2020 Houston Boxing Awards

 By Peter Lim

Photos courtesy of Hosanna Rull

Covid-19 dropped boxing to its knees with a sucker punch in 2020 forcing the sport to take a prolonged respite in a neutral corner for much of the year. Down but not out, the sweet science came storming back with a vengeance by mid-year. What the pandemic depleted in quantity of bouts was adequately compensated for by the quality of fights that did take place. All prominent Houston area boxers fought at least once in 2020 and, as the following awards will reveal, most acquitted themselves well on the world stage.

For the first time in six years, the race for Fighter of the Year deadlocked in a tie. Guess what? The co-winners also happen to share identical DNA and those genes proved dominant enough to procure the Fight of the Year, Knockout of the Year and Round of the Year awards.

Prospect of the Year is always a highly competitive category in a boxing Mecca like Houston and this year was no different. Comeback of the Year and Upset of the Year were weak categories this year simply because there were so few fights from which to select. Trainer of the Year was a no-brainer.

And the awards go to:

Fighter of the Year

Tie: Jermall Charlo and Jermell Charlo

Both twins, 30, turned out impressive performances on the same night but trying to determine which was better was like comparing apples to oranges since each was noteworthy for different merits. At 160, Jermall (31-0, 21 KOs) passed his sternest test to date with a clear but hard-fought victory over a talented and tough-as-nails Sergiy Derevyanchenko. Jermell (34-1, 18 KOs) unified three of the four major 154-pound titles by stunningly knocking out Jeison Rosario with, of all things considering the weapons in his arsenal, a jab to the body.

Besides reaching the finish line in unison for the 2020 top award, the twins are also just about neck and neck in terms of overall achievement at this juncture of their careers. But two things stand out that are too irresistible to not compare and contrast - their jabs and their highlight reel knockouts. Again, it's like apples and oranges.

Left Jab: When a fighter scores knockdowns against not one but three different opponents in world title fights with his jab, that's no fluke; it's one serious weapon. That's exactly what Jermall did against Cornelius Bundrage, Wilky Campfort and Julian Williams.  When a fighter not just knocks down but knocks OUT a double world titleholder with a double jab - first to the head then to the body - it's not just a serious weapon, it's seriously insane. But that's exactly what Jermell did to Rosario.

Highlight Reel KOs: Jermall's seemingly impossible and unprecedented 2016 catch-and-counter maneuver - blocking an incoming shot with the right glove and countering with the right uppercut - that sent Julian Williams crashing face first was simply a stroke of genius. By contrast, Jermell's upstairs-downstairs jab that deflated Rosario alongside the hybrid right hook/uppercut that froze Erikson Lubin in 2017 were simply freak-of-nature knockouts. Does that make him the evil twin genius? 

2019 Winner: Jermell Charlo

Fight of the Year

Jermall Charlo W12 Sergiy Deveryanchenko

The scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112 were fair but they failed to reflect the competitiveness of the scintillating battle at the highest of skill sets. The taller, rangier Jermall controlled the action from range but not by much, as Deveryanchenko was able to catch Jermall with hard jabs and counter punches. When Deveryanchenko managed to close the distance he got the better of the exchanges, but also not by much, as Charlo showed proficient and ferocious infighting ability. Both fighters were visibly rocked but displayed the aplomb and punch resistance to shake it off and storm back.

At the end of the day, it was Jermall's superior combination punching that tilted the balance. Jermell unleashed three or four shots at a time while Deveryanchenko was limited to one or two. And by mixing long and short punches in rapid-fire sequence, he dictated the price of real estate and kept the cagey Russian guessing all night. 

It was a bold statement-making victory for Jermall. The 12 grueling rounds with Deveryanchenko was a precious mettle detector - gut check, chin check and IQ test rolled into one -  and Jermall registered gold and platinum on all counts. But most importantly, Jermall had convincingly defeated a fighter that both Gennady Golovkin and Danny Jacobs barely squeaked by.   

