So it was that the fight fever led boxing loyalists to EPIX, which began showcasing boxing cards last March. The sweet science has had few high quality destinations on television in recent years, but the upstart wants to enter the fray and is proving to be an immediate contender.

The two-year-old premium movie and entertainment channel was launched by Studio 3 Partners, a joint venture between Viacom and its Paramount Pictures division, MGM Studios and Lionsgate. It launched in October 2009, and features a 24/7 slate of new releases and classic films from their studio partners, as well as a sampling of concerts and other live events.

EPIX is headed by CEO Mark Greenberg, a former longtime Showtime executive who had run that channel's boxing department. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that a key component of EPIX's growth strategy is reaching out to fans and growing brand awareness through an investment in live boxing.

"The EPIX brand is starting to get out there, and boxing has been a big part of that for us, the press we generate and consumer awareness," according to Travis Pomposello, chief creative officer of EPIX and its senior executive in charge of boxing.

"Consumer awareness is what drives subscriptions and boxing has been a lynchpin in developing that consumer awareness," says Pomposello.

Growing a Channel One Jab at a Time

EPIX currently is available in more than 30 million homes with distribution partners including Verizon FIOS, Charter Communications, Dish Network and Cox Communications.

While growing the subscriber base and reaching as many households as possible is obviously the goal, Pomposello says that as a commercial free network, they don't have traditional ratings, and they aren't measuring their results from a purely numerical or statistical standpoint.

"We are continually gaining new subscribers, but it's very challenging to gauge." A household might sign up for EPIX to watch boxing, or to see a Britney Spears concert or watch the latest Star Trek film.

EPIX also doesn't limit itself to being a traditional television channel, it markets itself as a multi-platform entertainment service. That means they want to bring the action to the consumer wherever they might be, and in any way possible, including on their portable devices and tablet computers, gaming systems and more.

Nora Ryan, EPIX's chief of staff, adds that with boxing, the channel is trying to reach out to individuals who simply haven't heard of them yet.

"One of the things we are most focused on in this stage is really introducing EPIX to audiences across the country. We've just launched two years ago and a lot of people still don't know about EPIX the brand," she says. "So one of the huge benefits to us and one of the things we really love about boxing is that it allows us to reach a segment of the population that is so passionate about the sport that maybe we haven't touched before."

These days, there are few players in the field when it comes to televised boxing. HBO and SHOWTIME are the heavy hitters with the outsized contracts -- think Alex Rodriguez or Albert Pujols. You hope they hit the ball out of the park every time, although they also have a tendency to strike out and miss entirely, despite the boatloads of cash.

Then you have ESPN2 with Friday Night Fights, the occasional Fox Sports card, and the Spanish cable channels like Telefutura with its Solo Boxeo series. They're the scrappy guys you can't help but root for -- think David Eckstein. They'll produce a gem here and there, and they provide good value and entertainment, but there's an inherent ceiling for what they can accomplish.

And that's about it - although NBC Sports, the channel formerly known as Versus, is set to debut its new Fight Night series in 2012 as well.

So now we have EPIX stepping up to the plate, and the channel is looking to find some middle ground between the massive bankrolls and outsized expectations of an HBO, and the prospect and club-fight laden cards of an ESPN2.

EPIX Debuts with Klitschko vs. Solis

In 2011, EPIX broadcast five live boxing events, and consumers were able to order free trials of the premium channel for those weekends. EPIX also streamed each card live - for free - on its website, EPIXHD.com. In that way, EPIX can reach more people than it could simply by broadcasting the fights on television.

"By streaming the fights on EPIXHD.com, we can give even non-subscribers the opportunity to engage with us," Ryan says.

At that point, the channel hopes to win them over and retain them as ongoing customers. Even without that end result though, new eyeballs are able to take a peek at what the service offers, and additional awareness will have been gained.

The first match EPIX televised was the WBC heavyweight title fight between Vitali Klitschko and Odlanier Solis on March 19, 2011. The fight itself was a disappointment, ending in one round when Solis's knee gave out. However, for the channel it was still a success, bringing in over 100,000 visitors to the website, according to Ryan.

"It was beyond my wildest expectations," says Pomposello.

But it was also a learning experience for him and the EPIX team.

