections. The exemptions were also assigned to Pacquiao’s security detail and family members.

 

Now that Manny has the legal right to carry a firearm, a pen is no longer the most dangerous thing in his possession.

 

Alphonso Costello may be reached at acostello@boxingscene.com