by B.A. Cass
The fight between Francisco Vargas and Orlando Salido, which seemed to be just about everyone’s pick for 2016 fight of the year, was certainly a good fight. But thirty seconds into Round One and the two men were already in their first clinch, something that turned into a bizarre twirl. A minute later, Vargas was walking Salido back as if they were partners in an intermediate ballroom dance class. Yes, there were moments of intense onslaught by both men, and yes, the majority of the fight was brutal and entertaining. However, it was nowhere near as thrilling as the best fights of the past.
Over the week I watched nineteen fights, both female and male, from 2016. I had originally intended to watch twenty-four, but five of the female fights were not available online. (Click this link to get the full list of the fights I watched: http://bit.ly/2x65wKk.) I had two criteria for judging these matches. The first was that the opponents had to be well matched, meaning no early round knockouts or clear domination. The second was that that the fight had to be thrilling from beginning to end. This, unfortunately, disqualified Amanda Serrano, who KO’d Olivia Gerula in the first round of their fight. And while it was a pleasure watch the skilled Jelena Mrdjenovic, she was the more talented fighter in both her fights that I watched. On the male side, I was impressed by all of what I saw except by the Dillian Whyte vs. Dereck Chisora fight, which seemed to me just like two really big guys punching each other in slow-motion.
And while I was deeply impressed by the Carl Frampton vs. Leo Santo Cruz bout (I gave it runner up), one fight stood out from all the rest. And that’s Heather Hardy vs. Shelly Vincent, my pick for “2016 Fight of the Year.”
The public animosity between these two fighters has been well-documented. Vincent spent years trying to secure a fight with Hardy, going so far as to show up at Hardy’s fights to taunt and ridicule her. Their fans exchanged vicious words. Hardy’s mother may have even been involved in a physical altercation with Vincent at The Roseland Ballroom, though that has not been confirmed. In other words, this was the real deal, an epic fight three years in the making.
But put aside all that, and put aside the historic nature of the fight. (It was the first female boxing match televised in the US in over 20 years.) In fact, put aside everything and anything that didn’t take place in the ring that night at Coney Island’s Ford Amphitheater because it was, from beginning to end, a spectacular fight. There was no clinching, not a single moment when either fighter tried to save energy. Hardy and Vincent simply gave everything they had from the first bell to the last.
The New York based Hardy won by split-decision, which didn’t surprise Vincent, who had traveled from Providence to take the fight. “It being in New York, I knew from the gate that unless I knocked her out, I wasn’t going to get a W over there,” Vincent recently told me. “I had it six rounds to four. And two rounds she beat me. I admit that. She beat me those two rounds. But clearly I dominated. I kept moving forward.”
Devon Cormack, Hardy’s trainer, obviously doesn’t agree with Vincent’s analysis: “At no point did I feel Heather was losing the fight,” he told me over the phone. “She made the adjustments as the fight went on, more than Shelly did.” Still, Cormack acknowledges that it was close. “It wasn’t a perfect thing having a split decision, but I didn’t think it was that far removed, which is why I thought it made for an excellent fight.”
Vincent’s trainer, Pete Manfredo Sr., can’t figure out why there hasn’t been a rematch. All he knows is that it should have been done already. “It was the fight of the night, and it even had Errol Spence on the card that night. I thought Vincent/Hardy was a much better fight for the crowd, even the television crowd.”
Let’s be honest, though: if a rivalry like this occurred between two male boxers and their much-anticipated, widely-viewed fight ended in a close, split-decision win, the rematch would have already happened.
Still, Hardy remains hopeful for the future of women’s boxing. “If you put Holly Holm with someone like a Katie Taylor, or one with Cecilia Brækhus, that would be a huge money fight—maybe not in America but it would be a huge money fight because so much of the country follows MMA. Even when I had my first MMA fight, I got tens of thousands of new followers. I was on the MMA radio show with Ariel Hawani and like a hundred people had tweeted it out. And so the more public demand, the more popular it gets, the easier it will be.”
