| |
2013
WORLD BOXING FEDERATION AWARDS |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Fighter Of The Year |
|
|
 |
Danie Venter (South
Africa)
WBF World
Cruiserweight
Champion
Previous Winners:
2012: Marco Antonio
Rubio (Mexico)
2011: Michael Grant
(USA)
2010: Evander
Holyfield (USA)
2009: William Gare
(South Africa) |
|
| |
 |
| |
|
-
Having been stopped
in his final 2012
outing by world
class Thabiso Mchunu,
Danie Venter began
2013 with two low
key wins over Nsitu
Mbaya (TKO 1) and
future WBF All
Africa Heavyweight
Champion Elvis Moyo
(W 6) and it
certainly did not
look like he would
become the WBF’s
‘Fighter of the
Year’. But it took
him less than a
round last September
to achieve just that
when the man from
Pretoria climbed
into the ring
against Shawn Cox
from Barbados. Aside
from a decision loss
in Italy some four
years ago, Cox had
only lost against
the outstanding
Denis Lebedev, not
before rocking the
Russian down to his
boots. So no expert
expected the fast
and sudden ending
that Venter achieved
by blowing away Cox
in the very first
round to annex the
vacant WBF World
Cruiserweight crown.
A stunning result
indeed. Thus, Venter
went from a loser to
3-0 in 2013 plus a
world title to boot
in most impressive
fashion – impressive
enough to merit the
‘Fighter of the
Year’ award.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Female Fighter Of
The Year |
|
|
 |
Christina Hammer
(Germany)
Womens World
Middleweight
Champion
Previous Winners:
2012: Holly Holm
(USA)
2011: Christina
Hammer (Germany)
2010: Ramona Kühne
(Germany)
2009: Natascha
Ragosina (Russia) |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
-
Despite an abundance
of contenders for
the ‘Female Fighter
of the Year’ award,
who produced many
outstanding
performances in
2013, there can be
little doubt that
German beauty
Christina Hammer
repeated her feat
from 2011 to again
snatch the price
with a banner year.
The long-reigning
WBF Womens World
Middleweight
Champion began her
2013 campaign by
dethroning
previously
undefeated WBF
Womens World
Supermiddleweight
Champion Zita Zatyko
to become a
two-weight world
champ. A daunting
task for many to
tackle a reigning
champ who never lost
before, but
Christina made it
look easy and did
not even conceed a
single round. Then
it was back down to
middleweight for two
successful defence
against Swedens
Mikaela Lauren (W
10) and Mexico’s
Carmen Garcia, who
was smashed in less
than a round.
Overall, Christina’s
2013 opponents had a
record of 44-4-1 and
the 23-year-old at
worst lost two
rounds on one
official’s card
against those three
opponents. We are
talking a legend in
the making! |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fight Of The Year |
|
|
 |
Laszlo Toth vs.
Giorgi Ungiadze
International
Welterweight
Championship
(December 7, Vienna,
Austria)
Previous Winners:
2012: Juan José
Montes vs Oscar
Ibarra I
2011: Ali Funeka vs
Zolani Marali I
2010: Evander
Holyfield vs
Francois Botha
2009: Kreshnik Qato
vs Fabio Liggieri |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
-
Previously, only
world championships
were awarded ‘Fight
of the Year’
honours, so for
nothing more than an
International title
bout to make it
means it must have
been outstanding.
Well, it was
memorable. Hungary’s
Toth was the
undefeated but
untested, although
highly touted,
youngster while
Georgia’s Ungiadze
had faced ‘em all in
39 career fights
with 16 losses. Mind
you, the battle
hardened man from
Tbilisi came to
Vienna meaning
business. At the
first bell he came
out hell-bent on
destruction,
inflicting a
terrible cut over
Toth’s left eye and
floored his opponent
heavily. Ungiadze
let his fist fly
like there’s no
tomorrow and Toth
needed all the balls
he could gather to
make it out of the
opening stanza. But
the Hungarian passed
the test of
character, and for
the next nine rounds
both boxers
exchanged leather in
a most frantic way.
