Best Gym: Wild Card Boxing Gym run by trainer Freddie Roach and the Boys. Located on Vine Street in Hollywood, California, the Wild Card always has a number of contenders, champions and prospects working in the ring. However, when Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao is training they could sell seats in the parking lot.

Best Brawl: Saratoga, New York is known for beauty, grace and lightening fast Thoroughbreds. That was not the case when two lumbering heavyweights teed off on each other until one guy looked like ground chuck and the other boxer hit the deck three times. So much for beauty and grace in bucolic Saratoga. This was a Pier Six brawl without the Shore Patrol. Vincent Maddalone scored a brutal fifth round TKO over local boxer Shannon Miller after dropping the tenacious heavyweight twice in the first round and once more in the climatic fifth. The end result of all the thundering hooks and staggering right crosses was enough blood, gore and loss of brain cells to make just about everyone happy.

Round of the Year: 10th round Corrales vs. Castillo I: Corrales answered the bell for the tenth round with a left eye turning the shade of eggplant and affording the visual acuity of a slit in a pillbox. There was also heavy swelling above and below his right eye, while across the ring Castillo's right cheek looked like he had been clubbed by a wooden mallet and there were extra layers of Vaseline coating the horizontal slice just below his left eyelid. The fighters touched gloves and then resumed their artful dance of trying to remove each other's heads. At the 2:34 mark of the 10th, Castillo stepped inside and nailed Corrales with a lead left hook to the jaw. The crowd let out a collective groan and froze Corrales for instant before his left knee buckled and he collapsed to the canvas coming to rest on his right hip. Corrales rolled over on his stomach and lost his mouthpiece before slowly making it to his hands and knees at the count of three. At seven, Corrales managed to climb to one knee and then he was upright but still shaky at the count of eight. Time was called and trainer Joe Goosen milked the clock before putting his fighter's mouthpiece back in. Castillo went back to work and jolted Corrales with the very next sequence of shots, including a hammering left hook to the chin. Once again Corrales' knees buckled and he dipped at the waist but he managed to remain upright for a few more seconds until Castillo scored again with a right uppercut to the chin and other compact left hook to the jaw. Corrales crashed to the floor for the second time, looking like a man falling through a trap door. He landed on his wallet and then rolled over on his back with his heels pointed up at the ring lights. Once again his mouthpiece came out, as Corrales rolled over on his right hip and he managed to make it to one knee at the count of six.

Amazingly, Corrales stood at the count of nine, while the sound of the screaming fans filled the arena. Weeks informed Corrales he was taking a point away for spitting out his mouthpiece for a second time. However, when Weeks returned to Corrales' corner with the fighter in hand, Goosen took as much time as humanly possible before replacing the mouth guard. The veteran trainer studied his charge for a split second before sending him back into battle. Castillo returned to hammering away at his opponent but with 1:35 to go in the 10th, Corrales drilled him with a riveting right hand dead on the chin. The shot landed flush and for an instant Castillo's jet-black hair stood on end. The blow pushed Castillo backwards and Corrales' very next punch was a lead left hook that clipped the tip of the Mexican titleholder's chin. The shot hurt Castillo and he gave ground back on rubbery legs. Both men unloaded a volley of leather but with 1:10 to go in the round, Corrales connected with two consecutive scalding left hooks that drove Castillo to his left along the ropes. Castillo tried to get some life back in his legs and he attempted to bounce up and down but there was nothing left in his body. Corrales hammered away with three right hands that rocketed off the Castillo's skull. Another whip-like right hand to the jaw sent Castillo sliding along the ropes with his hands down and Corrales connected with a ferocious left hook to the face. Castillo's head jackknifed straight back and his eyes rolled up in his skull with his body pinned helplessly on the ropes. The referee Weeks jumped between the fighters with his back to Corrales and he cradled Castillo in his arms. The fight was over and the man on the verge of defeat was suddenly the victor. Goosen dashed under the ropes and lifted Corrales aloft as the two men celebrated the stunning victory while the fans screamed and bewildered witnesses flooded the ring. With both of his eyes almost closed, Corrales seemed just as stunned in victory as Castillo did across the ring in defeat. On this night in Vegas the sport's most improbable of endings occurred. Boxing's longshot Diego Corrales climbed off the canvas twice and exited the arena a winner.