"It's the sport of boxing. I don't know how you prepare for it, you hope things go well and you find competitive fights. Obviously you're standing there and you watch Solis go down with a broken leg and that hurts a little bit. That is the game, and we're certainly not the exception. Every network who has boxing goes through that same up and down with the sport."

Making Every Dollar Count

These concerns resonate all the more for EPIX, which as mentioned, aired just five fight cards in 2011. As a result, EPIX doesn't have the margin of error that HBO or SHOWTIME does. Instead, they have to try to maximize the value of each event they broadcast and be opportunistic with which fights they choose to televise, and how much they pay for them.

The New York Yankees can afford to sign Alex Rodriguez for a quarter of a billion dollars, even with declining returns. But the small market teams in baseball certainly cannot. In the same vein, HBO can afford to pay $5 million in rights fees for a fight which ends up as a major letdown, even if it is bad business, but EPIX has to try to make each fight they show worth every dollar.

EPIX declined to comment on how much they do pay for their fights, instead simply saying that it must be reasonable, and the fight must be a good match for the network and its goals.

"Unfortunately in the sport of boxing you don't always get what you pay for. It's like all sports where things are very inflated, and we don't want to play in that realm. So we still look for the value plays," Pomposello says.

While there's no easy to follow doctrine that ensures success, Pomposello sticks to a few core principles when selecting fights to showcase. Namely, he searches for affordable rights fees, competitive matches between high quality fighters, and events with multiple television-worthy fights on the docket.

By airing doubleheaders, the network tries to give itself some built in insurance for when the best laid plans go awry, as they did when light heavyweight titleholder Juergen Braehmer pulled out of his May 21, 2011 unification match with fellow titleholder Nathan Cleverly at the last minute. Instead of disaster, the channel could still bank on being able to showcase the highly anticipated match between super middleweight prospects and British rivals George Groves and James DeGale.

Boxing Television for Boxing Fans

EPIX tries to take the approach of viewing their own events as actual fight fans, instead of sticking to rigid corporate blueprints. Gosh, what a novel concept.

"I'm a boxing fan at heart, and there's a lot of people at EPIX who are boxing fans. When we sit down and think about our broadcasts, we think about what's best for the network but also what we would want to see and what we would enjoy watching," Pomposello says.

"We never sat down and said 'hey, let's do a fight every month, or let's do a fight every quarter, or let's two more fights this year.' We really seize the opportunities as they come as available, and that's the same game plan that we have for 2012."

Thus far, each event they have televised has been based out of Europe and would not otherwise have been shown in the United States. In each instance, there was at least one world title up for grabs.

In addition to airing mostly competitive and worthwhile bouts, EPIX has also been building an entertaining studio show to complement and complete their broadcasts.

They've had big names in the sport take part in the endeavor, including former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and renowned trainer Freddie Roach. Nobody is going to be handing Lewis a 'best in broadcasting' award anytime soon, but nonetheless, his presence adds credibility to the program.

Looking Ahead

EPIX may never showcase dozens of fights per year, wield a multi-million dollar budget or lock up a stable of the sport's biggest names. But the great thing is that they don't need to.

By showcasing boxing to the public at large who isn't already tuning into Friday Night Fights on ESPN2, or buying $54.95 HBO Pay-Per-Views, the channel could actually help the sport at the same time it furthers its own cause. Providing any sort of platform to showcase more boxing is a positive step forward for the sweet science, and for its fans.

EPIX will get its awareness and its subscribers. The fight fans will get their fix. After all, if they show it, we will come. We have nowhere else to go.

It's a winning proposition, and from both sides of the equation, year one of the EPIX experiment seems to have been a success.

I'm not sure if any of you boxing fans realized this, but over the past few days, there has been a flurry of news, rumors and reports, ranging from factual to iffy to off the wall, concerning Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, and the potential dream Pacquiao vs. Mayweather clash. Today alone there are several new buzz-worthy items to consider, and so we present them all right here in one spot, in today's Pacquiao vs. Mayweather daily overdose extravaganza!

Credit: Chris Farina - Top Rank

First, here's a recap of some of the major recent stories:

• Mayweather postpones jail sentence...
• Arum says Pacquiao is fighting in June...
• Mayweather opponents likely Canelo or Guerrero...
• Mayweather calls out Pacquiao on Twitter...

