Boxing fans are a loyal bunch, and that loyalty deserves to be rewarded with a holiday gift that keeps on giving.
12 Rounds of Christmas 2016: Round 1
So for the second year in a row, your friends here at Premier Boxing Champions meticulously went through our video archives, reviewed all of our 2017 fight cards and pieced together a full fight’s worth of footage.
The result? Another edition of the “12 Rounds of Christmas,” in which we spotlight a dozen of the most entertaining three-minute masterpieces of the year, from Round 1 through Round 12.
Starting with an incredibly stunning knockout by a part-time construction worker and ending with a thrilling final-round brawl with a vacant world title up for grabs, our “12 Rounds of Christmas” once again showcases 36 minutes of toe-to-toe action, devastating raw punching power and incredible displays of sheer will and determination.
Be sure to visit PremierBoxingChampions.com through December 23 as we unveil a round each day in sequential order. And be sure to share your thoughts on our selections by using the Twitter hashtag #PBC12Rounds.
From everyone at PBC, thanks for your continued support, and here’s wishing you and yours a knockout of a holiday season!
Joe Smith Jr. tags Andrzej Fonfara with a left hook in the opening round of their 175-pound clash in June. A huge underdog, Smith scored a stunning first-round knockout. (Nabeel Ahmad/Premier Boxing Champions)
ROUND 1: Andrzej Fonfara vs Joe Smith Jr, June 18 in Chicago
Andrzej Fonfara earned a spot on our inaugural “12 Rounds of Christmas” list when the 175-pound contender took control of his bloody brawl against Nathan Cleverly with a violent Round 7 in which he broke his Welsh opponent’s nose on his way to breaking his spirit.
This year, the Polish-born slugger returns, but for a much different—and not exactly positive—reason.
Fonfara went into his June 18 bout against Joe Smith Jr. as an overwhelming favorite, in large part because Smith was a New York construction worker who moonlighted as a club fighter. Sure, Smith had some raw power, having knocked out 11 of his previous 15 foes. But those 15 foes were even more unheralded than Smith.
Besides, Fonfara had power of his own, to say nothing of a wealth of experience and a ton motivation: All Fonfara had to do was stay out of harm’s way against Smith, and he’d be in line for a world title rematch with 175-pound champion Adonis Stevenson.
Alas, as the old boxing cliché goes, anyone brave enough to step in a ring has a puncher’s chance …
For a complete recap of Fonfara vs Smith, visit our fight page. And to view this year’s 12 Rounds of Christmas series, head over to our video page.