Honorable Mention Round of the Year: Round two from the WBO junior welterweight showdown between Miguel Cotto and Ricardo Torres gets the nod for it's intense three-minutes molar rattling ride. Torres had been down in the 1st, but Cotto had been staggered late at the end of in the round. The world champion continued to trade with Torres early in the second round and the challenger returned to landing hammering right hands that again rocked Cotto. With 2:25 to go in the 2nd, Torres connected with a volley of shots and Cotto struggled to maintain his poise and his balance. A laser-like straight right hand caught Cotto on the point of the chin as he careened across the ring with Torres firing leather. The challenger continued to batter Cotto around the ring, as the champion simply refused to hold and clinch but elected to keep firing off flurries that Torres marched through. With 1:51 to go in the round, Torres drilled Cotto with a head snapping left hook to the chin that drove the Puerto Rican back against the ropes and momentarily resting against the third strand. Seconds later, Torres connected with another volley of punches and then he seemingly pulled the wounded champion down, as Cotto tumbled to the canvas and flat on his back. Cotto rolled over at the count of three, gesturing to the referee Fields that he had been pushed to the floor but it went into the books as an official knockdown. Torres returned to teeing off on the champion and Cotto looked like he might be headed to the deck for a second time, as the underdog repeatedly connected with clean right hands to the head. Just as suddenly with 47-seconds remaining in the 2nd, Torres walked straight into a classic counter right hand to the chin that wobbled the Colombian. Both men hammered away while the deafening sound of the Jersey fight fans turned the Boardwalk Hall into a larger version of Philly's venerable Blue Horizon. Cotto shifted his attack downstairs and bounced a half dozen shearing shots of the Colombian's midsection. At the bell both fighters were hurt and the crowd stood and cheered the warriors for a solid thirty-seconds.

Honorable Mention I: With blood pouring from a savage cut over his right eye Colombian Fulgencio Zuniga rallied to score an electrifying 12th round TKO over David Alfonso Lopez and capture the vacant WBO Latino super middleweight title. Zuniga was on the deck in the seventh, and sustained a viscous cut in the corner of his right eye following an accidental clash of heads with Lopez in the eighth round. It appeared that the fight was about to be stopped on cuts several times late in the action, as blood continued to pour from Zuniga's brutal wound. Nevertheless, Zuniga continued to fire punches and land shots late in the fight until he clipped the southpaw Lopez in the 12th, with a left hook to the side of the skull. The blow momentarily knocked Lopez off balance and his right glove touched the floor. Moments later following a mandatory eight-count, Zuniga caught Lopez on the ropes and hammered him with a searing volley of head shots. Zuniga continued to batter Lopez around the ring and following another scalding flurry of hammering punches he drove his fading opponent into the canvas with a wicked right hand to the jaw. With blood streaming from his nose Lopez managed to beat the count, however, referee Bobby Ferrara wisely waved off the action at 2:04 of the final round and awarded the victory to Zuniga on a TKO.

Honorable Mention 2: With blood flowing from a wound that made him look like a second-place finisher in a machete war, relentless Jorge "Travieso" Arce scored a brutal 10th round TKO over Hussein "Hussy" Hussein to win a classic battle in a WBC flyweight title eliminator. The hard charging and hard living flyweight from Los Mochis, Mexico suffered a gruesome gash on the bridge of his nose in the fifth round that would bleed for the remainder of the fight, however, Arce was not to be denied his shot at a world title. With blood pouring from the jagged cut that sliced his nose and ran down the left side of his face, Acre caught the Australian Hussein with a perfect counter left hook to the chin early in the tenth round. Hussein careened across the ring, as he desperately attempted to survive the onslaught. However, Arce continued firing shots and he eventually trapped Hussein in the corner with a barrage of leather. Arce hammered the defenseless Hussein with a volley of shots including an overhand right to the face and another scalding left hook to the jaw. As Hussein crumbled to the canvas his trainer and former world champion Jeff Fenech entered the ring and waved off the bout. Referee Vic Drakulich called a halt to the proceedings and the carnage at 2:07 of the 10th round.

