Top 5 boxing stories of 2012

Boxing had one of its best years in a long time in 2012, as it returned to network television, regularly attracted very large crowds, had several massive pay-per-view shows and welcomed several new stars.
The news wasn't all good, though. Its biggest star went to jail for a few months, its second-best was knocked cold and lost two in a row and everywhere, it seemed, fighters were testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
Sadly, 2012 will also be remembered in boxing for a number of tragedies. Ex-world champion Paul Williams, then 30, was paralyzed in May in a motorcycle accident on his way to his brother's wedding. The sport lost some of its best and brightest, with boxers such as Johnny Tapia, Corrie Sanders and Hector Camacho dying way too young.

Other notables who died in 2012 include legendary trainers Angelo Dundee and Emanuel Steward, Hall of Fame fighters Carmen Basilio and Teofilo Stevenson and colorful journalist Bert Sugar.

Here are the five boxing stories in 2012: — By Kevin Iole

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5. The U.S. Olympic men's boxing team won zero medals
In the worst performance ever by a U.S. Olympic men's boxing team, the Americans were shut out of the medals and put up a combined record of 4-10. Two of those wins came by one man, welterweight Errol Spence. The bright spot for the Americans was that middleweight Claressa Shields won the gold in the first-ever women's competition. Shields won all three of her bouts by wide margins.
5. The U.S. Olympic men's boxing team won zero medals
In the worst performance ever by a U.S. Olympic men's boxing team, the Americans were shut out of the medals and put up a combined record of 4-10. Two of those wins came by one man, welterweight Errol Spence. The bright spot for the Americans was that middleweight Claressa Shields won the gold in the first-ever women's competition. Shields won all three of her bouts by wide margins.