Terence Crawford Recaptures Top Spot in Boxing
After 16 months, Terence Crawford is back at the top of boxing. This rise comes after Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over Tyson Fury in May 2024, which had displaced Crawford from first place.
Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) achieved a unanimous decision victory over Canelo Álvarez in Las Vegas on Saturday. This triumph propelled him from third place to number one.
Crawford’s performance was brilliant, moving up two weight classes to challenge Canelo for the undisputed super middleweight championship. Furthermore, Crawford became the only boxer in the four-belt era (since 2007) to be undisputed champion in three different divisions: super lightweight, welterweight, and super middleweight.
Canelo (62-3-2, 39 KOs), a four-division champion, suffered his first defeat since losing to Dmitry Bivol when he moved up a division to fight for the light heavyweight title in May 2022. As a result of his loss to Crawford, Canelo drops two positions, ranking at number 10.
Naoya Inoue and Dmitry Bivol in Action
In Nagoya, Japan, Naoya Inoue successfully defended his undisputed super bantamweight championship, securing a unanimous decision victory over Murodjon Akhmadaliev.
Despite his victory, Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs) dropped one spot in the rankings, landing at number 3. This change reflects greater recognition for Crawford rather than any flaw in Inoue’s performance.
Ranking of the Top 10 Boxers
- 1. TERENCE CRAWFORD
- 2. OLEKSANDR USYK
- 3. NAOYA INOUE
- 4. DMITRY BIVOL
- 5. JESSE RODRIGUEZ
- 6. ARTUR BETERBIEV
- 7. SHAKUR STEVENSON
- 8. DAVID BENAVIDEZ
- 9. JUNTO NAKATANI
- 10. CANELO ALVAREZ
Results as of September 17th.
1. TERENCE CRAWFORD: Record: 42-0, 31 KOs. Division: Super Middleweight (undisputed champion). Last Fight: Won by unanimous decision against Canelo Álvarez, on September 13th. Next Fight: To be announced.
Crawford’s victory over Canelo, despite the close scorecards (116-112, 115-113, and 115-113), was a demonstration of his excellence. He moved up two weight classes and dominated a boxer considered the face of boxing, solidifying himself as the best pound-for-pound and possibly of his generation.
2. OLEKSANDR USYK: Record: 24-0, 15 KOs. Division: Heavyweight (undisputed champion). Last Fight: Won by KO in the fifth round against Daniel Dubois, on July 19. Next Fight: To be announced.
Usyk is solidifying his position as the best heavyweight of the century. His victory over Dubois once again made him the undisputed champion.
3. NAOYA INOUE: Record: 31-0, 27 KOs. Division: Super Bantamweight (undisputed champion). Last Fight: Won by unanimous decision against Murodjon Akhmadaliev, on September 14th. Next Fight: December 27th against David Picasso.
Inoue, despite his victory, dropped a position due to the impact of Crawford’s victory over Canelo. He continues to demonstrate his excellence in the ring, surpassing Akhmadaliev by unanimous decision.
4. DMITRY BIVOL: Record: 24-1, 12 KOs. Division: Light Heavyweight (unified champion). Last Fight: Won by majority decision against Artur Beterbiev, on February 22. Next Fight: To be announced.
Bivol avenged his only defeat, defeating Beterbiev. He is likely to face Beterbiev in a rematch. An expected showdown with Benavidez could be possible in 2026.
5. JESSE RODRIGUEZ: Record: 22-0, 15 KOs. Division: Super Flyweight (unified champion). Last Fight: Won by TKO in the tenth round against Phumelela Cafu, on July 19. Next Fight: November 22 against Fernando Daniel Martinez.
At 25 years old, Rodriguez is still underestimated. He secured another world title by defeating Cafu. He will face Martinez in November, with the opportunity to be named boxer of the year.
6. ARTUR BETERBIEV: Record: 21-1, 20 KOs. Division: Light Heavyweight. Last Fight: Lost by majority decision to Dmitry Bivol, on February 22. Next Fight: November 22 against Deon Nicholson.
Beterbiev suffered the only defeat of his professional career in the rematch with Bivol on February 22. He will face Nicholson on November 22.
7. SHAKUR STEVENSON: Record: 24-0, 11 KOs. Division: Lightweight (champion). Last Fight: Won by unanimous decision against William Zepeda, on July 12. Next Fight: To be announced.
Stevenson dominated Zepeda, adding aggressiveness to his tactical style. His biggest criticism is that he sometimes seems too easy. Stevenson used his jab, uppercuts, and effective combinations to control Zepeda.
8. DAVID BENAVIDEZ: Record: 30-0, 24 KOs. Division: Super Middleweight (champion). Last Fight: Won by unanimous decision against David Morrell, on February 1st. Next Fight: November 22nd against Anthony Yarde.
Benavidez has not managed to secure fights with the biggest names. He will face Yarde in November. At 28 years old, he has not yet reached his prime.
9. JUNTO NAKATANI: Record: 31-0, 24 KOs. Division: Bantamweight (unified champion). Last Fight: Won by TKO in the sixth round against Ryosuke Nishida, on June 8th. Next Fight: To be announced.
Nakatani unified the bantamweight titles on June 8 against Nishida. A showdown with Inoue seems to be on the horizon, which would be the biggest fight in Japanese history.
10. CANELO ALVAREZ: Record: 63-3-2, 39 KOs. Division: Super Middleweight. Last Fight: Lost by unanimous decision to Terence Crawford, on September 13. Next Fight: To be announced.
Canelo was outmatched by Crawford, losing his super middleweight titles in front of over 70,000 fans in Las Vegas. At 35 years old, with almost 70 fights in his career, are we witnessing the final years of one of the greatest Mexican boxers?