Which brings us to today's flurry of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao rumors and news...

Guerrero won't be Mayweather's Opponent

According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, Richard Schaefer has commented that Robert Guerrero will not be Floyd Mayweather's next opponent. Guerrero had been seen as one of the two most likely candidates to get the nod for May 5th, along with junior middleweight titlist Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.

As much as I like "The Ghost", he wasn't the best man for the job. He has no track record above lightweight, and isn't the name that Canelo is either, at this point in time. If Guerrero gets a few nice wins at 140-147 lbs, and Mayweather sticks around for a bit, he may potentially get his shot at the mega-fight down the road. Right now though, it doesn't make sense.

That leaves Canelo as the frontrunner to get the May 5th showdown with Mayweather, assuming the Pacquiao fight doesn't get put together. Which brings us to...

Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz calling May 5th fight with Mayweather foolish

The Associated Press reports that Pacquiao financial adviser Michael Koncz believes a May 5th fight against Mayweather at the MGM Grand is "foolish" from an economic standpoint. He believes the fight could be placed in an as-of-yet unfinished 45,000 seat outdoor stadium in Las Vegas, and that venue could bring in an additional $30 million of revenue for a fight like Pacquiao vs. Mayweather.

Bob Arum chimed in that the fight could possibly happen by the end of May, enough time to finish constructing that stadium, and that right now, financial reasons are the only thing standing in the way of the fight getting signed, sealed and delivered.

Of course, you can choose for yourself whether or not you want to believe Mr. Today I'm Telling the Truth, Yesterday I Was Lying.

Sergio Martinez Calls Chavez Jr. and Pacquiao Cowards

Meanwhile, middleweight champion and #3 pound for pound fighter in the world, Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez is sick and tired of being on the outside looking in. He has called both Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and Manny Pacquiao, cowards, as well as puppets of promoter Bob Arum.

He is quoted as saying:

"This is an act of cowardice by Manny and Chavez. They say only what the promoter says. I’m my own man. I would never ask the permission of my promoter. If you want the fight, take the fight, don’t say ‘My promoter,’ that’s coward talk, both of them. Chavez and Pacquiao are puppets of Bob Arum."

He, like many fight fans, are tired of fighters hiding behind their promoters. The boxing promoters are supposed to work for the fighters, remember?

So, if at any point in time, somebody like Pacquiao or JCC Jr. told Bob Arum - you need to put me in there with Mayweather, or Martinez, or whomever else, no excuses - it would presumably get done. That hasn't happened. And so, Martinez is fighting Macklin in March, and hoping for the fight against Chavez to come next.

And fight fans are left with the daily Pacquiao vs. Mayweather rumor and news daily overdose. Tune back in tomorrow...

There's no other sport that lends itself so well to the world of social media and services like Twitter than boxing does. Floyd Mayweather yet again proved that point on Tuesday afternoon, as he publicly called out Manny Pacquiao and put the wheels in motion for more outcry to get a May 5th Mayweather vs. Pacquiao mega-fight put together. Take a look at what Mayweather had to say and what it might mean right here.

Here's what Mayweather said on his Twitter account:

Tweet #1: Manny Pacquiao I'm calling you out let's fight May 5th and give the world what they want to see.

Tweet #2: My Jail Sentence was pushed back because the date was locked in. Step up Punk.

Credit: Will Hart - HBO

This comes after a week with several up and down developments about the on-again, off-again, never-gonna-happen, maybe-someday-soon dream fight that all boxing fans have been clamoring for.

First, Mayweather was due to report to jail to serve his 87-day sentence on January 6th. Meanwhile, Bob Arum was heading to the Philippines to present a list of four potential opponents to Pacquiao - Miguel Cotto, Timothy Bradley, Juan Manuel Marquez and Lamont Peterson.

Then, Mayweather got his jail sentence postponed, as he mentions in the Tweet. That sets up his availability for May 5th. However, Arum immediately put the kibosh on a clash with Pacquiao for that date, saying Pacquiao wouldn't fight until June, and that it would still be one of those four opponents.

Rumors have since been coming out that Pacquiao wanted to talk to Arum about fighting Mayweather, and not just the guys on this list. Meanwhile, the court of public opinion has been swaying and swaying to the side and favor of Mayweather, with Arum appearing as the central figure of blame in the entire fiasco.

