Boxing Rankings: Oleksandr Usyk Leaves Naoya Inoue and Terence Crawford in the Dust to Steal Ring Magazine’s no.1 p4p Spot

Boxing has never been this competitive as it’s right at this very moment! It was just a few days ago when Naoya Inoue overtook Terence Crawford to become Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound number one champion after defeating Luis Nery. However, get this—there’s a new sheriff in town who’s giving Inoue a run for his money. And guess who it is? None other than Oleksandr Usyk! 

Alright, the undefeated Ukrainian had this idea to fight for his country alongside his comrades. But his pals back home convinced him otherwise, telling him to stick it out on the global stage. And it resulted in him defeating Tyson Fury last weekend to become the first undisputed heavyweight in the last two decades. No wonder he’s sitting pretty at the top of Ring’s rankings now.

What do the rankings look like now?

On May 20, talkSport editor Michael Benson jumped on the news and spread the word across X, making sure the whole community was in the loop about the latest development. He wrote, “Oleksandr Usyk has now become Ring Magazine’s new pound-for-pound king.” However, the question is, what does the updated list look like?

At the top, Oleksandr Usyk reigns supreme after being promoted for his split decision win over Tyson Fury in Riyadh. The Ukrainian nearly put Tyson on the canvas in the ninth round, but the Englishman was saved by the referee and given a standing ten count moments before the bell rang. But here’s the kicker—Inoue got bumped down to second place, while Crawford ended up snagging the third spot. Crazy how things shake up, huh?

So, here’s how the rest of the crew lined up: you got Canelo Alvarez, Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol, Errol Spence Jr., Gervonta Davis, Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, and Junto Nakatani. Now, peep this—Davis and Crawford are gearing up for their fights, which might just rocket them up the rankings. And with Beterbiev vs. Bivol postponed, those two are likely gonna chill in their spots for a while.

Regardless, Terence Crawford’s probably not too thrilled about Usyk moving up and him sliding down a spot in the rankings, right?

Terence Crawford salutes ‘The Cat’

As the night rolled in over the sandy country, things got somewhat tense. Like, the whole world seemed split, unsure which side would snag the win when all was said and done. However, with his fantastic performance, unwavering endurance, the Ukrainian overcame the tall English wall in front of him. So, ‘Bud’ Crawford jumped on X immediately after, making a case for Usyk’s number one spot. 

In a tweet dated 19 May, the former two division undisputed king wrote, “Man yall better put some respect on @usykaa man. He definitely a candidate for #1 P4P fighter in the world. I’m no hater. He beat the man that beat the man in a bigger division, giving what he’s already done. Salute brother!”

Having said that, there’s still some friction among fans about Usyk’s rise to the top, with some suggesting it’s a recency bias. However, no one can deny what Usyk has accomplished is indeed incredible, and it’s perfectly evident from Crawford’s tweet. What do you think? Does Oleksandr Usyk deserve his spot at No.1?