OUR FIGHTNEWS STAFF

PUBLISHING EDITOR David Baggs MANAGING EDITOR Dave Spencer PHOTOGRAPHERS Durell R. Wambolt Jason Ness Glen Canning Herby Whyne FEATURE WRITERS Dave Spencer Doug Rowe CORRESPONDENTS ATLANTIC CANADA Al White Walter Yetman QUEBEC Yan Desjardins Dave Spencer ONTARIO Durell R. Wambolt Rick McLean Dorothy Pedersen David Baggs MANITOBA Curtis Jakes ALBERTA Doug Rowe Colin Dease Shawn Roth BRITISH COLUMBIA Manny Sobral YELLOWKNIFE Natalie Dunleavy

Fighter of the Year: Steve Molitor!
Female fighter of the Year: Jeannine Garside!
International fighter of the Year: Steve Molitor!
Prospect of the Year: Adonis Stevenson!
Promoter of the Year: INTERBOX!
Trainer of the Year: Chris Johnson!
Fight of the Year: Bryon Mackie Ws10 Larry Sharpe!
Upset of the Year: Ian Mackillop TKO5 Shannon Taylor!
Knockout of the Year: Olivier Lontchi KO9 Jason Adams!
Round of the Year: Stephane Desormier-Adam Green -Round 10!
Comeback of the Year: Sebastien Hamel!
Promotion of the Year: GYM - June 23rd : Jarry Park, Montreal, PQ!

Fighter of the Year:

One fight, one win, one world Championship. After a host of setbacks that included an ill-fated trip to South Africa, Steve Molitor proved to be more than ready when the bell rang and chance at a championship finally presented itself. Molitor entered the lion’s den of opponent Michael Hunter’s hometown of Hartlepool, England, and faced an angry mob that Molitor described as the most hostile crowd that he’s faced. The new champ quickly shook off what ring-rust there was and took the chanting fans out of the equation. Like Molitor, Hunter was undefeated going in and was even ranked ahead of the Sarnia native by the IBF. None of that matter though as Molitor was able to steam roll over Hunter, knocking him down in the fourth and finishing him a round later.

Jeannine Garside has a deceiving record. Even though she would seem to be in the initial stages of her professional boxing career, at 6-0-1, 2 KO’s, she has already established herself as a force in the professional ranks. In 2006 Garside had three professional bouts, a three round destruction of Kim Colbert, a dominating 10 round performance against Laura Serrano in November and a hard fought ten round draw against Lisa Brown last June. You may be wondering why someone with a draw would win fighter of the year, but what elevates Garside above other Canadian female fighters this year is what she did in the last two rounds of that draw. Garside, in only her fourth professional fight surprised everyone, by dropping Brown and easily taking away Brown’s WIBA Super-Bantamweight title, in November of 2005. In the rematch Brown, a wile veteran, came in with a completely different game plan, and won four of the first six rounds. But anyone who knows Garside, knows that she is the Eveready Bunny of women’s professional boxing. At the end of ten rounds, the Ontario boxer usually has enough gas in her tank to fight another two maybe even five rounds. So in the ninth round in the Brown rematch Garside turned it up a notch. The last round was a thing of beauty, and was considered for round of the year, as both women stood in the trenches for the entire two minutes.

Garside would land the big overhand left and Brown would counter with the right hook; as the two southpaws exchanged punch for punch. But by the end of the round Garside hurt Brown and was the one who was forcing her opponent backwards. If the fight had gone one more round Garside may have gotten the stoppage. In the last two rounds of that draw Garside demonstrated a champion’s heart to retain her title. In November, Garside moved up a division to take on the tough Lauara Serrano for the WIBA Featherweight title. Serrano had the reputation of being one of the best in woman’s professional boxing with wins over Layla McCarter and Chevelle Hallback. Garside simply dismantled Serrano dropping her and hurting her on several occasions winning by scores of 100-87, 99-89 and 98-90. Garside’s easy win over Serrano was as surprising as her first fight with Brown, but now she has made a believer of everyone. It may be hard now for Garside to get fights, as other boxers will more than likely try to avoid her. She is, however, only one division below Super-featherweight Champion, and 2004, 2005 Canadian Female Fighter of the Year, Jelena Mrdjenovich, and the two women seem to be headed on a collision course.

