This is likely to be the year of redemption for several fighters with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Teofimo Lopez and Deontay Wilder needing a big 12 months to rectify defeats.
Joshua suffered the most notable defeat of the year, losing his unified belts to Oleksandr Usyk who sensationally outfoxed him on his own patch.
He will be eyeing immediate redemption in a repeat of the first meeting this year which could set up a potential undisputed clash against Tyson Fury.
Lopez, meanwhile, will face an entire new challenge completely after losing his lightweight belts in devastating fashion to champion elect George Kambosos.
Wilder will be looking to bounce back later this year after being outclassed by trilogy rival Fury in an epic, while Caleb Plant will be eyeing a return to action after coming up short against pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez.
Featherweight star Josh Warrington will also be looking to be re-crowned as a champion after losing his belts in a shock defeat to Mauricio Lara before being cut short by a horror cut to his opponent in their rematch.
We take a look at what lies in store for these five fighters as they begin their quest to regain momentum...
5. Caleb Plant
Plant will be seeking redemption in the boxing ring after falling to defeat against the fighter who is perceived the current leading star in the sport.
Alvarez rallied to a late stoppage defeat in the fight after Plant put up a brave boxing display which frustrated the Mexican for the majority of the fight.
The American narrowly missed his opportunity to make history and become the first undisputed super-middleweight champion with the honour instead handed to the Mexican.
Despite his 2021 not being all doom and gloom after previously defending his IBF title against Caleb Truax, the immediate future is uncertain for Plant.
He certainly did not disgrace himself in defeat but is currently taking time away from the sport as he plots his next venture.
The most likely option for Plant is likely to be at 160lbs where he is keen to make an eight-pound cut to take on WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo.
'SweetHands' has moved to call out the undefeated star on social media in recent weeks and is trying to place himself in front of the likes of Demetrius Andrade for a shot.
David Benavidez could also be an option for Plant at super-middleweight where he fought Alvarez with the winner looking to take the belts once the Mexican's future is clear.
Any flight between Plant and Charlo could be easy to make with the pair having signed for Premier Boxing Champions.
This could be the calibre of fight he needs to relight his boxing career and continue where he left off before defeat.
4. Josh Warrington
2021 was a year of frustration for the 'Leeds Warrior' after his year of inactivity due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Warrington was left stunned after being brutally dismissed in a brutal beatdown to Mexican unknown Mauricio Lara who inflicted the first defeat of his career.
After reaching the heights of beating Carl Frampton and Kid Galahad in his career, Warrington was sent into shock mode and needed an immediate revival.
Redemption seemed to be immediately back on the cards for Warrington who secured a rematch in front of a raucous home crowd in his home town.
However after going toe-to-toe with the Mexican in front of a packed house, the fight took a disastrous turn for Warrington who was desperately trying to force his way into the ascendency.
Lara suffered a nasty cut above his eye after a clash of heads with the referee forced to stop the contest in a technical draw, which has paused Warrington's redemption path once more.
Time is a great healer for Warrington who has managed to secure a shot at becoming world champion against rugged Spaniard Kiko Martinez.
The ageing star has caused chaos for the leading domestic stars in the division and brutally dismissed Galahad to steal his IBF strap earlier in the year.
Warrington will now have a second shot at redeeming his loss against Martinez back in front of his come crowd at the First Direct Arena in Leeds once again.
If he is able to dethrone Martinez, it could hold the key to finally launching a bid to unify the division against the winner of Leigh Wood's tilt with Michael Conlan.
3. Deontay Wilder
Wilder can finally put behind him his long-term trilogy rival Tyson Fury after another brutal and damaging heavyweight classic ended in a second defeat.
The 'Bronze Bomber' came so close to the ultimate redemption scoring a double-knockdown of the retaining champion but he was unable to secure the stoppage he desired.
Wilder was dismissed in the penultimate round but also paid the price suffering a broken hand injury during the epic fight.
Despite being rewarded lucratively, Wilder now will be forced to return to a space as a contender on the heavyweight scene and will have to regather himself to earn another title shot.
