Canelo and Crawford: The Defining Duel of the Era
On September 13th, the boxing world will be paralyzed. The undisputed super middleweight champion, Canelo Álvarez, will face the super lightweight monarch, Terence Crawford, at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. This fight, considered by many as “the fight of the century”, has motivated Alofoke Deportes to analyze the best boxers since the year 2000. Of the 17 retired boxers on the list, 14 have already been honored with a place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The other three, Gennadiy Golovkin, Vasiliy Lomachenko, and Tyson Fury, will join them when they are eligible. Manny Pacquiao, following his induction into the Hall of Fame, joined the select group of pugilists who have contested a world title after being immortalized. The rest of the list is filled with undisputed champions and prominent figures. The task of selecting the top 25 was not easy, but our panel of experts, composed of Andreas Hale, Mark Kriegel, Nick Parkinson, Bernardo Osuna, and Andres Ferrari, did their best. From Floyd Mayweather to Oleksandr Usyk, passing through Canelo and Crawford, we present the ranking of the best of the century.The Ranking of the Best Boxers of the 21st Century
- 1. Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather, left, defeated Oscar De La Hoya in 2007 to become super welterweight champion.
Contents
Floyd Mayweather remains boxing’s biggest showman.
- 2. Manny Pacquiao
6:59SC Featured – Manny Pacquiao: The Roots.
Key Achievements: 35-6-3, 20 KOs (2000-2025); eight-division world champion; inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2025. Pacquiao, unknown when he debuted in the United States in 2001, became the only world champion in eight divisions. His aggressive style, with punches from all angles, surpassed boxing greats like Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Oscar De La Hoya, and Miguel Cotto. “PacMan” (62-8-3, 39 KOs in total) recovered from a brutal knockout against Juan Manuel Márquez in 2012 to win six more fights for the welterweight title until 2019. Pacquiao, who began his professional career at 16 years old, is still active at 46. He recently drew by majority decision against Mario Barrios in July.Watch Pacquiao’s full fights on ESPN
- 3. Bernard Hopkins
The life and career of Bernard Hopkins would be a compelling movie.
- 4. Oleksandr Usyk
0:41How Oleksandr Usyk became undisputed heavyweight champion again.
Key Achievements: 23-0, 14 KOs (2013-2025); current undisputed heavyweight champion; previously undisputed at cruiserweight and heavyweight. Usyk, at 38 years old, has defeated Tyson Fury twice, solidifying his status as undisputed champion on three occasions (two at heavyweight and one at cruiserweight). After winning Olympic gold in 2012, Usyk defended his cruiserweight title six times from 2016 to 2018 and became the first undisputed cruiserweight champion in the four-belt era. He then moved up to heavyweight, where he won a title for the first time in 2021 and has defended his title five times since. His victories over Fury and Anthony Joshua have dispelled any doubt about who is the best heavyweight of the generation. His victory over Daniel Dubois in July was a defining moment for Usyk. He is the best heavyweight since Lennox Lewis.Usyk cements his legacy as the best heavyweight of his generation.
- 5. Canelo Álvarez
Canelo Álvarez, right, finished his trilogy with Gennadiy Golovkin with 2 wins and 1 draw.
Key Achievements: 63-2-2, 39 KOs (2005-2025); four-division world champion; current (and only) undisputed super middleweight champion. An early defeat to Mayweather at age 23 didn’t stop Canelo from achieving greatness. The second-highest-ranked active boxer on this list, 35-year-old Canelo, can improve his position depending on how his fight against Terence Crawford goes. The current and only undisputed super middleweight champion has held world titles in four weight classes, defeating a large number of opponents throughout his career. Canelo established himself as one of the best boxers of this era in his trilogy with Golovkin, with a 2-0-1 record against the tough middleweight. Despite his loss to Dmitry Bivol in his attempt to become light heavyweight champion in 2022, Canelo and his iron jaw have held the title of face of boxing since Mayweather’s retirement in 2017. The hunter will become the prey on September 13 when he defends his titles against Crawford, but Canelo’s status as one of the best boxers of this century is firmly established.Boxing’s biggest star returns to Mexico, to his horses and to a moment 11 years in the making.
- 6. Andre Ward
Andre Ward, retired undefeated from boxing after consecutive victories over Sergey Kovalev.