Honorable Mention 3: Friday the 13th was an appropriate date and title for two hammering welterweights who ended up looking like extras in a teen horror movie.

With blood gushing from a nasty vertical cut to his forehead that looked like it had been caused by a can opener, Tennessee's James "Spider" Webb rallied to halt the game but outgunned southpaw Jose Antonio Celaya via a brutal eighth round TKO. Celaya had also sustained a deep ugly diagonal slice above his left eye and as both men traded leather blood splattered on their faces, shoulders, trunks and the sky blue canvas. Webb floored Celaya twice in the 8th, with the second knockdown driving the Salinas welterweight careening along the ropes before crashing to the deck. With Celaya slumped on the ring apron and just under the ropes, referee Marcos Rosales immediately dropped to one knee and then waved off the highly entertaining and crimson filled bout at 2:39 of the eighth round.

Sliced open in the early rounds by a headbutt over his left eye, Hatton nevertheless, continued to hammer away at the South American titleholder with remorseless accuracy throughout the bout. Maussa opened another cut in the corner of the Manchester's lad's right eye in the third round of the unification bout. Hatton never took a backward step and continued to unload with whistling punches that forced Maussa to fight most of the night off of his back foot. Hatton finally cornered the WBA champion and floored him with a crushing left hook to the jaw. Maussa slumped to the canvas next to the ropes with his head bowed. Veteran referee Mickey Vann of Leeds, England started his count and reached nine before Maussa's seconds climbed through the ropes to help the fallen fighter. Vann waved off the bout at 1:10 of the ninth round awarding to the TKO victory and the WBA belt to Hatton.

Hats Off: ESPN 2 for continuing to provide a forum for Teddy Atlas and a venue for up and coming fighters.

Green in 18 Seconds... KO of the Year Photo: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

Knockout of the Year & Riot of the Year: It was as if someone had turned back the clock to the era of Jack Dempsey and Stanley Ketchel. Factor in a barroom brawl that saw several people led away from the ring in cuffs and a fallen fighter wheeled away on a stretcher and you had the backdrop to a memorable November evening in the Sooner State. The semi-main event only lasted 18-seconds and far overshadowed the main attraction that went the distance and no one will remember. Instead, it was two extremely talented young super middleweights that squared off with one guy exiting looking up at the ring lights on a gurney in a neck brace. Local Oklahoma hero and 168-pound prospect Allan "Sweetness" Green jumped on the outgunned and undefeated Jaidon Codrington at the bell and delivered a withering volley of searing left hooks and hammering straight right hands. Green's assault drove the former amateur star Codrington through the ropes and almost into the first row of seats. Referee Gerald Ritter called a halt to the carnage 18-seconds into the opening stanza of the scheduled eight-rounder and then did his best to protect to stricken fighter. Codrington's entourage, however, stormed the ring and vaulted atop the apron triggering an ugly episode that went on close to ten minutes before order was finally restored. In their zeal to help their fallen friend Codrington's supporters caused havoc, as medical personnel and the ringside doctor labored to clear the ring and revive the unconscious boxer. Pure mayhem was the result with more screaming, shouting, pushing and finger pointing than a cheap tent revival. Oklahoma law enforcement officers finally ended up placing several people in handcuffs and leading them away until the ring was semi-cleared and Codrington was placed on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital.

KO Honorable Mention: 8 to 5 underdog Zab Judah took care of unfinished business by capturing the undisputed welterweight world champion and scoring a stunning ninth round TKO over hometown hero Cory Spinks. Judah hurt the champion with a blazing straight left cross to the chin at the end of the seventh round and continued to keep Spinks on the business end of his punches for the remainder of the evening. The challenger caught Spinks on the ropes late in the 9th and battered him to the deck with a volley of whistling head shots. Spinks beat the count but Judah continued to land hammering blows that sent the champion careening defenseless across the ring and into the ropes before referee Armando Garcia finally halted the contest at 2:49 of the ninth round. Spinks was still upright but almost out on his feet.

