FanSided’s 2021 boxing awards and greatest performances

2021 Fighter of the Year: Canelo Alvarez

Since Eddy Reynoso is our Trainer of the Year, it’s only natural that Canelo Alvarez is our 2021 Fighter of the Year.

Alvarez went 3-0 in 2021 and demolished previously undefeated fighters Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant to become the undisputed super middleweight champion of the world. Alvarez stated his intentions to invade the cruiserweight division, and despite being 5-foot-8, Alvarez is a serious contender to overtake another division.

Alvarez (57-2-1, 39 KOs) has shown the rare ability to grow and evolve with every fight. His potential has brilliantly blossomed over the years and has made him the kingpin of professional boxing. The scary thing is that he’s only 31 years old, which means that the best might be yet to come.

He accomplished all of his goals in 2021, proving that he can achieve anything he sets his mind to. Alvarez doesn’t expect to fight again until May 2022 but could be in for another banner year. His stock is higher than ever, and he capped off 2021 with a round 11 TKO of Plant, which made him a shoo-in for Fighter of the year.

“Undisputed pound-for-pound King. Simple as that,” pronounced Rob Wetherall, a.k.a UK Rob.

“Undisputed. That one word is something many boxers hope to attain at some point in their career, but only a handful of people in history have been able to reach it,” said boxing writer Carlos Toro. “Canelo Alvarez was able to do it in the span of just 11 months. Although his journey to undisputed started in December 2020, Alvarez kept himself very busy in 2021, with a quick win against an over-matched Avni Yildirim, followed by a unification victory over Billy Joe Saunders. Alvarez’s goal of becoming undisputed champion became a reality when he defeated Caleb Plant this past November and unified the 168-pound division.”

“He unified the 168-pound division in less than 12 months and did so despite the pandemic, network dealings, and boxing’s typical hurdles,” said Greg Domino eloquently. “That is what the record books will show, but what we witnessed in the ring was even better. He beat down three top undefeated world champions and a mandatory. He is boxing’s cash cow and upped the ante again with his return to PPV with strong numbers. This should be unanimous.”