Best Fighter ESPY Award

The Best Fighter ESPY Award is an annual award honoring the achievements of an individual from the world of combat sports. It was first awarded as part of the ESPY Awards in 2007, following the subsumption of the Best Boxer ESPY Award, which was limited exclusively to boxers.[1] The Best Fighter ESPY Award trophy, created by sculptor Lawrence Nowlan,[2] is presented to the professional or amateur boxer or mixed martial artist adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year at the annual ESPY Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. Balloting for the award is undertaken by fans over the Internet from between three and five choices selected by the ESPN Select Nominating Committee, which is composed of a panel of experts.[3] It is conferred in July to reflect performance and achievement over the preceding twelve months.[4]

Best Fighter ESPY Award
Awarded forbest fighter
LocationMicrosoft Theater, Los Angeles (2019)
Presented byESPN
First awarded2007
Currently held byDaniel Cormier MMA (USA)Canelo Álvarez (MEX)
Websitewww.espn.co.uk/espys/

The inaugural winner of the Best Fighter ESPY Award was American welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., who defeated the incumbent category title holder Oscar De La Hoya two months prior.[5] He is one of two people to have been presented with the award more than once, winning the accolade a total of six times;[6] Mayweather was also nominated in 2015.[7] Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao has the second most number of awards won with victories in 2009 and 2011.[8] It has been presented to one woman in its history, American bantamweight mixed martial arts fighter Ronda Rousey in 2015.[7] As of 2019, boxers have been most successful at the ESPY Awards with ten victories and twenty-seven nominations, followed by mixed martial arts with three wins and nineteen nominations. The winner of the 2019 Best Fighter ESPY Award was Mexican light welterweight boxer Canelo Álvarez who won the super welterweight, middleweight and super middleweight championships.[9]

Winners and nominees
Best Fighter ESPY Award winners and nominees
Year Image Winner Nationality Sport Sanctioning body or league Weight class Nominees Ref.
2007 Floyd Mayweather Jr.  USA Boxing N/A Welterweight Miguel Cotto ( PRI) – Boxing
Randy Couture ( USA) – Mixed martial arts
Quinton Jackson ( USA) – Mixed martial arts
Manny Pacquiao ( PHL) – Boxing		 [5]
2008 Floyd Mayweather Jr.  USA Boxing N/A Welterweight Joe Calzaghe ( GBR) – Boxing
Holly Holm ( USA) – Boxing
Kelly Pavlik ( USA) – Boxing
Georges St-Pierre ( CAN) – Mixed martial arts		 [10]
2009 Manny Pacquiao  PHI Boxing N/A Super featherweight
Lightweight
Welterweight		 Lyoto Machida ( BRA) – Mixed martial arts

