With little deliberation or hesitation, TheBoxingFan.com declares the October 2nd battle between Felix Trinidad and Ricardo Mayorga our fight of 2004. Taking second and third place for 2004 are Glencoffe Johnson vs. Antonio Tarver and Ebo Elder vs. Courtney Burton. Let's take a quick review of 2004's most memorable action:

1) Felix Trinidad vs. Ricardo Mayorga
    If you ordered the Felix Trinidad vs. Ricardo Mayorga fight on Pay-Per-View, you found yourself riveted to the TV screen for eight action-packed rounds. If you were fortunate enough to see the fight live at Madison Square Garden that night, you left with a special memory. From the initial press conference to the final bell, there was not a dull moment throughout the Trinidad-Mayorga affair. The two gutsy punchers provided fireworks not seen in a middleweight title fight since Hagler vs. Hearns in 1985.

    Coming off a layoff that spanned over 2 years, Trinidad demonstrated that he hadn't lost a beat. In fact, right from the start of the action, Trinidad appeared as though he had actually improved since his last outing. Tito's jab was crisp. His power was awesome. And his lateral movement enabled him to elude many of Mayorga's wild but powerful right hand punches.

   Still, it was Mayorga, who in round three, delivered the fight's first knockdown . While it was a flash spill for Trinidad, it assured the Puerto Rican idol that his Nicaraguan opponent could return fire.

    Unfortunately for Mayorga, his willingness to trade - and do little else, led to his inevitable demise. El Matador's caution-to-the-wind approach served him well in just about every preceding fight, in which he would routinely challenge opponents to take free shots at his chin. Against Trinidad, Mayorga finally encountered punches that he could not absorb.

    As the fight moved into the middle rounds, it was clear that Tito was outgunning El Matador. Trinidad's offensive began to wreak havoc on Mayorga's face and body. By round seven, blood streamed down Mayorga's face from a nasty gash below his swollen left eye. Mayorga gasped for air as the fight wore on. By round seven, everyone in the Garden knew it was just a matter of time before Trinidad would dispose of his very game opponent.

    Finally, in round 8, Trinidad bulled his way through El Matador. Twice during the round, Trinidad unleashed a barrage of fierce body blows that caused Mayorga to grimace, clutch his ribs and descend to the canvas. A flurry of pinpoint punches deposited Mayorga to the floor for the third and final time. At that point, it was academic for referee Steve Smoger, who put a halt to the excitement at 2:39 of the eighth round.

    Whereas plenty of people witnessed Mayorga smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol in the days leading up to the fight, not may saw him do any training. His pink-dyed hair did little to distract his fearsome foe; rather, it merely created a spectacle each time he collapsed to the canvas. To Mayorga's credit, the Nicaraguan puncher kept swinging until the end. But a battered Mayorga would fly back to Nicaragua, $100,000 poorer due to the side bet he lost with Trinidad and having to face sexual assault charges in his home country. Felix Trinidad, on the other hand, recaptured the interest of all boxing fans and re-ignited his illustrious career.

    Exactly one week before the night of October 2nd, 2004, a much-anticipated super bout between Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya proved woefully anticlimactic. The Trinidad-Mayorga fight provided boxing with the spark it needed and rekindled interest in the sport.

2) Glencoffe Johnson vs. Antonio Tarver
    In 2004, Antonio Tarver dismantled the mystique of Roy Jones. Months later, Glencoffe Johnson would put it to rest. When the two conquerors of Roy Jones met in the dwindling days of 2004, they abandoned title belts of a corrupt governing system and put on the ultimate display of skill and will. In what was universally considered the battle for the true lightweight crown "Magic Man" Tarver landed effectively and consistently throughout the fight. But Tarver couldn't find the magic button on Glencoffe Johnson as he did in his previous fight against Roy Jones. Johnson's juggernaut attack kept Tarver busy and prevented Tarver from scoping out any perfect shots. Johnson's style was far less glamorous looking than Tarver's as his strategy seemed to be "keep punching no matter what." While exchanges were fast and frequent none of them proved particularly devastating until the championship rounds. Tarver was clearly stunned in the eleventh by a Johnson bomb. Yet Tarver rocked Johnson several times in the final round. I had the fight up for grabs going into the twelfth and last round. Tarver fought as if he believed the winner of round twelve would win the fight. Unleashing every punch in his arsenal, Tarver clearly took the round twelve. Yet, in the eyes of the judges, the Magic Man's final scene was not enough. Johnson came away with a split decision in an exciting fight which left fans asking for a rematch.

3) Ebo Elder vs. Courtney Burton
    Reminiscent of the Micky Ward vs Emmanuel Burton brawl a few years earlier, Ebo Elder and Courtney Burton staged quite a big performance in a rather small venue. For several rounds, Elder and Burton kept boxing fans in the Santa Ynez California Chumash Casino wondering which fighter would pull ahead. Perhaps it would be Burton who had all the markings of an fighter on the rise. Afterall, Elder had almost ditched his boxing career for one in the music industry. Finally, in round six, Burton gained an edge on the scorecards when Elder was deducted one point for hitting Burton low. It was nothing other than toe-to-toe action from there on. In round twelve, with both eyes swollen, Elder reached down deeply and knocked Burton to the canvas. After the second knockdown, the fight was stopped. Though Elder could not raise his eyelids, he found the strength to raise his gloves in victory.