The BWAA Is Proud To Announce Its 2022 Bernie Award Winners
The BWAA is proud to announce its 2022 Bernie Writing Award winners, named after former longtime BWAA president International Boxing Hall of Famer Bernard Fernandez,
This year’s awards saw one double first-place winner in Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, who won in the Boxing Column and Boxing News story categories.
ESPN’s Michael Rothstein claimed top honors for Event Coverage, Don Stradley, of blogspot, finished in a first-place tie with Mannix in the Boxing Column category, Springs Toledo finished first place in the Feature - Under 1,500 Words category, Matt Aguilar won for Feature - Over 1,500 Words and Hall of Famer Thomas Hauser took first for Investigative Reporting.
The BWAA will be honoring the first-place award winners at its annual dinner on Thursday June 8, at the Edison Rooftop at6 p.m. Anyone caring to attend can find the order forms here on the BWAA.org website.
2022 BERNIE WINNERS
BOXING EVENT COVERAGE
First Place
MICHAEL ROTHSTEIN, “Katie Taylor Edges Amanda Serrano by Split Decision to Retain Undisputed Title,” ESPN.com, April 30, 2022
Second Place
ELLIOT WORSELL, “Ceasefire: An Odd Mix of Boos and a Standing Ovation Aptly Concludes the Canelo – GGG Rivalry in Las Vegas.” Boxing News Magazine, September 18, 2022
Third Place
LANCE PUGMIRE, “Canelo Alvarez Has Only One Place to Go After Dmitry Bivol Upset Loss: Back to 168,” USA Today, May 8, 2022
Honorable Mention: Matt Christie, Boxing News; Norm Frauenheim, 15 Rounds; Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated; Ryan O’Hara, Fight Nights; Jimmy Tobin, Hannibal Boxing; David Weinberg, 973ESPN.com
BOXING COLUMN
First Place (Tie)
CHRIS MANNIX, “Boxing Must Take a Stand After Gervonta Davis Arrest,” Sports Illustrated, December 29, 2022
DON STRADLEY, “Earnie,” donstradley.blogspot.com, September 13, 2022
Second Place
TOM GERBASI, “Tony Ayala, Jr. - The Rise and Fall of ‘El Torito’,” BoxingScene.com, February 14, 2022
Third Place
NORM FRAUENHEIM, “No Crawford-Spence, No Surprise,” 15 Rounds, October 22, 2022
Honorable Mention: Thomas Hauser, thesweetscience.com; Jack Hirsch, Boxing News; Cliff Rold, boxingscene.com; Michael Rothstein, ESPN.com
BOXING NEWS STORY
First Place
CHRIS MANNIX, “Ryan Garcia Places Sole Focus on Gervonta Davis in the Face of Backlash,” Sports Illustrated, December 19, 2022
Second Place
ALAN DAWSON, “How the Biggest Fight in Boxing Fell Apart at the Final Hour – and Where Spence, Crawford Should Go from Here,” Insider, November 4, 2022
Third Place
JOSE CORPAS, “Carlos Ortiz: Boxing Legend and Salsa Pioneer,” Unanimo Deportes, June 14, 2022
Honorable Mention: Manouk Akopyan, Boxing Scene; Norm Frauenheim, 15 Rounds; Lee Groves, RingTV.com; Thomas Hauser, thesweetscience.com; Sean Nam, BoxingScene.com; Joseph Santoliquito, Ring Magazine; Elliot Worsell, Boxing News Magazine
BOXING FEATURE (Under 1,500 words)
First Place
SPRINGS TOLEDO, “A Member of This Club,” Plough Quarterly, February 24, 2022
Second Place (Tie)
HECTOR FRANCO, “Victory in Defeat: Amanda Serrano Earns Her Spot Amongst the Great of Puerto Rico,” NY Fights, May 9, 2022
THOMAS HAUSER, “’The Greatest Show on Earth’ Comes to Warren, Ohio,” thesweetscience.com, January 31, 2022
DIEGO MORILLA, “Spain’s First Boxing Champion Finally Gets His Ring Belt After His Epic Win,” RingTV.com, November 16, 2022
JOSEPH SANTOLIQUITO, “Mario Barrios Was Born in Chaos and Raised in Love,” PBC, September 8, 2022
Third Place
NORM FRAUENHEIM, “Estrada-Chocolatito 3: Trilogy Makes Carbajal Remember His Own Against Chiquita Gonzalez,” 15 Rounds, December 2, 2022
Honorable Mention: Rick Assad, thesweetscience.com; Tris Dixon, Boxing Scene; Oliver Fennell, Boxing News; Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated; Jamie Rebner, The Fight City; Michael Rothstein, ESPN.com
BOXING FEATURE (Over 1,500 words)
First Place
MATTHEW AGUILAR, “Wilfredo Benitez’s Greatest Fight,” Ringside Seat, Summer 2022
Second Place
MICHAEL ROTHSTEIN, “Refugee to Role Model: Ramla Ali is Fighting to Make an Impact – and Make History,” ESPN.com, August 16, 2022
Third Place
OLIVER FENNELL, “Boxing Breaking New Territory,” Boxing News, May 29, 2022
Honorable Mention: Greg Bishop, Sports Illustrated; Tris Dixon, Boxing News Magazine; Andrew Harrison, Ringside Seat Magazine; Mark Kriegel, ESPN; Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated; Lance Pugmire, USA Today Sports+; Joseph Santoliquito, The Ring; Elliot Worsell, Boxing News Magazine
BOXING INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
First Place
THOMAS HAUSER, “An Open Letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul Regarding the New York State Athletic Commission,” thesweetscience.com, January 23, 2022
Second Place
OLIVER FENNELL, “The Unfair Fight,” Boxing News, September 1, 2022
Third Place
ALAN DAWSON, “Suspicions of An Unlawful Cash-For-Rankings Scheme Raised as Boxing Promoter Admits Paying Consultancy with Ties to Sanctioning Body,” Insider, July 18, 2022
Honorable Mention: Norm Frauenheim, 15 Rounds; Sean Nam, BoxingScene.com; Elliot Worsell, Boxing News Magazine
2022 BERNIES JUDGES:
TOMMY DEAS, USA Today Sports Network
GEORGE DIAZ, Orlando Sentinel (retired)
JAKE DONOVAN, Boxing Scene, Senior Writer
JOE MAXSE, Cleveland Plain Dealer (retired), Nat Fleischer Award recipient
WALLACE MATTHEWS, Nat Fleischer Award recipient
MIKE WATERS, Syracuse Post Standard