Shane Mosley ( USA) – Boxing
Anderson Silva ( BRA) – Mixed martial arts

 [11]
2010 Floyd Mayweather Jr.  USA Boxing N/A Welterweight Manny Pacquiao ( PHI) – Boxing
Georges St-Pierre ( CAN) – Mixed martial arts		 [12]
2011 Manny Pacquiao  PHI Boxing N/A Super featherweight
Lightweight
Welterweight		 Bernard Hopkins ( USA) – Boxing
Jon Jones ( USA) – Mixed martial arts
Sergio Martínez ( ARG) – Boxing
Georges St-Pierre ( CAN) – Mixed martial arts		 [8]
2012 Floyd Mayweather Jr.  USA Boxing N/A Welterweight Jon Jones ( USA) – Mixed martial arts
Anderson Silva ( BRA) – Mixed martial arts
Andre Ward ( USA) – Boxing		 [13]
2013 Floyd Mayweather Jr.  USA Boxing N/A Welterweight Canelo Alvarez ( MEX) – Boxing
Danny García ( USA) – Boxing
Jon Jones ( USA) – Mixed martial arts
Anderson Silva ( BRA) – Mixed martial arts		 [14]
2014 Floyd Mayweather Jr.  USA Boxing N/A Welterweight Jon Jones ( USA) – Mixed martial arts
Manny Pacquiao ( PHI) – Boxing
Ronda Rousey ( USA) – Mixed martial arts
Andre Ward ( USA) – Boxing		 [6]
2015 Ronda Rousey  USA Mixed martial arts UFC Bantamweight Donald Cerrone ( USA) – Mixed martial arts
Terence Crawford ( USA) – Boxing
Gennady Golovkin ( KAZ) – Boxing
Floyd Mayweather Jr. ( USA) – Boxing		 [7]
2016 Conor McGregor  IRL Mixed martial arts UFC Featherweight Canelo Álvarez ( MEX) – Boxing
Gennady Golovkin ( KAZ) – Boxing
Román González ( NIC) – Boxing
Robbie Lawler ( USA) – Mixed martial arts		 [15]
2017 Demetrious Johnson  USA Mixed martial arts UFC Flyweight Terence Crawford ( USA) – Boxing
Gennady Golovkin ( KAZ) – Boxing
Conor McGregor ( IRL) – Mixed martial arts
Andre Ward ( USA) – Boxing		 [1]
2018 – Terence Crawford  USA Boxing N/A Light welterweight Vasyl Lomachenko ( UKR) – Boxing
Rose Namajunas ( USA) – Mixed martial arts
Georges St-Pierre ( CAN) – Mixed martial arts		 [16][17]
2019 Canelo Álvarez  MEX Boxing N/A Middleweight Terence Crawford ( USA) – Boxing
Vasyl Lomachenko ( UKR) – Boxing
Oleksandr Usyk ( UKR) – Boxing		 [9][18]

Statistics

See also

References
  1. Taylor, Tom (July 13, 2017). "Sorry Conor McGregor, Demetrious Johnson wins the ESPY for "Fighter of the Year"". BJ Penn. Archived from the original on January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  2. Avard, Christian (August 2, 2013). "Sculptor commissioned to complete Joe Frazier statue has died". Barre Montpelier Times Argus. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  3. Nelson, Murry R. (2013). American Sports: A History of Icons, Idols and Ideas. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 399–401. ISBN 978-0-313-39753-0. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  4. "New categories unveiled for The 2002 ESPY Awards" (Press release). ESPN. 2002. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  5. "ESPYs: Couture and Jackson miss out". MMA Mania. July 12, 2007. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  6. Orosa, Rosalinda L. (July 17, 2014). "Mayweather edges Pacquiao, cops 2014 ESPY Best Fighter plum". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  7. "Floyd Mayweather taunted by UFC star Ronda Rousey". The Daily Telegraph. July 16, 2015. Archived from the original on January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  8. Ramos, Josef T. (July 15, 2011). "Pacquiao wins second ESPY Award". The Manila Times. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018 – via PressReader.
  9. "Canelo Alvarez Wins 2019 ESPY Award For Best Boxer". Boxing Scene. July 10, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  10. Scalzo, Joe (July 17, 2008). "No ESPY, no problem". The Vindicator. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  11. Leyba, Olmin (July 16, 2009). "Pacquiao is 2009 ESPY Awards' Best Fighter". GMA Network. Archived from the original on January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  12. Reyes, Leo (July 15, 2010). "Floyd Mayweather Jr Beats Manny Pacquiao in ESPY's Top Awards". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  13. "Floyd earns 4th ESPY honor". Cebu Daily Times. July 14, 2012. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018 – via PressReader.
  14. Satterfield, Lem (July 18, 2013). "Mayweather Wins Fifth ESPY Award". The Ring. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  15. Doyle, Dave (July 14, 2016). "Conor McGregor, Holly Holm winners at 2016 ESPY awards". MMA Fighting. Archived from the original on January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  16. "Omaha native Terence 'Bud' Crawford wins 2018 ESPY for Best Fighter". Omaha World-Herald. July 19, 2018. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  17. Kini, Abhinav (June 22, 2018). "Georges St-Pierre, Rose Namajunas, Vasyl Lomachenko, Terence Crawford Nominated For ESPY". International Business Times. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  18. Toro, Carlos (July 10, 2019). "Andy Ruiz Jr., Canelo Alvarez Pick Up ESPY Awards". Fightful. Retrieved July 12, 2019.

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