By Boxing Bob Newman

On a beautiful Nicaraguan night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel’s poolside, the WBA held their annual Best of the Year Awards Banquet, with honors bestowed in several categories, honored the late Nicaraguan legend Alexis Arguello and his fellow native Nicaraguan champion boxers and awarded belts to the newest WBA champions.

In the most touching moment of the night, a posthumous homage was paid to Nicaragua’s first world champion and their most legendary- the late Alexis Arguello.  The award was accepted by the hall of famer’s daughter Dora Arguello, who broke into tears while accepting the red, white and blue WBA Super Champion’s belt.  It was the untimely passing of the ring icon that prompted the WBA to choose Managua, Nicaragua as the site of this year’s convention.

It was with great honor that Fightnews.com was awarded the WBA’s Website of the Year award.  Accepting on behalf of Fightnews.com were International Editor Gabriel Cordero and yours truly, Correspondent “Boxing” Bob Newman.

The following is a list of the honors and honorees at the 89th WBA convention:

Boxer of the Year: David “Hayemaker” Haye

Honorable Mention: Miguel Cotto

Promoter of the Year: Top Rank Inc.

Honorable Mention: Golden Boy Promotions

Fight of the Year: Giovanni Segura vs. Ivan Caldeon

Prospect of the Year: Roman Gonzalez

Outstanding Champion of Latin America: Hugo Cazares

Honorable Mention: Miguel Cotto

Outstanding Champion of Europe:Vyacheslav Senchenko

Outstanding Champion of Asia: Takashi Uchiyama

Outstanding Champion of North America: Andre Ward

Matchmaker of the Decade: Sampson Lewkowicz

Matchmaker of the Year: Ricardo Rizzo

Executive of the Year: Chris Meyer

Website of the Year: Fightnews.com

Female Champion of the Year: Yessica Yolanda Bopp

Honorable Mention:  Lisa Brown

Victory of the Year: Luis “Nica” Concepcion

Ring Official of the Year: Steve Smoger

Honorable Mention: Nelson Vazquez

Director of the Year: George Martinez (NABA and WBA Female Championships)

WBA Legend: Niwat Laosuwanwat, Hector Criollo, Ricardo Lopez, Osvaldo Rivero,

Recognition of Nicaraguan Champions: Eddie Gazo, Juan Palacios, Adonis Rivas, Eduardo Rey Marquez, Jose Alfaro, Roman Gonzalez

Posthumous Homage: Alexis Arguello

Boxing T.V. Program of the Decade: Lo Mejor Del Boxeo – Juan Carlos Tapia

Regional Body of the Year: PABA (Pan Asian Boxing Association)

Lifetime Achievement:  Yang Sup Shim

Super Championship Belt: Miguel Cotto

New Champions Belts: Rigoberto Alvarez, Roman Gonzalez, Kwanthai Sithmorseng