Credit: Tom Casino / Showtime

Yet now the talk about Bute's next opponent is all about whether it will be Super Six runner-up Carl Froch or Super Six drop-out Andre Dirrell. What happened to the big showdown between top dog Andre Ward and the only man of merit left in the division he hasn't fought, Lucian Bute?

Some readers may recall that I am no fan of Lucian Bute, but in this instance, fairness demands I point out that Lucian Bute is blameless. He isn't ducking Andre Ward. Virgil Hunter, Ward's trainer, confirmed that the Ward camp told Showtime and Bute they wanted Bute to have a fight with another Super Six fighter before he gets to Ward. Although Ward emerged from the Super Six tournament without having fought any debilitating wars (unlike, say, Carl Froch), he is recovering from a broken hand, and has the very reasonable desire for a break.

Ward wants to postpone a fight with Bute, but how does Bute feel about fighting Ward? Le Tombeur talks like he wants the Andre Ward fight, but many remain skeptical. Carl Froch is the most prominent skeptic, who said in a televised interview just before Christmas that Bute had no interest in fighting Ward. Lucian Bute is the guy who took the path of least resistance to the top, so the idea that he might be privately dubious about fighting the division's clear top dog is understandable.

Lucian Bute has only one fight remaining on his contract with Showtime. If he fights Andre Dirrell or Carl Froch and wins, it would be entirely in keeping with Bute's track record for him to jump ship back to HBO for a lucrative three- or four-fight deal. Under those circumstances, Ward vs. Bute would never happen.

My advice to super middleweight boxing fans is as follows: give Bute the benefit of the doubt as far as an April clash with Froch or Dirrell goes. Either match-up is a solid one, and will tell us all sorts of things about Le Tombeur. After that, watch Bute's negotiations with Showtime very carefully, because at that point no foreseeable obstacles should stand in the way of Ward vs. Bute for the latter half of 2012.

Dirrell just fought for the first time after taking nearly two years away from the sport, following his fight against Arthur Abraham, which of course ended in controversial and dramatic fashion. He made quick work out of the overmatched Darryl Cunningham, and has appeared eager to land another big-time fight.

Credit: Tom Casino / Showtime

On the surface, it's a somewhat odd choice of opposition. Froch beat Dirrell head-to-head, and has been fighting on a consistently high level in the Super Six over the past two years, while Dirrell has been on the shelf. During that time, he's also made himself into a bigger, more recognizable name.

The unsavory portion of the proposed Bute vs. Froch fight though was that the promoters were attempting to create a two-fight, home and home, series. It's one thing to have a rematch clause, it's another thing to basically guarantee two fights ahead of time, when the second could end up being completely unwarranted, uninteresting or ill-advised.

Meanwhile, Bute's team may be looking at Andre Dirrell as a way to prepare for Andre Ward, who is currently healing his broken hand.

Froch is likely a sterner challenge and bigger name for Bute, but Dirrell's speed and style could be an interesting match-up for team Bute before squaring off against the S.O.G. Further, securing a one fight deal would more easily clear the way for Ward vs. Bute in the fall, as opposed to a two-fight series with Froch.

At this time though, it's unclear how this will all play out. Ward vs. Bute is the top fight to make in all of boxing, save for a certain proposed content between a Mr. Mayweather and a Mr. Pacquiao. Any course of action that gets us to that destination sooner rather than later is a good one.

In the latest ProBoxing-Fans.com super middleweight division top 10 rankings, Ward is number 1, Bute is number 2, Froch is number 4 and Dirrell is number 8.

One of the newer divisions in the sport--only strawweight is newer. However, super middleweight has seen more success than some of the more recently-created divisions, with a gaggle of talented and big figures among the top ten. At the same time, being less than 30 years old, this ranking does not have the historic names that fill other top tens.

In addition, there is a mix of those who make 168 their home and others who merely stop by for a little while. This makes it a difficult list to compile. Do you go with ten-year rainstorm or the two-year hurricane? This list is also unique in that it is one of the least populated by Americans of any higher weight class, with Europeans dominating the top ten. Here are the ten best to ever do it at 168 pounds:

1. Joe Calzaghe (1993-2008):

Credit: Tea Chimp / Creative Commons License 2.0

Other than Holyfield at cruiserweight and Ricardo Lopez at strawweight, there is no clearer choice for the #1 spot in any division. A ten-year reign as WBO champion and retiring undefeated at 46-0 only tells part of the story. Calzaghe’s skills and worth fall a little outside how we normally gauge greatness. For the less-astute observer, Calzaghe perhaps appeared to merely be a tough fighter who overwhelmed opponents with blustery hands. But not many fighters could fight as well as Calzaghe, as he just had an almost-genius aptitude for the simple art of combat. His view of a fight was hyper-advanced, accompanied by the ability to see angles and perceive a fight with the same coolness as a fan sitting on his couch.

