Fury, Usyk, Wilder, Canelo: Best pound-for-pound boxer in the world right now
Different boxers stand out for various reasons, such as Oleksandr Usyk’s ability to outbox opponents much larger than him and Deontay Wilder’s devastating knockout power. The strengths of each fighter should be reflected in the fighting style they choose. However, the pound-for-pound ability seems crucial for all fighters, and without it, you’ll have a hard time making it to the championship bouts. Some of the criteria used by World Boxing News to determine their list of the top 50 pound-for-pound boxers in the world today may surprise you.
Best pound-for-pound boxer in the world right now (40-31)
Knockout CP Freshmart, the current WBA (Super) mini-flyweight champion, is the only champion in the next section. In addition, Caleb Plant is one of the top 40. Early morning flag bearers for the United Kingdom include names like Josh Taylor and Callum Smith.
40. Demetrius Andrade
39. Keith Thurman
38. Jaime Munguia
37. Caleb Plant
36. Callum Smith
35. Josh Taylor
34. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
33. John Riel Casimero
32. Knockout CP Freshmart
31. Jose Ramirez
Best pound-for-pound boxer in the world right now (30-21)
As we near and pass the halfway point, the names on this list continue to grow in size and prominence. Just behind Gennady Golovkin is Kenshiro Rreaji, and further up the ranks are guys like Emanuel Navarrete. Even though Kosei Tanaka and Jack Catterall currently reside here, they could almost certainly be promoted with a string of high-profile victories. Andy Ruiz Jr., the biggest name on the list, comes in at number 30. Although he hasn’t been in the spotlight much since his shocking victory over Anthony Joshua, his performance is still at a very high level.
30. Andy Ruiz Jr
29. Teofimo Lopez
28. Leo Santa Cruz
27. Kenshiro Teraji
26. Gennady Golovkin
25. David Benavidez
24. Jermall Charlo
23. Emanuel Navarrete
22. Kosei Tanaka
21. Jack Catterall
Best pound-for-pound boxer in the world right now (20-11)
We’ve reached the list’s meat and potatoes section, with Deontay Wilder’s lowly 19th place finish likely attributable to his lack of activity since his epic rematch with Tyson Fury, which leads us to the biggest shock of all: The Gypsy King is ranked 11th. Thankfully, they clarified their thinking behind the decision, saying that since his fight with Wilder, he hasn’t faced any opponents of his caliber.
20. Regis Prograis
19. Deontay Wilder
18. Stephen Fulton Jr
17. Jesse Rodriguez
16. Rey Vargas
15. Roman Gonzalez
14. Vasyl Lomachenko
13. Kazuto Ioka
12. Artur Beterbiev
11. Tyson Fury
Best pound-for-pound boxer in the world right now (10-1)
Defeating Anthony Joshua twice in a row propelled the heavyweight champion to the top of the list. Joshua’s absence from the list may come as a surprise, but his poor performance over his last four bouts justifies the drop in his standing. The fact that Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. both make the list’s meat and potatoes portion are all the more frustrating given that they were supposed to fight each other.
10. Gervonta Davis
9. Shakur Stevenson
8. Jermell Charlo
7. Devin Haney
6. Terence Crawford
5. Dmitry Bivol
4. Errol Spence Jr
3. Canelo Alvarez
2. Naoya Inoue
1. Oleksandr Usyk