Now, Mayweather decided to turn things up a little bit more. Boxing negotiating and baiting tactics have always been done publicly and through the press, and with Twitter, fighters like Mayweather can say what they want, how they want, when they want.

So he's saying it straight to Pacquiao's face, and he's letting the public get in on the fun. Ball is in your court now, Bob Arum.

Manny Pacquiao has to be itching to get this fight made more than ever. If the fight doesn't happen, and Pacquiao takes on one of those four guys in June, it will be hard for anybody with Team Pacquiao or Top Rank to claim that the fault lies with Mayweather. That alone could be enough to help spur on a deal. Calling him a punk for good measure just makes it a bit more juicy, and ensures it'll get even more coverage.

We'll see what happens next in the coming days, so keep on checking back with ProBoxing-Fans.com for more breaking boxing news and rumors about Mayweather and Pacquiao and their potential May 5th clash.

Manny Pacquiao's next fight will be taking place in June of this year, either on the 9th or 16th of the month. This effectively eliminates the possibility of a May 5th clash against Floyd Mayweather.

The timeline then for Pacquiao's next fight has been very conveniently set by Bob Arum and Top Rank to avoid any possibility of having to put together a Mayweather fight in the immediate future.

Credit: Chris Farina - Top Rank

Pacquiao's promoter was all set to do a fight in May against one of their four chosen opponents - until Mayweather was available. Now it's June or bust, and Arum has expressly stated that he has not even been considering putting together a Mayweather fight for the first half of the year.

Mayweather has had his 90-day jail sentence postponed, allowing him to put together a fight on that date. He will then have to report to jail on June 1st.

With Pacquiao out of the picture for Mayweather's May 5th fight date, it narrows his list of potential opponents, and limits the possibility of a true "mega-fight". It seems like it will come down to either Saul Canelo Alvarez, or Robert Guerrero, for May 5th. Considering that Alvarez is the bigger name, while Guerrero isn't proven above 135 lbs, he should be the more likely of the two.

Arum has offered all sorts of excuses for why Mayweather vs. Pacquiao won't be happening in May. Pacquiao needs to heal from a cut. He already presented him with four different opponents. The fight wouldn't get enough time to adequately promote. The venue at the MGM Grand is too small for a fight of that magnitude. It's all window dressing, and it's all about avoiding Mayweather on May 5th.

The earliest a battle between the two best pound for pound fighters in the world could take place then will be in November of this year. That would require each man winning his next bout, and Mayweather being released from jail at the start of September and being immediately ready to train and prepare for the biggest fight of his life, maybe 10 weeks away.

Seems unlikely, and Pacquiao vs. Mayweather in 2012 may be a fading dream before the year has even hardly begun.

Things are looking up for Floyd Mayweather, at least for the time being. According to the Associated Press, Mayweather does not have to report to jail today and begin serving his 90-day sentence.

Instead, the judge has granted him a postponement of the sentence, under the assumption that he will be able to train for an upcoming May 5th "mega fight", in the words of manager Leonard Ellerbe.

Credit: Will Hart - HBO

The judge, Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa, made the decision and granted Mayweather his postponement this after hearing an argument not only for Mayweather and his obligations, such as already putting a contract in place to host a fight on May 5th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but also for the economic impact of Mayweather fighting to the community and region.

According to Mayweather's legal team, his last 7 fights have brought in more than $1 billion in revenue to the Las Vegas community, and his May 5th date would bring in more than $100 million.

So now, everyone's attention of course immediately goes back to the issue of whether or not we'll see Mayweather take on Manny Pacquiao, and whether or not we'll see Pacquiao vs. Mayweather in 2012. The 90-day jail sentence had left that all but impossible, but that's an obstacle that has been removed for the time being.

Pacquiao however has already been hearing proposals for future opponents, none of which included Mayweather. The four opponents being publicly discussed for Pacquiao have been Timothy Bradley, Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto and Lamont Peterson. Now we'll see how eager and open Bob Arum and Top Rank are to get a fight with Mayweather done for May 5th, or if they'll say too bad, or so what, to Mayweather.

