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 completed his takeover of the super middleweight division with a thudding knockout of Caleb Plant in November to become the first undisputed champion in that division’s history. A raucous 12-month run that saw him pick up four massive wins already has him as the consensus pick for Fighter of the Year once again.
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.
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.
As the end of the year nears, boxing appears to be going out with a bang.
A major welterweight title showdown is set for Nov. 20 when WBO titleholder Terence Crawford takes on former champ Shawn Porter. The bout marks the biggest test of Crawford’s career to date while Porter looks to get a title back under his belt after losing a close decision to Errol Spence Jr. in 2019.
Below is a running list of boxing main events for the 2021 year.
Note: This will be updated constantly with changes and additions.
Nov. 13 | Phoenix | David Benavidez vs. Kyrone Davis | 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 | Las Vegas | Stephen Fulton Jr. (c) vs. Brandon Figueroa (c) | Super bantamweight unification | Showtime |
Nov. 27 | New York | Teofimo Lopez (c) vs. George Kambosos | Unified lightweight titles | DAZN |
Dec. 5 | Los Angeles | Gervonta Davis vs. Isaac Cruz | Lightweights | Showtime PPV |
Dec. 11 | Carson, California | Nonito Donaire (c) vs. Reymart Gaballo | WBC bantamweight title | Showtime |
Dec. 11 | New York | Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Richard Commey | Lightweights | ESPN |
Dec. 18 | Tampa, Florida | Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury | Cruiserweights | Showtime PPV |
Dec. 18 | Manchester, England | Derek Chisora vs. Joseph Parker | Heavyweights | TBD |