KO Honorable Mention II: It has been said that revenge is a dish best served cold. If that really is the case, well, then mark Jose Luis Castillo down for two servings. After failing to make weight three times in his rematch for the WBC/WBO lightweight belts there was no hardware on the line, nevertheless, Castillo hammered out Diego "Chico" Corrales with a brutal left hook to the jaw in the fourth round. It was just five months ago that Corrales climbed off the deck twice before blasting out Castillo in the 10th round to win what was generally consider the best fight of the year and perhaps of the decade. There was less return fire this time around, as Castillo jumped on the champion in the first round and never eased off his assault in the non-title encounter. Corrales committed the time-honored error of hooking with a hooker and as a result ended up looking at the ring lights courtesy of a laser-like left hook to the jaw. Corrales hit the deck face first before managing to stagger to his feet just as referee Joe Cortez counted him out at 47-seconds of the abbreviated fourth round. Kudos: SHOBOX series. Great work by both Nick Charles and Steve Farhood and their passion for the sport always makes for interesting and compelling evenings.

Fueled by vocal Puerto Rican boxing fans, the normally cautious WBO junior welterweight king Miguel Cotto started throwing bombs at the opening bell and the counter punching former champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley responded with his own fireworks. By the time it was over both men had traded savage shots after the bell, both fighters had points taken away for low blows, Corley had been on the deck three times, and Cotto had been rocked and staggered before emerging victorious after scoring a controversial fifth round TKO. It didn't last long but it was compelling, loud and entertaining. In the second round, Cotto scored a flash knockdown after dropping Corley with a clubbing left hook to the back of the head. The southpaw Corley responded by hurting Cotto with several whistling right hooks that staggered and almost floored the champion in the third round. Cotto managed to survive and by the 5th, he was back in business and blistering Corley with bone crunching body shots. Driving the challenger back into the corner after connecting with a flurry of brutal hooks down low and scalding uppercuts, Cotto continued to unload against the talented but outgunned challenger. Pinned against the ropes, Corley elected to take a knee and got caught late with a questionable shot to the head. Nevertheless, Corley regained his feet and within seconds the champion had driven him back into the corner for the final time. The champion missed with several punches but did score with a glancing right hand to the body. Corley defiantly dropped to his left knee and looked for justice from the referee. With the sold out crowd at Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez on their feet and screaming, Quinonez suddenly stopped the fight. Corley appeared more than able to continue and as Quinonez escorted back to his corner he repeatedly attempted to get free from the referee's grasp. It marked the first time that the former WBO 140-pound champion Corley had ever been stopped in his ten-year career. The end came at 2:45 of the fifth round but the bad blood lasted somewhat longer.

Worst Decision of the Year: It isn't often you get two horrible decisions for the price of one but that was the case when the television series, "The Contender" returned to the air this past October. Middleweight Jesse "The Bullet" Brinkley inexplicably was awarded a five round unanimous decision over hard luck Anthony Bonsante. The bout was a rematch of their previous encounter from September 2004, when Bonsante seemingly was easily winning the fight until Brinkley caught him with a wicked uppercut and won the bout on a fifth round TKO. This time around it was a different story, as Bonsante masterfully and repeatedly scored from the outside with a variety of long left jabs and enough solid right crosses to notch the victory. Brinkley appeared winded early and he struggled to let his hands go throughout the bout. At the 1:37 mark of the third round, Bonsante landed a flurry of punches and then ended the exchange by drilling Brinkley, with three more stiff left jabs to the face. At the 2:53 mark of the 4th, Brinkley landed a sharp right hand to the head but was unable to follow up with any more heavy artillery. Bonsante returned to landing stinging left jabs from the long distance while Brinkley, offered little other half hearted gestures to trade leather. Bonsante appeared to clearly outbox Brinkley over the final three minutes of the 5th to nail down the win. However, when the decision was announced to the crowd there was varying degrees of shock, dismay and utter revolution. Judge Raul Caiz scored the bout 49-46, while both Julie Lederman and Fritz Werner tallied 48-47, all for Brinkley. The stunned crowd reacted with a cacophony of boos, while Brinkley raised his hands in triumph and Bonsante dejectedly slipped through the ropes and into the crowd. They needed to air out the Staples Center to let out the stench from the building following this one.

