The year 2015 started off with a bang. London rivals Tottenham defeated Chelsea 5-3 in an exciting match and set the year up for many more excitements that would follow. Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis formed a formidable doubles team that would win 11 titles including two Grand Slams. Cristiano Ronaldo also became the all time top goal scorer for Real Madrid. Valentino Rossi And Jorge Lorenzo battled it out throughout the year with some memorable races with the latter eventually winning the MotoGP title. The All Blacks, as the New Zealand Rugby team is known as won the World Rugby Championship in a one sided final. And the list is endless. Therefore I have prepared a list of the best moments in Sports in 2015-
10) Tyson Fury vs. Vladimir Klitschko
A two time former British and English World Champion, Fury stunned the world when he defeated Klitschko on 28th November to become the lineal, WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO and Ring magazine Unified Champion. However his IBF championship reign was short lived and lasted just 10 days after which he was stripped of it due to some complications. He is currently 25-0 as a professional.
9) Lionel Messi in the UEFA Champions League Semi Final
In a tightly contested match at the Camp Nou, FC Barcelona won 2-0 against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the semis thanks to two moments of magic from Lionel Messi. The highlight of the match however was the second goal where Messi chipped Goal Keeper Manuel Neuer after dodging Jerome Boateng. That trended a lot on social media and was among the most talked about moments in recent sports history.
8) Stephen Curry reigns supreme in NBA
Considered to be the best shooter of all times by many experts, Steph broke his own record for three pointers in a season with 286 in the 2014-15 season. His exploits helped Golden State Warriors win their first NBA Championship since 1975 amid stiff competition from Lebron James and Cleveland Cavaliers. Although he isn’t as tall or as imposing as some of his peers, but his technique and determination has allowed him to become the first player in NBA history to make 200 three pointers in four seasons.
7) Great Britain Wins Davis Cup
Andy Murray produced some of the greatest display of tennis in Davis Cup History to end Great Britain’s 79 year wait for the trophy. He dispatched Belgian David Goffin 6-3,7-5,6-3 in the finals. In the process he became the first player to win eight live singles rubbers in a Davis Cup year since the introduction of World Group in 1981 and the second player to have won 11 rubbers at World Group Level.
6) Sting’s first Wrestlemania appearance
Steve Borden or better known by his professional name “Sting” made his Wrestlemania debut in the 31st edition of the showpiece event. His match against COO “Triple H” was never meant to be a classic. But the 56 year old did entertain with his classic moves and baseball bat. The appearance of DX and nWo, two of the greatest stables from the “Attitude Era” more than made up for the fact that Sting lost his match. Come WM32 and Sting will become the first person to be inducted in both WWE and TNA Hall of Fame.
5) Aussies win back their favourite trophy
ICC World Cup 2015 held in New Zealand and Australia produced some exciting matches. South Africa lived up to their choker tag and failed to even qualify for the finals. Surprise package New Zealand emerged as the team to beat during the course of the tournament. Holders India were knocked out by Australia who eventually beat New Zealand in the finals for their 5th World trophy.
4) Jessica Ennis-Hill back to be A World Champion again
Reigning Olympic Champions Jessica Ennis-Hill had a long issue of injuries. This coupled with her pregnancy forced her to sit out from sports for around 2 years. Then she decided to be back. She qualified for the World Athletics Championship in Beijing, where she won the heptathlon with a total of 6669 points. She will also be at Rio 2016 to defend her Olympic Gold. She sets an example for women all over the world.
3) Ronda Rousey gets KO’d
Yes, the person named is the one on the losing side. 34 year old Holly Holm(10-0) defeated 29 year old Rousey(12-1) for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. Rousey struggled from the start and was eventually knocked out. And yet she remains the highest paid female athlete and the third most searched person on Google. Prior to her loss, she had won 11 of her 12 fights in the 1st round itself. ESPN ranks her as the Best Female Athlete Ever.
2) Floyd Mayweather Jr. against Manny Pacquiao
Billed the fight of the century. The costliest match ever. After 12 pulsating rounds, Mayweather emerged victorious beating Pacman 116-112,116-112,118-110. Mayweather connected 148 out of his 435 punches whereas Pacman connected 81 out of the 429 thrown. Seats cost from $40,000 upwards and the winner took home a purse of something in the region of $180 million. The highest paid Athlete in the world by a large margin. 39 year old Mayweather is undefeated in his professional career with a astounding stat of 49-0 and1996 Atlanta Bronze medal in Featherweight division.
1) FC Barcelona wins the treble for the second time in their history
Barcelona under Luis Enrique played a mixed combination of Tiki Taka and Counterattacking football to outclass every team in their way and lift the La Liga, Copa Del Rey and UEFA Champions League trophies in addition to the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup. Lionel Messi played the best football of his career and was ably supported by his partners in crime Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr. Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic, Gerard Pique and Claudio Bravo were all at their best for the entire year. The best club team in football was back to the very top of World football.
