Fight Night: Champion announced for 2011

So much for waiting until tonight. EA Sports has announced Fight Night: Champion for a 2011 release on PS3 and 360.

The game's biggest talking point, according to developer EA Vancouver, is a new single-player mode, which will "break the mold of what is expected in a single-player sports game. Players will be introduced to an entirely new way to step between the ropes and experience the drama, emotion, excitement and tragedy of world championship boxing."

EA Sports' Brian Hayes told IGN that there would be somewhere between 60-65 fighters in the game.

A new gameplay feature known as "Full Spectrum Punch Control" has also been added, which is said to let players move around the ring to deliver "some of the most devastating punches ever seen in a Fight Night game."

There's first shots of how the mechanic works at the link above.

The game will also be "the most user-friendly title in the franchise's history," with new online modes included for good measure.

Expect more on this later today.