A return for the American star is expected in spring providing he makes a full recovery and his trainer Malik Scott has expressed his confidence in a winning return.
It is likely Wilder's opening meeting on his comeback trail will be a tune-up fight with a view to secure a title shot of his own later in the year.
He could also take an early tune-up fight to re-establish himself in the rankings to try and force any mandatory status for the end of the saga between Usyk, Joshua and Fury.
Wilder has also spoken with fondness about facing either Joshua or his former conqueror Andy Ruiz at the end of this year in a bid to show he remains with the division's biggest names.
The 36-year-old's damaging punch power and epic battles with Fury will help him no doubt redeem his past demons and re-establish himself towards the back end of 2022.
However he could yet shock us all and hang up his gloves for good after admitting that he has accomplished all his plans in the sport.
An intriguing year for any fans of the American star who is likely to face an uncertain future in the sport.
2. Teofimo Lopez
After arguably the most incredible year of his fighting career Teofimo Lopez was on top of the world going into 2021.
He was crowned as the 'undisputed' champion with a punch-perfect display against Vasyl Lomachenko and was ready for the division's biggest names.
Initially Lopez plotted an active year which was delayed by purse bids in relation to his mandatory defence against Kambosos.
However by the time the situation was resolved through financial terms and negotiations, the fight was to be staged by Matchroom Boxing.
The fight eventually took place at the end of November after Lopez was forced to delay further with coronavirus and only then he could get in the ring.
But it all ended in epic fashion with challenger Kambosos coming out and dragging Lopez into a slug-fest which he managed to clinch on points after scoring a knockdown early on.
Lopez was offered a rematch by Kambosos after the fight but he was disappointed by the defeat and has his eyes set on an alternative switch to super-lightweight.
However Lopez had already hinted in the fight week that his plan was to challenge Josh Taylor and that is likely to be his primary focus this year.
It appears unlikely that any fight can take place this year with Taylor first involved in a delayed title defence against Jack Catterall.
The 'Tartan Tornado' has also ruled out any fight with Lopez as their war of words continues instead likely to choose to face welterweight star Terence Crawford.
Lopez could potentially need to set up an undisputed clash by having an eliminator with the likes of Jose Ramirez or Catterall or he could choose other tune-up fights to keep busy and hope for Taylor's belts to be vacated.
'The Takeover' has been halted but it is likely to be back on schedule by the end of the year in a new weight-class with any title bid likely to re-establish his name in the pound-for-pound rankings.
1. Anthony Joshua
Redemption is a task which is now all-too familiar for Joshua after being forced to avenge his defeat to Andy Ruiz in 2020.
The British star boxed his way to victory against the Mexican to reclaim his belts and set up a clash with Tyson Fury down the line.
However after missing out on a summer tilt with Fury for all the marbles in a fight that was expected to be worth over £100 million, he was forced to take a tough defence against Usyk.
Much was made of Joshua's approach in to the fight coming in at a leaner weight in a bid to continue to prove his worth as a slick and talented boxer.
This approach quickly backfired on one of the biggest stages of them all in front of over 70,000 home fans in London on a classic occasion after the coronavirus shutdown.
Joshua found himself outclassed and outworked in a masterclass from the tricky Ukrainian who showed resilience and technical ability in the face of doubt over his size and power.
'AJ' then missed the opportunity once again to face Fury with defeat and will now look to secure immediate redemption against Usyk this year.
Part of the Briton's redemption plan is likely to involve a new trainer alongside current coach Rob McCracken who was heavily criticised in the aftermath of the defeat.
This is expected to be announced in the coming weeks despite uncertainty over the guarantee of his next opponent.
Joshua has considered stepping aside from his looming rematch to allow rival Fury to clash with Usyk for the undisputed titles with lucrative offers on the table.
However if this is the case, he will likely demand the winner of any undisputed clash and could finally get his shot at Fury if he is able to prevail over Usyk.
2022 is likely to be a big year for Joshua who will likely know his place in the heavyweight division once again by the end of all the blue-riband drama.
