Boxing continues to roll on in 2021. After a rough 2020 that saw many stars either not compete or compete just once, the new year has seen a handful of fighters already seen ring time with big success.
Look no further than the pound for pound king himself, Canelo Alvarez. The Mexican superstar has scored a pair of knockouts already, stopping Avni Yildirim with ease in February before another stoppage of Billy Joe Saunders in May.
And many in the boxing community were stunned when WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas outpointed legend Manny Pacquiao to retain his title in August. Despite the fight being made last minute because of an injury to unified titleholder Errol Spence Jr., many expected Pacquiao, 42, to be able to take care of business against the Cuban. Pacquiao subsequently announced his retirement from boxing to focus on a presidential run in his native Philippines.
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Plus, Oleksandr Usyk shocked many with his dazzling performance against Anthony Joshua to claim the unified heavyweight championships. Usyk took a decision over the champion in London and threw a wrench into any plans for a heavyweight unification bout after Joshua invoked his automatic rematch clause.
In October, WBO junior lightweight champion Jamel Herring puts his title on the line against top contender Shakur Stevenson. This marks the biggest fight of both men’s careers as pros as Stevenson, 24, gets his first opportunity in a massive spot.
Then in November, Canelo Alvarez looks to make good on unifying all four titles at 168 pounds when he takes on Caleb Plant on Showtime PPV. Alvarez already owns three of the four belts and looks to secure the IBF from Plant in this sensational showdown. A win for Alvarez would also all but lock up yet another Fighter of the Year award.
Below is a running list of boxing main events for the 2021 year.
Note: This will be updated constantly with changes and additions.
| Oct. 23 | Atlanta | Jamel Herring (c) vs. Shakur Stevenson | WBO junior lightweight title | ESPN |
| Oct. 30 | Las Vegas | Jamal James (c) vs. Radzhab Butaev | WBA “regular” welterweight title | Showtime |
| Nov. 5 | Las Vegas | Mikaela Mayer (c) vs. Maiva Hamadouche (c) |
Women’s super featherweight unification | ESPN+ |
| Nov. 6 | Las Vegas | Canelo Alvarez (c) vs. Caleb Plant (c) | Undisputed super middleweight titles | Showtime PPV |
| Nov. 13 | Phoenix | David Benavidez vs. Jose Uzcategui | Super middleweights | Showtime |
| Nov. 13 | Anaheim, California | Jaime Munguia vs. Gabriel Rosado | Junior middleweights | DAZN |
| Nov. 19 | New Hampshire | Demetrius Andrade (c) vs. Jason Quigley | WBO middleweight title | DAZN |
| Nov. 20 | Las Vegas | Terence Crawford (c) vs. Shawn Porter | WBO welterweight title | PPV |
| Nov. 27 | Los Angeles | Ryan Garcia vs. Joesph Diaz | Lightweights | DAZN |
| Nov. 27 | Las Vegas | Stephen Fulton Jr. (c) vs. Brandon Figueroa (c) | Super bantamweight unification | Showtime |
| Dec. 11 | New York | Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Richard Commey | Lightweights | ESPN |
| Dec. 18 | Scotland | Josh Taylor (c) vs. Jack Catterall | Undisputed junior welterweight title | TBD |
| Dec. 18 | Manchester, England | Derek Chisora vs. Joseph Parker | Heavyweights | TBD |