Mayweather cruised away from the courtroom in his nearly $300k car, a brand new white Bentley Mulsanne, which he showed a picture of on Twitter the other day. That came after the pictures of the half a million in betting earnings he took in from college football games.

Bit of a different lifestyle than the three months in an 8x10 cell.

Ultimately, this is a good thing for boxing fans. Mayweather temporarily avoids jail, and we get to keep our fingers crossed that May 5th is going to be a day to remember for fight fans.

Depending on who you ask, and when, you can get wildly divergent answers to the question of whether or not Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather will ever fight, and whether or not it will happen in the coming year.

Some might say that Mayweather is scared, another might say Pacquiao's team is protecting him and won't let them meet. It's about the money, or it's not. It's about the drug testing, or it never was. The talk can go on for days, but ultimately, these are the key 5 points to consider for whether or not Pacquiao-Mayweather comes off in 2012.

Credit: Will Hart - HBO

1. Jail: Mayweather has to turn himself in on January 6th to serve a 90-day jail sentence. If he has to actually serve that full sentence, or anything close to it, then Mayweather's May 5th target for this dream fight is all but impossible. Assuming he serves the full 90 days, and gets out of jail in the first week of April, the earliest something of this magnitude could legitimately be put together would be July.
2. Second Half of 2012: That still leaves half the year for something to be put together between Mayweather and Pacquiao. Of course, Pacquiao's team isn't likely to sit idly by. He'll be fighting sometime in April or May most likely, which then pushes the Mayweather fight back until late summer or early fall. So realistically, we could be looking at a September date for a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight, and that's if Pacquiao and Mayweather both remain unscathed until then.



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3. Marquez: Juan Manuel Marquez might have something to say about that. With Mayweather off the table for the first half of the year, Pacquiao vs. Marquez IV becomes a highly likely scenario, although Bob Arum might steer Pacquiao towards a rematch with Miguel Cotto, or a fight against Timothy Bradley. Marquez could certainly derail the dream fight by finally earning a decision over his rival, or he could delay it by pushing Pacquiao to the brink for another 12 hard rounds.
4. Khan, Bradley, Cotto, Berto-Ortiz II, Martinez & More: These names represent the remaining cast of characters in this charade. They are potential other opponents for either Mayweather or Pacquiao. With Amir Khan losing to Lamont Peterson, his big fight wishes have to be iced. It's unlikely Sergio Martinez finally lures either man into the ring. If Victor Ortiz defeats Andre Berto for a second time, neither man is an appealing choice. Bradley is a worthwhile candidate, but doesn't make for a big event, while Miguel Cotto is much more appealing as an opponent for Mayweather than for Pacquiao. In other words... there are not very many other strong options out there. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao need one another, and need one another soon.
5. Tick-Tock: The clock is officially ticking here folks. Of course, it's been ticking for the last two years. It's ticking until Mayweather or Pacquiao retires from the sport for good. It's ticking until one or both of them are removed from their primes, and the value of the fight diminishes. It's ticking until one of them loses a fight before they get to square off. Tick-tock...

Considering all of the above, I believe there's about a 66% chance - two/thirds - of seeing Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight in 2012. Of course, you should take that with a grain of salt, as I never in my dreams would have believed the fight would have been scuttled for so long already.

Here are the top 10 fights to look forward to in the first two months of 2012. You can check our boxing schedule for the details on all of these fights and everything else planned for the year thus far.

1. Eddie Chambers vs. Sergei Liakhovich – January 21 – NBC Sports Fight Night debuts with this match-up of heavyweight contenders. They have very different styles, and if either wants to sniff a title shot, they better get the win here.
2. Erik Morales vs. Danny Garcia –Moved to March 24th – Morales showed in 2011 that the tank wasn't on empty yet, and in fact, he can still deliver exciting, fun fights. He'll have a tough night in store for him though against Garcia, who's ready to break out on the big stage.
3. James Kirkland vs. Carlos Molina – January 28 – Kirkland vs. Molina is going to be an explosive, super-fun fight for however long it lasts. Expect to see 200 punches thrown per round until Molina or Kirkland ends up on the canvas.
4. Nonito Donaire vs. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. - February 4 – Donaire moves up to super bantamweight and makes his debut against Vazquez Jr, who suffered his first loss last year, but is hungry for a big-time win. A worthy title fight, and Donaire will be looking for another spectacular showing to get his year started off right.
5. Yoan Pablo Hernandez vs. Steve Cunningham II – February 4 – Their first fight ended in controversial fashion, and what else is new for the hard-luck USS Cunningham? He'll have a chance for redemption here though in a meeting of two of the top three cruiserweights in the world.


