The BWAA (Boxing Writers Association of America) announced the award winners for the year 2019, and it didn’t shock me that Floyd Mayweather Jr. won the “Fighter of the Decade” award, but the 2019 “Fighter of the Year” went to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez over Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao.
I do not agree with Canelo winning the Fighter of the Year for 2019. Canelo failed two drug tests for the banned substance clenbuterol and was suspended back in 2018 before the Gennady Golovkin rematch. I don’t care if they claim it was tainted supplements or meat he got busted.
Other smaller name fighters without clout would have been punished harshly for even having a trace amount of banned substances in their systems. It seems these star fighters are given the benefit of the doubt. Just like in the UFC Jon Jones has been testing positive for PEDs multiple times and still allowed to fight, in boxing Floyd Mayweather Jr. who kept accusing Manny Pacquiao of steroid usage was caught using an illegal IV without first asking the commission or the drug testing agency before his fight with Pacquiao and was given a pass or retroactive exemption.
Manny Pacquiao deserved to be the 2019 “Fighter of the Year” but the boxing writers of America who vote for these awards thought otherwise.
Pacquiao at 40 became the oldest welterweight in boxing history to win the title, and he didn’t fight a slouch he fought the best man in the division undefeated Keith “One Time” Thurman.
Some boxing fans mainly Mayweather and Errol Spence Jr. fans like to discredit Pacquiao’s win over Thurman, but the truth is before his layoff due to injury he was the man to beat in the division.
Thurman unified the WBC and WBA titles when he beat Danny Garcia, he had to vacate the WBC due to inactivity from his injury and held onto the WBA super title.
Pacquiao eventually won the regular WBA belt when he knocked out Lucas Matthysse back in July 15, 2018. He went on to fight Adrien Broner and then he took on the 30-year-old Keith Thurman in July of 2019 and knocked him down and hurt him to the body on his way to a split decision victory.
Even in that fight with Thurman, Pacquiao almost got robbed. It’s a damn shame how they do Pacquiao. The man has put so much into the sport of boxing and carried himself with class and they always seem to rob him or slight him.
When he fought Tim Bradley, he got robbed, when he fought Jeff Horn, he got robbed, and when he fought Floyd Mayweather Jr., he got robbed. It’s all politics, Mayweather has gotten so many gift wins like the first Marcos Maidana fight, and the Miguel Cotto fight he also got a wide decision when Cotto was banging him up to the body, its all about being a cash cow and who you know I guess. Floyd is the only fighter in history who can’t wait for a fight to go to the decision because he already knows the Las Vegas Judges will favor him. He can let you bang him up to the body on the ropes like Cotto and Maidana did and barely throw anything and still win rounds. He barely threw anything of significance against a one armed Manny Pacquiao and still won a wide decision.
Canelo is a great fighter, but there is no way his year was better than Pacquiao’s.
Canelo like Mayweather has the judges on his side, like the Gennady “GGG” Golovkin fights where he got a Draw in the first fight and a win in the second, both fights were clear wins for GGG but since Canelo like Floyd is the cash cow they always give him favor.
In 2019, Canelo fought and beat Danny Jacobs in a fight that many people felt was either a draw or some had Jacobs winning. He then went up to 175 pounds to fight the washed up, long in the tooth, Sergey Kovalev for the WBO light heavyweight title. He knocked out Kovalev to become a four division champion but he did it against the weakest champion in the division.
Pacquiao at the age of 40 beating up a prime top dog in Keith Thurman who was ten years his junior for the real WBA title is far more impressive than anything Canelo did in 2019.
Its a shame they would treat a legend like this. Pacquiao has never failed a single drug test, had his name slandered for years with false steroid accusations by Mayweather and his minions, gets robbed in fights, and now at the twilight of his career he gets snubbed of the “Fighter of the Year” an award that he rightfully deserved.
Pacquiao just can’t seem to get any respect.
I am an avid fan of boxing and video games. My first fight of memory was watching Prince Naseem Hamed destroy Kevin Kelly. I enjoy all aspects of the sport. My favorite current boxer is Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. My favorite boxing match is Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo 1. I love watching boxing on Pay-Per-View more than being there live because you can really enjoy and watch the action from the best view.