A media junket throughout Toronto after his big win got world champion’s Steve Molitor’s name out there in places that had never heard of the undefeated southpaw before. That took care of the local market, but given Molitor’s propensity for fighting on the road, much of the world now knows who he is. Feature articles by the British press including Boxing Monthly magazine and the BBC helped carry the new champs name throughout the world. Boxing fans in South Africa also kept a keen eye on the super-bantamweight as he touched down there for a fight that was eventually shelved due to health problems of his opponent. Fans in that country will no doubt continue to look on and follow results as another countryman; Takalani Ndlovu occupies top spot amongst IBF hopefuls.

Definitely the hardest category to decide on. Most of the nominees established themselves as solid prospects and laid the groundwork to long and promising careers. After all the deliberating was done, Fightnews finally went with the boxer who charged down the stretch to finish the year as strong as anybody. Adonis Stevenson went from opening act to headliner in just four fights, knocking out everybody in less than two rounds along the way. Beginning his pro career just one week removed from his 29th birthday, don’t look for Stevenson to be pampered with record-building opponents as he looks to make his mark sooner than later. One of, if not the hardest puncher in the country, Stevenson’s power doesn’t originate from wide looping punches, but rather from short precise howitzers that helps incapacitate his opponents. In his pro debut that lasted just 22 seconds, Stevenson’s telling blow was barely visible and looked more of the phantom variety, the red mark on top of his opponent’s head and his inability to get up proved otherwise.

Promoter of the Year:

It couldn't have been easy for Chris Johnson to keep Steve Molitor in top shape given the number of card cancellations and opponent withdrawls they both went through in 2006. After knocking out Jorge Antonio Paredes in October 2005, it would be 13 months before The Canadian Kid would step back into the ring. A proposed title fight in South Africa fell apart just a day before the fight when Molitor's opponent Gabula Vabaza failed his prefight medical. It was back to the gym for both for another two months before Molitor would land the Hunter bout in England for the IBF Jr. Featherweight title. In the meantime, Johnson's training regime kept Molitor busy working on everything and anything to keep the pride of Sarnia Ontario in fighting shape, both sharp and strong. At the sound of the opening bell, it was evident that Molitor's ring rust was nowhere to be found. Five rounds later, Steve was a world champion largely due to Chris Johnson.

No Canadian managed to reincarnate themselves completely in 2006, but one managed to resurrect his career and position himself as a legitimate fighter, worthy of getting better, and presumably better paying fights. Sebastien Hamel’s year got off to a disastrous start as the welterweight took an ill-advised fight with Jacques Lemaire who usually fights some three weight classes above him. The results were predictable as Hamel crumpled at nearly the first blow and saw his record fall below the break-even point, beginning the year the same way he ended 2005. Seemingly on a spiral descent towards obscurity, Hamel was brought to Alberta to face 1-0 Dana Laframboise as an opponent. “I’ve never seen somebody so coachable in the ring before,” said Howard Grant who worked his corner that night. “Everything we told him to do, he did and it worked!” Hamel ended up winning every round of the four rounder against an opponent with some decent amateur pedigree. Hamel followed up his road warrior performance splitting his next two, falling to prospect Phil LoGreco and stopping the woeful Stephan Savage for the Quebec belt. In his attempt to defend his belt, things were again looking grim; Hamel would drop the first three rounds of a six rounder to Ahmad Cheikho. After convincingly stopping Matt Gembey, it was figured that Cheikho should have no trouble with Hamel who had been stopped in four of his last six, but he seemed more and more pensive against the southpaw as the fight wore on.

Finally in the fifth round Hamel was able to land a straight left behind a jab that put Cheikho on the canvas. In the end, it was enough to give him a one point victory. The victories on the year were enough to land Hamel a fight with Michael Stewart, best known for his recent appearance on The Contender. A victory of that caliber might just have Hamel winning the same award next year.