Credit: Phil McCarty/Hogan Photos

6. Victor Ortiz vs. Andre Berto II – February 11 – A rematch of 2011's Fight of the Year is certainly a great way to get things going in 2012. Berto came back from his loss to Ortiz by picking up another welterweight strap, but he dropped it in order to secure the rematch and his chance for revenge. It will be Ortiz's first fight back since the Mayweather debacle.
7. Vitali Klitschko vs. Dereck Chisora – February 18 – Chisora showed up like a lean, mean fighting machine against Robert Helenius, and was robbed of a win in Helenius's hometown. The effort got him a date with big brother Vitali though, and he will come into the match as a stern, tough test for Klitschko to get past.
8. Alexander Povetkin vs. Marco Huck – February 24 – Povetkin vs. Huck is creating controversy as Povetkin will be circumventing his mandatory against Hasim Rahman (Really? Hasim freaking Rahman is a mandatory challenger? WTF?) to make the match. Nonetheless, it pits the best cruiserweight in the world against a top 5 heavyweight, and they're fairly equal in stature as well.
9. Devon Alexander vs. Marcos Maidana – February 25 – 2011 was a year to forget for Devon Alexander, with a loss to Timothy Bradley and a controversial win over Lucas Matthysse. All of that will be erased if he can get a win against Marcos Maidana, but he'll likely find that easier said than done.
10. Adrien Broner vs. Eloy Perez – February 25 – Two young, hungry and undefeated fighters battling one another with a title on the line. Sounds pretty juice. Right now, Broner is #6 and Perez is #8 in our super featherweight division rankings.

Here at ProBoxing-Fans.com, we've spent much of the past few weeks releasing all of our 2011 boxing awards, handing out 14 separate honors which collectively recapped the year that was in boxing. Notably absent from all of these awards was Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao did not receive any awards for the year, and nor was he considered heavily for any of them. In fact, the “award” which Pacquiao was most in consideration for was the 2011 Robbery of the Year.

Credit: Chris Farina - Top Rank

Many observers felt that Juan Manuel Marquez did enough in their rubbermatch to earn the win, and the close and controversial verdict, for the third time in the series, left an unsavory taste in the mouths of many boxing fans. (ProBoxing-Fans.com scored the fight a draw with our round by round).

Pacquiao fought twice in 2011. The first came in May against Shane Mosley. Mosley was coming off a terrible performance against Sergio Mora, and a one-sided loss to Floyd Mayweather.

Coming into the fight, he seemed old and most wondered what he had done to deserve a showcase date against Manny Pacquiao. It showed in the fight, and it was a win that ultimately meant nothing to Pacquiao, nor did it add anything to his resume or list of accomplishments besides a badly faded name.

The second 2011 performance for Pacquiao was his third fight against Marquez in November. While a decisive win here at least would have closed that chapter of his career, once again his rival flummoxed him and created more questions for Pacquiao rather than answers.

Of course, Floyd Mayweather didn't receive any awards for his efforts in 2011 either, and wasn't in serious contention for any either. He fought just once, his KO4 win over Victor Ortiz, and that fight ended in controversial, buzz-worthy fashion.

At least Ortiz though was ranked as the best available welterweight challenger, and was a young, powerful opponent in his prime, coming off a huge win. Still, Mayweather only stepped into the ring one time, and the controversy took away the glimmer from the win itself.

If I had to grade the years of both men, Pacquiao would get a C-, and Mayweather would get a B. Not exactly top-flight stuff from either man.

Pacquiao fought twice – one fight which meant nothing, and one which meant something but which inconclusive, although at least exciting, his only real saving grace. Mayweather scored a meaningful, legit win, hwever, inactivity and controversy kept his grade down.

Imagine Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony all having so-so seasons when they're all supposed to be at their best. Imagine Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees all having ho-hum years instead of rewriting the record books. That's what happened in boxing in 2011 with its two biggest names and best fighters.

