POUND FOR POUND RANKINGS
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1Oleksandr Usyk
22-0, 14 KOsAGE37
CURRENT ALPHABET TITLESWBA/IBF/WBO/IBO Heavyweight (2021-Present, 2 Defenses)
LINEAL TITLESWorld/TBRB/Ring Cruiserweight (2018-19, 1 Defense)
ADDITIONAL TITLESWBA Cruiserweight (2018, 1 Defense); WBO Cruiserweight (2016-19, 6 Defenses), WBC Cruiserweight (2018-19, 2 Defenses); IBF/TBRB/Ring Cruiserweight (2018-19, 1 Defense); Ring/TBRB Heavyweight (2022-Present, 0 Defenses)
RECORD IN TITLE FIGHTS10-0, 4 KO
LAST 5 OPPONENTSAnthony Joshua SD12, UD12; Dereck Chisora UD12; Chazz Witherspoon RTD7; Tony Bellew TKO8; Murat Gassiev UD12
NEXT OPPONENTFebruary 17, 2024 vs. Lineal Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KO)
THE TAKEQuestions about Usyk’s viability at heavyweight were answered emphatically against Anthony Joshua, twice over. Then a controversial low blow (or was it?) against Daniel Dubois raised eyebrows in Usyk’s last win. It was at least less embarrassing than Tyson Fury’s performance against MMA fighter Francis Ngannou. Usyk can expect a better version of Fury when they face off with all the titles on the line in February. Can Usyk become the first man since Evander Holyfield to win the undisputed Cruiserweight and Heavyweight crowns?
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2Terence Crawford
40-0, 31 KOsAGE36
CURRENT ALPHABET TITLESWBO Welterweight (2018-Present, 7 Defenses), WBC Welterweight (2023-Present, 0 Defenses), WBA Welterweight (2023-Present, 0 Defenses)
LINEAL TITLESWorld Welterweight (2023-Present, 0 Defenses)
ADDITIONAL TITLESWBO Lightweight (2014-15, 2 Defenses); TBRB/Ring Lightweight (2014-15); WBO Light Welterweight (2015-17, 6 Defenses); WBC/TBRB/Ring Super Lightweight (2016-17, 3 Defenses); WBA Super Lightweight (2017); IBF Jr. Welterweight (2017); TBRB/Ring Welterweight (2023-Present, 0 Defenses)
RECORD IN TITLE FIGHTS18-0, 15 KO
LAST 5 OPPONENTSErrol Spence TKO9; David Avanesyan KO6; Shawn Porter TKO10; Kell Brook TKO4; Egidijus Kavaliauskas TKO9
NEXT OPPONENTTBD
THE TAKENine years and change after winning his first major title at lightweight, Terence Crawford delivered the defining statement on his career. An anticipated superfight with Errol Spence became a violent showcase for “Bud” Crawford. Three knockdowns punctuated a veritable shutout in one of the best big fight performances one will ever see. Crawford became the first fighter since Barney Ross to lay claim to history’s throne at lightweight, junior welterweight, and welterweight. Boots Ennis, Keith Thurman, Yordenis Ugas, Jermell Charlo, and contractually another round with Spence, give Crawford plenty of possibilities for an encore.
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3Naoya Inoue
27-0, 24 KOsAGE30
CURRENT ALPHABET TITLESWBC super bantamweight (2023-Present, 1 Defense); WBO junior featherweight (2023-Present, 1 Defense); IBF Jr. Featherweight (2023-Present, 0 Defenses); WBO Jr. Featherweight (2023-Present, 0 Defenses)
LINEAL TITLESWorld Jr. Featherweight (2023-Present, 0 Defenses)
ADDITIONAL TITLESWBC Light Flyweight (2014, 1 Defense); WBO Super Flyweight (2014-18, 7 Defenses); Ring Bantamweight (2019-23, 6 Defenses); IBF Bantamweight (2019-23, 6 Defenses); WBA “super” Bantamweight (2019-23, 4 Defenses); WBC Bantamweight (2022-23, 1 Defense); TBRB Bantamweight (2022-23, 1 Defense); WBO Bantamweight (2022-23); TBRB/Ring Jr. Featherweight (2023-Present, 0 Defenses)
RECORD IN TITLE FIGHTS19-0, 17 KO (21-0, 19 KO including WBA secondary title fights)
LAST 5 OPPONENTSMarlon Tapales KO10; Stephen Fulton TKO8; Paul Butler KO11; Nonito Donaire TKO2, UD12; Aran Dipaen TKO8
NEXT OPPONENTTBD
THE TAKEInoue moved to his fourth competitive weight class in 2023, knocking off unified titlists in consecutive fights to become the first undisputed Jr. featherweight champion since the modern birth of the class in 1976. It followed a 2022 campaign where Inoue won a pair of unification bouts to become the first undisputed bantamweight champion in fifty years. Across four weight divisions over the last near-decade, Inoue has at some point beaten a top rated fighter, by TBRB or The Ring, in each division. Fulton was supposed to be a test but Inoue put on a masterclass, winning every round before scoring an emphatic stoppage. He won almost every round on all judge’s cards again before the Tapales knockout. His combination of skill, power, speed, and reflexes can appear comparable to the displays Roy Jones once put on.