Let’s hope Hardy is right. Let’s hope that the gods of the boxing world come together and align the stars to make this rematch happen. In the meantime, you can see Shelly Vincent fight in person at the Fox Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino on September 15th. (Buy your tickets here: http://bit.ly/ShellyVincent). And, though her opponent has yet to be announced, Heather Hardy is set to return for her second Bellator fight on October 20th at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Follow B.A. Cass on Twitter @WiththePunch
Stephenrhype
06/29/2024 at 2:15 pm
mexican mail order pharmacies: cmq pharma mexican pharmacy – mexican drugstore online
CharlesRor
07/19/2024 at 9:25 pm
reputable mexican pharmacies online [url=http://foruspharma.com/#]mexican border pharmacies shipping to usa[/url] best online pharmacies in mexico
EdwardLoobe
07/20/2024 at 12:14 am
https://canadapharmast.com/# online canadian pharmacy review
CharlesRor
07/20/2024 at 4:13 am
global pharmacy canada [url=http://canadapharmast.com/#]canadian pharmacy sarasota[/url] canadian pharmacy
Davidtoows
07/20/2024 at 11:21 am
buy prescription drugs from india: online shopping pharmacy india – indian pharmacy online
CharlesRor
07/20/2024 at 1:52 pm
purple pharmacy mexico price list [url=https://foruspharma.com/#]mexican mail order pharmacies[/url] mexico pharmacies prescription drugs
Davidtoows
07/20/2024 at 5:09 pm
medicine in mexico pharmacies: mexico drug stores pharmacies – mexican pharmacy
Davidtoows
07/20/2024 at 10:09 pm
canadian medications: canada pharmacy reviews – canadian pharmacy uk delivery
EdwardLoobe
07/20/2024 at 10:58 pm
http://canadapharmast.com/# maple leaf pharmacy in canada
CharlesRor
07/20/2024 at 11:41 pm
buying prescription drugs in mexico [url=http://foruspharma.com/#]mexican pharmacy[/url] mexico pharmacy
Davidtoows
07/21/2024 at 3:21 am
top 10 pharmacies in india: п»їlegitimate online pharmacies india – Online medicine home delivery
Davidtoows
07/21/2024 at 8:11 am
canadian pharmacy 365: canadian pharmacy world – canadian family pharmacy
Myronnepay
07/21/2024 at 12:30 pm
https://clomiddelivery.pro/# where to buy generic clomid no prescription
doxycycline nz cost [url=https://doxycyclinedelivery.pro/#]doxycycline 50 mg cap[/url] doxycycline hyclate 100 mg capsules
Thomaskef
07/21/2024 at 4:59 pm
http://clomiddelivery.pro/# cost of cheap clomid without a prescription
Myronnepay
07/21/2024 at 10:18 pm
http://paxloviddelivery.pro/# Paxlovid over the counter
generic clomid for sale [url=https://clomiddelivery.pro/#]order cheap clomid without a prescription[/url] where can i get clomid pill
Thomaskef
07/22/2024 at 1:06 am
http://clomiddelivery.pro/# where to buy cheap clomid
Myronnepay
07/22/2024 at 7:37 am
http://amoxildelivery.pro/# amoxicillin 500mg over the counter
amoxicillin azithromycin [url=http://amoxildelivery.pro/#]amoxicillin 500mg[/url] buy cheap amoxicillin
Thomaskef
07/22/2024 at 8:58 am
http://paxloviddelivery.pro/# paxlovid price
Jamesjam
07/22/2024 at 3:55 pm
amoxicillin 500mg capsules: cost of amoxicillin prescription – amoxicillin 500mg pill
Thomaskef
07/22/2024 at 4:57 pm
https://ciprodelivery.pro/# buy cipro
Myronnepay
07/22/2024 at 5:18 pm
https://doxycyclinedelivery.pro/# doxycycline pharmacy singapore
can you buy amoxicillin over the counter canada [url=https://amoxildelivery.pro/#]amoxicillin online purchase[/url] medicine amoxicillin 500mg
Thomaskef
07/23/2024 at 12:52 am
http://amoxildelivery.pro/# over the counter amoxicillin
Myronnepay
07/23/2024 at 2:29 am
https://paxloviddelivery.pro/# п»їpaxlovid
amoxicillin generic [url=http://amoxildelivery.pro/#]buying amoxicillin in mexico[/url] amoxicillin 500mg buy online uk
Thomaskef
07/23/2024 at 8:12 am
http://doxycyclinedelivery.pro/# doxycycline hyclate
Myronnepay
07/23/2024 at 11:50 am
https://clomiddelivery.pro/# can i buy clomid online
buy cipro online without prescription [url=http://ciprodelivery.pro/#]buy cipro online without prescription[/url] buy ciprofloxacin
Thomaskef
07/23/2024 at 3:15 pm
http://doxycyclinedelivery.pro/# order doxycycline online
Myronnepay
07/23/2024 at 9:36 pm
https://amoxildelivery.pro/# amoxicillin tablet 500mg
paxlovid india [url=http://paxloviddelivery.pro/#]paxlovid for sale[/url] paxlovid price
Thomaskef
07/23/2024 at 11:41 pm
http://doxycyclinedelivery.pro/# best price for prescription doxycycline
Myronnepay
07/24/2024 at 7:04 am
http://amoxildelivery.pro/# where can i buy amoxocillin
ciprofloxacin generic [url=https://ciprodelivery.pro/#]where can i buy cipro online[/url] ciprofloxacin order online
Thomaskef
07/24/2024 at 7:56 am
http://ciprodelivery.pro/# buy cipro online
Jamesjam
07/24/2024 at 6:44 pm
Paxlovid over the counter: paxlovid for sale – buy paxlovid online