Pound-for-Pound Rankings: Who Stands at the Top After an Incredible Week in Boxing?
Inoue-Fulton. Crawford-Spence. There’s a lot to evaluate after a pair of top-notch fights.
A few takeaways from an incredible week in boxing …
- What was most impressive about Terence “Bud” Crawford’s one-sided win over Errol Spence Jr. was how easy Crawford made it look. For years the boxing world has been waiting for Crawford to square off against a peer. When he did, he made it obvious he doesn’t have one, at least not at welterweight, where Crawford dispatched Spence by landing 50% of his total punches, per CompuBox and a whopping 60% of his power shots.
- It took 15 years, but Crawford is now in that sweet spot where his skill will meet opportunity. Spence has the right to a rematch, and he said after the fight he intends to exercise it, preferably at 154 pounds. Crawford said he had no problem doing a second fight at junior middleweight, which could set Crawford up for some lucrative matchups. Another win over Spence could lead to a fight with Jermell Charlo, the undisputed 154-pound champion who will climb up in weight next month to take on Canelo Álvarez. It would also present Crawford with the chance to become an undisputed titleholder in a third weight class, an unprecedented accomplishment in the four-belt era.
- If I’m Spence, I think long and hard about whether I want that rematch. Spence clearly has outgrown 147 pounds, and the weight drain may have contributed to his timing issues, as he suggested. But at 147 or 154, Crawford will be a huge favorite in a rematch. I’ve said it before: Spence has not looked like the same fighter since returning from a near-tragic car accident in 2019. An immediate rematch with Crawford may not be in his best interest. A safer option could be Keith Thurman, a longtime rival who has been calling for a fight with Spence at 154 pounds.
- Naoya Inoue’s knockout win over Stephen Fulton—which feels like a lifetime ago given the electricity of Crawford-Spence—was simply dominant. Fulton came into the fight the undefeated, unquestioned top man at 122 pounds. And in his debut at super bantamweight, Inoue wiped him out. All the power, speed and accuracy advantages Inoue possessed between 108 and 118 pounds stayed with him at his new weight; against the defensive minded Fulton, Inoue landed 38.9% of his power shots, per CompuBox, a strong number.
- There were some social media suggestions that Inoue could move up all the way up to 135 pounds to face Gervonta Davis in what would be a massive global event. I’m not seeing it. Inoue began his career at 108 pounds and suggested this week he might spend a few years at 122. He’ll most certainly climb to 126 pounds eventually and could reach 130. But the idea that he could go up to 135 to face one of boxing’s biggest punchers feels far-fetched.
On to Sports Illustrated’s latest pound-for-pound rankings.
IMAGO/AFLOSPORT (Inoue); John Locher/AP (Crawford)
