When the International Olympic Committee decided to push Tokyo 2020 back a year in response to the coronavirus pandemic, it disrupted the carefully-laid plans of many established athletes who were aiming to peak at the Games. For some British competitors who have yet to reach their full potential though, the delay has provided additional time for them to prepare.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic having signed a contract extension at AC Milan which will see him play Champions League football at the age of 40, we’ve looked through the annals of modern sporting history and picked out six other star athletes who defied the ageing process.
Tyson Fury gets a confident vote to beat Anthony Joshua in their much-anticipated heavyweight world title unification clash. One punch can change everything at this level but Fury is rated the better boxer, has the stronger chin and also possesses a bigger heart in our book.
Joseph Parker can put himself back in the heavyweight world title picture by edging out Dereck Chisora in Manchester on Saturday night. The New Zealander held the WBO belt for 15 months before being outpointed by Anthony Joshua in a unification clash and is keen to return to elite level.
Dillian Whyte will be gunning for revenge and the WBC interim heavyweight title when taking on Alexander Povetkin again in Gibraltar. The Londoner was left stunned when suffering a fifth-round knockout in their first clash last August, but is expected to learn from his mistakes in the rematch.
Canelo Alvarez gets his wish to stay active when facing Avni Yildirim in Miami and should enjoy a routine defence of his WBA and WBC super-middleweight belts. The Mexican great is one of the top pound-for-pound performers in boxing and arguably the biggest box office draw on the planet.
With several highly-anticipated fights across the worlds of boxing and MMA expected to take place in 2021, there could well be some new records set for the number of pay-per-view buys. We have taken a look at the biggest pay-per-view fights in the history of combat sports so far to set the standard that the next generation of super fights would have to reach.
Dillian Whyte returns to the ring knowing victory over Otto Wallin could pave the way for an all-British heavyweight showdown with Tyson Fury. It was long thought it would be Whyte’s former foe Anthony Joshua that would lock horns with the ‘Gypsy King’.
Anthony Joshua versus Tyson Fury predictably heads our list of the most anticipated boxing bouts of 2021, with the proposed heavyweight unification match set to break box office records. However, that isn’t the only clash fight fans would love to see this year and we’ve got five eagerly-awaited showdowns.
Luke Campbell’s hopes of finally becoming a world champion in the pro ranks are expected to be quashed by rising star Ryan Garcia in Texas. Olympic gold medal winner Campbell has twice come up short at the highest level and now takes on a precocious talent being tipped to become a box-office star.
Following the announcement of six contenders, we’re taking a look at the 2020 Sports Personality of the Year odds to see who is fancied to claim this prestigious award. The winner will be announced on December 20 via a live broadcast from Salford, with voting open to the public during that programme.
Britain’s Callum Smith steps up to elite level when taking on Mexican superstar Saul Canelo Alvarez in San Antonio and is expected to relish the challenge. Beating one of the modern-day boxing greats is a big ask for the tough Liverpudlian, but we feel he can be competitive at the Alamodome.
Anthony Joshua will hope to stay on course for a mouth-watering clash with Tyson Fury next year by brushing aside Kubrat Pulev at Wembley. The Briton, who also holds WBA, WBO and IBO belts, defends his IBF heavyweight title and is expected to prove a class apart from 39-year-old Bulgarian veteran.
Kell Brook looks to have bitten off more than he can chew by challenging unbeaten WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford in Las Vegas. The 33-year-old American, nicknamed Bud, has a perfect 36-0 record and is rated among the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.