We take a look at the current top 10 best fighters in boxing, featuring the likes of Naoya Inoue, Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk.
A verbal agreement is in place for our P4P No 2 Naoya Inoue to face Junto Nakatani next year, in what will be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history.
Inoue's next fight is set to be Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September, before a spectacular showdown with Nakatani in 2026.
The 27-year-old Nakatani who has held world titles in three weight classes - came through his bantamweight title unification bout against Ryosuke Nishida on June 8 in Tokyo. Junto was all business as he forced Osaka’s Nishida to retire on his stool after the sixth round of their WBC/IBF title unification bout.
The win, and more importantly the manner of the win, is enough to move him up into our ‘pound-for-pound’ ratings for June.
In the last few weeks, we have also had confirmation that former ‘pound-for-pound’ king Vasiliy Lomachenko has retired.
‘The Matrix’ leaves the sport with an 18-3 (12) record but the stats alone don’t do him justice. Indeed, in the last decade there was a five-year spell when he was simply untouchable at super-featherweight, dominating so ruthlessly against champions such as Nicholas Walters and Guillermo Rigondeaux fans began calling him 'No Mas Chenko' after he had four consecutive opponents quit on their stool during his peak.
Elsewhere boxing's biggest powerbroker Turki Alalshikh dropped a truth bomb on social media recently when he said “From this point on, I don’t want to see any more Tom and Jerry-type boxing matches where one fighter is running around the ring and the other is chasing him.
“We can longer support these kind of fights with Riyadh Season and The Ring. We want to support fighters who leave it all in the ring and fight with heart and pride!”
Preach…
Here is the take on the current top 10 best fighters in boxing:
P4P Rankings: Current top 10
1. Oleksandr Usyk (Ukraine)
- Record: 23-0 (14)
- Titles: WBC, WBA and WBO world heavyweight champion
- Next Fight: vs Daniel Dubois (July 19)
. The mercurial southpaw has proven himself as the best heavyweight of his era after two wins over both Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury and will harbour dreams of finishing his career with his ‘0’ intact. If he manages to retire undefeated - having reigned as undisputed at cruiserweight and heavyweight - he will be in any conversation regarding the best boxers in history.
2. Naoya Inoue (Japan)
- Record: 30-0 (27)
- Titles: WBC, IBF, WBA and WBO world super-bantamweight champion
- Next Fight: Murodjon Akhmadaliev (September – Date tbc)
Akhmadaliev is next for Inoue, having cleared the final hurdle to his undisputed showdown with ‘The Monster’ by stopping Luis Castillo in Jalisco, Mexico at the end of May.
Inoue meanwhile put his undisputed featherweight championship on the line against Ramon Cardenas last month and came through a firefight to win in eight rounds. With a style characterised by thunderous punching power, speed and agility, Inoue is as close to the perfect fighting machine as you are likely to see. At 32 he also shows no sign of slowing down and his appetite for destruction is what endears him to both hardcore and casual boxing fans.
3 Terence Crawford (USA)
- Record: 41-0 (31)
- Titles: WBA world light-middleweight champion *WBC welterweight champion in recess
- Next Fight: vs Canelo Alvarez (September 12)
The big news this week is that Netflix will be picking up in Las Vegas on September 13, when these two ‘pound-for-pound’ behemoths collide.
Crawford is an outsider in the betting against Alvarez, which is something of a surprise given the fact he is unbeaten since turning over in 2008 and a bona fide modern great who can fight in the pocket and at range.
This master of counterpunching is jumping up in weight to meet Canelo, but he has the physical gifts to be more than just competitive when they square off in September.
4 Dmitry Bivol (Russia)
- Record: 24-1 (12)
- Titles: IBF, WBO and WBA world light-heavyweight champion
- Next Fight: Tbc
Bivol's next fight has still not been officially confirmed, but he's likely to face Beterbiev in a rubber match later this year to settle their rivalry once and for all. He has scaled the pound-for-pound heights with a style which is defined by precision, high ring IQ and ice-cold discipline while boxing behind a rapier jab.
5 Artur Beterbiev (Russia)
- Record: 21-1 (20)
- Titles: N/A
- Next Fight: Tbc
As stated, nothing has been announced officially in terms of a date or venue, but Bivol relinquishing his WBC light-heavyweight title is the biggest clue that a third fight with Beterbiev will be next.
Wherever the fight ends up, it should be another fascinating battle between two elite level warriors. In terms of his genetic makeup, Artur is huge around the shoulders and chest with a strong core. These physical attributes, plus years of diligent training, have honed him into one of the very best fighters in the world.
