Two of boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighters fought two legit and potentially dangerous challenges in the past few days. And both Canelo Alvarez and Naoya Inoue looked (mostly) fantastic, proving once again that they deserve to be at or near the top of the pound-for-pound list.
Alvarez took on Jaime Munguia, the undefeated former world titlist, and broke him down over 12 rounds, landing huge shot after huge shot and avoiding anything too dangerous from the power-punching Munguia. Though Munguia showed a great chin and plenty of moxy (and proved that he’s certainly elite-level material), Alvarez won his fifth fight in a row and defended his undisputed super middleweight championship.
Two days later, Inoue suffered a knockdown in the first round but gathered himself and knocked down Luis Nery twice before finishing him in devastating fashion in the sixth round of their 122-pound title showdown.
The last time I put together this pound-for-pound list, I had Terence Crawford No. 1, Inoue No. 2 and Alvarez No. 3. Nothing has changed with those top-three. And though Alvarez said after his win that he’s the best fighter in the world, I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. Let’s look at my pound-for-pound top-10 list:
1. Terence Crawford: It’s been 10 months since Crawford destroyed Errol Spence to solidify himself as No. 1 on this list, and though the contracted rematch with Spence doesn’t appear to be on the horizon, Crawford has decided on his next challenge: moving to 154 pounds and fighting for Israil Madrimov’s title in August. Madrimov isn’t a big name, but he could be dangerous for Crawford.
2. Naoya Inoue: Despite the fact he was knocked down for the first time in his career vs. Nery on Monday, Inoue is still a destructive force. He almost surely will be remembered as an all-time great. He’s still so very dominant.
3. Canelo Alvarez: In a fantastic all-action fight, Alvarez knocked Munguia down for the first time in his career and, simply put, outclassed his Mexican countryman. People wonder when Alvarez will get old and washed? He’s not near that point yet.
4. Oleksandr Usyk: With his fight against Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight champion coming up later this month, it’s certainly possible that if Usyk pulls off the slight upset (at this moment, Usyk is the +100 underdog), he could move up a couple of spaces on this list. Maybe. This list is awfully top-heavy as it is.
5. Gervonta “Tank” Davis: After a tumultuous 2023 (he knocked out Ryan Garcia and Hector Luis Garcia but he found himself in jail and fighting other legal battles), Davis will make his 2024 debut in June against the undefeated Frank Martin. Davis is the solid favorite.
6. Errol Spence: Perhaps I should have dropped Spence further than this after his lopsided loss to Crawford last year. But I assume he’s still one of the best fighters in the world, and until we’re proven otherwise, he’ll remain on this list. Unless, that is, he continues to stay inactive without a fight scheduled in the near future.
7. Shakur Stevenson: It feels like Stevenson is stuck in neutral. He reportedly has one fight left on his promotional deal with Top Rank, and it’ll be against Artem Harutyunyan in July. Maybe if Vasily Lomachenko beats George Kambosos this weekend and Stevenson gets by Harutyunyan, Stevenson could rejuvenate his career against a future Hall of Famer in Lomachenko.
8. Dmitry Bivol: Sadly, Bivol’s showdown with Artur Beterbiev for June has been postponed because of an injury to Beterbiev. Bivol likely will get another stay-busy fight in the meantime.
9. Artur Beterbiev: Considering Beterbiev has had a difficult time staying healthy in the past few years, here’s hoping that eventually he can face Bivol to determine light heavyweight supremacy.
10. Devin Haney: Last time I published this list, I put Haney at No. 9. After he dominated Regis Prograis, I moved him up a couple more spots. And even though Ryan Garcia knocked down Haney three times en route to a decision victory last month, I’m not sure where Haney belongs. Especially since Garcia has since failed a drug test, and it’s unclear if Garcia’s victory will be vacated.
