EA Sports' title-holding boxing sim returns to the ring with a revamped game engine and a grittier, more mature presentation. The main attraction in Fight Night Champion may be the physics-based animated action, which applies the effects of each hit with individual precision. The new "Full Spectrum Punch" control system allows players to execute uppercuts, overhands, jabs, and even one-shot knock-outs, in an intuitive, realistic flow. The game's anaerobic stamina system models exhaustion in individual muscle groups so that using a favorite punch repeatedly will quickly fatigue the over-used muscles, and boxers are encouraged to stay on their toes and mix up their attacks.
The single player "Championship" mode presents a story-driven campaign, with themes of greed and corruption that test an athlete's integrity outside of the ring, as well as his prowess within. As in previous Fight Night games, players can also create their own boxer character and battle their way up the ranks in "Legacy" mode. Multiplayer boxing is supported for up to four on the same system, or for as many as ten online. Gamers can box as or against more than 50 real-life stars of the sport, including Pernell Whitaker, Julio Cesar Chavez, Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, and the Klitschko brothers, Wladimir and Vitali, as well as many other pugilist superstars from the past and present.