British fighter of the year 2009

I did this thread last year (http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=114388 for those who would like a look) and due to the massive popularity of the thread lol I decided to do it again. So here is, in my opinion, the top 10 British fighters of 2009:

1. Amir Khan - Firstly beat a very past it Barrera, which was seen as a risk at the time and a 50/50 fight (check the threads before the fight), then completely outboxed a world class fighter in Kotelnik to pick up the WBA title. Khan's year was rounded off by sensationally stopping the average Salita in the very first round. Although the fighters were labelled as 'tailor-made' for Khan, the way in which he dominated each opponent was impressive. Another big year in store for Khan as he will try to unify the division, but he will be faced with much bigger tests than the likes of Salita...hopefully.

2. Jason Booth - Basically the 'Amir Khan' of the domestic scene, as he jumped up a weight division and outclassed physically bigger fighters than himself. First up was the unbeaten Moran who was ousted in every round until a cut eye forced Moran to be pulled out. Next up for Booth was experienced domestic gatekeeper Rocky Dean who again was ousted in every round as Booth picked up an impressive unanimous decision. After this, Booth faced his toughest opponent of the year as he faced off against former world title challenger Michael Hunter. Although he was giving away home advantage, Booth soon silenced the crowd as he put on a masterful performance which forced Hunter's corner to pull their fighter out of the fight. Booth looks destined to challenge for European honours next year and based on his form at the moment he will take some stopping.

3. Carl Froch - The 'Cobra' has had a tough year, but has managed to somehow prevail with his unbeaten record, and more importantly, his WBC title. In April he had that unforgettable fight against Jermain Taylor as he pulled it out of the bag to stop Taylor in the final seconds of the last round in a fight were he was behind on the judges scorecards. Then in his first fight in the Super Six tournament he won a dubious decision against American prospect Andre Dirrell in a very forgettable fight. As he continues in the Super Six tournament he will again be in some very big fights, starting with a match-up against Mikkel Kessler in April.

4. Ryan Rhodes - After being, in my opinion, the British fighter of the year in 2008, Rhodes started the year in a low-key meeting against Janos Petrovics (after his fight against Anthony Small was called off), but rounded the year off with arguably the best performance in a British ring this year as he stopped the seemingly unstoppable Jamie Moore to capture the European title in an instant classic. Next year he will be looking for his first world title shot in 12 years!

5. David Haye - Although he has been in the press more than any other fighter this year, the Hayemaker has only been in the ring once this year. Firstly his fight against Wladimir Klitschko fell through due to an injured back Haye picked up, then after a period of negotiations where it seemed like Haye would fight older brother Vitali, he then signed a contract to fight Nicolai Valuev. Haye produced a very effective performance as he outmoved and outboxed the lumbering Valuev to pick up the WBA world title. After his mandatory against Ruiz, Haye will be looking to unify the division against the Klitschko's.

6. Rendall Munroe - In the beginning of the year, Munroe had to battle against the dangerous Kiko Martinez again, yet he put on arguably a better perfomance than before as he defeated Martinez and kept hold of the European crown. Following on from this, he captured the Commonwealth title against a poor opponent in Isaac Netty, but at the end of the year he fought the dangerous Simone Maludrottu and claimed a hard fought for and well deserved victory. Next year is a very important yeat for the bin man.

7. Matthew Macklin - After recovering from his epic battle against Jamie Moore, Macklin moved up a weight division and after getting accustomed to the weight he fought Wayne Elcock at the beginning of the year as he picked up the British title with a very good display. After that, he challenged for the European title against Amin Asikainen who, on paper, looked to be Macklin's toughest opponent on paper, yet Macklin crushed Asikainen in the very first round to claim the title. At the end of the year he fought Pintos in a keep-busy fight as he prepares to defend his title against the dangerous Dmitry Pirog. If he comes through this, then a world title shot should be next.

8. Nathan Cleverly - Continued to improve as he dismantled Onyango and Billy Boyle in the first half of the year. Next though, he was matched against fellow prospect Danny McIntosh, but he produced his best performance since the Oakey fight as he dismantled McIntosh flooring him several times until he was stopped by the ref. He followed this form by stopping the tricky amateur star Courtney Fry in his next fight. European honours beckon next year.

9. Sam Sexton - Although he had a poor result in 2008 against fellow prospect Chisora, he rebounded well by winning the Prizefighter Heavyweight II tournament in the same year. This then set up his first fight against Martin Rogan, who had looked very impressive in stopping Matt Skelton. Although Sexton was out of it at one point and was effectively 'spared' by Rogan, Sexton was getting the better of Rogan throughout the fight until the controversial finish to the fight. However in their rematch later in the year, there was no doubt as to who the better fighter was as Sexton put on a great performance which resulted in Rogan's corner pulling him out. There are some decent fights at domestic level for Sexton next year, such as a rematch against Derek Chisora.

10. John Simpson - He started the year by defeating unbeaten Paul Truscott under controversial circumstances, but there was little doubt as to who was the better fighter in the rematch, as Simpson stopped him late on in the fight after building a healthy points lead for himself. Next up was the amateur star Stevie Bell. Simpson put on a great performance as he arguably won every round until Bell's corner pulled him out of the fight. Bigger things could be in store for Simpson next year.

Just missed out: Martin Lindsay, Paul McCloskey, Darren Barker, Ola Afolabi, John Murray, Jamie Moore, Kevin Mitchell, Anthony Small, Matthew Hatton and Tom Glover.

Obviously I don't expect people to agree with the list, just my opinion :good