Boxing fans are truly blessed when good fights on paper work out to be good fighting in the ring. When Jason Naugler pulled out of his September 2006 date with Canadian Middleweight champion Larry Sharpe, Jim Gentle of Stele Promotions acted quickly to bring the defending titlist to headline his card in November against a deserving challenger in Bryon Mackie. The two would meet in Brampton, Ontario with the National title on the line and when the final bell rang, they would disappoint no-one. Both fighters fought like champions and it was a nip and tuck affair for 10 rounds. Mackie would score a knockdown in round 6 but be deducted a point for a low blow in the 7th. In the end, Mackie would get the split decision win (96-92, 95-93, and 94-95) and begin his second reign as Canadian Middleweight champion.

Sharpe could have easily gotten the decision and no one would have complained. His stock rose in defeat. Three months later and fight fans are still talking about this one. It simply begs for an encore.

While many Canadians found themselves on the wrong side of a number of upsets, one found himself as a prohibitive underdog and walked away with a convincing knockout victory. Ian MacKillop went halfway around the world to Woolongong Australia, arriving just in time to knock out Shannan Taylor. MacKillop seemed to be at insurmountable disadvantage going into this one. A thirty hour flight had the road warrior transferring through Vancouver and Tokyo before finally arriving just one day before the weigh-in. As a result of being airborne so long, MacKillop was forced to shed 10 pounds in the 24 hours leading up to the fight without the benefit of his regular trainer Howard Grant who did not make the trip 'Down Under.'

Going in no one expected a knockout. Defending Canadian Featherweight Champion Jason “The Troll” Adams had a reputation for durability never having been stopped in 19 professional bouts and his challenger Olivier Lontchi, appeared to be featherfisted as the Quebec fighter had only three KO’s in eight professional bouts. All of that changed April 13th in Red Deer, Alberta, when Lontchi landed a massive overhand right that would give him the Canadian title and change both boxers’ reputations.

Going into the ninth round Lontchi was slightly ahead in the fight having rocked the Edmonton boxer with an overhand right in the seventh round. But Adams had a reputation for taking punishment and coming back twice as hard, but that comeback never took place as Lontchi rocked Adams again in the eight with a left hook and then in the ninth round behind a probing jab, Lontchi launched the single biggest punch in his boxing career. The overhand right immediately followed the jab and landed with a sickening smack, that thundered through the venue and immediately silenced the 500 in attendance. Adams was out cold as soon as the punch landed and he plummeted face first to the canvas, and lay there unmoving. It was one of those moments where everyone held their breath, even Lontchi, and his trainor Howard Grant had looks of concern on their faces, neither one celebrating the win or the new title. Adams remained, unmoving, on the canvas for several minutes, but after being administered to by his corner and the ringside physician Adams, to the relief of everyone, was helped to his feet and then to the stool in his corner.

“No regrets!” screamed trainer Marc Ramsay as he sent out Stephane Desormiers for the 10th and final round. Ramsay was working Desormiers’s corner while Marc Seyer took care of Adam Green as these two Howard Grant fighters squared off against each other in an electrically charged Club Metropolis. Behind on all three scorecards, Desormiers needed something significant to pull this one out of the fire and he got it. With both fighters running on vapours, Desormiers was able to land a short right hand, wobbling Green and forcing him to grasp on. The end result was both fighters tumbling and hitting the deck, once referee Gerry Bolen was able to untangle the two intertwined bodies; he started administrating an eight count to Green.

Although he protested the call, it became readily apparent that Green was in serious trouble and Desormiers pounced on the opportunity and didn’t let up. Perfectly vertical, Green absorbed punch after punch while pinned in his own corner. With Green not being able to answer back and stumbling forward, the fight was called at 1:48, lending a dramatic turn around to this thriller. “I knew I was behind,” Desormiers told Fightnews, “Marc (trainer Marc Ramsay) told me I had to give my best and I just opened up the machine and gave the maximum.