2019 Winner: Josh Taylor MD12 Regis Prograis

Knockout of the Year

Jermell Charlo KO8 Jeison Rosario

Jab to the body, jab to the head is one the most basic combinations taught to all beginners. it is typically used in the amateurs to score points and in the pros to set up the straight right. Rarely is the reverse sequence - jab to the head, jab to the body - ever utilized in either the amateurs or pros. And almost never does it result in a clean knockout. But that's how Jermell retained his one alphabet belt while seizing two from Rosario.

Jermell scored knockdowns in rounds one and six, both with left hooks to the head. Rosario rose from the first without trouble and on shaky legs from the second, but still comfortably beating the count. Early in the eighth round, Charlo pumped a double jab, first to the face then to the body, the latter of which was partially deflected by Rosario's elbow. Rosario hit the deck like he was struck by a cannonball, writhing in agony and gasping for air for the full ten count and then some. 

The knockout was not only devastating and conclusive but atypical and bizarre.

2019 Winner: O'Shaquie Foster KO8 Jesus Bravo

Prospect of the Year

Efetobor Apochi (10-0, 10 KOs), cruiserweight

When Apochi moved to Houston from Nigeria to train under Ronnie Shields in 2017, he knew he needed to hit the ground running. He began boxing at 19 and turned pro at the ripe old age of 29. With no time to lose, he embarked on a frenetic fight schedule averaging a fight every three months from 2017-2019, stopping every opponent along the way. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic presented a massive speed bump in his race up the ranks curtailing him to just one fight in 2020. But it was televised on Fox Sports and Apochi made the most of it; he dropped Joe Jones (11-3, 8 KOs) three times en route to a third-round TKO, raising his record to a perfect 10-0 (10 KOs).

At 5-foot-11, Apochi is a tad on the short side for a cruiserweight by today's standards. But guess what? His role model just happens to be Mike Tyson who, at that same height, not only dominated but almost decapitated many a taller and longer man. Not only does Apochi's body type resemble Iron Mike's, his peekaboo, bob-and-weave style is eerily reminiscent of the man he grew up idolizing. As his record suggests, Apochi packs numbing power in both fists but he can also box effectively if he so chooses.

Tyson was the youngest boxer to capture a heavyweight title and he dominated the division with crushing brutality. Apochi aspires to follow in his footsteps in the cruisers, but from the opposite end of the age spectrum. 

2019 Winner: O'Shaquie Foster

Round of the Year

Jermell Charlo vs. Jeison Rosario, round 6

Jermell scored a flash knockdown in the opening round and was clearly the more educated fighter of the two. But what Rosario lacked in finesse, he made up for in aggression and moxie. He applied suffocating pressure, punching with wicked intentions from both sides upstairs and down from rounds two to six. But just before the bell ending round six, Jermell countered a Rosario charge with a perfectly timed check hook to the chin that turned his legs into spaghetti as he crumpled to the canvass. 

The punch seemed to snap Rosario's will power and sap him of his punching power as he visibly faded in the seventh round. Jermell dramatically ended the fight with the double jab for Knockout of the Year in the eighth round. But that likely wouldn't have happened without the momentum-changing sixth round, 

2019 Winner: Efe Ajagba vs. Iago Kiladze, round 3

Comeback of the Year

Regis Prograis

Returning to action after his loss last year to Josh Taylor (2019 Fight of the Year), Prograis (25-1, 21 KOs) scored a third round TKO over previously undefeated Juan Heraldez (16-1-1, 10 KOs) at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Prograis would've liked to have fought a bigger name for his comeback but after negotiations fell through with Maurice Hooker (twice) and Pablo Cesar Cano, he had to settle for the unheralded Heraldez. Nevertheless, it was a resounding win in front of a global audience on the Davis-Santa Cruz undercard.

2019 Winner: Miguel Flores

Upset of the Year

Eddy Valencia W8 Pablo Cruz

Valencia (16-5-6, 5 KOs) outpointed Cruz (20-3, 6 KOs) in an entertaining give-and-take shootout in Mexico on Dec. 9. Cruz entered the ring riding a six-fight winning streak while Valencia had lost three of his last five fights. Cruz started strongly but Valencia, a southpaw, gradually figured him out and timed him with the cleaner, sharper punches for most of the rounds.

