Fansided

FanSided’s 2021 boxing awards and greatest performances

By Jeremy Herriges

Canelo Alvarez of Mexico (R) lands a punch on Caleb Plant of the United States (L) during their super-middleweight unification boxing match at MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 6, 2021. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Canelo Alvarez of Mexico (R) lands a punch on Caleb Plant of the United States (L) during their super-middleweight unification boxing match at MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 6, 2021. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) /
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2021 Fight of the Year: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3

Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder 3
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 09: Tyson Fury (L) knocks out Deontay Wilder in the 11th round of their WBC heavyweight title fight at T-Mobile Arena on October 9, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Our Round of the Year award came down to Fury vs. Wilder 3 and Estrada vs. Gonzalez 2, and so did Fight of the Year.

Estrada vs. Gonzalez 2 received a high number of votes from our panelists and deserves a tremendous amount of credit.

Twitter’s #TheChat host and founder Ernie Green viewed Estrada vs. Gonzalez 2 as the “most Hall-of-Fame level action,” but it wasn’t enough to unseat Fury vs. Wilder 3 as FanSided’s 2021 Fight of the Year.

Fury vs. Wilder 3 was arguably the biggest fight of 2021 in terms of build-up and anticipation. Rarely does a fight live up to the hype, but this one superseded expectations.

Fury hit the canvas twice, and Wilder fell three times, the last of which culminated in the fight’s end.

This was indeed the No. 1 heavyweight vs. No. 2 Wilder was devastated that he couldn’t finish the second fight on his terms. Wilder gave it his all in the third and likely final chapter in his rivalry with Fury and went out swinging.

The intensity was high, and the punches were colossal, but Fury came out looking like the best heavyweight boxer in the world.

“This was edge-of-your-seat stuff from round 1 til when it ended,” said Fight Hub TV’s founder Marcos Villegas. “It was like a movie, with dramatic twists and turns. In the end of it, you felt you had been through an emotional rollercoaster that had boxing fans and fight fans buzzing about how great and dramatic of a fight they had witnessed.”

“The fight no one thought they wanted, and everyone enjoyed,” said boxing journalist and PR pro Gayle Falkenthal. “Two big men blasting away in the ring, what more can you ask for? Being ringside again covering it alongside the members of the #WackPack was the icing on the cake.”

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