Don Stradley, The Ring/RingTV.Com Big Winners In 2020 BWAA Writing Contest

Don Stradley and The Ring/RingTV.com took top honors in the 20th annual Boxing Writers Association of America writing contest. All placing entries will be acknowledged at the BWAA Awards Dinner, the date and time for which have not yet been determined.

The 2020 BWAA writing contest’s 211 total entries in six categories shattered the previous record of 149, set the year before.

Stradley, an author of three well-received books on boxing, was the only two-category winner, taking firsts in Event Coverage (“Mike and Roy battle of the aged,” for DonStradley.blogspot.com) and Feature Under 1,500 Words (“The Reinvention,” for The Ring). Tying Stradley for first place in the latter category is Diego Morilla (“A tale of Christmas in Wonderland,” for The Ring).

In addition to his two firsts, Stradley also had a third place in News Story and an honorable mention in Column. That gave him 13 points on a scoring system that awarded five points for a first, three for a second, two for a third and one for an HM, edging Greg Bishop of SI.com, who had 12 (a first, two seconds and an HM).

The Ring and RingTV.com was the dominant media outlet, logging 29 points (three firsts, three thirds and eight HMs) to 16 for runner-ups Boxingnewsonline.com (three seconds, one third, and five HMs), followed by The Athletic's 13 (one first, two thirds and four HMs).

Other first places went to Bishop in Investigative Reporting (“Clifford Etienne would like to paint you a picture,” SI.com); Lance Pugmire in Feature Over 1,500 Words (“In the name of the father: How Deontay Wilder learned to lead by example,” The Athletic); Norm Frauenheim in Column (“Defiance not enough to keep Coronavirus off an island or the UFC on ESPN,” 15rounds.com), and Joseph Santoliquito for News Story (“Dealing with death: The courage and compassion of Charles Conwell,” RingTV.com).

Santoliquito was the most-cited writer, with a first and four HMs. Stradley and Bishop each placed in four categories and Pugmire in three.

2020 BERNIE WINNERS

BOXING EVENT COVERAGE

First Place

DON STRADLEY, “Mike and Roy: Battle of the Aged,” Donstradley.blogspot.com, November 29, 2020

Second Place

GREG BISHOP, “Lopez Backs Up His Dad’s Trash Talk to Complete His ‘Takeover’ and Claim the Undisputed Lightweight Championship,” SI.com, October 18, 2020

Third Place

MIKE COPPINGER, “Canelo Alvarez is Finally in Control of His Destiny. Now What?,” The Athletic, December 24, 2020

Honorable Mention: Matt Christie, Boxingnewsonline.com; Ryan O’Hara, RingTV.com; Lance Pugmire, The Athletic; Dan Rafael, RingTV.com; Joseph Santoliquito, Ringtv.com; Springs Toledo, Thesweetscience.com; David Weinberg, Thesweetscience.com; Elliot Worsell, Boxingnewsonline.com

BOXING COLUMN

First Place

NORM FRAUENHEIM, “Defiance Not Enough to Keep Coronavirus Off An Island or the UFC on ESPN, Dana White Taps Out,” 15rounds.com, April 10, 2020

Second Place

BILL DWYRE, “Wonders of Boxing,” Los Angeles Times, November 27, 2020

Third Place

ELLIOT WORSELL, “Egos Tripping Out: Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Show the Last Thing a Fighter Loses is His Ego,” Boxingnewsonline.com, November 30, 2020

Honorable Mention: Carlos Acevedo, Hannibalboxing.com; John Dennen, Boxing News; Phil Jay, Worldboxingnews.net; Mark Kriegel, ESPN.com; Thom Loverro, Washington Times; Eric Raskin, Ringside Seat; Joseph Santoliquito, RingTV.com; Don Stradley, Donstradley.blogspot.com

BOXING NEWS STORY

First Place

JOSEPH SANTOLIQUITO, “Dealing with Death: The Courage and Compassion of Charles Conwell,” RingTV.com, February 7, 2020

Second Place

GREG BISHOP, “Inside the Longstanding Tension Between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez,’” SI.com, September 29, 2020

Third Place

DON STRADLEY, “A Legacy of His Own,” The Ring, June, 2020

Honorable Mention: Manouk Akopyan, Boxingscene.com; Mike Coppinger, The Athletic; Jose Corpas, Boxing News; John Dennen, Boxingnewsonline.net; Lee Groves, RingTV.com; Dan Rafael, Boxingscene.com

BOXING FEATURE (Under 1,500 words)

First Place (tie)

DIEGO MORILLA, “A Tale of Christmas in Wonderland,” The Ring, June 16, 2020

First Place (tie)

DON STRADLEY, “The Reinvention,” The Ring, September 2020

Second Place

JOSE CORPAS, “Harry Greb Street Artist,” Boxing News, July 22, 2020

Third Place

SPRINGS TOLEDO, “Truth, Justice, and Muhammad Ali,” Mizan, June 23, 2020

Honorable Mention: Carlos Acevedo, Hannibalboxing.com; Manouk Akopyan, LATimes.com; Rick Assad, Thesweetscience.com; Tris Dixon, Boxingscene.com; Mark Kriegel, ESPN.com; Joseph Santoliquito, RingTV.com; Jimmy Tobin, Hannibalboxing.com; Paul Zanon, Hannibalboxing.com

BOXING FEATURE (Over 1,500 words)

First Place

LANCE PUGMIRE, “In the Name of the Father: How Deontay Wilder Learned to Lead by Example,” The Athletic, February 17, 2020

Second Place

SPRINGS TOLEDO, “Dark Days,” Boxing News, July 2, 2020

Third Place

TIM GRAHAM, “The Comeback No. 1: Politics? Racisim? Death Threats? Nothing Could Stop Ali” The Athletic, September 10, 2020

Honorable Mention:

Greg Bishop, SI.com; Mike Coppinger, The Athletic; Tris Dixon, Boxing News; Mark Kriegel, ESPN.com; Joseph Santoliquito, The Ring; Jimmy Tobin, Hannibalboxing.com

BOXING INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

First Place

GREG BISHOP, “Clifford Etienne Would Like to Paint You a Picture,” SI.com, November 24, 2020

Second Place

JACK HIRSCH, “The Rise and Fall of the Golden Gloves,” Boxingnewsonline.net, June 4, 2020 – June 25 2020 (Series)

Third Place (tie)

DIEGO MORILLA, “Money, Shit, and the Left Hand of God,” RingTV.com, December 12, 2020

DAN RAFAEL, “Life in a Bubble,” The Ring, December 2020

Honorable Mention: Manouk Akopyan, Boxingscene.com; Mike Coppinger, The Athletic; Jose Corpas, Boxing News; Alan Dawson, Insider Inc.; Bernard Fernandez, RingTV.com; Lance Pugmire, The Athletic; Cliff Rold, BoxingScene.com