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2011
WORLD BOXING FEDERATION AWARDS |
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Fighter Of The Year |
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Michael Grant
(USA)
WBF World Heavyweight
Champion
Previous Winners:
2010: Evander
Holyfield (USA)
2009: William Gare
(South Africa)
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Sometimes, just one
fight is enough to
win you a ‘Fighter
of the Year’ award.
Sometimes, all it
takes is one punch.
American Michael
Grant, who had
started 2011 with a
3rd round
knockout win over
45-2 Tye Fields,
delivered that punch
in his vacant WBF
World Heavyweight
title fight with
former champion
Francois Botha last
November 19 in
Johannesburg, South
Africa. And he
delivered it not one
moment too early,
because when his
huge right hand
connected with
Botha’s unprotected
chin, he was behind
by three, five and
seven points
respectively, just
37 seconds away from
a 12-round points
loss. Talk about
snatching an award
from the jaws of a
defeat...
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Female Fighter Of
The Year |
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Christina Hammer (Germany)
WBF World
Middleweight
Champion
Previous Winners:
2010: Ramona Kühne (Germany)
2009: Natascha Ragosina (Russia)
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Winning the WBF
Womens World
Middleweight title
(TKO 7 over Diana
Kiss in February),
defending it in a
female superfight
against the boxrec #
1 superwelterweight
(W 10 over Maria
Lindberg in May),
plus shutting out an
American challenger
‘for the road’ (W 10
over Vashon Living
in October) – enough
said. If that would
not have won German
21-year-old beauty
Christina Hammer
the ‘Female Fighter
of the Year’ award,
she might have been
persuaded to take on
King Kong next.
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Fight Of The Year |
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Ali Funeka vs.
Zolani Marali
WBF World Light
Welterweight
Championship
(Nov. 19 2011,
Johannesburg, S.A.)
Previous Winners:
2010: Evander
Holyfield vs.
Francois Botha
2009: Kreshnik Qato
vs. Fabio Liggieri
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This one certainly
stole the show on
the huge ‘Urban War’
card, which featured
four more WBF world
title bouts. Both
‘Rush Hour’ Funeka,
who suffered a
knockdown in round
eleven, and
‘Untouchable’ Marali
delivered a fight to
be remembered. It
was so close that
ringsiders agreed it
could have gone
either way. The
three judges seemed
to agree with that,
and as a result came
up with a split
decision: Two
favoured Funeka by
116:112 and 115:111,
while the third
official had it
115:112 for Marali.
For the winner, it
was four time lucky,
as Funeka came up
short by the
narrowest of margins
in three previous (IBF/WBO)
world title tries: A
split and a majority
loss, plus a draw.
So while this was a
‘toss-‘em’ fight,
nobody begrudged
Funeka the WBF World
Light welterweight
title he won.
Rematch anyone?
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Female Fight Of The
Year |
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Christina Hammer vs.
Maria Lindberg
WBF World
Middleweight
Championship
(May
27 2011, Usti nad
Labem, Czechia)
Previous Winners:
2010: Myriam Lamare
vs. Lucia Morelli
2009: Myriam Lamare
vs. Ann Marie
Saccurato
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What a fight! The
boxrec # 1
middleweight
(Hammer) vs the
boxrec # 1
superwelterweight
(Lindberg)! Both
undefeated in a
combined 16 pro
bouts! Both holding
two titles each in
their respective
divisions (Hammer
the WBF and WBO
versions, Lindberg
the lesser WIBF and
WIBA belts). What
more could any fan
ask? Oh, yes, a good
fight, of course.
And that is exactly
what it was! Both
fought their hearts
out and after 10
heated rounds,
Christina had the
last laugh with
scores of 97:93
(twice) and 98:92.
Obviously, this
‘Female Fight of the
Year’ also played a
huge role in Hammer
collecting our
‘Female Fighter of
the Year’ award as
well as her coach
Dirk Dzemski
snatching ‘Trainer
of the Year’
honours.
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Newcomer Of The Year |
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Nadjib Mohammedi (France)
Intercontinental
Light Heavyweight
Champion
Previous Winners:
2010: Yvan Mendy
(France)
2009: Goran Delic (Bosnia
& Herzegovina)
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Anyone who gives
Nathan Cleverly a
hard tussle on two
days notice, is
worth keeping an eye
on. Thus, by
subsequently opening
2011 with a dominant
performance over
George Tevdorashvili
to clinch the WBF
Intercontinental
title, Frenchman
Mohammedi underlined
his potential.