Worst Decision Redux: If Peter Manfredo Jr. thought Hollywood was the land of hopes and dreams, well, he was sadly mistaken. LA is a company town where apparently they grind out happy endings with their eyes always on the box office and the next sequel. Just ask the bloody and outgunned but victorious middleweight Sergio "Latin Snake" Mora.

Last year's reality based boxing series "The Contender" was cancelled by NBC but picked-up by ESPN/ABC for another season. What occurred on their first night back on the air, featuring less than stellar fighters were two very bad boxing decisions. If you know anything about boxing, you can't get more real than that. The only real question at the end of the evening of bad calls was if ESPN's seasoned announcer and talented former trainer Teddy Atlas would suffer a stroke or a heart attack after witnessing two brutally bad decisions. Teddy survived but you have to wonder about the credibility of the sport when script doctors, producers, directors, and celebrity sightings play a more important role than the California State Athletic Commission. Manfredo had appeared to have thrown more punches and landed the harder and cleaner shots. However, when the verdict was announced there was a different interpretation of the sport. Veteran judge Marty Denkin scored the bout for Manfredo 77-75. Denkin was overruled by both Chuck Hassett and Julie Lederman, who both tallied 77-75, for the still unbeaten Mr. Mora. Surprised cheers from the pro-Mora crowd and astonishment from the Manfredo faithful greeted the verdict. Journalist H.L. Mencken once wrote that no one ever went broke in this country underestimating the taste of the American public. After 18 rounds of "The Contender", Mencken is still sadly on the money.

Best Chin Worst Result: Having a great chin is an admirable quality in a boxer. Possessing a great chin and not much of anything else other than counter right hands is courting disaster when you climb through the ropes to face a guy nicknamed, "Left Hook." IBF super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy displayed his appropriate moniker to perfection and easily retained his crown by scoring a one-sided seventh round TKO over courageous but outgunned and overmatched Rubin "Mr. Hollywood" Williams. The challenger Williams and his iron-like jaw remained upright but after taking a fearful beating from Lacy on the ropes, referee Tony Weeks called a halt to the punishment at 47-seconds of the seventh round.

Food Channel: You know you are in trouble when the sportswriters are in better shape than one of the guys, who is fighting in the Main Event. Looking like a cross between the Pillsbury Doughboy and the Michelin Man, Andres Pacheco was barely around long enough to pick up his paycheck. Middleweight Willie "Gladiator" Gibbs scored a second round TKO over the grossly out of shape Pacheco, who missed the contract weight of 162 by seven rather obvious pounds. Compounding the rather rotund Mr. Pacheco's problems, when he finally entered the ring he was 13 pounds over the limit. It is tough to pull the trigger when you are in that condition and it was reflected in Pacheco's performance, despite the fact he had supposedly had five weeks of training under and over his belt.

Food Channel Seconds: Boxing is a true test of love if you are a fan. For every Erik Morales, Manny Pacquiao or Arturo Gatti, there always seems to be more than a fair share of guys who should not be in the ring. You must endure the reoccurring storylines of out of shape fighters and over the hill warriors trying to make one more comeback. At times it seems obligatory but more than anything it is just flat out sad. That was the scenario in the small town of Temecula, located about an hour north of San Diego where former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe made only his second return to the ring in eight years. Tipping the Toledo's at a robust 280-pounds, Bowe was forty-five pounds heavier when he first won the heavyweight title against Evander Holyfield, back in November 1992. Nevertheless, the out of shape and corpulent Bowe scored an unpopular 10-round split decision over Utah journeyman Billy "The Kid" Zumbrun. The verdict was greeted by more than a fair share of boos and catcalls from the 1,518 fans, which much like Mr. Bowe, survived the experience but would have better off watching the Padres.

