Boxing pound for pound rankings are a showcase of the best the sport has to offer. Power, speed, athleticism, fight IQ, and overall success come into play. It’s also a chance for fans and pundits to debate hypotheticals and compare athletes that, for the most part, will never actually face one another. Here are Ringside Intel’s official boxing pound-for-pound rankings.
10. Devin Haney (31-0-1 NC, 15 KOs)
Devin Haney entered the Barclay’s Arena on April 20 with an undefeated record and the momentum of a dominant win over Regis Prograis for the WBC super lightweight belt. Prior to that he spent a year as the unified lightweight champion with a win over Vasiliy Lomachenko as his most high-profile win.
The day after his majority decision loss to Ryan Garcia, the thought of Haney remaining in the pound-for-pound discussion would’ve been met with a confused stare. But factoring in Garcia’s three-pound weight miss and subsequent PED tests, “The Dream” gets the benefit of the doubt.
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9. Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs)
Tyson Fury responded to critiques of his underwhelming performance against a debuting Francis Ngannou in October with a commendable showing against Oleksandr Usyk in their undisputed title fight.
However, those improvements weren’t enough to save “The Gypsy King” from his first professional defeat. Getting nearly finished in the ninth round and unable to handle the smaller man’s late surge, Fury will once again have to make adjustments to maintain any standing in the pound-for-pound discussion.
He will get that chance in a rematch with the Ukranian in December.
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8. Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs)
With his Top Rank contract running out and a return to his native Newark, New Jersey, the time was right for Shakur Stevenson to put on a show to against Artem Harutyunyan. While he had no trouble getting the unanimous decision tp retain his WBC lightweight belt, it fell short of the crowd pleaser he promised.
Coupled with his win over Edwin De Los Santos that put the aforementioned belt around his waist, Stevenson has been subject of criticism for slow-paced fights and an apparent reluctance to take risks. Unfortunately, a hand injury has sidelined him until 2025
7. Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs)
Dmitry Bivol has held the WBA light heavyweight title since being promoted from interim status in 2017, with a “Super” elevation just two years later. Since then, he has defended his throne six times and added the IBO belt to his collection.
Even though we didn’t get to see the anticipated battle to determine who the best is at 175 pounds, we did get to see Dmitry Bivol further separate himself from everyone not named Artur Beterbiev. Immediately after his sixth-round knockout of late replacement Malik Zinad, Turk Alalshikh announced that the unification bout will take place on Oct 12. If Beterbiev is recovered from his torn meniscus, expect a banger.
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6. Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs)
In 2017, Artur Beterbiev won the IBF light heavyweight title. Afterwards, he just collecting different alphabets with WBC and WBO crowns to follow in the years since. Beyond holding those belts, Artur Beterbiev is the only world champion to have a 100% finishing rate.
An injury delayed the much-needed unification bout with WBA and IBO champ Dmitry Bivol. Bivol easily getting past replacement opponent Malik Zinad on the Queensberry vs. Matchroom card, keeps that plan on track. With Oct 12 penciled in for the fight, we will not be waiting for long. Let’s hope that Beterbiev steps in the ring in top form.
5. Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KOs)
Gervonta “Tank” Davis has ruled over his peers from 130 to 140 pounds for seven years and counting. With the exception of newly minted WBA champ Isaac Cruz, no man has seen the final bell against Tank since he became a world champion.
Frank Martin was no exception to that rule. Despite getting off to a strong start, the previously undefeated challenger ultimately wilted when Davis decided to press the action. Let’s hope there won’t be another year until he steps in the ring again.
Demands to see the Baltimore native face Shakur Stevenson, Vasyl Lomachenko, or Teofimo Lopez in his next outing have only grown louder after such a strong showing against Martin. A win against either of those three would only strengthen his pound-for-pound status.
4. Canelo Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs)
Canelo Alvarez’s place in the overall conversation, can’t be overstated. The Mexican superstar has won belts in four divisions, including a knockout of Sergey Kovalev for the WBO light heavyweight strap, and is the only person to have unified the belts at super middleweight.
After flying too close to the sun two years ago with an unsuccessful attempt at snatching Dmitry Bivol’s light heavyweight crown, Canelo Alvarez returned to super middleweight to resume his rule at 168 pounds. As expected, Alvarez had no trouble with Edgar Berlanga, dominating the previously undefeated fighter for the entirety of 12 rounds.
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3. Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs)
Veteran combat sports journalist Andreas Hale makes an excellent argument for Oleksandr Usyk being the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world. (Fun fact: Terence Crawford agrees.) His win over Tyson Fury might be single best accomplishment from anyone on this list.
After establishing an all-time great legacy at cruiserweight, Usyk has written his name in another chapter of boxing’s history books. By snatching Fury’s WBC title, he became the first undisputed champion the heavyweight division has seen in over 20 years. Even with the IBF’s efforts to undermine the feat, there’s no denying that Usyk is the best heavyweight on the planet.
He’ll face Fury again this December to reaffirm his position.
2. Naoya Inoue (26-0, 24 KOs)
The boxing pride of Japan, Naoya Inoue, stands next to Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk as the only other man in the four-belt era to become an undisputed champion in two weight classes. That impressive accomplishment at bantamweight and super bantamweight does not include the belts he held at light flyweight and junior bantamweight either.
Despite a rocky start against Luis Nery in his latest outing, the super bantamweight king quickly shut down any hopes for an upset. Earlier this month, “The Monster” dismantled TJ Doheny with a seventh round stoppage.
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1. Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs)
Since claiming his first world title in 2014, Terence Crawford has dominated his peers with a ruthless efficiency reminiscent of the greats of past eras. After putting on a masterclass against Erroll Spence Jr. to become the undisputed welterweight champion, he decided to test the waters at 154 pounds.
In his junior middleweight debut, “Bud” was able to hand Israil Madrimov his first professional loss and claim the WBA belt in the process. He is now faced with an abundance of options for future endeavors. He can return to defend the belts he still holds at welterweight, attempt to replicate his success at junior middleweight, and continue to pursue Canelo Alvarez in a heavier division.
Whatever he decides, Crawford will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the best to ever do it.
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