2023 Houston Boxing Awards

In 2023 Houston saw two of its boxers engage in two megafights involving three undisputed, four-belt world champions. In a historic first, unified junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo moved up two weight divisions to challenge unified super middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in September. And in December, junior welterweight titleholder Regis Prograis defended his belt against unified lightweight champion Devin Haney.

Unfortunately, both Charlo and Prograis lost their bouts by lopsided decisions, hence taking them out of the running for any of the 2023 awards. Though intriguing, neither fight turned out to be action-packed enough to garner Fight of the Year nor Round of the Year. Charlo and Prograis entered their respective bouts as underdogs but since both lost, Upset of the Year was not for the taking either.

Fortunately, other Houston boxers stepped up with some impressive performances over the course of the year to fill the void of the expectations that the two above-mentioned superfights fell short of delivering.

And the awards go to ...  

Fighter of the Year 

O'Shaquie Foster

Houston saw the crowning of its latest world titleholder when Foster defeated Rey Vargas via unanimous decision to win a 130-pound alphabet belt in San Antonio in February. By year's end, Foster had successfully defended that strap with a heart-stopping, come-from-behind technical knockout over Rocky Hernandez in Cancun, Mexico, in October that also captured the Fight of the Year and Round of the Year awards.Foster essentially beat the tall and lanky Vargas at his own game, scoring two flash knockdowns for which he was denied credit. Vargas' signature mode of offense has always been the double jab-straight right combination which is not surprising since he always sports a significant height and reach advantage over his opponents. But Foster dodged and deflected much of the incoming fire with the shoulder roll, which ironically enough, happens to be Vargas' primary form of defense. When it was Foster's turn to punch, the one-one-two combo included, he found his target more cleanly and frequently than did Vargas. 

Watch highlights of Foster W12 Vargas at: https://youtu.be/bkE1XJqQytY?si=TALqj3XXxG48bUQ0

Photo courtesy of Bobby Benton 

Against Hernandez, Foster had an entirely different dragon to slay. While Vargas was not your typical old-school Mexican fighter, Hernandez was the very definition of one. An aggressive buzzsaw of a brawler, Hernandez applied relentless pressure, forcing Foster to fight every second of every round. It was a grueling slugfest with each fighter taking turns ripping punishing shots to each other's head and torso. Ultimately, Foster proved to have more in both his gas tank and think tank in the championship rounds, After both fighters were seriously hurt in the eleventh round, Foster, aware he needed a knockout, attacked with reckless abandon in the final round, dropping Hernandez twice before the referee had little choice but to intervene.

No matter how Foster's career unfolds, it would be difficult for him to surpass what he did in 2023. In his two outings, he showcased his versatility and mettle. Against Vargas, he displayed a skillset to outbox not only a taller, rangier fighter, but a vastly more experienced undefeated two-division world titleholder. And against Hernandez, Foster showcased his ability to both box and brawl equally adeptly from both the orthodox and southpaw stances. He not only passed a major gut check and chin check, he found the fortitude to rally from behind to stop a tenacious and hard-hitting opponent in a knockdown, dragout war.

Watch Foster TKO12 Hernandez at: https://youtu.be/Xm4PZHj3XlQ?si=WBq1TmQd8sMSgb9Y

Female Fighter of the Year

Marlen Esparza

2012 Olympic bronze medallist Esparza added a third alphabet flyweight belt to her collection in July when she outpointed Gabriela Celeste Alaniz of Argentina over 10 somewhat humdrum rounds. The bout was fought a three-hour drive from Esparza's hometown in San Antonio. 

Photo courtesy of Golden Boy Promotions

There's nothing fancy or flashy about Esparza's style - jab, one-two, zip in, zip out. She sticks to the basic fundamentals of the sport and does it proficiently enough to outbox slick and aggressive opponents alike. Such was the case against the combative and come-forward style that Alaniz brought to the table. The Argentine kept the fight competitive but Esparza was usually the first to draw and avoided much of Alaniz's return fire with just enough spring in her step throughout the duration of the bout. No surprises when the verdict was announced. 

Although it was Esparza's lone fight in 2023, unifying three of the four major alphabet belts was significant enough to win her the Female Fighter of the Year Award for the second year running. Perhaps winning a fourth title for the complete unification and undisputed status is in order for 2024.

