Boxing Ranking: Inoue and Canelo in Action, Usyk Leads
The boxing world vibrated with the action of several of the best fighters of the moment. Among them, Naoya Inoue and Canelo Álvarez stood out, who offered fights that generated diverse opinions.
Inoue, after falling to the canvas in the second round, recovered to defeat Ramon Cardenas in the eighth, retaining his undisputed super bantamweight title in Las Vegas. Canelo, for his part, faced William Scull in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, obtaining a unanimous decision victory. However, Canelo’s fight, where he threw only 152 punches (the second-lowest total in a 12-round fight in CompuBox history), did not entirely impress.
Despite adding the IBF belt and becoming the undisputed super middleweight champion for the second time, the panel of experts was not entirely satisfied. Canelo dropped one place in the rankings, placing at number 7. His next challenge will be against Terence Crawford on September 12 in Las Vegas.
“[Scull] didn’t try to win,” Álvarez commented after the fight. “He just tried to survive, and I hate those kinds of fighters. He moved even more than I thought, but it’s okay. We won.”
Canelo Álvarez
Inoue, for his part, extended his knockout streak to 11 in title fights. He has a title defense scheduled against mandatory challenger Murodjon Akhmadaliev in Japan for September.
“Seeing tonight’s fight, everyone knows I like to fight,” Inoue expressed. “I was very surprised [by the knockdown], but I took things calmly and recomposed myself.”
Naoya Inoue
With his victory, Inoue maintains his position at number 2, just behind Oleksandr Usyk.
The Alofoke Deportes expert panel, made up of prominent analysts, shared their votes, creating a ranking that reflects the current state of world boxing.
A continuación, el ranking completo:
- 1. OLEKSANDR USYK
- 2. NAOYA INOUE
- 3. TERENCE CRAWFORD
- 4. DMITRY BIVOL
- 5. ARTUR BETERBIEV
- 6. JESSE RODRIGUEZ
- 7. CANELO ALVAREZ
- 8. DAVID BENAVIDEZ
- 9. JUNTO NAKATANI
- 10. SHAKUR STEVENSON
Detailed Analysis of the Top Positions:
1. OLEKSANDR USYK: The undisputed champion in two divisions has dominated the scene since he moved up to heavyweight. He has defeated greats like Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, and is preparing for another challenge. Usyk continues to cement his name among the greatest in boxing history.
2. NAOYA INOUE: Known as “The Monster”, Inoue continues to demonstrate his dominance. His recent victory over Cardenas in Las Vegas reaffirms him as a must-see spectacle. He is expected to face Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September and could move up to featherweight or face Junto Nakatani in 2026.
3. TERENCE CRAWFORD: The lack of activity is the main argument against Crawford being number one. After a year of waiting, he will move up to super middleweight to face Canelo Álvarez. Crawford will seek to become the only boxer in the four-belt era to be undisputed in three divisions.
4. DMITRY BIVOL: He avenged his only defeat by defeating Artur Beterbiev. He is expected to face Beterbiev in a rematch. A victory could lead to an expected fight with David Benavidez in 2026.
5. ARTUR BETERBIEV: He suffered the only defeat of his career against Bivol, but showed a great performance. A rematch is expected this year. Despite his age, Beterbiev continues to compete at an elite level.
6. JESSE RODRIGUEZ: The two-division champion has defeated future Hall of Famers. On July 19, he will attempt to unify the title against Phumelele Cafu.
7. CANELO ALVAREZ: Despite his victory over Scull, Canelo did not fully convince. His next fight against Terence Crawford on September 12 could be the most important fight of the year.
8. DAVID BENAVIDEZ: Despite his achievements, Benavidez has yet to face the big names. With significant victories on his record, he seeks to prove his worth against the best in the sport.
9. JUNTO NAKATANI: The other Japanese boxer on the list seeks to unify the bantamweight titles on June 8 against Ryosuke Nishida. A showdown with Naoya Inoue could be the biggest fight in Japanese history.
10. SHAKUR STEVENSON: He will face William Zepeda on July 12. Stevenson might have to step out of his comfort zone to prove his worth.
Note: The results are up to May 8th.
