I know it’s simply a case of bad luck, with Andre Berto suffering a fight-postponing injury before his upcoming rematch against Victor Ortiz.

But coupled with the never-ending saga that is the Mayweather-Pacquiao melodrama, the postponement of this fight is truly disappointing.

That means there isn’t really a significant boxing match until February 25, when Marcos Maidana travels to St. Louis, Missouri to take on Devon Alexander. That fight promises to be a dandy but that’s still nearly a month away.

Back to Berto-Ortiz II

If and when they do in fact meet again, it will be interesting to see if Berto’s biceps injury adversely affects his chances against Ortiz. I predict a Berto victory, but in a fight that is close to a "pick ‘em," the injury could be an x-factor that tips the outcome in Ortiz’s favor.

Should each fighter decide to go a different direction when Berto heals up, they both loom as potential opponents for the aforementioned chumps, I mean, champs named Mayweather and Pacquiao, respectively.

I obviously do not believe that Mayweather or Pacquiao are chumps, nor do I blame Berto and Ortiz for not fighting in a week. But can’t I just be a little mad?

"Boxing, you really make it hard sometimes."

Early on it appeared that Floyd "Money" Mayweather was willing to not live up to his nickname by focusing on what many view as an excessive call for performance-enhancement drug (PED) testing for his potential superfight with Manny Pacquiao.

And some countered that Pacquiao was ducking Mayweather, the PED test or both.

The latest culprit in this seemingly never-ending, shameful blame game is now the venerable Bob Arum, who coined the legendary, yet infamous, quote below.

"Yesterday I was lying; today I am telling the truth."

Who do you blame most for this superfight that never was?

You had Floyd Mayweather vs. Victor Ortiz, Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez III, and Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito II all taking place during the second half of the year.

Although each of the aforementioned fights had memorable outcomes: Mayweather’s "sucker punch" KO; Pacquiao "winning" another close, somewhat controversial decision, and Cotto exacting his bloody revenge, none of these fights produced memorable action or virtuoso performances.

But the fighter (of the year) and fight (of the year) made this year "all good," when it was all said and done. Please hold your applause and comments to the end.

2011 Fighter of the Year

When Showtime announced its groundbreaking Super Six semi-round robin tournament aimed at determining the best super middleweight in the world, I knew I’d inevitably declare its winner as the fighter of the year. Sure, the tournament was not without it’s shortcomings, from fighters dropping out (namely Andre Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler and Jermain Taylor) to some being excluded for contractual reasons (Lucian Bute).

But it did provide a substantial enough canvas for the fighter of the year Andre Ward to paint masterpieces at the expense of Kessler, Allan Green, Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch.

Not only did Ward win, he mad it look easy. And he made my fighter of the year selection very easy as well.

2011 Fight of the Year

Now this decision was not as easy as the Ward selection. For me, it comes down to two fights*: Andre Berto vs. Victor Ortiz and Alfred Angulo vs. James Kirkland.

Should I go with Berto-Ortiz, that featured both men being dropped, getting up, dropping the other man, and battling and surviving 12 action-packed rounds? Or should I anoint Angulo-Kirkland for its early, massive knockdown by Angulo and Kirkland’s inhuman recovery and eventual destruction of "El Perro" inside the distance.

Berto-Ortiz and Angulo-Kirkland are what boxing used to be all about. Both fights featured two young fighters in their prime being matched early in their careers. They put themselves in harms way to leave their mark in the ring as well as with the fans. And they both weren’t on PPV!

My choice for the fight of the year is Andre Berto vs. Victor Ortiz because both men took the other’s best shots and lived to see the bell with the fight hanging in the balance.

Happy New Year fight fans and freaks!

*There are countless other less glamorous gems but my selection only includes major title fights covered on this blog in 2011.

Weirdness comes in many shapes, sizes and colors. For my money, the five fights below deserve to be in Boxing’s Hall of the Shame. Yes, the endings were that bizarre.

5. Floyd "Money" Mayweather, Jr. vs "Vicious" Victor Ortiz. Let’s get the most recent one out of the way. We all know what happened. Mayweather toyed with Ortiz for three rounds. Ortiz got frustrated in round four and head-butted Mayweather, WWF-style. Ortiz then hit Mayweather with a series of kisses and hugs in an attempt to make amends. Referee Joe Cortez spaced out and left the fighters alone. And then "BAM," Mayweather ends the fight with "legal" sucker-punches. I’m not saying Mayweather was right for what he did to Ortiz, but to quote the rapper DMX, if "you do dirt, you get dirt."

