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Arguably, the boxing landscape is more fascinating than ever.
In recent years, there have been heavyweight epics between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, they have seen Saul “Canelo” Alvarez establish himself as the face of the sport in the eyes of many fans, and they have displayed technical brilliance with the frequency of champions at lighter. . weight classes.
There were upsets, title convergences and plenty of drama: Anthony Joshua’s losses to Andy Ruiz Jr. and Oleksandr Usyk stand out as prime examples.
All these struggles and results have been taken into account the independentThe top 10 pound-for-pound ranking of male boxers, updated monthly.
While there is no exact science to compiling lists like these, a number of factors were considered when compiling the rankings, including each fighter’s overall record, recent record, level of activity, and caliber of opposition.
Pound-for-pound rating from The Independent
10. Juan Francisco Estrada (43-3, 28 KOs)
Juan Francisco Estrada celebrates beating Carlos Cuadras in 2017
(False images)
The diminutive Mexican is a two-weight world champion who won the WBA super flyweight title with his split decision win over Roman Gonzalez in March 2021. With that win, the 32-year-old Estrada avenged a 2012 loss. against ‘Chocolatito’ but it’s close. Nature meant that the old rivals had to play again this March until Estrada was forced to withdraw due to Covid symptoms. Since then, Estrada has hit on Argi Cortes, and his trilogy fight with “Chocolatito” will take place in December. In any case, Estrada’s creative use of angles is one of its standout attributes, making it a fun watch every time.
9. Devin Haney (29-0, 15 KOs)
Devin Haney (right) was a unanimous winner against George Kambosos Jr in two duels this year
(False images)
The undefeated American joins our roster after his second straight practice session against George Kambosos Jr. Haney earned a unanimous win over the Australian in the home turf of Kamboso in June to become the undisputed lightweight champion before retaining that title. status at the couple’s rematch in October, also in Melbourne. Prior to these matchups, Kambosos Jr. was undefeated. At just 23 years old, the best is ahead of Haney; So we expect him to move up in that ranking.
8. Vasily Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs)
Vasiliy Lomachenko tipped Richard Commey back in December to continue his return to form
(False images)
Surprisingly, he was beaten by our former number 10, Teofimo Lopez, but the 34-year-old has bounced back with three straight wins, most recently against Jamaine Ortiz, to maintain his status as one of the best fighters in the world. The Ukrainian southpaw (one of two on this list…) beat Jorge Linares in 2018 to become the WBA lightweight champion and defend the three-weight title before adding more belts with notable wins over Luke Campbell. and Jose Pedraza.
7. Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs)
Dmitry Bivol defeated Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez for an impressive victory
(Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
He joined our roster in May 2022 after his landslide victory over Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez. The Russian went undefeated and retained the WBA light heavyweight title with that result, which he achieved by fighting on the front foot, choosing his punches wisely and nearly doubling his opponent’s power. Bivol, 31, won by two points on all three judges’ scorecards, though the spreads should have been much wider. A clinical performance that has greatly raised the Russian’s profile and is likely to set in motion a rematch with Canelo in the future. Before that, however, Bivol was tasked with overcoming undefeated Gilberto Ramirez in November. Bivol won on points with an aggressive and clinical performance that took him from ninth to seventh on our list.
6. Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs)
Tyson Fury after again stopping Deontay Wilder in a heavyweight epic in 2021
(False images)
He has outshone Anthony Joshua as the familiar name in British boxing. Fury, 34, returned to the sport in 2018 after a three-year hiatus due to a long battle with his mental health. Since then, he has established himself as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, dethroning Deontay Wilder to become the WBC champion in the pair’s 2020 rematch after controversially drawing their first matchup against the American in 2018.
Last October, Fury stopped Wilder for the second fight in a row to retain the belt, which he did again in April, knocking out Dillian Whyte with ease after outrunning his compatriot for the better part of six rounds. A creative fighter who has shown remarkable stamina and heart in the ring, Fury previously held the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles and seems destined to reclaim them and reign as the undisputed champion in the future. First, however, he meets Derek Chisora in a trilogy match in December, despite having already defeated his compatriot twice.
