BRITISH boxing took some knocks in 2021 with brilliant champions like Anthony Joshua, Josh Warrington and Terri Harper losing their crowns – hopefully temporarily.
Thankfully there were dozens of eye-catching performances and life-changing results from UK-based fighters to make up for the disappointments.
SunSport has tried to narrow it down to seven sensational showings and apologies to all the aces that came up trumps in 2021.
Anthony Yarde vs Lyndon Arthur – December 4
Manchester’s Arthur sprang a huge surprise when he jabbed his way to a split decision win over his light-heavyweight foe a year earlier.
There were rows about the rematch, contract disputes, rucks about the rematch location and threats between the two trainers.
When it came down to it, Yarde simply did everything he should have done in the first meeting, blasting his nemesis away inside four rounds.
Arthur had no answer for all the things he and his corner expected Yarde to try.
It was explosive and punishing but also cathartic for the Beast from East London.
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David Avanesyan vs Josh Kelly – February 20
The Nottinghamshire-based Russian had been well overdue a high-profile dance partner and a coming out party after a string of eye-catching results all over Europe.
The Carl Greaves-trained welterweight had taken on all challenges and accused plenty of big-name 147lbers of ducking him.
When he landed the European title he got the right profile and – after a few Covid-19 delays – the Kelly bout finally arrived.
Kelly was the 2016 Team GB Olympian, Matchroom posterboy and Adam Booth-trained hunk, full of potential.
But plenty of boxing insiders felt Ava was a sleeper who was more than capable of an upset, despite being in the away corner.
But the understated Armenian hardman systematically broke Pretty Boy Kelly down, floored him twice and left him a bloodied mess before Booth rightly pulled his bulldozed man out of the fire.
Felix Cash vs Denzel Bentley – April 24
Tomy Sims-trained Cash had been in a thrilling see-saw fight with beanpole Jake Cullen in 2019 so there were question marks about his true potential.
Bentley – well backed by Frank Warren and BT – was being tipped to kick on from British level so they lured Cash over to their show and put him in the away corner – in an empty York Hall arena.
The general consensus was that it was a 50-50 fight that might ebb and flow and need judges to split them.
But Cash ripped the script out of his hosts’ hands and brutalised Bentley, who is thankfully fresh and bright enough to come again, inside just nine minutes.
It was a defining moment for Cash, who had been hampered by injuries, and should be in thrilling fights or dominant performances in 2022.
Sunny Edwards vs Moruti Mthalane – April 30
Croydon’s Edwards had long bemoaned the lack of enthusiasm from domestic flyweight fighters to challenge him, so – when he earned his shot at the IBF world title without too many gut checks – it seemed a big step.
Mthalane was a veteran champion and, rarely for such a light division, was considered a dangerous KO puncher who had to be avoided at all costs.
But Edwards boxed beautifully, evading the KO artist and peppering him with enough combinations to score clearly.
At times Edwards made the little York Hall ring look like a football pitch, with his expert movement, but he also traded close up and landed decent punches to take the unanimous decision.
And he proved it was no fluke by recreating a similar performance seven months later when he turned in an almost identical performance to UD Jayson Mama.
Sunny – little brother of ex-world champ Charlie – does lack concussive power but that makes his string of 17 wins all the more impressive as he has to be totally focused for 36 minutes and never afford an error.
Leigh Wood vs Can Xu – July 31
When Leeds hero and former IBF featherweight champion Josh Warrington spent months chasing Can Xu for a unification, it was billed as a dangerous challenge.
China’s WBA boss was a relentless pressure fighter and undefeated Warrington would have to be very wary.
So when Eddie Hearn tempted Xu over to the UK for a warm-up fight in his Essex backgarden against Nottingham’s Wood, few outside Ben Davison’s gym gave the Englishman a chance.
What unfolded from the heavy-handed Brit was a one-sided boxing clinic that looked like it would need the judges as Xu, to his credit, took a pounding.
But Wood found another gear in the 12th to unload another arsenal and force a life-changing longshot stoppage.
The bout with Ireland icon Mick Conlan in 2022 will be a cracker.
Josh Taylor vs Jose Ramirez – May 22
The World Boxing Super Series super-light king had dreamed of emulating his hero Ken Buchanan and becoming undisputed world champion.
The fantasy included a packed stadium filled with all the friends and family who had supported him and a hellacious blood-and-guts fight that would take him to the depths of despair before reaching the top of the world.
Sadly he got neither.
The ruthless Covid-19 travel restrictions meant he travelled to Las Vegas with just a handful of his team to take on the Mexican-American WBO and WBC champion and his huge entourage.
And the fight never even threatened to turn into a classic because the Tartan Tornado simply blew his rival away.
Taylor ticked so many boxes, he confronted Ramirez’s Twitter troll manager who wilted in the California sun, he stood up to every old trick he faced as the visiting fighter, he got right in Ramirez’s face and then bested him in every department to score two knockdowns and a wide UD.
Maxi Hughes vs Jovanni Staffon – September 4
Before 2021, the featherweight southpaw was most famous for being Josh Warrington’s sparring partner-cum-painter-and-decorator.
But the brilliantly-modest underdog has just enjoyed a life-changing five-fight win streak that culminated in winning the IBO world lightweight title against Straffon.
It may not be one of the Big Four belts but it is still a magnificent achievement for 31-year-old Hughes.
He now has the scalps of Jono Carroll, Kazakh Viktor Kotochigov, Paul Hyland dangerous Mexican banger Straffon on his record.
Hughes was perfect at Headingley, slipping shots and constantly countering against the heavy favourite.
In trademark self-deprecating fashion, Hughes has since offered to go America and Australia to offer champions Devin Haney and George Kambosos ‘easy’ fights.
And every British boxing fan must be hoping the lovely fella’s Cinderella story has a few more chapters.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
