Terence Crawford, widely considered the best boxer in the world, admits Oleksandr Usyk could take his spot as the top pound-for-pound fighter.
Crawford's record speaks for itself. He's undefeated in 41 fights, has won titles in four divisions, and is undisputed in two. He recently added to his impressive resume by dethroning WBA Super-Welterweight Champion Israil Madrimov.
After beating Errol Spence Jr last year, Crawford was confident about his status. He told reporters:
"Without a doubt. The winner of this fight was going to be No 1, pound for pound, hands down. You've got Errol Spence, who was ranked No 4, and you got Terence Crawford, who was ranked No 1 [on many lists]. You've got two fighters that are in the top five of the pound-for-pound ratings. How can [the winner] not be No 1?"
But Crawford's tune changed when Usyk beat Tyson Fury in May to win the fourth and final heavyweight belt. Crawford wrote on social media:
"Man y'all better put some respect on Usyk man. He definitely a candidate for number 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!"
Crawford recently doubled down on his praise for Usyk, telling media, including Seconds Out:
"It's an opinion. Usyk is a great fighter. He's done great things in the sport of boxing. I always felt as if Tyson Fury was already at his ceiling. He couldn't go up or go down in weight classes. For Usyk to go up weight classes and still do what he does then that's pound-for-pound in my eyes."
Usyk's achievements are hard to ignore. He's the second man in history to hold all belts in the cruiserweight ranks and now holds all the belts in the heavyweight division. He'll face Fury again on December 21 in a highly anticipated rematch.
While Crawford and Usyk battle for the top spot, Naoya Inoue is making waves in the lower weight classes. The Japanese fighter delivers knockouts more common in higher divisions and is currently the four-belt champion at super-bantamweight.
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Crawford might hang up his gloves if he can't land a fight against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. A win against Canelo would surely cement Crawford's place at the top of the pound-for-pound list once again. For now, the debate rages on.