Better of Boxing in 2021: Canelo Alvarez runs away with Fighter of the Yr honors

The game of boxing was Canelo Alvarez’s world in 2021 and the remainder of us simply existed in it. 

Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs), the 31-year-old Mexican famous person, lived as much as his lofty fame because the simultaneous pound-for-pound king and the game’s largest draw by profitable three fights and unifying all 4 tremendous middleweight world titles in lower than one calendar yr.  

This turned out to be as clear-cut a runaway vote as this award has seen in years. Let’s take a more in-depth have a look at why Alvarez deserved such accolades and who else was in competition for honorable point out.  

Fighter of the Yr 

Winner: Canelo Alvarez — 3-0 (def. Avni Yildirim, Billy Joe Saunders, Caleb Plant) 

Throughout an period through which high fighters generally battle to make two appearances in a single yr, the truth of a worldwide pandemic solely made issues harder. Not for Alvarez, nonetheless, who accomplished a stretch of 4 fights in beneath 12 months courting again to December 2020. Though simply three of Alvarez’s wins got here inside 2021, all three had been stoppage wins in title fights, together with two towards unbeaten champions.  

Alvarez might need entered the brand new yr because the consensus greatest boxer on the planet, however he cemented that standing in a significant means along with his efficiency, turning into not simply the primary undisputed champion of the four-belt period at 168 kilos however totally unifying the titles in lower than one yr.

Whereas Alvarez’s dismantling of Yildirim, a compulsory opponent who was largely undeserving of the chance, will get remembered as merely a footnote to his 2021 success, the 2 wins that adopted over a six-month span towards Saunders and Plant totally showcased what makes Alvarez so nice.  

Each unbeaten champions introduced troublesome types to the desk as pure boxers who’re exhausting to look good towards. None of that stopped Alvarez, nonetheless, from taking his time in adjusting to their pace and timing earlier than delivering a powerful end.  

Having already turn out to be the face of the game within the aftermath of the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao period, it is not essentially a shock that Alvarez would discover himself on this place as essentially the most acclaimed essential and industrial fighter of his day. What has been astonishing to see, nonetheless, is the benefit through which Alvarez has moved up in weight alongside the way in which, seeming to be virtually extra harmful with every rise.

Second place: Oleksandr Usyk 1-0 (def. Anthony Joshua) 

The southpaw wizard from Ukraine cemented his identify within the historical past books as an all-time nice by unifying titles in a second weight class because of his upset of Joshua in September. Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) burst the bubble of many critics’ fears that the previous undisputed cruiserweight champion was too small to compete among the many division’s elites by strolling Joshua down with out succumbing to his opponent’s energy. Usyk was as daring as he was tactically sensible in securing a trio of world titles and sure securing a big-money rematch.

Third place: Josh Taylor 1-0 (def. Jose Ramirez) 

Taylor (18-0, 13 KOs), the undisputed junior welterweight champion, edged out a crowded subject for third place on the energy of his title unifying victory over unbeaten Ramirez. The 30-year-old native of Scotland additionally cemented himself among the many pound-for-pound greatest within the sport as a southpaw boxer with authentic ending energy. 

Others receiving votes

Gervonta Davis (26-0, 24 KOs), who recorded a pair of thrilling pay-per-view title wins in separate divisions, additionally deserved consideration, as did 39-year-old Filipino legend Nonito Donaire (42-6, 28 KOs) for his pair of knockout wins towards unbeaten fighters Nordine Oubaali and Reymart Gaballo, the previous of which noticed him reclaim a chunk of the bantamweight title. George Kambosos Jr. (20-0, 10 KOs) might need scored the most important upset of the yr by outlasting Teofimo Lopez Jr. to turn out to be the unified light-weight champion whereas Katie Taylor (20-0, 6 KOs) powered by way of for a trio of choice wins in protection of her undisputed ladies’s light-weight title.