4. Paul "the Punisher" Williams vs Kermit "the Killer" Cintron. This is another recent fight. I’ll admit, I’m relying more on my short-term memory for these first two entries on my list because my long-term memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Regardless, this is one fight that we’d all soon forget. In a seemingly even fight that appeared headed to a late decision or stoppage by either fighter, Cintron inexplicably decided to live up to his first name and leaped out of the ring like a frog after tripping on Williams’s foot. The result: a bizarre technical decision loss to Williams, after Cintron injured his neck on his spill outside of the ring.

3. Riddick Bowe vs Andrew Golota I. Most boxing fans know how this fight ended. Golota, seemingly ahead on the scorecards, simply couldn’t stop hitting the rapidly fading Bowe below the belt, and was ultimately disqualified for his "under-handed" work. But that’s only where the strangeness began. To add insult to injury, some of Bowe’s cronies entered the ring and attacked the unsuspecting Golota, and proceeded to pound on him. From that point on, the madness ensued throughout the arena, as fans of both fighters began brawling with surprisingly little security around at the "world’s most famous arena." To put it bluntly, this was one of the darker days in Madison Square Garden’s storied history.

2. Sugar Ray Leonard vs Roberto Duran II. If you follow sports, most of you have heard the Spanish phrase, "no mas," which translates to no more. The fact that Leonard befuddled and out-boxed the frustrated Duran was not weird at all. Leonard was an all-time great. But so was Duran, and that’s what makes the ending so weird. Seeing a fighter as prideful as Duran literally quit and walk away transcended weird. It was darn right jaw-dropping given his reputation.

1. Evander "Real Deal" Holyfield vs "Iron" Mike Tyson II. The year was 1997. The scene was Las Vegas, Nevada. The crime was ear-biting (twice to be exact), punishable by disqualification in boxing. In a twist on the "no mas" concept, Tyson found a way to "quit" against Holyfield in their rematch. Tyson later complained of repeated head butts by Holyfield and felt that he had to "do something" to get back for these fouls. If he truly felt he was being wronged, my suggestion would have been to get Holyfield back legally (via punches) or, worse, illegally (via retaliatory head butt or low blow). Ear-biting should not be on the menu, under any circumstances!

This article is part I of a two-part series covering the prospect of a Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao superfight.

If it’s all about the Benjamins, then this fight would have already taken place. Neither fighters stands to make more money in any single fight than if and when they fight one another. In fact, their pairing would most likely yield the biggest collective payday for two men who have ever entered the squared circle.

Manny Pacquiao is slated to fight Juan Manual Marquez in the third installation of a series that should have ended before this year. And Floyd Mayweather will be fighting the capable, but still somewhat green, Victor Ortiz next month in a fight that is taking place a few years too soon (for Ortiz). These are all nice fights but mere appetizers to a Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown.

Many think the aforementioned fights will lead to the latest installation of the Fight of the Century (Mayweather-Pacquiao). But until I see Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank Boxing meet, greet and sign a contract, I ain’t holding my breath.

Before I forget what I am writing this article about, let me get back to the point, and state the five reasons why Mayweathe-Pacquiao may still not take place:

#5 Bob Arum. It seems like decades ago that 1) Bob Arum once promoted Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and touted that 2) "the Pretty Boy" would be better than Sugar Ray Leonard. Little did we know that the second part of the previous statement would eventually prove more true. Ever since their nasty split several years ago, Arum and Mayweather have had very little nice to say about each other.

#4 Al Haymon. To put it bluntly, he and Mr. Arum (above) do not like each other. At least, that’s what I have heard and read. And the last time I checked, when people don’t get along, they tend not to want to sit down to break bread.

#3 Money. No, Floyd’s other nickname will not get in the way of this fight. But the split over the purse and pay-per-view earnings will be contentious to say the least.

#2 Blood. Money and blood don’t mix. If you think the money split issue is a barrier, Mayweather’s insistence that Pacquiao submit to Olympic-style blood testing may as well be Fort Knox. It’s also complicated by a "not-so-little" defamation of character lawsuit that Pacquiao and his team have levied against Mayweather and Golden Boy Promotions.

And the #1 reason why Mayweather vs Pacquiao may not take place in the foreseeable future is Ego. Basically, the egos of all parties involved is the main culprit in this unfortunate series of events.

The nation’s most popular sport (NFL) avoided a work stoppage not too long ago.

Let’s hope that Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank Boxing take a hint, and not let Mayweather–Pacquiao slip away.