Fury v Wilder III or Gaethje v Chandler, which was the best fight of 2021? Here are our top 5

It’s never an easy task to pick five of the best fights over the past 12 months, especially when those five have the potential to top the rankings.

But here we are, with five incredible performances that will be remember for years to come. Got a favourite that we missed? Let us know.

1. Tyson Fury v Deontay Wilder III

As far as fights of the year go, you cannot look past Tyson Fury v Deontay Wilder III, arguably the greatest heavyweight title fight of all time. Veteran fight promoter Bob Arum called the contest the best heavyweight championship bout he has ever seen, before correcting himself and adding that it ranked second behind Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier’s 1975 “Thrilla in Manila”. Fury’s 11th-round TKO over Wilder saw him retain his WBC title in a thrilling conclusion to a gripping heavyweight trilogy.

2. Justin Gaethje v Michael Chandler

The match-up between two hard-hitting UFC lightweight fighters wasn’t a main event, in fact it wasn’t even a co-main event. But Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler were in no doubt of what a win would mean for their respective careers and boy did they deliver.

The lightweight title contender fight was easily the best on the UFC 268 card. The two engaged in a total slugfest for 15 minutes. Somehow, by sheer freak of nature, the fight lasted all three rounds, with Gaethje ultimately doing enough to earn the decision win. Both fighters picked up a well-deserved US$50,000 (HK$390,000) bonus for their efforts.

3. Alexander Volkanovski v Brian Ortega

The main event of UFC 266 between defending champion Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Brian Ortega had fight of the year written all over it. The featherweight champion successfully retained his title against Ortega with a performance that saw him establish control right from the start. Despite a tough third round, Volkanovski held on to retain his title and win a stack of new fans along the way.

4. George Kambosos v Teofimo Lopez

George Kambosos’ sensational win over Teofimo Lopez to become the new unified world lightweight champion was touted as Australia’s greatest ever boxing performance on the world stage. The split decision victory, praised by boxing great Mani Pacquiao, saw Kambosos crowned IBF, WBO, WBA and The Ring lightweight world champion.

5. Max Holloway v Calvin Kattar

The fight between Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar, which took place during UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi was one for the history books. Holloway landed a mind-boggling 445 strikes on Kattar in what was likely the most lopsided UFC fights in recent memory. Holloway collected the unanimous decision and positioned himself for another shot at the UFC featherweight title.

With matchups locked in for early 2021, including a UFC heavyweight title fight between champion Francis Ngannou and interim heavyweight champ Ciryl Gane, we’ll be watching closely for best of the best in 2022.