Canelo Alvarez sweeps the board for historic year at WBC awards
- Ryan Allan
- 23 December 2021
Canelo became the first undisputed super middleweight champion, defeating two previously unbeaten world titleholders in the process.
Having begun 2021 with the goal of unifying the super middleweight division, Canelo made the first step to that remarkable achievement with a dominant unanimous decision victory against now-former WBA and Ring Magazine champion Callum Smith at the back-end of 2020.
Following a one-sided beatdown of the over-matched Avni Yildirim in a voluntary defence of his WBA (Super), WBC, and Ring super middleweight titles in February, Canelo continued his assault on the 168lb weight class, claiming the WBO title from Britain's Billy Joe Saunders in early May.
Serrano picks up top female award
In the women's ranks, Amanda Serrano claimed the boxer of the year award following an outstanding 12-month period in which the American retained her WBC and WBO female featherweight titles while adding the IBO female featherweight title to her growing collection.
Fury vs Wilder III wins fight of the year
In what was a truly outstanding year for boxing, Tyson Fury's brilliant stoppage victory against Deontay Wilder was a richly deserved winner of the fight of the year award.
A bonafide heavyweight classic, this third instalment of their heavyweight rivalry somehow managed to top the two previous editions, with Fury the victor following a brilliant back and forth slugfest.
While the heavyweight division has long been starved of genuine rivalries or dramatic occasions, Fury and Wilder delivered the best trilogy series since Bowe and Holyfield nearly three decades ago, with both men leaving everything in the ring on a night of extraordinary drama and courage.
Also recognised for their achievements over the past year, newly crowned unified lightweight champion George Kambosos Jnr was awarded the "Revelation of the Year" title for his brilliant upset victory over Teofimo Lopez in November.
Meanwhile Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano picked up the "dramatic fight of the year" award for their thrilling draw as they battled for the undisputed light middleweight title back in July. A rematch has been confirmed for late February in Texas.
