Boxing
Boxing Day Special: Tyson Fury proof, Oleksandr Usyk shock and the best boxing moments of 2021
It’s been a fantastic year for boxing and there’s plenty of highlights to look back on including Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk and Canelo Alvarez victories.
It’s been a year of two halves for boxing, with the first half seeing numerous bouts behind closed doors while the second half has seen a number of high-profile fights taking place in front of thousands of fans.
While many may remember it as the year when the planned fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua fell apart, with questions as to whether we’ll ever get to see that bout, we have at least had plenty of stand-out moments to remember fondly.
about:blank Expectation for 2022 is high, which includes Fury‘s return to the UK to fight Dillian Whyte and Joshua vs Usyk 2, but the bar has been set at an impressive level by the past 12 months.
From world-title bouts and history-making success to surprising results and great entertainment, we’ve run down our best five boxing moments from 2021.
Fury’s 11th round KO on Wilder
After an American judge ruled in favour of Deontay Wilder, Fury had to honour his rematch with the Bronze Bomber – which led to frustrations for the supporters as it saw a proposed fight between Fury and Joshua collapse.
Further frustrations followed when an initial fight date was pushed back after cases of Covid in Fury’s camp but, when the pair finally came to blows once again in October, fans witnessed a fight that will go down in history.
Fury proved his quality by maintaining his unbeaten record with an 11th round knockout upon Wilder but encountered problems of his own during the bout, hitting the canvas, in what was a thrilling contest for the millions watching worldwide.
Usyk’s triumph over Anthony Joshua
With a unification bout against Fury off, Joshua instead faced-off against Oleksandr Usyk in September – and was completely outboxed by the Ukrainian at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The fight went the full distance and was decided by the judges scorecards but the winner was clear from the early rounds, with Joshua unable to get a foothold in the bout and losing his three heavyweight belts with a whimper.
Usyk’s performance has rightly earned rave praise and the general consensus is that he’ll now be the likely opponent for Fury in a unification bout next year.
Canelo’s undisputed triumph
While much of the talk has orientated around heavyweight unification, Canelo Alvarez made history by becoming the first-ever undisputed champion at super middleweight.
That milestone was achieved in November with victory against Caleb Plant in Las Vegas, securing his triumph with an eleventh-round technical knockout.
The Mexican is widely regarded to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world and is now set to fight Ilunga Makabu next year for the WBC cruiserweight title, as he looks to become a five-weight world champion.
Lara stuns Warrington
February 2021 may seem like a million years ago now and it was the month of one of the biggest upsets of the year, when a relatively unknown Mauricio Lara stunned Josh Warrington.
It was a first career defeat for the Leeds fighter and came in his long-awaited return to the ring, having last fought in October 2019, having hit the canvas twice in the bout.
The fight was eventually called in the ninth round after the second knockdown and shattered Warrington’s hopes of facing off against one of the big names in his weight division.
-MEN
The Nigerian boxing landscape has been thrown into uncertainty following reports that the Nigerian Boxing Federation (NBF) is considering steps to regulate professional boxing—an area traditionally overseen by the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBBofC).
Reacting swiftly, the NBBofC has dismissed the reports as misleading, warning that any such move could destabilise the established structure of the sport in the country.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Board reaffirmed its statutory authority as the sole body responsible for the regulation, control, and sanctioning of professional boxing in Nigeria.
“The attention of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control has been drawn to insinuations that another body intends to assume regulatory authority over professional boxing in Nigeria. We wish to categorically state that such claims are unfounded and should be disregarded,” the statement read.
The Board stressed that the NBF’s mandate is confined strictly to amateur boxing, in line with global sports governance frameworks, and does not extend to the professional ranks.
NBBofC President, Rafiu Ladipo, warned that any attempt by another organisation to assume control of professional boxing could trigger administrative conflicts, weaken regulatory standards, and expose athletes to unnecessary risks.
The Board also cautioned promoters, managers, and boxers against engaging with unauthorised bodies claiming regulatory powers.
“We advise all promoters, managers, and boxers to remain vigilant and not be misled by such insinuations. The NBBofC remains fully committed to its responsibility of regulating and sanctioning professional boxing in Nigeria in accordance with established rules and international best practices,” the statement added.
Observers within the boxing community note that clarity in regulatory authority is critical—not only for safeguarding athletes but also for ensuring fair competition and maintaining Nigeria’s credibility within the global boxing ecosystem.
For now, the NBBofC has reiterated its resolve to continue overseeing professional boxing in the country, even as stakeholders await further clarification on the reported position of the NBF.
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Oleksandr Usyk will put his WBC heavyweight title belt on the line against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza, Ring Magazine announced on Friday.
The Ukrainian three-times undisputed champion holds the IBF, WBA and WBC titles after vacating the WBO belt.
The 39-year-old has not boxed since beating Britain’s Daniel Dubois at London’s Wembley Stadium last July.
“I respect his (Verhoeven’s) journey – he’s truly the ‘King of Kickboxing’. But this is boxing – a different game, with its own rules and its own kings,” said Usyk, who has a 24-0 record.
“I’m ready and looking forward to meeting him in the ring. It’s going to be a unique experience for both of us, and I know the fans are excited too. A big night is coming.”
The ‘Glory in Giza’ fight will be streamed live on DAZN.
“I spent 12 years as the undisputed heavyweight kickboxing champion and accomplished everything I set out to accomplish,” Verhoeven, 36, told The Ring.
“But staying at the top for that long didn’t take away from the hunger; it strengthened it. Usyk is the undisputed champion in boxing. That’s the kind of challenge that motivated me. Undisputed versus undisputed.”
Verhoeven has sparred in the past with former champion Tyson Fury and had one professional bout in 2014, which he won by a knockout.
-Reuters
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Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will face off in a professional rematch at the Sphere in Las Vegas in September, with the bout streaming globally on Netflix, the fighters and promoters announced on Monday.
The fight marks Mayweather’s return from retirement and will be the first professional boxing match held at the Sphere.
Mayweather, who holds a perfect 50-0 record with 27 knockouts, defeated Pacquiao in their 2015 encounter dubbed the “Fight of the Century.”
That bout generated a record 4.6 million pay-per-view buys and a $72 million live gate at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“I already fought and beat Manny once. This time will be the same result,” Mayweather said in a statement.
Pacquiao, whose record stands at 62-8-3 with 39 knockouts, expressed confidence he would hand Mayweather his first professional loss.
“I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him,” the Filipino fighter said.
The rematch will stream to Netflix’s more than 325 million subscribers worldwide, continuing the platform’s push into live boxing.
The streaming platform has recently broadcast several high-profile fights, including Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson, which the company said drew 108 million live global viewers
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