Watch Esparza vs. Alaniz at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q8mRbzYPW4

Fight of the Year

O'Shaquie Foster TKO12 Rocky Hernandez 

A grueling, bruising firefight broke out in the tranquil tropical paradise of Cancun when Foster made the first defense of his 130-pound alphabet belt. What looked on paper to be a quintessential boxer-versus-brawler matchup quickly evolved into a brutal slugfest with no shortage of action, violence and drama.

Photo courtesy of Hosanna Rull

The more cerebral of the two, Foster attempted to dictate the tempo of the fight from a distance using both the orthodox and southpaw stances. But Hernandez would have none of that. No matter what Foster did to try and keep Hernandez at bay, Hernandez would always find his way into the phonebooth, even if it meant having to absorb serious punishment on his way in. Up close and personal, he unleashed power shots with both fists upstairs and down. Foster proved more than capable at waging war in the trenches and returned fire with gusto and aplomb, but he was clearly more comfortable fighting from range.

With open scoring the law of the land in Mexico, Foster was informed going into the championship rounds that he was behind on the scorecards and needed  the knockout. Upping the already-torrid pace of fight on the eleventh round, he staggered Hernandez with a series of unanswered blows to the head and had him reeling around the ring on shaky legs, Hernandez seemed all but done for when he stormed back with vigor and vengeance and had Foster hurt and covering up against the ropes by round's end.Foster proved to be the one with better recuperative prowess. He resumed his assault in the final round, dropped Hernandez twice and forced a stoppage with 22 seconds remaining on the clock. Had Hernandez simply remained on his feet in the twelfth round, he would have walked away a world titleholder. 

Knockout of the Year 

Jordan White KO1 Eridson Garcia

For some aficionados of the sweet science, this writer included, few if any maneuvers surpass the beauty and artistry of the knockout by way of check hook. Nonito Donaire's short, explosive left that separated Vic Darchinyan from his senses and Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s matador-like master stroke that sent Ricky Hatton crashing face first into a corner were simply poetry in motion.\

Photo courtesy of Hosanna Rull

A check left hook appeared out of nowhere to claim the 2023 Knockout of the Year when White and Garcia squared off in October. What looked to be a routine feeling-out round ended abruptly when White uncorked a short, perfectly-timed lightning bolt of a check hook that nobody, least of all Garcia, saw coming. As Garia stepped in with a lead southpaw left, White checked him with a hook that penetrated his guard through the smallest of openings to catch the tip of his chin and that was that. Timber! It felled Garcia like a lumberjack’s final blow to the base of a giant redwood. He landed flat on his back staring blankly up at the ceiling for the full count and then some. It goes to show that precision, speed and accuracy can result in sensational knockouts as much as sheer brute power.

Watch White KO1 Garcia at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N13gZWYuKIU

Prospect of the Year

Giovanni Marquez

Photo courtesy of Raul Marquez 

Junior welterweight Marquez had a prolific year, going 4-0 (2 KOs) in 2023 to raise his overall record to 9-0 (5 KOs). Most importantly, he stepped up from the palooka level of competition and began fighting opponents with winning records who came to win and not just for the paycheck. A former National Golden Gloves champion, Marquez, 23, still appears to be finding an identity, looking for a happy medium between the slick, cerebral technician he was in the amateurs and a more fan-friendly, aggressive modus operandi in the paid ranks. Thus far, he has proven adept at both styles but hasn't quite reconciled the two. Judging from his fights at this early juncture in his career, Marquez's forte might well turn out to be exploiting different angles while alternating between precision and volume punching. An orthodox fighter, he often switches to a southpaw stance not just mid fight but mid exchange.  He is trained by his father Raul Marquez, a Showtime analyst, former Olympian and former junior middleweight world titleholder.

Watch Marquez KO2 Strayhorn at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8dFSLHQNs8

Upset of the Year

Marquis Taylor UD10 Yoelvis Gomez

Gomez was clearly the A-side and Taylor the B-side in this encounter. In only his sixth pro fight, Gomez, 6-1 (5 KOs), soundly outpointed grizzled veteran Jorge Cota, 30-4 (28 KOs) whose only losses came against former and future world titleholders. A former amateur standout, he was poised for the fast track onto the world stage. On paper, Taylor, 15-1-2 (1 KO), seemed destined for gatekeeper status. He had a solid amateur background but his dismal 6 percent knockout ratio suggested he couldn't crack an egg in the pro ranks. Moreover, he already had a loss and two draws on his dossier.