5. Errol Spence Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs)
Errol Spence Jr. walks out of AT&T Stadium with another welterweight belt
(False images)
The American has not been the most active boxer in recent years, but little by little he has been building a good resume. Spence Jr has impressive wins over Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia and Carlos Ocampo. The southpaw stopped the latter, notably finishing off Kell Brook in the Briton’s territory early in his career, and a canceled matchup with Manny Pacquiao would certainly have put Spence even further away had he come to fruition.
Last time out, the 32-year-old beat Yordenis Ugas by brutalizing the Cuban’s eye, winning another welterweight belt and moving up our rankings in the process. If he can increase his activity, Spence will probably continue to climb alone here, especially if there is a long-awaited meeting with Terence Crawford and Spence can win …
4. Terence Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs)
Terence Crawford stopped Shawn Porter to remain undefeated in November 2021
(AP)
The WBO welterweight champion has one of the most impressive resumes in the sport and he just keeps getting better. Four of the American’s last seven opponents were unbeaten before meeting him and all seven were stopped by Crawford, who has a host of knockout and TKO wins to his name. Wins over well-known boxers Kell Brook and Shawn Porter in Crawford’s last two games have further raised the 35-year-old’s profile, particularly his victory over the latter last time out.
3. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs)
Saul Alvarez after his stoppage win over Caleb Plant last November
(AP)
In the nine years since his loss to Floyd Mayweather, the Mexican has established himself as the face of boxing with victories over Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, Gennadiy Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs, Billy Joe Saunders and many others. The effectiveness of the 32-year-old’s counterattacks, the skill of his heading movements and the beauty of his body make him a joy to watch.
Critics will point to Alvarez’s clenbuterol controversy in 2018 and the fact that some of his wins were due to controversial scorecards. Sponsors will have more faith in Canelo’s admirable activity and the many formidable foes he has fought and defeated. His three wins in 2021, all stoppages, eventually made him boxing’s first undisputed super middleweight champion. As the defending champion in four weight divisions, the Mexican failed to add a second light heavyweight title to his collection when he was outpointed by the undefeated Russian Bivol in May 2022.
This result, which shocked several fans, marked only the second loss in Canelo’s professional career, dropping him from No. 1 on our list to No. 4. He bounced back with a crucial points win over aging rival Golovkin, though that result You tested little on the point and you see it scale only one point here. The ambitious Mexican should soon be heading to a rematch with Bivol.
2. Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs)
Oleksandr Usyk (left) has beaten Anthony Joshua twice in a row
(False images)
He was the only undisputed cruiserweight champion of the four-belt era before moving up to heavyweight, where he became the 2021 WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO champion by outpointing Anthony Joshua with relative ease. . The 35-year-old Ukrainian is unbeaten, most recently outpointing Joshua for the second time to retain his heavyweight titles and move up two spots here. The Olympic gold medalist southpaw is as technical and clumsy as he usually gets in the heavier weight classes, making a possible matchup with Fury an intriguing prospect across the board.
1. Naoya Inoue (23-0, 20 KOs)
Naoya Inoue (left) stopped Nonito Donaire in the pair’s rematch in June
(AFP via Getty Images)
One of the lesser known names on this list for casual fans, the Japanese doesn’t lack in skill what he may lack in profile.
Inoue has the best interrupt rate of any fighter on this list, which makes him such an exciting fighter to watch, along with his effortless dodges, brutal body attacks, and terrifying power level. Most recently, “Monster” lived up to his nickname again by eviscerating Nonito Donaire in a rematch in June after narrowly beating the Filipino in his first fight. With this second victory over Donaire, Inoue added the WBC belt to his collection of bantamweight titles and also rose from No. 5 to the top of that list.
At 29, the WBA, WBC and IBF title holder, who has also claimed gold in two other weight classes, still has a long way to go.
Source: www.independent.co.uk