Key Achievements: 32-0, 16 KOs (2004-2017); two-weight world champion; inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2021. Ward retired in 2017 at the age of 33 with an impeccable record, unifying world titles at super middleweight and light heavyweight. He won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics and, as a professional, retired as ESPN’s number 1 pound-for-pound boxer. His best victories were his decision over Carl Froch in the final of the Super Six World Boxing Classic in 2011 and an eighth-round technical knockout victory over Sergey Kovalev in 2017 in a rematch. Ward was an intelligent boxer, a consummate technician with a great jab that allowed him to handle heavy hitters like Froch and Kovalev. He is arguably the best super middleweight of all time.- 7. Terence Crawford
1:11Crawford stops Porter in the tenth round to retain the WBO welterweight title.
Key Achievements: 41-0, 31 KOs (2008-2025); four-weight world champion, undisputed at welterweight and super lightweight; current super middleweight champion. Crawford debuted in 2008 without the expectation that some of his contemporaries received, and he has used it as motivation to torment his opponents for the next two decades. His victory over Errol Spence Jr. in 2023 made him the first male boxer to become undisputed champion in two weight categories (welterweight and super lightweight) during the four-belt era. On September 13, Crawford will seek to become undisputed champion in a third division when he goes up to 168 pounds to challenge Canelo Álvarez. His unwavering will to win and his ability to finish fights have made Crawford one of the best boxers of this generation. For a boxer who began his career at 130 pounds, the possibility of defeating Canelo, an all-time great much bigger, gives Crawford the opportunity to solidify his place.Watch Crawford’s full fights on ESPN
- 8. Juan Manuel Márquez
Watch on ESPN: Márquez knocks out Pacquiao
- 9. Roy Jones Jr.
1:15 Jones Jr. uses a brutal combination for the TKO victory.
Key Achievements: 26-9, 14 KOs (2000-2023); four-division world champion; long-reigning pound-for-pound number one; inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022. Jones is undeniably one of the most talented athletes in boxing. If he had competed in the social media era, he would probably be the most viral boxer of all time. His best years were in the 1990s. However, Jones still achieved significant success in the early 2000s, joining Bob Fitzsimmons as the only boxers to capture world titles in middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight when he moved up two weight divisions to beat John Ruiz for the WBA heavyweight title in 2003. Jones (66-10, 47 KOs in total) returned to light heavyweight eight months later and achieved his last significant victory, a majority decision over Antonio Tarver that unified the titles. The weight fluctuation wrecked his body, and Jones was never the same, with a record of 17-9 for the rest of his career after starting 49-1. Still, the second half of his career shouldn’t discredit how spectacular “Captain Hook” was.Roy Jones Jr. is one of the greatest of all time.
- 10. Naoya Inoue
1:54Naoya Inoue dominates Ramón Cárdenas with a TKO in the eighth round.
Key Achievements: 30-0, 27 KOs (2012-2025); four-division world champion, undisputed in two weight divisions; current undisputed super bantamweight champion. “The Monster” is one of the best boxers in the world, currently number 2 in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings and the current undisputed super bantamweight champion. Inoue, 32, possesses speed, power, and skillful footwork that allows him to throw punches from a variety of angles. He has achieved undisputed status in two weight classes after unifying the four bantamweight belts in 2022. He has also won titles in four divisions and made eight defenses of the bantamweight world title from 2018 to 2022, seven at super flyweight from 2014 to 2018, and one at light flyweight in 2014. He announced himself in super bantamweight with style when he demolished Stephen Fulton in eight rounds in July 2023. The best days of the undefeated Inoue could be yet to come, with a possible showdown against the number 1 bantamweight and Japanese rival Junto Nakatani in 2026.12 reasons why Naoya Inoue defines must-see boxing.
- 11. Gennadiy Golovkin
Introducing Gennadiy Golovkin: Boxing’s KO King.
- 12. Joe Calzaghe
2:42Calzaghe reflects on the defining fight of his career.
Key Achievements: 19-0, 9 KOs (2000-2008); longest reigning super middleweight champion. Calzaghe retired in 2009 with an undefeated record of 46 fights after a career largely at super middleweight. He was boxing’s third-longest reigning world champion (10 years, 11 months). Calzaghe (46-0, 32 KOs total) complained of being avoided before overcoming Jeff Lacy and Sakio Bika in 2006 and then Mikkel Kessler in 2007, all in title unification fights. He enjoyed a glorious end to his career, including a unanimous decision over the previously undefeated Kessler to successfully defend his WBO super middleweight title for the twenty-first time and claim Kessler’s WBA and WBC belts. After that, Calzaghe’s hand speed was too much for Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. in decision victories at light heavyweight in the United States. He is arguably Britain’s best boxer in memory.10 years later: Remembering Joe Calzaghe’s finest fight.
- 13. Erik Morales
Erik “El Terrible” Morales, elected to the Hall of Fame.
- 14. Vasiliy Lomachenko