Vive La France: Mormeck Unifies Cruiser Belts Photo: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

WBA cruiserweight champion Jean-Marc Mormeck proved to be just too strong for WBC titleholder Wayne "Big Truck" Braithwaite in pounding out a decisive 12-round unanimous decision to unify both belts. The switch-hitter Braithwaite never could seem to find his rhythm against the Frenchman's pressuring tactics and despite his withering body attack, Mormeck walked through the WBC champion's punches and continued to deliver heavy artillery. In the seventh round, Mormeck dropped Braithwaite face first to the canvas after connecting with a thundering right hand high on the temple. Braithwaite was able to beat the count and survive the round but he spent most of the remainder of the evening on the business end of Mormeck's punishing shots. It was a big night for the French Tri-Color, as Mormeck became the first boxer from France in any weight division to become a unified world champion with his victory over Braithwaite.

Most Flagrant DQ: Former American Olympic Gold medal winner Andre Ward scored a third round win over outclassed and outgunned super middleweight Roy Ashworth in a scheduled six-rounder. Ward won on a disqualification after Ashworth committed just about every foul in the book except using his stool to brain his opponent. The 2004 hero from the Athens first encountered problems with Ashworth in the first round when the duo began wrestling and referee Ray Corona struggled to break the fighters. Several Greco-Roman holds late, the tone for the evening was set and more bad blood followed. After Ward buzzed Ashworth with a sharp three-punch combination to the head in the middle of the round, fear and inexperience overcame the Louisiana brawler. With 55-seconds to go in the 1st, the referee took a point away for hitting on the break from Ashworth after clubbing Ward to the back of the head during a clinch. In the second round, Ward rocked his opponent out of a southpaw stance with a left handed bolo punch that caught Ashworth flush in the face. At the 1:55 mark of the 3rd, Ward dropped Ashworth with a right hand to the body followed by a scalding right uppercut to the chin and a left hook to the jaw. Ashworth hit the deck on all fours and when he tried to stand he careened sideways back into the ropes. The fight was allowed to continue but Ward again jumped on his opponent and blistered Ashworth with a half dozen more right and left uppercuts to the head. Ward continued to punish Ashworth with rapier-like left jabs that rocketed off his profile before hurting him again with a clean right cross to the jaw. Seconds later, Ward landed a sharp right hand but Ashworth shoved the former Olympian to the canvas. With Ward faced down on the deck, Ashworth hit him in the back of the head and then attempted to knee him in the spine, as both fighters ended up on the floor. Corona then calmly took a point away from Ashworth for kneeing his opponent and warned him about any future breeches in the rules. Unfortunately he didn't have to wait too long. Within seconds when the one-sided battle resumed, Ward scored with another five hammering shots and drove Ashworth back into the corner. With the fighters tied up, Ashworth clubbed Ward to the back of the head in a classic junior high school move. Corona had finally seen enough and disqualified Ashworth for about a dozen different blatant fouls. The time of the DQ was 2:56 of the third round.

Best Prospects: Middleweight Andre Ward, middleweight John Duddy, super middleweight Allen Green.

Phat Master: James "Lights Out" Toney Photo: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