Cruz, a right hander, had outpointed Diuhl Olguin, also a right hander, 11 days prior to fighting Valencia, leaving himself little to no time to make adjustments for a lefty. In addition, Cruz actually turned himself left-handed in the gym to spar with stablemate Miguel Flores who was preparing to take on southpaw Eduardo Ramirez on the Dec. 5 Spence-Garcia undercard. To say that Cruz might have spread himself too thin in the weeks leading to the upset is probably an understatement. But then again, we're talking about an Energizer Bunny who recently fought on a Saturday night in San Antonio and then ran a full marathon the following Sunday morning in Houston.  

2019 Winner: Xu Can W12 Jesus Rojas

Trainer of the Year 

Ronnie Shields 

Shields was the only Houston-area trainer to have been in the corner of the winner of a world title fight in 2020. He had a major supporting role in the Fighter of the Year, Fight of the Year and Prospect of the Year awards. Add Erislandy Lara, who was 1-0 in 2020, into the mix and Shields wins the award by a virtual shutout.  

2019 Winner: (Tie) Ronnie Shields and co-trainers Bobby Benton and Aaron Navarro

2019 Houston Boxing Awards

By Peter Lim


Photos courtesy of Hossana Rull


Houston area boxers went 4-2 in world title fights in 2019. The fourth largest city in the country began the year without a world titleholder but ended with two, both of whom share identical DNA. One regained the world title he controversially lost last year with a sensational late-round KO in the rematch and the other was awarded an alphabet belt without a fight, the result nonsensical, off-the-cuff policy changes by the sanctioning body.

2019 also saw last year’s Fighter of the Year win a world title but lose it later in the year in a title unification bout that was named Fight of the Year. Comeback of the Year was atypically awarded to a fighter on the strength of his performance in loss in a world title fight. And for the second year running, Trainer of the Year went to the same co-winners in a tie.

And the awards go to:

Fighter of the Year: Jermell Charlo

Jermell Charlo went 2-0 (2 KOs) in 2019 edging out his twin brother for the top award on the strength of his electrifying 11th-round knockout of Tony Harrison to reclaim his 154-pound alphabet belt in the highly-anticipated rematch. Harrison had wrested the title from Charlo via controversial unanimous decision in last year’s Upset of the Year. The momentousness of the grudge match was further heightened by the urgency with which Charlo scored the knockout.

Except for a flash knockdown Charlo (33-1, 17 KOs) scored in the second round, the fight played out like a continuation of the first fight. Charlo loaded up with haymaker rights and wide left hooks while Harrison (28-3, 21 KOs) boxed behind a high guard and periodically caught Charlo coming in with stiff one-twos.

In the eighth round, Charlo began working his jab overtime which gradually chipped away at Harrison’s defense and created openings. Harrison defiantly showboated each time he got nailed by a power punch, a telltale sign he was buzzed.

In the eleventh round, with the fight dead even, Charlo buckled Harrison’s knees with a left hook and followed up with a right hand-left hook that dropped Harrison. Harrison beat the count only to be bombarded by a double-fisted barrage that dropped him against the ropes. Harrison struggled to his feet but the writing was on the wall. Charlo quickly pinned him against the roped and unloaded with both hands prompting the referee to intervene and call a halt.

Earlier in the year, Charlo blasted out Jorge Cota in three rounds. Cota was a last minute replacement for Harrison who pulled out due to an ankle injury. That fight was inconsequential save for the fact that it was a strong contender for Knockout of the Year.

2018 Winner: Regis Prograis

Fight of the Year: Josh Taylor MD12 Regis Prograis

It’s seldom that a superfight exceeds its hype but Taylor-Prograis sure did. Not only did the fight win the Houston Fight of the Year award, it made the shortlist for most worldwide FOTY lists.

It couldn’t get more high stakes than this. Both Taylor and Prograis had won 140-pound alphabet titles in the semifinals of the WBSS tournament and the RIng Magazine title was on the line in addition of their respective belts. For the winner loomed a lucrative super showdown loomed against Jose Ramirez, holder of the remaining two belts, for the undisputed championship.

