SPRINGS TOLEDO, VETERANS HEAD LIST OF BWAA WRITING CONTEST WINNERS

Boxing essayist Springs Toledo, a regular contributor to TheSweetScience.com, was the top winner in the 14th annual Boxing Writers Association of America writing contest, which drew a near-record number of entries and entrants.

Toledo took first places in Feature (Over 1,500 Words) and in Investigative Reporting, as well as seconds in Column and Feature (Under 1,500 Words). His four-award haul upped his total number in the BWAA writing competition to 20.

He and other BWAA writing contest winners, as well as in boxing photography (the results of which not yet been announced), will be recognized at the 90th annual BWAA Awards Dinner, which will be held April 24 at Capitale in New York City, the night before the Wladimir Klitschko-Bryant Jennings heavyweight championship bout in Madison Square Garden. Hailed as the “Academy Awards of Boxing,” the BWAA Awards Dinner will be emceed by Brooklyn Nets announcer David Diamonte and will also salute a host of honorees and special guests, a list topped by 2014 Fighter of the Year Terence Crawford.

At 44, Toledo, a Boston native who now lives in Plymouth, Mass., is the youngest in a lineup of veteran journalists who dominated the contest. Other first places went to Kieran Mulvaney, of HBOBoxing.com, in Event Coverage; Jerry Izenberg, columnist emeritus for the Newark Star-Ledger, in Column; Thomas Hauser, of TheSweetScience.com, in News Story, and Bill Dwyre, columnist for the Los Angeles Times, in Feature (Under 1,500 Words).

Izenberg, 84, a Korean War veteran, began writing at the Star-Ledger in 1951 while still a student at Rutgers University. An inductee into the New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame, he is the author of 13 books and is one of only two writers to have covered every Super Bowl.

Dwyre, 70, is a Notre Dame graduate who previously worked at the Milwaukee Journal before arriving at the Times in 1981. He is the recipient of the Red Smith Award from the Associated Press Sports Editors in 1996. In addition to his first place award, he took a third in Column and an Honorable Mention in Event Coverage.

Hauser, 69, is a New York City native and Columbia Law School graduate who has authored 41 books, 20 of which have been about boxing. He augmented his first place award with a second in Investigative Reporting.

Mulvaney, 47, who was born in England and now lives in Bristol, Vermont, has a devoted following for his boxing coverage, but he also is an acclaimed writer about wildlife and the environment. He added an Honorable Mention in Feature (Over 1,500 Words) to his first place.

Among other multiple award winners are Ivan G. Goldman (seconds in Column and News Story), Eric Raskin (thirds in Investigative Reporting and Event Coverage).

The BWAA Awards Dinner is open to the public. Ticket information can be found at www.bwaa.org.

The full list of award winners:

2014 BERNIE WINNERS

BOXING EVENT COVERAGE

First Place KIERAN MULVANEY, “Kovalev Brings Down Curtain in Hopkins’ Lengthy Reign,” InsideHBOBoxing.com, November 9, 2014 Second Place DAVID P. GREISMAN, “Cotto-Martinez: A Revival, A Requiem,” BoxingScene.com, June 9, 2014 Third Place (Tie) BERNARD FERNANDEZ, “Just Call New Champ Algieri ‘Hands of Stony Brook’,” TheSweetScience.com, June 16, 2014 ERIC RASKIN, “Better Call Saul: Alvarez Finds the Right Opponent,” Grantland, March 10, 2014 Honorable Mention: Adam Berlin, Boxing.com; Bill Dwyre, The Los Angeles Times; Lyle Fitzsimmons, BleacherReport.com; Cliff Rold, BoxingScene.com; Joseph Santoliquito, Sherdog.com; T.K. Stewart, Examiner.com

BOXING COLUMN

First Place JERRY IZENBERG, “40 Years Ago, Muhammad Ali Shocked George Foreman – And I Was There,” Newark Star-Ledger, October 29, 2014 Second Place (Tie) ADAM BERLIN, “Non-Superlative: This Year’s Ballot for Boxing Hall of Fame,” Boxing.com, October 20, 2014 IVAN G. GOLDMAN, “Golovkin-Geale Bout Shows N.Y. Commission Still A Bloody Mess,” BoxingInsider.com, July 28, 2014 SPRINGS TOLEDO, “Wonderland,” TheSweetScience.com, June 30, 2014 Third Place BILL DWYRE, “Klitschko Takes On the Fight in Kiev,” The Los Angeles Times, February 22, 2014 Honorable Mention: Bernard Fernandez, TheSweetScience.com; Lyle Fitzsimmons, TheBleacherReport.com: Norm Frauenheim, 15Rounds.com; David P. Greisman, BoxingScene.com

