Canelo Alvarez Is The 2021 BWAA Fighter of the Year

There’s no doubt that 2021 was the year of Team Canelo.

Canelo Alvarez is the Boxing Writers Association of America’s 2021 Fighter of the Year, after becoming the first undisputed super middleweight world champion, and the first Mexican boxer to become an undisputed champion in any weight division in the four-belt era. Alvarez has now won the award for the second time in three years.

In winning the BWAA 2021 Sugar Ray Robinson Award, Alvarez beat out a very noteworthy field that included Nonito Donaire, Stephen Fulton, Tyson Fury, Josh Taylor and Oleksandr Usyk.

Alvarez’s selection is a crowning moment for Team Canelo, which won the BWAA’s coveted triple crown by winning the BWAA’s fighter, trainer and manager of the year awards for 2021. For the first time in BWAA history, Eddy Reynoso won dual awards as both the BWAA’s 2021 Manager and Trainer of the Year.

What was once a rare occurrence, the BWAA triple crown has been achieved for the fourth time in the last five years.

In the trainer category, Reynoso won out over a distinguished class that included Carlos Castano, Javiel Centeno, Ben Davison and Anatoliy Lomachenko. In the manager field, which was the closest contested election, Reynoso won over Luis DeCubas, Rachel Donaire and Rick Mirigian.

The BWAA Fight of the Year was an easy choice: Tyson Fury KO 11 Deontay Wilder III. Fury-Wilder III was chosen over Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano, Juan Francisco Estrada-Roman Gonzalez II, Stephen Fulton-Brandon Figueroa and George Kambosos-Teofimo Lopez.

Ring announcer David Diamante won the Good Guy award over Anthony Dirrell, Omar Juarez, Xavier Porter (posthumously) and Jose Ramirez.

Michael Buffer received the most votes for the Long and Meritorious award in a category that included Bob Duffy, Scott Ghertner, Henry Hascup and James “Smitty” Smith. To top off the 2021 BWAA awards, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko won the 2021 John McCain-Bill Crawford Courage Award, which included Brian Custer, Ryan Garcia, Gary Russell Sr. and Jose Santa Cruz Sr.

BWAA 2021 Award Winners:

Sugar Ray Robinson Award Fighter Of The Year 2021 nominees: Canelo Alvarez

Canelo Alvarez

Nonito Donaire

Stephen Fulton

Tyson Fury

Josh Taylor

Oleksandr Usyk

Muhammad Ali – Joe Frazier Award Fight of the Year 2021 nominees: Tyson Fury KO 11 Deontay Wilder III

Jermell Charlo D 12 Brian Castano

Juan Francisco Estrada SD 12 Roman Gonzalez II

Stephen Fulton MD 12 Brandon Figueroa