On Saturday, pound-for-pound superstar Terence Crawford extended his unbeaten record to 41-0 and picked up the WBA super welterweight title at the expense of Israil Madrimov.
Crawford, 36, was tested technically, but he more than deserved the 12-round unanimous decision and is now a four-weight world champion. However, not everyone was impressed and calls to reinstate "Bud" as the finest pound-for-pound fighter in the world were few and far between.
The two fighters above Crawford in the mythical ratings are Oleksandr Usyk (No. 1) and Naoya Inoue (No. 2). In their most recent bouts, Usyk posted a career-best triumph over Tyson Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champion, while multi-weight king Inoue was as merciless as ever in a sixth-round knockout over Luis Nery.
It was never going to be easy to displace Usyk or Inoue on the list, but Crawford, who retains the No. 3 spot, remains in hot pursuit.
The Sporting News takes a look at the top 12 pound-for-pound fighters in the world today:
Pound-for-pound rankings: The Sporting News' top 12
| Rank | Fighter | Record | Movement (Aug. 6, 2024) |
| 1 | Oleksandr Usyk | 22-0 (14 KOs) | - |
| 2 | Naoya Inoue | 27-0 (24 KOs) | - |
| 3 | Terence Crawford | 41-0 (31 KOs) | - |
| 4 | Canelo Alvarez | 61-2-2 (39 KOs) | - |
| 5 | Jesse Rodriguez | 20-0 (13 KOs) | - |
| 6 | Dmitry Bivol | 23-0 (12 KOs) | - |
| 7 | Artur Beterbiev | 20-0 (20 KOs) | - |
| 8 | Teofimo Lopez | 21-1 (13 KOs) | - |
| 9 | Gervonta Davis | 30-0 (28 KOs) | - |
| 10 | Errol Spence Jr. | 28-1 (22 KOs) | - |
| 11 | Shakur Stevenson | 22-0 (10 KOs) | - |
| 12 | Junto Nakatani | 27-0 (20 KOs) | - |
The best in the world pound-for-pound: Oleksandr Usyk
In effect, Usyk has completed boxing. An Olympic champion at London 2012, this quick and cerebral lefty has been no less successful as a professional, and he's the very definition of what a pound-for-pound superstar should be.
At 37 years old, Usyk has become the first undisputed cruiserweight champion to achieve the distinction at heavyweight since Evander Holyfield more than 30 years ago. Despite giving away huge amounts of height and reach to today's behemoths, Usyk has proved himself the one true king of the glamour division.
Signature wins for the Ukrainian warrior include Mairis Briedis, Murat Gassiev, Anthony Joshua, and Tyson Fury.
The Sporting News' Boxing Ratings
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