Despite Browne's surprising loss to Jean Pascal, he remains a polished boxer-puncher with good movement and a fine jab. Luckily for fans, the 31-year-old Mexican superstar has consistently used his powers for good of late as a promotional free agent, using the majority of 2021 to unify all four super middleweight titles for the first time in history en route to claiming Fighter of the Year honors. Canelo Alvarez's pursuit of history has him on the brink of finalizing a Sept. If Benavidez had kept that belt, he would have been standing in the way of Canelo Alvarez's quest to become the undisputed super middleweight champion and surely would have landed a fight with boxing's top star. The victory is Dirrell's first since February 2019, when he won the vacant super middleweight title vs. Makabu has won nine straight since his dramatic third-round knockout loss to Tony Bellew (whom Makabu dropped in the opening round). I thought GGG clearly won that round. Another left hook by Alvarez backed Plant into the ropes later in the second round.
A fight with Bivol would provide Alvarez the opportunity win a second 175-pound title, which also would enhance his resume. After all, the fight game hinges on major live gates to deliver its truly marquee events. While the other major sports leagues experienced plenty of pauses and cancellations, the pandemic never stopped the best teams from facing one another. With COVID restrictions a major issue last year -- and even in the early part of this year -- promoters found it difficult to find the funds necessary to stage many of the biggest matchups in boxing. Plant said according to Boxing Scene, confident he can extend his undefeated pro boxing record of 12 knockouts from 21 wins against Alvarez. With 2021 arriving, Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 knockouts) has severed his promotional ties from Golden Boy Promotions and his broadcasting obligations to streaming service DAZN to become a free agent. Alvarez said afterward he thought he did enough to win the bout, but the only real question for those watching in the arena and on pay-per-view was how much the judges might be swayed by Alvarez’ reputation and the screams of his supporters every time he landed a punch. Last Saturday, Canelo completed his three-year mission to become the undisputed champion at 168 with an 11th round stoppage win over IBF champion Caleb Plant.
The Tennessee-based US fighter was ranked as the world's third-best active super middleweight by The Ring, having outclassing Caleb Truax to defend his IFB strap in January. Golovkin made his pro debut in 2006. He became WBA (first interim, then official) middleweight champion in '10 and IBO champion in '11. On November 6, 2021, Plant will take on reigning WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. Whomever emerges from Fulton-Figueroa with his hand raised, could then unify with the other champion in an undisputed title fight at 122 pounds. His lone pro defeat came at 126 pounds against the ultra-talented Gary Russell Jr. Now Diaz has the chance to show he's better than ever in his third weight class. What's at stake: Supremacy at 135 pounds. What's at stake: For Lomachenko, it's an opportunity to prove he's still one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world -- that means taking care of Commey in explosive fashion. What's at stake: GGG needs an emphatic performance to prove he's still a formidable fighter and a devastating puncher.
At 29, he’s still pretty young for a heavyweight, but you can really argue we’ve seen about the same Joseph Parker since 2016, when he stepped up his competition, and had his breakout year. Now that it’s in the rearview mirror, 2020 was not a year to remember for anyone. It’s just because it’s at cruiserweight. It’s the same low-risk, high-reward approach we saw Floyd Mayweather pursue in the latter stages of his career, when he was widely regarded, as Canelo now is, as the best fighter and top attraction in the game. It's also another opportunity for Davis to show off his considerable drawing power as one of boxing's best attractions. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including complete coverage of Canelo vs. When the two came together, it was a forgone conclusion that Canelo would get physical with Plant due to his pent-up rage. It’s not a fight that the fans are going to really get behind.