Although getting
stopped under
dubious
circumstances in
Russia by Dmitry
Sukhotsky in
October, Nadjib came
back well with a
decision over
veteran Ayittey
Powers just a month
later – and
certainly proved to
be the leading
newcomer on the WBF
stage for bigger
things.
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Female Newcomer Of
The Year |
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Zita Zatyko (Hungary)
World
Super Middleweight
Champion
No Previous Winners.
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You are maybe not
exactly a ‘Female
Newcomer of the
Year’ when you are
already over 30
years of age, but
given the lack of
female fighters in
the higher weight
divisions, winning
the WBF Womens World
Super Middleweight
title last November
gave Zatyko her
first real attention
on the world stage.
At 14-0-1 (10 KO’s),
she is undefeated as
a pro boxer, resides
at # 1 boxrec and
thanks to her WBF
crown declared
herself as ready as
anything for anybody
who dares.
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Promoter Of The Year |
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Damien Michael (South
Africa)
Previous Winners:
2010: Ylli Ndroqi (Albania)
2009: Ulf Steinforth
(Germany)
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Really, the
‘Promoter of the
Year’ award was a
no-brainer in 2011,
although ‘new kid on
the South African
block’ Damien
Michael just put
on one show last
year. But that bill,
on November 19 at
Johannesburg’s Monte
Casino and named
‘Urban War’, gave a
new definition to
the word
blockbuster. It
featured no less
than five (!) WBF
world title bouts,
plus one WBF
All-Africa
championship. It
produced the
‘Fighter of the
Year’ (Michael
Grant) as well as
the ‘Fight of the
Year’ (Funeka vs
Marali) and was
headlined by the
vacant WBF World
Heavyweight title
between Grant and
Botha. What else can
one ask for? Keep
‘em coming, Michael!
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Presidents Special
Service Award |
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Dr. Humbert Furgoni (France)
Previous Winners:
2010: John Sheppard
(England)
2009: Anila Qato (Albania)
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Dr. Furgoni,
a medical practioner
from the city of
Rosselange,
currently serves as
the President of the
Fédération Francaise
de Boxe (FFB) – and
his support in
developing France
for the WBF is
greatly appreciated.
In 2011, France was
the busiest WBF
country worldwide
with nine
championship bouts
hosted. A former
professional judge
and referee, Dr.
Furgoni is also very
keen to support the
amateur code, and in
that regard is also
President of the
European Boxing
Confederation (EUBC). |
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Trainer Of The Year |
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Dirk Dzemski (Germany)
No Previous Winners.
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The young German
trainer (40 years)
and ex-fighter has
in just a few years
established himself
as one of the best
of the younger
generation. In 2011,
Dzemski left his
mark also in the WBF,
training ‘Female
Fighter of the Year’
Christina Hammer for
her win over Maria
Lindberg in the
‘Female Fight of the
Year’, plus her
subsequent WBF
Womens World
Middleweight title
defence against
Vashon Living. Throw
in Denis Simcic’
successful second
defence of his WBF
International Light
Heavyweight crown in
a classic boxing
demonstration
against tough Sandro
Siproshvili and
Dzemski is a truly
deserving recipient
of our inaugural
‘Trainer of the
Year’ award.
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Referee Of The Year |
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Juan Jose Ramirez (Mexico)
No Previous Winners.
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Yes, there have been
guys who refereed
more WBF fights last
year or been the
third man in
higher-profile WBF
championships in
2011 – but if
quality goes over
quantity, then the
50-year-old Ramirez
is an excellent
choice to receive
our first-ever
‘Referee of the
Year’ award. The man
from Tijuana is
praised with
regularity by the
hard-to-impress
Mexican fight beat
and has done an
outstanding job in
the vacant WBF World
Super Featherweight
championship last
August in Manzanillo,
Mexico, which ended
in a draw after 12
pulsating rounds
between the late
Rafael Guzman and
Rafael Hernandez. A
referee since 1998,
this award does not
come one minute too
early for Ramirez.
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