The two southpaws dispensed with any feeling out process and let their fists fly with wicked intentions from opening to final bell at the 02 Arena in London. But it was more than a Gatti-Ward-like slugfest. Both fighters showed their versatility and IQ, deploying jabs, combinations, counter punches and slick defensive skills.

For 12 action-packed rounds both fighters ripped murderous punches at each other upstairs and down, shots that had dropped or stopped their respective previous opponents. That there were no knockdowns was a testament to each fighter’s tank-like punch resistance. Prograis had a slight edge early on while Taylor found his groove in the middle rounds. The already-torrid pace was taken up a notch in the championship rounds, each fighter trying to pull ahead at the finish line.

Ironically, it was defense that ultimately tipped the balance in such a heated battle. Prograis held his gloves low while Taylor made himself a difficult target with a high guard. Prograis often made Taylor miss with zippy head movement but rarely made him pay. Taylor caught many incoming blows on his arms and gloves and returned fire with counters. Most significantly, he often killed Prograis’ offensive momentum with should blocks.

The scores were tallied at 117-113, 116-112 and 114-114 for Taylor. But it was one of those spectacular fights in which it was difficult to declare a loser.

2018 Winner: Jared Hurd SD12 Erislandy Lara

Knockout of the Year: O’Shaquie Foster KO8 Jesus Bravo 

It couldn’t have been a more picturesque and decisive one-punch knockout. And the pull-counter maneuver Foster used to deliver the shot couldn’t have been more textbook or surgical.

A switch-hitter, Foster (17-2, 10 KOs) alternated between right-handed and southpaw to tactically circle and stab Bravo (19-2, 17 KOs) with left and right jabs. In the seventh round, Foster began engaging Bravo on the inside, emboldening Bravo to come forward and let his fists fly.

But it was a trap; as Bravo became more aggressive, he was opening himself up to counter punches. Late in the eighth round, Foster baited Bravo into throwing a one-two, took half a step back and fired a perfectly-timed straight right. Like a sniper’s bullet, it caught Bravo smack on the point of his chin separating him from his senses before he hit the canvass. Bravo had never previously been stopped.

2018 Winner: Jermall Charlo KO2 Hugo Centeno

Prospect of the Year: O’Shaquie Foster

In 2019 junior lightweight Foster went 3-0 (2 KOs) against opponents with a combined record of 63-15-5, which included the Knockout of the Year award.

Foster (17-2, 10 KOs) began the year with a homecoming fight stopping Fatious Fassinou in the third round in his native Beaumont in February. He ended the year winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Alberto Mercado.

Sandwiched between those two bouts, Foster, 26, stole a page from Evander Holyfield’s playbook with the Knockout of the Year over Jesus Bravo. Luring Bravo in, Foster made Bravo miss by talking a half step back and exploded with a counter right to the chin that dropped Bravo face first for the full count. It was eerily reminiscent of Holyfield’s KO of Buster Douglas in 1990.

2018 Winner: Efe Ajagba

Comeback of the Year: Miguel Flores

At first glance, it would be difficult to justify awarding Comeback of the Year to a boxer who went 1-1 (1 KO) in 2019, especially since it was on account of his loss. But Flores (24-3, 12 KOs) beats out all other candidates for this award after taking into consideration the near-rock bottom abyss from which he was coming back from and the elite caliber of the fighter to whom he lost.

After winning the 2016 Prospect of the Year award, Flores had a disastrous 2017. His status dipped from undefeated to having two back-to-back stoppage losses on his record. First he was TKOed in his hometown by Dat Nguyen, an inactive and unheralded 19-3 fighter. Later that year, he was stopped controversially on cuts to Chris Avalos despite dropping Avalos and winning every round prior to the ruling.

Hampered by several fights that fell through and an ankle injury, Flores only managed to notch two wins against journeymen in the two years following the Avalos loss. But a glimmer of hope flickered midway through the year when he was offered a stepping-stone role against future hall of famer Leo Santa Cruz for a vacant 130-pound alphabet belt on the co-main event of Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz II.

