Fighter of the Year: Amanda Serrano
2021 has been an incredibly strong year for boxing’s leading female pugilists.
Claressa Shields defeated Marie Eve Dicaire for 154lbs supremacy, Jessica McCaskill won her rematch with Cecilia Braekhus, Mikaela Mayer triumphed over France’s Maiva Hamadouche, and Seniesa Estrada toppled long-reigning titlist, Anabel Ortiz.
Voting was close, but ultimately our panelists sided with “The Real Deal,” Amanda Serrano. Amanda won three fights in 2021 and was also the only woman this year to KO a consensus P4P top 10-ranked fighter (Daniela Bermudez) – in fact, Serrano is the only boxer, man or woman, to have achieved this feat this decade. Bermudez, the world’s #1 junior featherweight came up 4lbs in weight for the clash, but only two years earlier, it was Serrano who was one weight class lower than the Argentinian (Serrano had dropped to 115lbs, while Bermudez was at 118lbs). Serrano’s sickening left-right combination to the body left her experienced rival down for the count for the first time in her career. Amanda followed this win up with a domination of Yemileth Mercado, and then stepped up two weight classes to dish out a 10-round battering of Miriam Gutierrez.
Honourable mention: Seniesa Estrada.
KO of the Year: Alycia Baumgardner KO-4 Terri Harper
“The Bomb,” Alycia Baumgardner entered England’s Sheffield Arena on November 13th as a big underdog, with the most notable fight on her record being a points loss to Christina Linardatou in 2018. Yes, Harper had been out of action for a year due to a hand injury, but the reigning WBC titlist was still undefeated and more experienced than her opponent, having previously shared a ring with the likes of Eva Wahlstrom, Natasha Jonas and Viviane Obenauf.
Terri Harper was struggling to land cleanly on her elusive American foe and had already been shaken by her power, then in round four, after a flat-footed jab from Harper, Alycia countered with an overhand right to Harper’s left temple, leaving the Brit defenceless, out on her feet, with the fans in the arena stunned into silence.
Honourable mention: Serrano KO Bermudez.
Fight of the Year: Mikaela Mayer UD-10 Maiva Hamadouche
In a terrific, high-octane battle from start to finish, Mayer soaked up early punishment from the relentless Frenchwoman, found her range, and utilised her sharper punching and superior skillset to win on points after ten gruelling rounds. Perplexingly, one judge didn’t give a single round to Hamadouche (100-90), and even the other two had her losing by some distance (99-91, 98-92). These cards do not detract from what was an extremely competitive contest between two brave combatants.
Honourable mention: Chantelle Cameron UD-10 Mary McGee.
Trainer of the Year: Al Mitchell.
The vastly experienced Al Mitchell, who grew up in Philadelphia, was head-coach for the US Olympic Team in 1996, and throughout his career has trained elite fighters such as Jermain Taylor, Vernon Forrest, Andre Ward and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Mitchell and Mayer have now been working together for over 11 years. Mayer’s 10-round points win over veteran, Erica Farias in June this year - in what was the first defence of her newly won WBO title - was useful preparation for the hard-punching Hamadouche. Mikaela’s rapid, successful step-up in competition between 2020-2021 may well have faltered had she not had Al in her corner.
Honourable mention: Jordan Maldonado (Amanda Serrano’s trainer).
As always, a huge thank you to our international team of panelists for voting and contributing to this year’s awards.
Adam McMeeking
@LinealBoxChamp