The judges gave it,
deservedly, to Toth
by the narrowest of
margins: 95:94,
96:95 and 97:94. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Female Fight Of The
Year |
|
|
 |
Raja Amasheh vs. Eva
Voraberger
World
Super Flyweight
Championship
(Sep.
7, Saarbruecken,
Ger.)
Previous Winners:
2012: Holly Holm vs.
Anne Sophie Mathis
II
2011: Christina
Hammer vs Maria
Lindberg
2010: Myriam Lamare
vs Lucia Morelli
2009: Myriam Lamare vs Ann
Marie Saccurato |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
-
It’s a common phrase
used for fights
which were in one
way or another very
good to say it was a
credit to boxing.
And it fits
perfectly for the
WBF’s ‘Female Fight
of the Year’ for
2013. Again, there
was no shortage of
candidates for this
honor in a year
which was the best
ever for womens
boxing in the WBF,
but Raja Amasheh’s
10-rounder with Eva
Voraberger for the
vacant WBF Womens
World Superflyweight
title, contested on
last year’s WBF
World Convention in
Saarbruecken,
Germany, stood out,
because not only was
it a real
advertisement for
womens boxing, but
also because it
lived up to what was
expected from the
two warrior’s
records. Germany’s
Amasheh – who got
the unanimous nod
when all was said
and done – went in
undefeated at 15-0-1
(4) while Austria’s
Voraberger was 16-2
(8) and both rode a
15-fight winning
streak. So both on
paper as well as in
the ring, it could
hardly get better. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Newcomer Of The Year |
|
|
 |
Timy Shala (Austria)
Intercontinental
Light Heavyweight
Champion
Previous Winners:
2012: Timur Akhundov
(Ukraine)
2011: Nadjib
Mohammedi (France)
2010: Yvan Mendy
(France)
2009: Goran Delic
(Bosnia &
Hercegovina) |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
-
The last two winners
of the WBF’s
‘Newcomer of the
Year’ award
proceeded to
progress from their
respective
Intercontinental
titles to win WBF
world titles – and
the 2013 ‘Newcomer
of the Year’ looked
poised in the past
year to follow suit.
Timy Shala of
Austria via Kosovo
went 3-0 in 2013,
winning the WBF
Intercontinental
lightheavyweight
title against tough
Tomas Adamek in May.
He followed that
with a marking-time
stoppage of Vasile
Dragomir before
scoring a convincing
KO of Mounir Toumi –
who in his previous
fight had upset
highly rated
Frenchman Tony
Averlant for the
WBF’s International
title! That fight
underlined how much
Shala has progressed
in 2013, because he
came through a tough
tussle with flying
colours. The
28-year-old Shala is
now 18-0 (8) and
definately primed
for big things in
2014. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Female Newcomer Of
The Year |
|
|
 |
Natalia Smirnova (Russia)
Intercontinental
Lightweight
Champion
Previous Winners:
2012: Raja Amasheh
(Germany)
2011: Zita Zatyko
(Hungary)
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
-
Granted, at the age
of 37, it may raise
an eyebrow or two to
talk about a fighter
being a ‘Newcomer of
the Year’ – but then
again, weren’t we
all taught not to
talk about a woman’s
age? In any case,
Russia’s Natalia
Smirnova won the
award thanks to her
amassing a perfect
7-0 (4) record in
her first year as a
professional with
the icing on the
cake being winning
the WBF Womens
Intercontinental
Lightweight title to
close out a
fantastic 2013.
Maybe Natalia left
it late to turn to
the paid ranks, but
don’t dare to bet
against her winning
a world title in
2014. She just might
have you raising
your eyebrows again… |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Promoter Of The Year |
|
|
 |
Oliver Heib &
Bernhard Notar
(Ger.)