Both men clearly only have so much more to offer the sport, and as Mayweather readies himself for a jail sentence, and Pacquiao readies himself for his full-time political career, boxing fans are left eternally clamoring for more.

Each failed to capitalize on their immense status in 2011. Will 2012 be any different?

In our continued effort to highlight and remember all of the best and worst of the year in boxing, right here you'll find a special list of the top 12 boxing moments of 2011.

There's one moment taken from each month, which means that these might not be the absolute top 12 best highlights or memories, but the 12 moments which will take us through the tumultuous roller coaster ride that was 2011 in boxing. From month to month, they are the events that kept the boxing world buzzing.

Both good and bad moments are included in the list, so that any happening that stood out the most gets spotlighted. Take a look.

January – Bradley vs. Alexander Fails

The 140 lbs unification showdown between Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander failed in just about every way. It wasn't exciting, it didn't deliver a conclusive verdict and nobody wanted to go to snowy Detroit to see the fight live. Boxing's 2011 got off on the wrong foot here, and all throughout the year, was never able to quite get on track.

February – Donaire KOs Montiel

Nonito Donaire earned 2011 Knockout of the Year honors with his TKO2 win over Fernando Montiel in February. There's not much better than seeing one of the best fighters in the game make his mark against top-flight competition, especially when it comes in such devastating, spectacular and ferocious fashion.

March – Klitschko vs. Solis Ends in 1 Round

With his amateur background and size, Odlanier Solis had all the right traits to disrupt the Klitschko stranglehold of the heavyweight division. He was looking good for about two and a half minutes. Then his knee gave out. Fight over. Next.

April – April 17^th Bonanza: Berto-Ortiz & Salido-JuanMa

Unknowingly to boxing fans everywhere, they would witness both the 2011 Fight of the Year and the 2011 Upset of the Year on one night, April 17th. Salido shocked the world with his KO win over JuanMa Lopez, and Victor Ortiz took home a welterweight title with the biggest win of his career, which also happened to put him in line for a date against Floyd Mayweather. Two fights like this on one night was a memorable, special treat for boxing fans.

May- May 21st: Hopkins Oldest Champion Ever, Downfall of Roy Jones Jr. Continues

Bernard Hopkins becomes the oldest champion in the history of boxing by defeating Jean Pascal in their rematch. Meanwhile, across the world on the same night, Roy Jones gets brutally knocked out in a cruiserweight fight against Denis Lebedev. The careers of the two rivals couldn't be farther apart, and for better or worse, each man made an imprint on the sport with his latest offering in the ring.

June – June 25^th Robbery Night: Sturm-Macklin & Alexander-Matthysse

For the third straight month, one evening with two separate fights writes its epitaph. Here, the month gets remembered for two terrible decisions, Felix Sturm retaining his titles over Matthew Macklin, and Devon Alexander escaping with a win against Lucas Matthysse. Unfortunately, neither of these two terrible calls was outrageous enough to be the worst of the year.

July – Williams Gets Decision Over Lara

The honor of the worst decision of the year goes to Paul Williams getting the nod over Erislandy Lara. I've written about this fight a dozen times by now. The right descriptors to describe the injustice still aren't quite available to me. When all three judges get suspended for their scorecards, in boxing, you know it's an awful outcome. When Roy Jones (see the month of May above) is worried for another fighter's health, and that fighter wins, it's an awful outcome.

Credit: Tom Casino / Showtime

August – Mares-Agbeko Controversy

The referee in the Joseph Agbeko vs. Abner Mares bantamweight title fight deserves some credit. He should have gotten the 2011 Honey Badger Award from ProBoxing-Fans.com. As in, the person in boxing who didn't give a shit, period. Dozens of low blows? I don't care. Knocked down from a low blow? Shouldn't have gone down son, I'm giving you a 10 count!

September – Mayweather-Ortiz KO & Aftermath

Floyd Mayweather and his “two-piece” stole the show in September. Of course, it wasn't just the controversial knockout which created all the buzz, it was the post-fight interview he had with Larry Merchant. At least the punches landed on Ortiz, and not Merchant, although Mayweather might change that around if he had another chance.

