Lucas Jones
As if the current three-horse race at the top of boxing’s pound-for-pound rankings wasn’t competitive enough, over the past three days we’ve seen two of these names in important fights that had the potential to shake up the rankings.
The same thing happened last July, when Naoya Inoue’s dismantling of Stephen Fulton Jr. allowed him to briefly occupy P4P’s top spot until Terence Crawford defeated Errol Spence Jr. The only difference this time was that the king remained king .
Despite Canelo Alvarez’s stunning fall over undefeated Jaime Munguia on Saturday’s PBC Prime Video pay-per-view in Las Vegas, which showed just how much the 33-year-old Mexican icon still belongs at the top of the sportWhat the boxing world saw from Inoue just two days later proved too difficult to avoid.
Inoue, the 31-year-old Japanese “monster,” made the first defense of the undisputed 122-pound title he unified in December by surviving an early knockdown against former two-division champion Luis Nery before recovering for three of his authorship. en route to a dominant sixth-round knockout victory.
The craziest thing about Inoue’s rise is that, like Alvarez, he has carried his power with him in impressive ways. Unlike what Alvarez experienced against Dmitry Bivol at 175 pounds two years ago, Inoue has yet to reach his ceiling in terms of which weight division has proven to be a bridge too far where his strength doesn’t have the same impact.
Even though Inoue made an uncharacteristic misstep against Nery by retreating from a clinch with his hands down, which led to the knockdown via a flush left hook, he showed almost all the qualities that make a P4P king so good. by the way he responded immediately afterwards.
Just like when Inoue had his orbital bone broken early on by Nonito Donaire in the 2019 Fight of the Year, he was forced to lean on every championship quality he already possessed to right the ship and still come away with the victory.
That’s what the great ones do. And when it comes to Crawford and Alvarez, each of whom still has a seat at the table in the current P4P discussion, Inoue remains in a class of his own as he continues to take one step closer to boxing immortality.
Using criteria that takes into account everything from achievements to current form, let’s take a closer look at the best fighters in the ring. Below is the latest update to the Pound for Pound rankings following Inoue and Alvarez’s victories in May.
Pound for Pound Ratings
1. Naoya Inoue
Undisputed junior featherweight champion (24-0, 22 KOs) | Previous Ranking: #1
The four-division champion, who achieved undisputed status in two different weight classes, only continued his legendary conquest of the sport by rising from the screen to submits Luis Nery in May title fightt at the Tokyo Dome. “The Monster” may have suffered a brief error, but he made up for it by scoring three thrilling knockdowns en route to a sixth-round knockout. Undefeated mandatory challenger Sam Goodman appears to be next.
2. Terence Crawford
Undisputed welterweight champion (39-0, 29 KOs) | Previous ranking: #2
If you wondered how great Crawford really was, his dismantling of Spence in their undisputed title fight provided those answers. Crawford, who has proven he would be a tough match for any welterweight in history, will move up to 154 pounds in August when he challenges WBA champion Israil Madrimov.
3. Canelo Álvarez
Undisputed super middleweight champion (61-2-2, 38 KOs) | Previous ranking: #3
The former P4P king is still the undisputed champion of one of the sport’s hottest divisions and proved this by brilliantly defeating the undefeated Jaime Munguia in May. That doesn’t mean the Mexican icon is alone without criticism, as the boxing world continues to push for a superfight against two-time champion David Benavidez.
4. Oleksandr Usyk
Unified heavyweight champion (19-0, 13 KOs | Previous ranking: No. 4
Usyk’s professional career was as decorated as it was perfect. The former undisputed cruiserweight champion scored two resounding victories over Anthony Joshua to unify a trio of heavyweight titles. Following a stoppage of mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, Usyk now finally gets his undisputed showdown against WBC champion Tyson Fury in May.
5. Artur Beterbiev
Unified light heavyweight champion (20-0, 20 KOs) | Previous rating: 5
Beterbiev dispelled any rumors that he was getting older by dismantling former 168-pound champion Callum Smith in January. With his principals out of the way, an undisputed showdown against WBA champion Dmitry Bivol was scheduled for June 1. But Beterbiev, 39, withdrew in May with a torn meniscus.
6. Dmitry Bivol
WBA Light Heavyweight Champion (21-0, 11 KOs) | Previous ranking: #6
After an incredible 2022 that included a victory over Canelo Alvarez and near-universal acclaim as fighter of the year, Bivol sat out most of 2023 in hopes of facing unified champion Artur Beterbiev. The undisputed title fight was scheduled for June 1, until Beterbiev suffered a serious injury, forcing Bivol to face a replacement opponent.
7. Gervonta Davis
WBA lightweight title holder (29-0, 27 KOs) | Previous rating: 7
Davis’ knockout of Ryan Garcia in their superfight last April looks even better now that “King Ryan” has become the first boxer to knock down and defeat former undisputed lightweight king Devin Haney. With a 2023 prison sentence, “Tank” returns June 15 against undefeated Frank Martin in Las Vegas.
8. Tyson’s Fury
WBC heavyweight champion (34-0-1, 25 KOs) | Previous ranking: #8
The last year has been nothing short of strange for the “Gypsy King”. Fury has been heavily criticized for delaying his undisputed fight against unified king Oleksandr Usyk, which will now take place in May. And he was lucky to maintain his unbeaten record in a hard-fought decision victory over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in October, which saw Fury hit the canvas against the novice boxer.
9. Shakur Stevenson
WBC Lightweight Champion (21-0, 10 KOs) | Previous ranking: #10
Although Stevenson limited strongman Edwin De Los Santos to a CompuBox record 12-rounder of just 40 punches, he was widely criticized for how boring his November victory in the fight for the vacant 135-pound title was. Stevenson, who turns 27 in June, won the third weight class title and is expected to defend it in July against Artem Harutyunyan.
10. David Benavidez
Super middleweight (28-0, 24 KOs) | Previous classification: No. NR
Frustrated by waiting for his chance against the undisputed king Canelo Alvarez, “The Monster” will move up to light heavyweight when he challenges former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the interim title on June 15. Be as skillful as you are dangerous.
Give up: None
Honorable mention: Devin Haney, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Teofimo Lopez Jr., Juan Francisco Estrada, Errol Spence Jr.