Previous Winners:
2012: Oswaldo Kuchle
& Hector Garcia
(Mexico)
2011: Damian Michael
(South Africa)
2010: Ylli Ndroqi
(Albania)
2009: Ulf Steinforth
(Germany)
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
-
Two shows, seven (!)
World Boxing
Federation
championship fights,
plus invaluable
assistance in
staging the II. WBF
World Convention
last year and more
lined up to follow
in this year. If
that aren’t the
credentials of a
worthy Promoter of
the Year award
winner, then what is
it? Simply put, DOG
Eventboxing, the
company of partners
Oliver Heib and
Bernard Notar, has
developed into one
of the most
important supporters
of the WBF during
2013 and thus made
the choice rather
easy in this
category. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Presidents Special
Service Award |
|
|
 |
Jennifer Salinas
(Bolivia)
Previous Winners:
2012:
Oliver Heib &
Bernhard Notar
(Germany)
2011: Dr. Humbert
Furgoni (France)
2010: John Sheppard
(England)
2009: Anila Qato
(Albania
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
-
Jennifer Salinas
made a whole country
proud when she won
the WBF Womens World
Super Bantamweight
title last year and
was subsequently
invited to an
audience with
Bolivia’s president
of state, at which
she proudly
displayed her blue
WBF belt. But that’s
not the reason the
31-year-old
‘Bolivian Queen’ was
given the WBF
Presidents Special
Service award. In
fact, for a change
the reason is not
anything she did for
the WBF, but
something she did
and still does for
humanity. Salinas
has visited
orphanages,
children's cancer
and leukemia centers,
as well as very poor
communities both in
Bolivia and the USA,
bringing them hope
and words of
encoragement. She
made donations of
clothes and food as
well as boxing
equipment for local
gyms in Bolivia and
has done this for
several years.
What’s even better,
you probably read it
here for the first
time on a
larger-scale medium,
because Jennifer
prefers to keep
these activities out
of the public
because her
motivation is her
desire to help,
nothing else. The
WBF is proud for
such a decent lady
to wear our belt and
hopefully it gives
her even more of a
platform. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trainer Of The Year |
|
|
 |
Juan Carlos
Contreras (Mexico)
Previous Winners:
2012:
Alan Toweel (South
Africa)
2011: Dirk Dzemski
(Germany)
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
-
44-year old
Contreras has made
it a speciality of
his in 2013 to be a
success guarantee
for female fighters
and thus at the same
time became the
logical choice for
the WBF’s ‘Trainer
of the Year’ award.
Under his guidance,
Ana Arrazola finally
became a world
champion, winning
and successfully
defending the WBF
Womens World
Lightflyweight crown
last year.
Arrazola’s Mexican
countrywoman Yesenia
Martinez Castrejon
had Contreras
training her when
she came within a
whisker of
dethroning WBF
Womens World
Strawweight Champion
Anne Sophie Da
Costa, losing a
disputed majority
decision in France.
Also, Susana Cruz
Perez, who
unsuccessfully
challenged for the
WBF Womens World
Flyweight title in
2011, finally came
good in 2013 with
two important wins.
In her corner: Juan
Carlos Contreras,
‘Trainer of the
Year’ and sure to
become a major force
as a trainer in
female boxing. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Referee Of The Year |
|
|
 |
Edward Marshall
(South Africa)
Previous Winners:
2012:
Tonio Tiberi
(Luxembourg)
2011: Juan José
Ramirez (Mexico)
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
-
When Nelson Mandela
was still a prisoner
of Apartheid, Edward
(“Eddie”) Marshall
already was regarded
as a very good
referee. Over the
years, the Cape
Towner developed
into an outstanding
referee and today,
at age 59, is
arguably at the
height of his
career. Little
surprise than that
the man who was at
his time one of
South Africa’s best
amateurs, but never
turned pro himself,
is used often by the
World Boxing
Federation. In 2013,
he refereed an
impressive nine WBF
championships in
different countries
– and each and every
time did the job in
such a way that
there were no
arguments about
Marshall certainly
being the WBF’s
Referee of the Year’
for 2013. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