6 Canelo Alvarez (Mexico)
- Record: 63-2-2 (39)
- Titles: WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO world super-middleweight champion
- Next Fight: vs Terence Crawford (September 12)
The two-time undisputed super-middleweight champion’s ears - or should that be eyes - might have been burning after Turki’s recent ‘Tom and Jerry’ tweet, a clear reference to fighters who are earning huge sums with Riyadh Season but adopting a safety-first approach in the ring.
Canelo's latest fight against William Scull broke the CompuBox record for the fewest punches thrown in a 12-round contest, with a combined total of 445. Canelo threw 152 punches, while Scull threw 293. It was turgid stuff at times, but those in the Canelo business will argue he got the job done without getting hurt or even getting out of third gear.
Canelo - who has given his life to the sport - will know he can atone for the Scull aberration by winning his megafight with Terence Crawford in Las Vegas later this year.
7 Gervonta Davis (USA)
- Record: 30-0-1 (28)
- Titles: WBA world lightweight champion
- Next Fight: Tbc
Davis is one of the most feared names in boxing, but his reputation took a hit in March when he looked lucky to escape with a draw against fellow unbeaten Lamont Roach.
Given the controversy surrounding their first battle, a rematch with Roach looks a natural but Jake Paul has also bizarrely called out ‘Tank’ - one of the biggest ‘pound-for-pound’ punchers in the sport - for an exhibition fight.
Davis may not have that long left in the sport so we would rather him take care of business against Roach - or fight Shakur Stevenson - than waste time fighting an influencer much heavier than him who once starred as Dirk Mann on the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark.
8 Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (USA)
- Record: 21-0 (14)
- Titles: WBC world super-flyweight champion
- Next Fight: vs Phumelele Cafu (July 19)
DAZN will televise Bam’s July 19 fight with South Africa's Phumelela Cafu, which is a super-flyweight unification bout.
Rodriguez is known for his high guard, relentless pressure and ability to overwhelm opponents with combinations and body shots. It has served the two-division champion well so far, and the 25-year-old showed in beating Pedro Guevara last November that he is a fighter operating at the absolute peak of his powers.
9 Junto Nakatani (Japan)
- Record: 31-0 (24)
- Titles: WBC/IBF world bantamweight champion
- Next Fight: Tbc
Nakatani retained his own WBC 118lbs title and won Nishida’s IBF belt in a bout between unbeaten Japanese southpaws on June 8, with Junto's power proving the difference as he unleashed hell with a steady stream of heavy shots.
That win underlined the fact that he is not only the best bantamweight in the world, but also one of very best fighters in the sport full stop. It could be Inoue next for him, in a fight that couldn’t be anything other than a high-level tear-up.
10 David Benavidez (USA)
- Record: 30-0 (24)
- Titles: WBC world light-heavyweight champion
- Next Fight: Tbc
We are told that Callum Smith or Anthony Yarde could be next for ‘The Mexican Monster’, who now wants all the smoke in the light-heavyweight division after moving up from 168.
He looked brilliant in beating the classy David Morrell on February 1, and Benavidez became the WBC light-heavyweight champion without throwing a punch in anger after he was promoted to full champion status when Bivol vacated that title a few months ago.
Benavidez loves to walk forward and bang away – and he possesses one of the most cultured and violent uppercuts in the sport. So, if it is Yarde or Smith next, boxing fans are in for a treat as both UK fighters are known more for their offensive prowess than their defensive smarts.
Pushing for inclusion
Through no fault of his own, the gifted Shakur Stevenson 23-0 (11) drops off our P4P list this month to make way for the relentless Nakatani.
However, Shakur can underline his own credentials and hopefully prove something to Turki Alalshikh when he takes on William Zepeda for the WBC lightweight title on July 12 in New York. Mexican southpaw Zepeda is 33-0 and the biggest test of Stevenson’s career to date.
The switch-hitting, power-punching Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis is also knocking on the P4P door and was last seen making fellow unbeaten Eimantas Stanionis quit after six rounds on April 12.
IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia may also be one of the best fighters on the planet, but until his level of competition improves, we will likely never know.
He blasted out Claudio Squeo in Australia last weekend but it was another world title defence which told us very little about Opetaia’s ceiling - put simply, Squeo was way out of his depth.
Opetaia is 28-0 (22) but the truth is five of his last seven contest have been mismatches. He showed us he is the goods by twice besting Mairis Briedis in a couple of wars, but Briedis aside he has been in with fighters who are British or European level at best.
It will be interesting to see where he is moved next, with a unification fight against Gilberto Ramirez surely the play.
NB - Boxing's mythical ‘pound-for-pound’ list has been and always will be a subjective minefield, as fighters in different weight classes often do not compete directly against each other - which makes ratings difficult to compile.
The ‘P4P’ criteria - while not an exact science - is assembled upon fair analysis of fight records, boxers’ skills, strengths and weaknesses and recent title achievements.