A former world titleholder at 118, 122 and 126 pounds, Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KOs) was expected to steamroll through Flores for his fifth world title in four weight divisions. But Santa Cruz had his work cut out for him as a determined Flores fought with brain, brawn and bravado. Strategically alternating between boxing and brawling, Flores forced Santa Cruz to dig deep into his reservoir of experience and guile to win a unanimous decision. It was more a testament to Santa Cruz’s talent and pedigree than an exposé of Flores’ shortcomings.

Despite adding a third “L” to his record, Flores’ strong showing against such a decorated fighter on such a big stage did more to raise his profile and stock than any number of wins against obscure opponents in equally obscure locales.

2018 Winner: O’Shaquie Foster

Upset of the Year: Xu Can W12 Jesus Rojas

Their pre-fight records said it all: Can was 15-2 (2 KOs) and Rojas was 26-2 (19 KOs). An unknown boxer from China with a less-than impressive record, Can was supposed to be a stay-busy fight, an easy defense of Rojas' alphabet featherweight belt. Even less impressive than Can's overall record was his dismal 12 percent knockout rate.

But what Can lacked in power, he more than made up for in volume punching and uncompromising tenacity. Cheered on by a sizable contingent of Chinese fans at The Toyota Center, Can turned himself into the Energizer Bunny, throwing punches in bunches, forcing Rojas to constantly set and reset, for the entirety of the fight. Rojas stood his ground well and returned fire with gusto but it was Can who usually got in the first and last blows of the exchanges. At the end of the torrid battle, Can won by scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 118-110.

Can’s subsequent title defenses - TKO6 Shun Kubo (13-1, 2 KOs) and W12 Manny Robles (18-0, 8 KOs) - suggest his upset of Rojas was no fluke. Might he be one of those Rocky Balboa stories who was plucked from obscurity for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and made the most of it? What Can does in the 2020s will answer that question.

2018 Winner: Tony Harrison W12 Jermell Charlo

Round of the Year: Efe Ajagba vs. Iago Kiladze (round 3)

It seemed like just another routine day at the office for the streaking heavyweight Ajagba (12-0, 10 KOs) who had connected fluidly with jabs and straight rights, one of which dropped Kiladze in round two. Kiladze (26-5-1, 18 KOs) was 0-4-1 in his last five fights.

Ajagba, 25, appeared to have Kiladze out on his feet in the third round as he continued to spear the Georgian with ramrod rights. As Ajagba continued to press the action, Kiladze, out of nowhere, unleashed a desperation right to the chin that dumped the 6-foot-6 Nigerian heavily to the canvass for the first time in his career. Dazed but unfazed, Ajagba got to his feet and jabbed and moved to make it out of the round.

Ajagba shook off the cobwebs to continue to dominate and eventually stop Kiladze in the fifth round. But that shocking, near-disastrous third round was his sternest gut and chin check at this juncture in his promising career.

2018 Winner: Jared Hurd vs. Erislandy Lara (round 12)

Trainer of the Year: (Tie) Ronnie Shields and co-trainers Bobby Benton/Aaron Navaro

For the second year running Trainer of the Year ends up as a tie between Shields and the team of Benton and Navarro.

Shields went 2-0 in world title fights, both with the same fighter. In June, Jermall Charlo (30-0, 22 KOs) won a near shutout decision against Brandon Adams at the NRG Arena. Charlo returned to action in December dropping Dennis Hogan twice en route to a seventh-round TKO. Shields was also in Efe Ajagba’s corner for the Round of the Year award.

Co-trainers Benton and Navarro were 1-2 in world title fights in 2019. Regis Prograis wrested a 140-pound alphabet belt from Kiryl Relikh via sixth-round TKO in April. Prograis subsequently lost the belt to Josh Taylor in the Fight of the Year in October. Benton and Navarro were also in the corner of Miguel Flores when he fell short of winning a 130-pound belt against Leo Santa Cruz in November. Benton and Navarro also co-train the 2019 Prospect of the Year O’Shanique Foster and Comeback of the Year Miguel Flores.