The Ring has installed Terence Crawford in the #1 spot in their pound-for-pound ratings, pushing him above the previous #1, undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Crawford’s 12-round unanimous decision over Canelo Alvarez last Saturday night, on September 13, earned him the #1 rating with The Ring’s panel of voters.
The New Pound-for-Pound King
It’s a questionable move by The Ring, as Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) just arrived at 168 after fighting once at 154, and not looking good in his last fight. He hasn’t been at super middleweight long enough to prove that he deserves the #1 pound-for-pound ranking.
Crawford’s victory over a fading undisputed 168-lb champion Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KOs) wasn’t significant enough in the minds of fans due to the Mexican star’s careful match-making that he’s had in the last three years.
The Ring’s Updated Pound-for-Pound Rankings
- Terence Crawford
- Oleksandr Usyk
- Naoya Inoue
- Dmitry Bivol
- Artur Beterbiev
- Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez
- Canelo Alvarez
- Junto Nakatani
- Shakur Stevenson
- David Benavidez
Is Crawford the Best?
Crawford’s 12-round unanimous decision win over Canelo wasn’t the kind of dominating performance that indicated that he should be bumped up to #1 in The Ring’s pound-for-pound rankings. He moved around the ring all night, throwing occasional shots and then taking off again to eat up the clock. It looked like an old-fashioned game of keep-away type of fight, and it made Crawford look both timid and old.
Some people believe that the only reason Alvarez has held onto his world titles is that he has been maneuvered around these fighters since 2022: David Benavidez, David Morrell, Christian Mbilli, Lester Martinez, Osleys Iglesias, and Diego Pacheco.
Usyk has done more in the last four years than Crawford has since 2021, beating Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Daniel Dubois twice a piece. The massive weight that Usyk has given up in those fights makes his victories even more impressive.
“Staying at 168 is a mistake—Bud’s not built for this weight long-term. He won on skill and heart, but you saw the shots he ate; against fresh 168 guys, that chin cracks. Age and size will catch up fast,” said analyst Teddy Atlas to ESPN, reacting to Crawford’s win over Canelo last Saturday.