Mr. Lights Out: James Toney is Archie Moore without the charm. Graced with a body that looked like he trained on potato salad, the irascible Mr. "Lights Out" rolled his shoulders, slipped punches and countered with brutal accuracy in scoring a 12 round unanimous decision over WBA heavyweight champion John "Quiet Man" Ruiz. Toney capped his seventeen-year odyssey as a pro by repeatedly scoring with quicker hands and cleaner shots against the slower moving and less athletic Ruiz. The challenger was also gifted with a phantom knockdown at the beginning of the seventh round when he landed a combination while also stepping on the champion's right foot. As a result, Ruiz stumbled back into the ropes and his gloves grazed the deck. Referee Steve Smoger mistakenly ruled a knockdown and the challenger ended up winning a two-point round on the scorecards. Toney continued to tattoo Ruiz with scalding right hands to the body in the second half of the fight and also whip-like right hands over the top that repeatedly caught the champion between the eyes and the top of his skull. By the final bell, Ruiz was out of gas and bleeding from the nose with a nasty cut over his left eyelid. His left flank had turned crimson with angry welts on his ribs that result of Toney's staccato right hands to the body. Judges Don Ackerman and Guy Jutras both scored the fight 116-111. While the third official, Tom Schreck, had it 115-112, all for the rotund but effective Toney. Ruiz was so dismayed at the end of the fight that he left the ring as soon as the verdict was announced to the 9,169 patrons and later elected to retire on the spot.

Opps: Following the title fight, Toney tested positive for a banned substance and the decision was changed to a "No Contest" by the New York State Athletic Commission on Wednesday May 11th. Ruiz retired his retirement only to go on the lose his crown again near the end of the year to Nicolay Valuev.

They may now remove the bolts from his neck Department: Someone lit a fire under WBO heavyweight champion "Relentless" Lamon Brewster. Recoilless rifle fire disguised as left hooks tattooed the former Polish thumbreaker and heavyweight contender Andrew Golata, flooring Big Andy three times in the first round and effectively ending his career, at the 53-second mark of the opening stanza. Brewster coming off a lackluster title defense last September when he scored a 12 round split decision over Kali Meehan, suddenly looked like Jack Dempsey against the shell shocked Golata. Brewster firing wicked left hooks jumped on Golata at the opening bell and dropped him 10-seconds into the first round. Brewster kept firing and Golata continued to catch shots with his jaw, as the second knockdown drove him halfway through the ropes where he almost landed among the still photographers. A final salvo of leather including a classic left hook to the chin floored Golata for the last time and the referee Genaro Rodriguez waved off the title fight in under a minute. 20,126 fans, many of them pro-Golata fans packed the United Center, in a city which hadn't witnessed a heavyweight title fight since Mike Weaver won the WBA title in a 15-round decision over James "Quick" Tillis at the Rosemont Horizon in October 1981. In the past, often Brewster fought just well enough to win and his easy going temperament, nice guy image and strong religious convictions seemed at odds for a man who made his living separating other people from their senses. However, he came out firing at Golata and never eased off the throttle while clubbing the challenger into submission.

Strangest Scoring: Miami, Oklahoma at the Buffalo Run Casino. In a showdown between two talented and undefeated junior welterweights; body shots and early volleys of leather proved to be the difference, as Americo Santos scored a narrow 10-round split decision over Isaac Mendoza. Santos scored early and often and then was forced to withstand Mendoza's spirited rally down the stretch to make the bout closer in the ring than it was on the scorecards. The local favorite from nearby Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mendoza rocked Santos several times late in the bout but still ended up on the short end of the verdict. Judge Max DeLuca scored the bout 96-94, for the winner Santos, while Peter Trematerra tallied 96-94 for Mendoza. The real wild card on the night was the normally steady veteran official Gerald Ritter, who had it 98-92, for the victor Santos. A week earlier you could have blamed it on Friday the 13th, or perhaps a full moon but there was no escaping that a swing vote of six rounds was even by Oklahoma standards somewhat off the charts. The BT scorecard gave a razor thin edge to Mendoza five rounds to four with one even, however, a draw would have been perhaps the fairest outcome in an entertaining and spirited battle.