Calzaghe won his first belt over top-5 all-time super middleweight Chris Eubank and while he did spend a lot of his reign beating second-raters, he eventually got some serious work done. Some of his better defenses came against 168-pound championship timber like Charles Brewer, Richie Woodhall, and Byron Mitchell. In 2006, Jeff Lacy was favored to beat Calzaghe and wound up getting destroyed. Came back to beat hard-nosed Sakio Bika, before overcoming a tough start to figure out Mikkel Kessler en route to a dominating decision.

2. Nigel Benn (1987-1996):

Nigel began his career as a bombs-away middleweight. Some setbacks forced him to refine his style and he admirably did just that, adding some finesse to his brawn. It enabled him to become one of the greatest ever at this weight. Defeated Sugarboy Malinga, before snatching the WBC strap from clever Mauro Galvano. A few defenses led to a rematch against Chris Eubank, who had stopped Benn at middleweight. Benn appeared unlucky to get only a draw in their 1993 unification bout. Nigel registered 2 more defenses before knocking out Gerald McClellan, in what would have been an absolutely glorious win, if not for the harrowing result, which left McClellan maimed for life. Two more defenses followed before Benn faded away with 3 straight losses.

Check out our entire collection of the all-time best fighters by weight class, as well as the breakdown of how these lists were made and what factors were included.

3. Chris Eubank (1985-1998):

One of the best of the early champions of 168, Eubank won the vacant WBO title with a nearly-fatal KO over talented Michael Watson. Defended against Sugarboy Malinga, before besting decent American imports like Ron Essett, Tony Thornton, and ex-champ Lindell Holmes. A pair of draws, against tough Irishman Ray Close and #2 all-time Nigel Benn followed, before Eubank scored an underrated win over unbeaten Graciano Rocchigiani. Beat Close in a rematch and in total, scored 14 title defenses. Sometimes lethargic and uninterested, Eubank could be difficult to like, but his accomplishments at this weight are almost unparalleled.

4. Roy Jones, Jr. (1989-present):

Far and away, the most impressive fighting force ever seen at 168 pounds. Only a short stay in this division prevents him from taking a higher spot. But for a short tenure at this weight, he certainly accomplished a lot. Most importantly, he won the only true Superfight to ever take place in this division. Before James Toney climbed into the ring against Jones, he was considered by many to be the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. For Jones to whitewash a fighter of that stature represents a feather in his cap that no one on this list can really claim. The fact that Toney was not at his best does nothing to reflect poorly on Jones. His 6 defenses that followed the Toney win were not against great fighters, but Jones still barely lost a round, en route to as dominating a 168-pound run as you can hope to see.

5. James Toney (1988-present):

Losing the biggest fight in division history by a landslide doesn’t reflect terribly well, but it is his what he did directly preceding it that allows Toney to stand out against others on this list. It was his work in this weight class that allowed him to be considered by many as the best fighter in the world. Who else besides Jones can really claim that on this list? Struggling at the scales at 160, Toney jumped up a division and his form blossomed. A stoppage of tough Doug DeWitt paved the way for an absolute clinic against Iran Barkley, which netted Toney the IBF belt. Decisioned tough Tony Thornton, before stopping unbeaten and talented contender Tim Littles. His dissection of former light heavyweight champion Prince Charles Williams was a thing of both beauty and brutality.

6. Andre Ward (2004-present):

Boxing history usually requires time to ruminate, but winning the Super Six tournament seems to be enough to place him among the best to ever do it at 168. Sure Lucian Bute is still out there, but winning a tournament of that nature speaks volumes, as does the fact that he was able to prevail in dominating fashion. The Olympic Gold Medalist took a while to get his career going, but when he did, he did so with aplomb and great distinction. With the old guard getting older, he is one of the leading candidates to become the PFP #1 guy here in the next several years. Wins over Miranda-Kessler-Green-Bika-Abraham-Froch represent perhaps the most comprehensive championship run in the history of this division. A win over Bute puts him pretty close to the top. This book is still being written.

7. Steve Collins (1986-1997):

Personally, I’m finding this the toughest one in the lot to rank. I never thought he was much of a fighter, but his toughness and grit were so off-the-charts, that I’m forced to look at his greatness along different lines. It’s a bit worrisome to rank Benn and Eubank ahead of him, as Collins is remarkably 4-0 against that duo, with a pair of wins over each. The Benn who was twice stopped by Collins was a depleted force, as he would never win another fight. But when Eubank lost to Collins the first time, he was unbeaten in 43 fights. But the Eubank wins were both close and Benn had just dropped his belt to 9-loss Sugarboy Malinga. His other work at the upper-reaches of 168 is pretty thin, but going 4-0 against the #2 and #3 guy all-time in the division is impossible to ignore.

