Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 

2021 Winner: Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III

2021 Women’s Winner: Chantelle Cameron vs. Mary McGee

Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano – Simply put the best fight I have seen all year, with an electric atmosphere, non-stop action, and a ton of debate about who should’ve won. Taylor vs. Serrano feels like an all-time classic and one that will be hard to top in this category. 

The fight was so good that it won the honors for being the best fight of the year, not just women’s fight of the year, transcending gender, as this was an all-time classic. It also summed up the year quite nicely. The men in boxing couldn’t make the big fights happen, and the women consistently did with little barriers or hesitation to have it happen. 

Taylor is a modern legend, one of the greatest Irish boxers ever, if not the greatest Irish boxer, ever. Amanda Serrano is a decorated world champion, and one of the best modern Puerto Rican fighters, yet no one cares – or not enough people care. She has more world titles in different weight classes than a lot of hall-of-famers, yet when the two faced each other, it wasn’t about the road they had to endure, it was about putting on a show for the ages. 

A classic New York City fight, with a big city feel, electricity in the building, and beyond that, women’s boxing legends young and old, there to support. From top USA Boxing amateurs to current world champions, the sport as a whole came together as the two headlined Madison Square Garden and filled up the arena. 

No other fight had the atmosphere, the drama, and was as close. This was the best fight of the year, as no other fight could capture the drama from start to finish as this was a thrill ride to be a part of.

A mega-fight that lived up to the hype. 

Honorable Mentions

Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall – One of the best fights of the year, as Claressa Shields proved herself as the best yet again. Savannah Marshall fought a game fight and came on strong in the latter rounds. The two made the mega-fight when fighters in men’s boxing couldn’t. An all-time classic. 

Sebastian Fundora vs. Erickson Lubin – A fun fire-fight that saw both fighters hurt, and birthed Sebastian Fundora as a fighter who will be on the main event stage for some years. 

Leigh Wood vs. Michael Conlan – A fight that truly overachieved that saw different beats and flows, ending in a knockout of the year contender. What an exciting bout to watch, and worthy of mention.

Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano II – The closing salvo of Charlo’s reign at 154 lbs, to become the first-four belt undisputed world champion in his, as he righted the wrong of the draw between himself and Castano, fighting the best fight of his life. The KO win was simply an exclamation point on the best performance of Jermell Charlo’s career.

Sivenathi Nontshinga vs Hector Flores – Nontshinga and Flores had a legendary bout, a fight that was so ignored, they didn’t get their own highlight video on DAZN’s YouTube channel. Nontshinga emerged as an exciting lower-weight fighter, who had to use every ounce of his being to become a world champion. 

Hiroto Kyoguchi vs Esteban Bermudez – A brutal slugfest, where a lot of defense was thrown to the side, as the two beat each other up. Kyoguchi would prove himself to be a world-level fighter with this win in enemy territory. Only for the most hardcore of hardcore boxing fans.