October – ZZZ; Hopkins-Dawson, Donaire-Narvaez

The sport capitalized on all of the attention it received in September, by offering little, if anything, of value to boxing fans in October. Yea, let's put Hopkins vs. Dawson on PPV. That's a good idea. Oh, the fight ended in 2 rounds because of a body slam and a shoulder injury? Great. Dawson gets ruled as the winner, then it gets overturned? Awesome. Oh, at least the always exciting Filipino Flash is fighting again, finally. Wait! WTF was that for 36 minutes?

November – Pacquiao and Marquez Even Again

Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez battle it out for the third time, and surprise surprise, they remain perfect foils for one another. Many people were unhappy with the decision here, however, at least it was an exciting fight. Especially when compared to all of the other awful decisions in the year, this wasn't a robbery.

December – Ward & Mares End Tournaments & Begin Reign

Both of Showtime's tournaments come to a close in December. The bantamweight tourney officially ends with the Mares-Agbeko rematch, and this time Mares wins without controversy. The Super Six ends its two year run with Andre Ward's supreme performance against Carl Froch. Two deserving tournament winners with Ward and Mares.

By my count, that's five months that ultimately get cast in a good light. Even if you don't like who won or lost a particular fight, it was a meaningful or exciting in the ring moment which was what mattered the most in those 30 or so days.

Six months get “bad” ending grades, mostly due to controversies like bad decisions. May was an even month, with Hopkins being a positive and the decline of Jones being an ongoing disaster.

That's a 5-6-1 record. If 2011 was a professional boxer, he'd be a tomato can. Of course, all tomato cans have a purpose – to make the next big thing look that much bigger and better. Hopefully the unproven 2012, sporting a shiny 0-0 mark, comes in and blasts it out at the first chance it gets.

Plenty of things about the year that was in boxing were disappointing, and you've probably had your fill of hearing about them. But it wasn't all bad. There were great fights, crushing knockouts and more.

Boxing fans were also given a glimpse at life in A.M.P. That's life After Mayweather & Pacquiao. With the two preeminent fighters in the game closing in on the end of their careers, one undefeated American with a lengthy list of amateur and professional credentials may just be able to pick up the reins. That man is 2011's boxer of the year, and his name is...

Boxing's 2011 Fighter of the Year: Andre "S.O.G." Ward

Your 2011 Fighter of the Year is also your new Super Six Tournament champion. After surviving a two-year, five-fight gauntlet through the Super Six, Ward emerged undefeated and unscathed.

He began the tournament as an unproven fighter with a big name thanks to his Olympic gold medal. He leaves it two years later as a unified champion, the clear top dog in the super middleweight division, and a top 5 pound for pound fighter with dominating wins over the likes of Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler and Arthur Abraham to his credit.

Ward, 25-0 (13 KOs), doesn't just bring home the 2011 Fighter of the Year award for his collective work over a two-year span though. He did more than enough in the preceding 12 months to warrant this recognition.

He took care of business against Abraham as he was supposed to, and then he completely controlled Froch in what was supposed to be a very competitive fight.

---> Don't forget to check out the rest of our 2011 boxing awards for dozens of different year-end awards and honors!

If you're an opponent preparing to face Ward, what in the hell should you prepare for? The master technician who earned his chops with an amazing amateur run which culminated in Olympic gold? Or the tough as nails inside fighter who will push you around, pin you on the ropes, or stand toe-to-toe and outslug you? Your choice.

Ward can take a shot. He can fight through adversity, as he did against Froch when hummed right along with a broken left hand. He can beat you at your game, to a prove a point to you, or himself, or whoever else. He can tag you hard enough to make you think twice. He can render your best fight plan utterly useless.

Best of all, he's still improving. Every time we see S.O.G. in the ring, there's a new wrinkle or refinement. A new strength. Something else for opponents to fret over.

Still just 27 years old, Ward might not be a box office star yet outside of his hometown of Oakland, but that should hopefully come in time. If the American public can't get behind a wholesome family man with a shining smile, a gold medal around his neck and a list of big names on his resume, then we better stick to following the police blotter for the latest news on Floyd Mayweather or Kelly Pavlik.

2011 was the year of the S.O.G., so congratulations to Andre Ward on his Fighter of the Year honors and Super Six Tournament victory.