2017 LIGHTWEIGHT & WELTER PICKS AND PANS

TESS VALMORE


LIGHTWEIGHTS

LIGHTWEIGHT OF THE YEAR.

There were two contenders, Adriana Lima and Kendall Jenner. Lima ended the year with  a 13-2 record with six successful Lightweight title defenses to her credit. As opposed to my very good friend at Boxing World, I put little stake in minor titles. They are just another fight. It’s a general rule in consideration of year end awards, that if you have to lose, lose early in the year. Lima lost two of her last three.    Kendall Jenner also ended the year with a 13-2 record with being the champion by beating LIma and she had two successful title defenses thus far. It all came down to the last PPV. Jenner loses, Lima is the lightweight of the year. Jenner wins. She gets the award/ Jenner won. Our Lightweight of the year is KENDALL JENNER

DISAPPOINTING LIGHTWEIGHT OF THE YEAR

There were also two candidates. Kaley Cuoco and Jessica Biel Both are Hall Of Fame members. Both ended the year with 0-4 records. This also came down the last PPV If Biel won the pan would go to Cuoco. In Beil lost, she would get the award. She lost. Cuoco lost to overall better competition. Our Disappointing Lightweight Of The Year is JESSICA BIEL

LIGHTWEIGHT FIGHT OF THE YEAR

This almost came down to the final PPV with the Strahovski/Torv fight going eleven. It didn’t quite make it, but another Strahovski fight did. March I, Strakovski tangled with Biel. It went twelve rounds with four knockdowns before the final KO blow was delivered by Strahovski. This was the fight that started Biel’s bad year. She never recovered from this defeat
LIGHWEIGHT FIGHT OF THE YEAR MARCH I STRAHOVSKI/BIEL

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Sadly there was no new lightweight that deserved the rookie of the year award. At least. that is the way it looked to me Since my rankings only go to the top ten, I doubled checked Boxing World rankings. The first rookie ranked was at #55. The lightweights are going to have a problem as the current top ten ages
LIGHTWEIGHT ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. NONE

WELTERWEIGHTS

WELTERWEIGHT OF THE YEAR

There seems to be little dispute over who the welter of the year award was. There were three possibilities. Rhoda, Ferguson and Upton Ferguson ended the year with a 10-2 record in conventional fights. She beat Rhoda not once but twice for the welter title. Upton wasted too much time in JMDD and ended the year with a 7-2 record in conventional fights. She did take the welter title from Ferguson once, but it was not enough. Too much JMDD
WELTERWEIGHT OF THE YEAR HANNAH FERGUSON

DISAPPOINTING WELTER OF THE YEAR.

There was no contest for the disappointment of the year She was once part of the R & R duo that ruled the welters for several years and held the welter title three times. This year she was in only two bouts and lost them both. I expect a lot more out of her next year
DISAPPOINTING WELTER OF THE YEAR. BRIDGET REGAN

WELTERWEIGHT FIGHT OF THE YEAR
Looks like Rhoda and Ferguson are not going to be BFF. This was a title bout that lasted eight rounds. Each had a knockdowns. Both badly battered. A possible foul being instrumental in the results which was a Ferguson KO
WELTER FIGHT OF THE YEAR 4/28 RHODA/FERGUSON

WELTER ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Last year was a good year for newbies. This year not so much..There were a couple new fighters coming out of the New Blood Tournament, but they did not make much of an impact.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. NONE