BOXING NEWS STORY

First Place THOMAS HAUSER, “Sergio Martinez vs. Miguel Cotto,” TheSweetScience.com, June 11, 2014 Second Place (Tie) ADAM BERLIN, “Choosing His Chariot: Hopkins Takes On Kovalev,” Boxing.com, August 3, 2014 IVAN G. GOLDMAN, “Dan Goossen, Fun-Loving Fight Promoter, Dies at 64,” BoxingInsider.com, September 29, 2014 Third Place (Tie) BILL DWYRE, “Mayweather Just Can’t Seem To Find the Right Words,” The Los Angeles Times, September 11, 2014 NORM FRAUENHEIM, “Glovegate Breaks Out Before Mayweather-Maidana,” 15Rounds.com, May 3, 2014 Honorable Mention: Bernard Fernandez, TheSweetScience.com; Lyle Fitzsimmons, CBSSports.com; Lance Pugmire, The Los Angeles Times; Joseph Santoliquito, RingTV.com; David Weinberg, The Press of Atlantic City

BOXING FEATURE (Under 1,500 words)

First Place BILL DWYRE, “Crying For the Beloved Country,” The Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2014 Second Place SPRINGS TOLEDO, “Stugots,” TheSweetScience.com, April 25, 2014 Third Place: MICHAEL ROSENTHAL, “Victor Ortiz: Ability Is There, Questions Linger,” The Ring, November 5, 2014 Honorable Mention: Ivan G. Goldman, BoxingInsider.com; David P. Greisman, BoxingScene.com; Thomas Hauser, TheSweetScience.com; Zachary Levin, Athletes Quarterly; Gordon Marino, The Ring; Lance Pugmire, The Los Angeles Times; Joseph Santoliquito, RingTV.com; Mark Whicker, Truthdig.com

BOXING FEATURE (Over 1,500 words)

First Place SPRINGS TOLEDO, “A Wrinkle in Time,” TheSweetScience.com, November 13, 2014 Second Place JEFF MacGREGOR, “Bernard Hopkins Fights Father Time,” ESPN.com, April 19, 2014 Third Place TIM SMITH, “Mike Perez: Title Shot Ahead, Disabled Foe Behind,” BleacherReport.com, July 24, 2014 Honorable Mention: Adam Berlin, Boxing.com; Bernard Fernandez, The Ring; Thomas Gerbasi, BoxingScene.com; Lee Groves, RingTV.com; Kieran Mulvaney, Boxing News; Carlo Rotella, The New York Times Magazine; Joseph Santoliquito, The Ring; Michael Woods, TheSweetScience.com

BOXING INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

First Place SPRINGS TOLEDO, “Battle Hymn: The Untold Story of Little Tiger Wade,” TheSweetScience.com, March 17, 19, 24, 27, 31, April 3, 7, 9, 14, 16, 2014 Second Place THOMAS HAUSER, “What Is Al Haymon Planning?,” BoxingScene.com, July 7, 2014 Third Place (Tie) THOM LOVERRO, “FBI Suspected 1964 Ali-Liston Fight Was Rigged By Mob,” The Washington Times, February 24, 2014 ERIC RASKIN, “42 to 1,” Playboy, January/February 2015 (on Newsstands December 2014 Honorable Mention: Norm Frauenheim, The Ring; David Weinberg, The Press of Atlantic City

2014 BERNIES JUDGES:

TOMMY DEAS, Executive Sports Editor, Tuscaloosa News; 2nd Vice President Associated Press Sports Editors DAVE KINDRED, Former Sports Columnist, Louisville Courier-Journal, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal Constitution DOUG KRIKORIAN, Former Sports Columnist, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Long Beach Press BRYCE MILLER, Retired Sports Columnist, Des Moines Register JOHN SCHULIAN, Former Sports Columnist, Chicago Sun Times; 1984 Nat Fleischer Award Winner ED SCHUYLER, Retired Boxing Writer, Associated Press; 2010 Inductee, International Boxing Hall of Fame; 1979 Nat Fleischer Award Winner