8. Carl Froch (2002-present)

A little of the stink still lingers from a disappointing performance against Andre Ward, but prior to that, he compiled a list of triumphs that few on this list can match. After putting together a decent resume over tough domestic types, he went on a roll, defeating Jean Pascal, Jermain Taylor, Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham, and Glen Johnson. The only setback during that stretch was a close one on Mikkel Kessler’s home turf. That’s a major run of success against some pretty big names and good enough for #8 on this list.

9. Mikkel Kessler (1998-present):

The Dane’s championship pedigree at this weight class stretches back over 7 years and he is poised to go for another title in 2012. Coming up a short in two big ones against Joe Calzaghe and Andre Ward keeps him from being a great, but he did well against Joe and was really the first one to incur the Ward wrath. At the end of the day, his 2 losses could be against the 2 best to ever do it at this weight. And being the first to defeat Carl Froch is pretty big, even if it was an awfully close fight in his homeland. His resume has since been surpassed by Froch, who ranks ahead of him despite the heads-up win, which really could have gone either way. Wins over Manny Siaca, Anthony Mundine, Eric Lucas, Markus Beyer, and Librado Andrade, among others, illustrate his championship worth.

10. Chong-Pal Park (1977-1988):

In a division this thin in legends, you have to make room for the division O.G. Park’s true merit as a fighter can be difficult to gauge. The South Korean fought largely in Asia--not a region of the world you associate with good 168-pound boxers. He also reigned largely during a time when only the IBF recognized the existence of this weight class. Nobody terribly worthwhile at the time considered even fighting in this invisible division. And a pair of losses to former Hagler dancing partner Fulgencio Obelmejias doesn’t really help his cause, either. But winning 12 title bouts from 1984-1988 and being a feared puncher, and some groundbreaking points is enough to notch him a spot in the top-ten.

Q: Arthur, January is not a popular fight date for most boxers because it means that you have to train through the Christmas and the New Year festivities. What was it like for you?

Credit: Tom Casino / Showtime

AA: “I trained all the time. No matter whether it was Saturday, Sunday, Christmas or New Year's Day – I did not miss a single training session. On the days when Ulli Wegner was not available, his assistant Georg Bramowski took care of me. I did not complain about the hard training. It´s part of an athlete’s life. It's not that bad to skip the sweets and the good food during Christmas time.”

Q: Are you looking forward to your ring return?

AA: “Yes, very much so. That's why it was ok for me to train so hard in the past weeks. I have not fought since May. It has really been a long break.”

Q: You have been target to a lot of criticism after your losses in the Super Six tournament. How have you dealt with it?

AA: “Well, if you lose, you get criticized. That’s fine with me and that is something you have to live with. But I am not thinking about it any more. I have put it behind me. I am focusing on the future now.”

Q: Nevertheless, have there been any lessons learned?

AA: “You cannot change the past. You just have to accept it and try to improve in the future. I would not say I boxed “poorly” or committed a lot of mistakes. I just was too passive in the fights. I have prepared well for the fight in Offenburg but that is not any different from the last bouts. However, I will try to be more active, try to punch more.”

Q: What can the fans expect from you on January 14?

AA: “They can look forward to seeing the old Arthur Abraham, the one who won the world title and made ten successful defenses!”

Q: What are your goals for 2012?

AA: “I only have one goal. I want to be world champion again.”

Fight Camp 360 Episode 12 Complete Video - Ward vs. Froch Fight Night & Aftermath

Jermain Taylor Talks his Future in Boxing

Plus, we have another special video here from Showtime, and it features some of the guys talking about the best of Showtime Sports over the year. You'll get a rundown of the best that was on Showtime for 2011, which includes boxing as well as mixed martial arts and some of their other action as well.

So have a look at and enjoy all three of these videos, and continue checking back with ProBoxing-Fans.com for more of the latest breaking boxing news coverage.

In addition, Ward, who took home the ProBoxing-Fans.com 2011 Fighter of the Year honors, and was also recently named ESPN and Sports Illustrated's Fighter of the Year, met with members of the media to discuss his victory, what can be expected in 2012, and the recent news he entered the Froch bout with a double fracture on his left hand.

We have a few different videos with Ward talking about the Super Six and his win over Froch, as well as responding to several different questions or topics. You can watch them all right here:

Ward Press Conference Video

This is the main press conference video clip with Ward as he addresses the media back on the West coast.

Ward on the Hand Injury

Ward talks about the hand injury, how it happened and how he was able to fight with it, and fight so well with it, defeating Carl Froch in the Super Six Tournament finale.

