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Images from the BWAA Awards Dinner
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Mayweather named Fighter of the Year
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| For a list of all 2007 award nominees, click here. |
"It's always a blessing to get an award of this magnitude,” Mayweather said when informed of the BWAA vote. “Just to be mentioned in the same breath with the Sugar Ray Robinsons and Muhammad Alis (two of the previous Neil Award winners) is truly a blessing.
“The date of the banquet is also kind of special. It’s like I always say, May is for Mayweather. My ultimate goal was to be the best fighter of my era, and my two fights last year took me to the next level.”
Pavlik, however, didn’t come away empty-handed. He was cited along with Taylor for their participation in the Fight of the Year, and they jointly received the Harry Markson Award. As was the case with balloting to determine Fighter of the Year, that outcome also came down to the wire, with Taylor-Pavlik I barely outpolling the rematch between Israel Vasquez and Rafael Marquez, in which Vasquez reclaimed the WBC super bantamweight title from Marquez on a sixth-round stoppage.
Sneddon becomes the 35th recipient of the Nat Fleischer Award for excellence in boxing journalism, the highest award the BWAA presents to one of its own. The award is unique in that, unlike other honors conferred by the BWAA, it is determined by a vote of living Fleischer winners and not by the general membership.
Sneddon, who will retire this spring, was a sportswriter in Nampa, Idaho, and Casper, Wyo., before going to the Gazette-Journal, where he has been for the past 37 years.
“It is an honor and I’m humbled thinking of the writers who received the Fleischer in the past,” Sneddon said.
Other BWAA awards went to Nigel Collins, the longtime editor of The Ring magazine (the James J. Walker Award for long and meritorious service to boxing); Enzo Calzaghe (the Futch-Condon Award as Trainer of the Year); Cameron Dunkin (the Al Buck Award as Manager of the Year); Teddy Atlas (the Marvin Kohn Good Guy Award); Nick Charles (the Sam Taub Award for excellence in broadcast journalism), and Lamont and Anthony Peterson (the Pat Putnam Award for perseverance in overcoming adversity).
Noted author Thomas Hauser and Philadelphia Daily News boxing writer Bernard Fernandez were were top winners in the 7th annual Boxing Writers Association of America writing contest, called the “Barneys” in tribute to the late Barney Nagler, a former president of the BWAA.
“Barneys” winners were recognized May 1 at the 83rd annual BWAA Awards Dinner at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.
Hauser, whose 35 published books include Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times, was the only double first-place winner. He won in the Investigative Reporting category, for a piece on the behind-the-scenes machinations that resulted in Larry Merchant remaining with HBO, and shared first place with Fernandez in the Boxing News Story category, for a piece on Shannon Briggs. Fernandez wrote about the rift in the relationship between former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier and his daughter, Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, now a Municipal Court judge in Philadelphia.
With two thirds, in Boxing Event Coverage and Boxing Features under 2,500 words, Fernandez is the only person to place in three categories.
Tim Dahlberg of The Associated Press placed in two categories, finishing first in Boxing Features under 2,500 words for his story on Muhammad Ali turning 65, and in a tie for third in Boxing Event Coverage. Ron Borges, writing for Boxing Monthly, and Don Stradley of The Ring each scored a pair of seconds. Borges placements were in Boxing News Story and Investigative Reporting, Stradley’s in Boxing Event Coverage and Boxing Column.
Other first places went to Steve Farhood, Boxing Monthly, in Boxing Event Coverage; Thomas Gerbasi, Maxboxing.com and Rochelle E.B. Gilken, the Palm Beach Post, who tied in Boxing Column, and Carlo Rotella, Boston Magazine, Boxing Features over 2,500 words.
Judges for the Barneys were Jerry Brewer, of the Seattle Times; Geoff Calkins, of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal; Ron Cook, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Steven Wine, of The Associated Press’ Miami bureau, and Mark Whicker, of the Orange County Register.
BOXING EVENT COVERAGE
1. Steve Farhood, Boxing Monthly
2. Don Stradley, The Ring
3. Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press; Bernard Fernandez, Philadelphia Daily News, Zach Levin, Boxing News
Honorable Mention: Norm Frauenheim, Arizona Republic; Don Steinberg, Philadelphia Inquirer; T.K. Stewart, T.K. Stewart on Boxing.