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4Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez
61-2-2, 39 KOAGE33
CURRENT ALPHABET TITLESWBA Super Middleweight (2020-Present, 6 Defenses); WBC Super Middleweight (2020-Present, 6 Defenses); WBO Super Middleweight (2021-Present, 4 Defenses); IBF Super Middleweight (2021-Present, 3 Defenses)
LINEAL TITLESWorld Super Middleweight (2021-Present, 3 Defenses)
ADDITIONAL TITLESWBC Super Welterweight (2011-13, 6 Defenses); Ring Super Welterweight (2013); WBC Middleweight (2015-17, 2 Defenses; 2018-19, 1 Defense); WBO Super Welterweight (2016-17); IBF middleweight (2019); WBO Light Heavyweight (2019); WBA Middleweight (2018-21, 1 Defense); TBRB/Ring Magazine Middleweight (2015-17, 1 Defense; 2018-21, 1 Defense); Ring Magazine Super Middleweight (2020-Present, 6 Defenses); TBRB Super Middleweight (2021-Present, 3 Defense)
RECORD IN TITLE FIGHTS20-2-1, 10 KO (21-2-1, 11 KO including WBA secondary title fights)
LAST 5 OPPONENTSJermell Charlo UD12; John Ryder UD12; Gennadiy Golovkin UD12; Dmitry Bivol L12; Caleb Plant TKO11
NEXT OPPONENTTBA
THE TAKE: Alvarez slipped from his perch atop the rankings after his loss to Bivol but rebounded with a lopsided trilogy win over Golovkin. Alvarez was riding a lengthy unbeaten streak that included unifying the super middleweight class and his future for the moment is cloudy. His leading contender at super middleweight, David Benavidez, strengthened his demands for a title shot with his wins over Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade. Alvarez was last seen making easy work of Jermell Charlo in a clash of undisputed champions.
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5Jesse Rodriguez
19-0, 12 KOsAGE23
CURRENT ALPHABET TITLESWBO Flyweight (2023-Present, 1 Defense); IBF Flyweight (2023-Present, 0 Defenses)
ADDITIONAL TITLESWBC Super Flyweight (2022, 2 Defenses)
RECORD IN TITLE FIGHTS2-0, 1 KO (5-0, 2 KO including WBC non-franchise title fights)
LAST 5 OPPONENTS: Sunny Edwards RTD9; Christian Gonzalez UD12; Israel Gonzalez UD12; Srisaket Sor Rungvisai TKO8; Carlos Cuadras UD12 (#6/#8 - 115)
NEXT OPPONENTTBA
THE TAKERodriguez has proven to be a gamer with his most impressive outings coming against his most impressive opponents. After a highly skilled first half, Rodriguez took over and punished Sunny Edwards in their flyweight unification bout. The win goes nicely with a pair of 2022 victories over two of the “Hardcore Four” that made for a golden age at junior bantamweight. Rodriguez was the first fighter to stop Sor Rungvisai since his second pro fight in 2009. Roman Gonzalez, Juan Francisco Estrada, and Carlos Cuadras couldn’t do the same. Rodriguez is likely headed back up the scale. 25-year old Junto Nakatani is already headed to bantamweight and they will be just pounds apart in the near future. It’s not too early to start beating the drums for what could be a special fight in the next few years.
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6Dmitry Bivol
23-0, 12 KOsAGE33
CURRENT ALPHABET TITLESWBA Light Heavyweight (2017-Present, 11 Defenses)
RECORD IN TITLE FIGHTS11-0, 2 KO (14-0, 4 KO including interim title fights)
LAST 5 OPPONENTSLyndon Arthur UD12; Gilberto Ramirez UD12; Saul Alvarez UD12; Umar Salamov UD12; Craig Richards UD12
NEXT OPPONENTTBA
THE TAKEBivol slips with a largely inactive 2023 but he was a popular choice for 2022 Fighter of the Year when he made the most of big opportunities. Bivol was masterful in outboxing super middleweight king Saul Alvarez and clinically dissected undefeated Gilberto Ramirez as an encore. In 2023, he was limited to a lopsided unanimous decision over the badly outclassed Arthur. 2024 would benefit from a showdown with the man who holds the lineal crown and the other three alphabet titles at light heavyweight, knockout machine Artur Beterbiev. They have co-reigned in the division for more than half a decade without fighting each other.