Ward on his Accolades and Upcoming Family Celebrations

In these two videos, Ward talks about his rising pound for pound status and other credentials he has been receiving, and in the second, talks about his plans for some time off and family celebration. Of course, Ward is now in the top 5 of the ProBoxing-Fans.com pound for pound list.

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.

Right there with him, is Ward's crafty veteran trainer and godfather of 18 years, Virgil Hunter, who like Ward is soft spoken, but filled with wisdom.  Hunter recognized the talent and drive in Andre from the moment he walked into his gym.  Virgil began training the 9-year old Ward and guided him to a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics.

Andre always believed that Virgil was the man who was going to elevate his game to the highest of levels and we've all been witnesses to just that. This past Saturday, December 17, as Ward was presented with three championship belts and the Super Six Cup, those beliefs were confirmed more-so.

Ward decimated the gritty British fighter with a unanimous decision at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

Already named Sports Illustrated's Fighter of the Year, Oakland, California's Ward had one word for his impressive evening and undefeated run through the two-plus year tournament: "Supernatural."

"These are all great fighters. That's why you don't hear me talking badly about them before the fight. I know what I'm getting into. I just want to be a little bit better on the night of the fight."

Earlier this year in May, Ward put on another destructive performance against former middleweight titleist and one of the hard-hitting favorites to win the tournament in Arthur Abraham.  Ward scored a near perfect shutout against the former champion in a lopsided victory that would send him to the final.

Hunter's work alongside Ward has earned him to be named "Trainer of the Year" with Andre's one-sided run and the culmination of his last two bouts in a tournament filled with high-profile, top-level competition, all directed by his trainer.  The man currently stands above everyone else since Andre's upset of Mikkel Kessler and has had Andre prepared to finish his opponents with sheer dominance on his way to obtaining the WBA, WBC, Ring championship belts, along with the Super Six World Boxing Classic title.  These are tremendous accomplishments by both fighter and trainer, especially when you throw in the fact that Hunter started with Ward when he was a nine year-old and has built him into an elite world-class fighter from scratch, taking him from US Olympic Gold to a decorated world champion as a professional.

Roger Mayweather deserves credit for Floyd Mayweather, but Floyd fought only once in 2011.  Freddie Roach, the winner the past two years, has recently struggled with Manny Paquiao against Juan Manuel Marquez in his last bout and most recently Amir Khan.

There are other trainers that could deserve this recognition also, but for utter dominance of their fighters, Virgil Hunter stands alone in 2011.

Hunter, also trains Brandon Gonzales, Karim Mayfield, Michael Dallas, Marlow Moore and Heather Hartman.

It's that time of the year again. No, not time for the holidays, time for the year end boxing awards! The team at ProBoxing-Fans.com has been putting together our candidates and picks for all of the major 2011 boxing awards, including 2011 Fighter of the Year, Fight of the Year, Round of the Year and more.

We have dozens of different awards to hand out for the year that was in boxing, from the top prospect to the biggest upset, from the biggest robbery to the best champion, from the top trainer to the breakout performance and on down the line from there. Check 'em out.

Credit: Tom Casino / Showtime

Update: 12/24/11 - Alright, we've finished compiling and posting all of our awards with well over a dozen altogether. Take a look below for the complete listings:

Year End 2011 Boxing Awards

• 2011 Fighter of the Year
• 2011 Fight of the Year
• 2011 Round of the Year
• 2011 Knockout of the Year
• 2011 Boxing Upset of the Year
• 2011 Boxing Robbery of the Year
• 2011 Boxing Prospect of the Year
• 2011 Breakout Performance
• 2011 Boxing Champion of the Year
• 2011 Boxing Trainer of the Year
• 2011 Boxing Comeback of the Year
• 2011 Boxing Disappointment of the Year
• 2011 Least Respected Boxer
• 2011 Most Avoided Boxer

It has certainly been a busy year in the sport. It was a year filled with controversy and disappointment, but also great fights on the biggest stages, and lots of action from some of the top names in the world from the little guys up through the heavyweights.

We saw the conclusion of the Super Six Tournament, the rubber match in the trilogy between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, the return of Floyd Mayweather, Bernard Hopkins becoming the oldest champion in the history of the sport, Wladimir Klitschko vs. David Haye, the rising brilliance of guys like Sergio Martinez and Nonito Donaire, extremely tough and competitive divisions like junior welterweight and junior middleweight, the bantamweight tournament, big upsets, emerging prospects and oh so much more.

We've done our best to represent all of this and take all of this year's action into account while formulating our awards. From top to bottom, whether for the good or the bad reasons, this was a year to remember in boxing.

So take a look around at the ProBoxing-Fans.com 2011 year end boxing awards, and feel free to chime in with your own thoughts and comments on which fighters or fights should have gotten the nod!