BOXING COLUMN
1. (tie) Thomas Gerbasi, Maxboxing.com, and Rochelle E.B. Gilken, Palm Beach Post
2. (tie) Eric Raskin, Maxboxing.com, and Don Stradley, The Ring
3. Tim Graham, Maxboxing.com
Honorable Mention: Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press; Norm Frauenheim, Arizona Republic; Thom Loverro, Washington Times
BOXING NEWS STORY
1. (tie) Bernard Fernandez, Philadelphia Daily News; Thomas Hauser, Secondsout.com
2. (tie) Ron Borges, Boxing Monthly, and Tim Graham, Buffalo News
3. (tie) Norm Frauenheim, Arizona Republic; George Kimball, Boxingtalk.com
Honorable Mention: Dan Rafael, ESPN.com; Ron Ross, Boxing News; T.K. Stewart, T.K. Stewart on Boxing, and John Whisler, San Antonio Express-News
BOXING FEATURE (< 2,500 words)
1. Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press
2. Kieran Mulvaney, ESPN.com
3. Bernard Fernandez, Philadelphia Daily News
Honorable Mention: Ryan Ernst, Cincinnati Enquirer; George Kimball, event program; David Mayo, Grand Rapids Press; Robert Mladinich, thesweetscience.com; Eric Raskin, The Ring; Don Stewart, Reading Eagle
BOXING FEATURE (> 2,500 words)
1. Carlo Rotella, Boston Magazine
2. Franz Lidz, Golf Connoisseur
3. Tim Struby, ESPN The Magazine
Honorable Mention: Ron Borges, ESPN.com; Kieran Mulvaney, ESPN.com; Don Steinberg, The Ring
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
1. Thomas Hauser, Secondsout.com
2. Ron Borges, Boxing Monthly
3. Michael Swann, 15rounds.com
Honorable Mention: Lee Groves, Maxboxing.com; David Mayo, Grand Rapids Press; Kieran Mulvaney, ESPN.com; T.K. Stewart, T.K. Stewart on Boxing; John Whisler, San Antonio Express-News
In recent months, several of you have asked about the process by which the BWAA membership committee makes its decisions. Following is an explanation of the process and the reasoning behind it.
Since January 2007, the membership committee has consisted of Steve Farhood, Dan Rafael, Tom Gerbasi, Doug Fischer, Tim Graham, and Thomas Hauser (chairman). There was a time when all applications for membership were accepted by the BWAA. Unfortunately, that had the effect of diluting the value of membership. The organization lost credibility, and members were often denied credentials for fights because their status as a BWAA member meant nothing.
The membership committee now requires that all applicants show a substantial body of work for admission. Qualified applicants fit into one of two categories: “full” membership and “auxiliary” membership.
Auxiliary members are those who write about boxing and have achieved a certain level of accomplishment but have not yet amassed a body of work in terms of quality and quantity that warrants full privileges. The difference in classification is that only full members are allowed to be an officer of the organization and vote in elections for BWAA officers and awards. Auxiliary members receive awards dinner tickets at the same discount offered to full members, inclusion on the BWAA website's links page, and the right to participate in the annual Barney Awards competition.An auxiliary member can apply for reconsideration of his or her classification after writing more extensively.
We are a writers' organization. Writing (not editing, publishing, radio commentating, producing, etc.) is now a prerequisite for membership. In judging applications, the committee looks for articles that are full journalistic work; not short fight reports or Q&A pieces.
When an inquiry regarding membership is received, the potential applicant is sent a questionnaire that asks the following questions: (1) How long have you been writing about boxing? (2) For whom do you write about boxing? (3) Approximately how many by-lined articles have you written about boxing? (4) How often, if at all, do you cover fights live at ringside? (5) Have you written any books about boxing? (6) What is your “day” job ? (7) Have any of your fight-related expenses (for example, hotel and travel) been subsidized by a promoter, sanctioning body, manager, or other member of the boxing community other than a publication that you have written for? If the answer is “yes”, please explain. (8) Are there any current BWAA members who you can list as references; and if so, whom?
Because committee members are sometimes not familiar with an applicant’s writing, applicants are also asked to submit hard copy or links to a half-dozen articles that they’re proud of having written. The committee members take their responsibilities seriously. All applications for membership receive equal consideration. Over the past seventeen months, there have been 120 inquiries regarding membership. Some of the people making inquiries chose not to pursue the process. Of those who did, 19 have been admitted as full members and 28 as auxiliary members. In addition, last autumn, we conducted a review of the membership rolls. We did this, quite frankly, because some BWAA members simply weren’t writing about boxing; others rarely did; and we were receiving complaints from people who give out credentials for fights and also from writers who weren’t getting them.
Subsequent to this review, some BWAA members were upgraded from auxiliary to full membership, while a handful were reclassified from full to auxiliary status. In a few instances, it was decided that a person’s membership should be allowed to expire at the end of the year. Each member who was reclassified was given a right of appeal. There were ten appeals and, in five of these cases, the member’s original status was restored. We want people to join the BWAA and we do our best to facilitate that goal. Each member of the committee votes on each application. We’re committed to treating all applicants equally and fairly.
We’re also mindful of the fact that, for membership in the BWAA to have value, there must be standards for membership.
May 12, 2008
Steve Farhood
Dan Rafael
Tom Gerbasi
Doug Fischer
Tim Graham
Thomas Hauser
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