End of the Line: Some fighters go out on their shields while a few depart while sitting down. In the case of Mike Tyson, he simply refused to give up his seat on a train headed for Palookaville. The biggest myth in sports over the last twenty-five years effectively ended his career on his backside, as Tyson quit in the ring and refused to get off his stool against a guy who could have doubled for Joe Bagadonuts. In a mauling foul filled last grasp for dollars, Tyson's career finally flamed out after the sixth round and Kevin "The Clones Colossus" McBride scored an ugly TKO victory over the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. With ex-champion fading badly in the 6th and after trying to break McBride's arm then intentionally headbutting the six-foot-six-inch journeyman, Tyson was pushed to the deck at the end of the round. Tyson first struggled to extricate himself from between the ropes and then asked referee Joe Cortez for an assist in getting up. When that failed, he managed to make it to his feet before wobbling back to his corner and sanctuary. What transpired next was a classic surrender and the wrath of the DC fight fans who still harbored fading memories of a man who dominated the division from 1986 to 1990, but in reality he was simply a 38-year-old shot fighter. His legs were gone and so was his heart. Following the stunning loss, Tyson declared he was retiring from the sport. "I don't have the stomach for this anymore," Tyson explained. "I most likely won't fight anymore. I'm not going to disrespect the sport by losing to this caliber of fighters."

Career Change: Carlos Navarro took a knee three times in the seventh round during his junior lightweight encounter with Bobby Pacquiao. After his third trip to the canvas and with blood smeared over the right side of his face, Navarro mimicked referee Jon Schorle's count at 4 and in effect counted himself out at ten. Navarro then got up, congratulated the winner Pacquiao and then returned to his corner contemplating a new career path. It went into the books with Pacquiao a knockout winner at 2:54 of the 7th, but it also signaled a return for Navarro to the ranks of fulltime electricians.

Upsets: Former three-time world champion Erik "El Terrible" Morales looked ordinary in losing a 12 round unanimous decision to talented but unheralded former American Olympian Zahir Raheem. In a bout that was basically a tune-up for yet another showdown with Manny Pacquiao, Morales was simply outhustled as Raheem repeatedly landed the harder and cleaner shots against the legendary Mexican champion and future Hall of Famer. Judge Dr. James Jen-Kin scored the contest 116-112, while Raul Caiz tallied 115-113 and Julie Lederman had it 118-110, all for the winner Raheem. It was difficult to tell who was more stunned by the outcome the 10, 584 paying customers at the Staples Center in LA, or Morales, who lost for only the third time in a spectacular 12-year career. Despite being on the business end of Raheem's punches for most of the evening Morales was convinced he deserved the decision. Raheem struggled with his footing throughout the fight slipping four different times to the deck but caught a very big break in the 11th, when Morales tagged him with a lead right hand to the side of the skull. The punch drove Raheem sideways and it clearly appeared as if his right glove touched the canvas, as he labored to remain upright. However, referee Jon Schorle missed the apparent knockdown and Raheem, who grew up watching Morales fight throughout his career, notched the victory.

Upset II: Challenger Roman Karmazin parlayed two third round knockdowns and his superior reach along with scalding right hands to upset IBF junior middleweight champion Kassim "The Dream" Ouma and score a 12 round unanimous decision. The balding Russian with the provocative nickname "Made In Hell" applied heat throughout the course of the title fight to came up with the biggest win of his career over the prohibitive 3-to-1 favorite. Karmazin dominated the first half of the bout and then came on strong once more later in the fight to ice the victory on all three judges' scorecards. Judge Glen Hamada scored it 118-108, while Chuck Giampa tallied 116-110 and Patricia Jarman had it 117-109, all in favor of the challenger from St. Petersburg, Russia.

Long Distance Provider: It would have looked like a bad match up in the NBA. A 6'2" point guard trying to post up and score against a seven-foot center but by the time it was over heavyweight Terry Smith not only had survived but he came away with a victory over the appropriately named Julius "Towering Inferno" Long. And yep, he is a seven-foot tall fighter without a jab. Go figure. Nevertheless, Smith emerged shaken but not stirred by the 10-round entertaining encounter that bordered on being a brawl at times to win on all three judges' scorecards 96-94, 99-91 and 97-93.

Best News for 2006: Both Showtime and HBO are set to increase their coverage in the coming year. Both cable giants offer outstanding production values with excellent announcing teams.

In Our Hearts: Levander Johnson IBF lightweight champion, Julian Letterlough, Agapito Sanchez, former heavyweight contender Jimmy Young, Pat Putnam, Max Schmeling former heavyweight champion of the world and Billy Woodrow Gregg.