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7Artur Beterbiev
20-0, 20 KOAGE38
CURRENT ALPHABET TITLESIBF Light Heavyweight (2017-Present, 7 Defenses); WBC Light Heavyweight (2019-Present, 4 Defenses); WBO Light Heavyweight (2022-Present, 1 Defenses)
LINEAL TITLESWorld Light Heavyweight (2019-Present, 4 Defenses)
ADDITIONAL TITLESTBRB Light Heavyweight (2019-Present, 4 Defenses)
RECORD IN TITLE FIGHTS8-0, 8 KOs
LAST 5 OPPONENTSAnthony Yarde TKO8; Joe Smith Jr. TKO2; Marcus Browne KO9; Adam Deines TKO10; Oleksandr Gvozdyk TKO10
NEXT OPPONENTJanuary 13, 2024 vs. Callum Smith (29-1, 21 KO)
THE TAKEBeterbiev got more than he bargained for with a spirited challenge from Anthony Yarde. As spirited as it was, Yarde ended up being the latest victim of a perfect statistical run. Beterviev has yet to need the judges. The most fearsome light heavyweight in the world has only the most cerebral, Dmitrii Bivol, in the way of joining a recent trend toward undisputed champions in the sport. Beterbiev’s mandatory with former super middleweight titlist Callum Smith was postponed as the latest health issues plagued Beterbiev in a career full of them. Could Beterbiev-Smith upset the Bivol apple cart?
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8Gervonta Davis
30-0, 28 KOsAGE29
CURRENT ALPHABET TITLESNone
LINEAL TITLESWorld Heavyweight (2015-Present, 9 Defenses)
ADDITIONAL TITLESIBF Super Featherweight (2017, 1 Defense); WBA Super Featherweight (2018-19, 2 Defenses; 2020-21)
RECORD IN TITLE FIGHTS6-0, 6 KO (11-0, 10 KO including WBA sub-title fights)
LAST 5 OPPONENTSRyan Garcia KO7; Hector Garcia TKO9; Rolly Romero TKO6; Isaac Cruz UD12; Mario Barrios TKO11
NEXT OPPONENTTBA
THE TAKEDavis was elevated to primary titlist for the WBA at lightweight when Devin Haney vacated, giving him his fourth full championship along with three reigns at junior lightweight. Davis has emerged as one of the game’s biggest draws, headlining the richest fight of 2023 against Ryan Garcia to build on a run of ticket selling events from coast to coast in the US. His charisma, boxing skill, and concussive power are as fan friendly as it gets. Davis also won a secondary title at junior welterweight. Still campaigning at lightweight, the best fights in the division for now would be versus Shakur Stevenson, Vasyl Lomachenko, William Zepeda, and Frank Martin.
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9Teofimo Lopez
21-1, 13 KOsAGE26
CURRENT ALPHABET TITLESWBO Jr. Welterweight (2023-Present, 0 Defenses)
LINEAL TITLESWorld Jr. Welterweight (2023-Present, 0 Defenses)
ADDITIONAL TITLESTBRB/Ring Jr. Welterweight (2023-Present, 0 Defenses); TBRB/Ring/IBF/WBA/WBO Lightweight (2020-21); TBRB/Ring Jr. Welterweight (2023-Present, 0 Defenses); TBRB/Ring/IBF/WBA/WBO Lightweight (2020-21);
RECORD IN TITLE FIGHTS3-1, 1 KO
LAST 5 OPPONENTSJosh Taylor UD12; Sandor Martin SD10; Pedro Campa TKO7; George Kambosos L12; Vasyl Lomachenko UD12
NEXT OPPONENTFebruary 8, 2024 vs. Jamaine Ortiz (17-1-1, 8 KO)
THE TAKELopez’s upsets of Lomachenko and Taylor give him as good a pair of wins as can be found in the sport. It makes a loss to George Kambosos and a listless performance against Sandor Martin even more head scratching. Lopez appears to fight to the level of opponents, which gives him all the more incentive to keep facing top tier threats. Lopez’s ‘retirement’ didn’t amount to much and he’s fighting in a talent rich area of the scale so there’s more to come from this mercurial talent.
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10Junto Nakatani
27-0 (20 KOs)AGE26
Extras
David Benavidez, Kazuto Ioka, Shakur Stevenson, Kenshiro Teraji