Photo courtesy of Gary Simon

When the opening bell sounded, Taylor looked more like a military-trained attack dog than an underdog. Tall and lanky for a junior middleweight at 6’1”, Taylor strategically circled the Cuban southpaw, picked his spots and struck at opportune moments. After a sneaky right dropped Gomez in round 2, the writing was on the wall. Taylor took the fight to Gomez, showing little respect for the Cuban's power and pedigree. Despite sporting a significant height and reach advantage, Taylor willingly engaged Gomez at close quarters and won most of the exchanges by shoeshining the body and clubbing the head with overhand rights. At the end of 10 rounds, Taylor walked away with a unanimous decision and the 2023 Upset of the Year award.

Watch Taylor UD10 Gomez at: https://youtu.be/qlmg8e-ArB8?si=nFfkoI7VqgQsrd-F

Round of the Year

O’Shaquie Foster vs Eduardo Hernandez - round 11

Open scoring in Mexico proved beneficial for Foster in this instance. Although he appeared to be winning the fight, he was down on the scorecards so his corner instructed him to close the show. Foster pounced on Hernandez from a southpaw stance and rocked him with a series of right hooks. A follow-up assault had Hernandez staggering around the ring on unsteady legs. The referee could have stepped in at any time, especially when Hernandez turned his back to Foster. But like a wounded and cornered animal, he struck back with desperation and venom. Punching between Foster's shots, Hernandez cracked Foster on the chin with two consecutive rights. Suddenly, predator became prey and it was Foster’s turn to stagger to the ropes. Hernandez pursued, pounced and pounded away with both fists but Foster also proved dangerous when delirious. With his back against the ropes, Foster punched back and snapped Hernandez’s head skyward with two right uppercuts. The round ended with both fighters in a daze but still raining vicious punches on each.

The more resilient of the two, Foster managed to clear the cobwebs from his head more completely in between rounds and finished the job in the final round. But most of the damage was done in the crazy, tumultuous, rollercoaster of the eleventh round.

Watch round 11 of Foster vs. Hernandez at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Clm9v1UVqk

Comeback of the Year

Jermall Charlo

It defies logic that an undefeated world titleholder would win this award but it is apropos in this case. Middleweight belt holder Charlo made his ring return after over two years of inactivity due to a series of personal problems and injuries against Jose Benavidez Jr; in a 10-round non-title bout fought at 163 pounds. The bout was fought on the undercard of Benavidez's younger brother David's sixth-round TKO victory over Demitrius Andrade.Charlo couldn't have asked for a better opponent than Benavidez to get his groove back. Fundamentally sound, well schooled, fearless and durable, Benavidez let his fists fly with tenacity, returned fire under attack and pressed the action when Charlo slowed down, forcing Charlo to reactivate every offensive and defensive maneuver in his arsenal. But Benavidez, having done his best work at 140 and 147, was severely undersized and  could not seriously hurt Charlo. After 10 rounds of high-level action, the educated big man prevailed over the educated little man. Charlo was awarded the decision and banked a good, robust 30 minutes of much-needed work while Benavidez walked away with a moral victory.

Watch Charlo vs. Benavidez at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=705RzKJswb8

Photo courtesy of Hosanna Rull

The stars seemed to have aligned just right in Charlo’s favor for his bout against Benavidez. Besides having the ideal rust remover for a comeback opponent, two sibling storylines synergized to heighten the demand and profile of two potential big paydays for the Houstonian. Jermall Charlo versus David Benavidez has been a tantalizing matchup floating around the boxing world for the better part of the last half decade; Charlo's victory over Jose Benavidez adds another layer of intrigue to that. And the question of 'can Jermall avenge his twin brother's loss to Canelo' just makes Jermall Charlo versus Saul "Canelo" Alvarez that much more marketable than what it previously was. 

Trainer of the Year

Bobby Benton and Aaron Navarro 

Photo courtesy of Hosanna Rull

Co-trainers Benton and Navarro went 2-1 in world title fights in 2023, manning the corners of O’Shaquie Foster who won and successfully defended a junior lightweight alphabet belt, and Regis Prograis who lost his title, ending his second reign as junior welterweight titleholder. The coaching duo was by far the most prolific and high-profile cornermen in Houston, a long established training Mecca for top-notch fighters from every corner of the globe. Other fighters in the Benton-Navarro corner include Miguel Flores, Eridson Garcia and Raphael Igbokwe. Recognition should also be given to Dwight Pratchet, an integral player behind the scenes in the coaching and conditioning of the fighters in the Benton-Navarro camp.