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Who Was Canelo Alvarez’s Last Fight in 2021?

Published 01/30/2022, 11:30 AM EST

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Pound-for-pound kingpin Canelo Alvarez saw tremendous success in 2021, becoming the first-ever undisputed unified super middleweight world champion in the sport’s history. It happened after a full-fledged calendar year in which Alvarez remained active throughout.

This sheer activeness came after Alvarez’s long hiatus from action since knocking out Sergey Kovalev for the light heavyweight strap back in 2019. While he remained sidelined for most of 2020, Alvarez returned to action in December and took on Callum Smith for the WBA, WBA, and Ring super middleweight titles.

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To everyone’s surprise, 5’8” Alvarez looked extremely comfortable in the ring with a 6’3” Callum Smith and entered 2021 by putting his hands on the 168 lbs belts. It was just the beginning of his success line, which touched new heights in 2021. That said, his latest fight against Caleb Plant was just a portion of the glory Alvarez relished throughout the year.

Who has Canelo Alvarez fought in 2021?

Alvarez began the year by entering the ring against a mandatory contender, Avni Yildirim, in February. Putting his WBC and WBA belts at stake, Alvarez had an easy day at work against Yildirim, who looked like an amateur in the fight. From the beginning, Canelo put on immense pressure on his rival and earned a TK victory in round three.

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Alvarez battered Yildirim throughout the three rounds and advanced his glittery record to 55-1-2 in style. However, his next two fights brought him against two undefeated world champions, similar to the time when he fought Callum Smith in 2020.

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In May, Canelo Alvarez challenged Brit star, Billy Joe Saunders for his WBO super-middleweight belt. The matchup came across severe outer ring turmoils which saw Alvarez appear alone in the media event for the fight. That said, WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury was also a part of the storyline in which he backed Saunders to maul Alvarez.

Meanwhile, Billy Joe Saunders could dominate Alvarez for a brief period in the in-ring battle. His southpaw stance proved problematic for Alvarez until the Mexican star offered his best show. After that; the fight went in favor of Alvarez, who stopped Saunders in round eight via RTD. Following the win, Alvarez became the WBC, WBA, WBO, and Ring super middleweight belts.

Canelo Alvarez’s last fight in 2021

Having fought twice in 2021, Alvarez made it three and aimed towards the undisputed title fight against IBF champion (then) Caleb Plant in November. That matchup also happened after contractual problems and Plant’s big financial demands. But the in-ring scrap was completely on Alvarez’s side. Although Caleb Plant could move and sustain himself till round 11, he had touched the end of his gas tank by then.

Alvarez sensed it and floored his opponent with thunderous shots in the championship round, becoming the maiden undisputed 168 lbs champion of boxing. He can now aim towards bigger goals as 2022 can be a bigger year for him.

Who is Canelo fighting next?

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Alvarez hasn’t announced his next fight yet. However, he is in talks to face several potential names from the existing rosters. Per reports, PBC has offered WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo to Alvarez.

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Besides, Eddie Hearn‘s Matchroom Promotions have put on Dmitry Bivol (175 lbs champion) and Gennady Golovkin trilogy as a two-fight deal for the Mexican P4Pstar.

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via Getty

Amidst all these, Alvarez’s potential move to the cruiserweight division is also valid. On winning a bet at 200 lbs, Alvarez can become a five-weight champion. Hence, he has several things to look at and only time will tell what’s on the line for him ahead.

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Written by:

Raj Sarkar

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A senior boxing writer at EssentiallySports, Raj Sarkar is a mass media graduate who is currently pursuing his master’s degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to his current role, he has worked with the MMA team at EssentiallySports and has interviewed prominent fighters such as Ritu Phogat and 'The Red King' Rory MacDonald. Combining his bachelor's degree with his adoration for combat sports, he has earned a combined 3000 plus bylines over the last two years.
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