Eddie Hearn Picks Undisputed Champion Over Terence Crawford As Pound-For-Pound King

Eddie Hearn doesn't think Terence Crawford is the pound-for-pound number 1.
Eddie Hearn attends a press conference on May 27, 2025.
Eddie Hearn attends a press conference on May 27, 2025. | IMAGO / AFLOSPORT

Eddie Hearn doesn't rate Terence Crawford as the pound-for-pound number one despite his recent win against Canelo Alvarez. Crawford moved up two weight classes and handed Canelo a unanimous decision loss, the Mexican's first defeat at super middleweight.

'Bud' is now the undisputed champion at 168 lbs. He is also the first male boxer ever to become undisputed in three different weight classes. Crawford previously achieved the feat at 140 and 154 lbs. Apart from that, the Omaha native is only one of the few select boxers to ever hold titles in five different weight classes.

The accolades keep flowing for Crawford, who will hands down be considered among the greatest fighters of the modern. However, he is not the greatest of this generation in Hearn's books.

Terence Crawford snubbed by Eddie Hearn

Terence Crawford
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Hearn ranks Oleksandr Usyk, the undisputed heavyweight champion, above Crawford as the pound-for-pound leader in the world. The Matchroom Boxing head is still skeptical of Crawford's resume despite the win against a legend like Canelo.

Speaking to iFL TV, Hearn said, "Who has Crawford beat from the pound-for-pound list? The answer is Canelo Alvarez, and maybe Errol Spence at the time who was somewhere near the back end of the top 10 at the time, but when he fought Shawn Porter, when he fought Kell Brook, when he fought Amir Khan, when he fought Gamboa, it’s important that you get what I’m saying."

"I think he’s the most skilled fighter on the planet. It’s not his fault, he could have beaten those real elite guys in his prime, but he never got to fight them. And then I look at Usyk and I go Fury, who I believe was in his prime, right at the top of his game, AJ, two or three years ago, Dubois who is a young man and particular the second victory against Dubois when he was firing on all cylinders, but even when I go back to cruiserweight, he was beating those guys in their back yard. He pips it, but it’s very close.”
Eddie Hearn
Oleksandr Usyk
IMAGO / PA Images

MORE: Terence Crawford Disses LeBron James With NBA GOAT Ranking

Ranking Terence Crawford and Oleksadr Usyk's resume

Usyk has beaten some top heavyweight and cruiserweight contenders during his career. He holds two wins each against Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Daniel Dubois. The Ukrainian is also undisputed in two different weight classes, cruiserweight and heavyweight.

Meanwhile, Errol Spence, Amir Khan, Shawn Porter, and Canelo are among Crawford's best wins. It's hard to compare their resumes considering the different weight classes. One thing is for certain, both are bona-fide legends and must-watch TV when they are in action.

Terence Crawford

Oleksandr Usyk

Record

42-0-0

24-0-0

Knockouts

31

15

Best wins

Canelo Alvarez, Errol Spence Jr, Shawn Porter, Amir Khan

Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois, Tony Bellew

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Published
Apratim Banerjee
APRATIM BANERJEE

Apratim is a Boxing and Soccer reporter for On SI. He has been in the industry for five years, having also worked for The Sporting News, Sportskeeda, EssentiallySports, and more. After coming from an engineering background, he started pursuing a career in sports media. Apratim also holds an MSc. Sport Marketing degree from Loughborough University London and is a keen practitioner of social media and digital marketing. In his spare time, Apratim likes to play an array of sports and practice calisthenics. He is also an avid enthusiast of improving his martial arts skills.