Canelo Alvarez isn't the best in the world - he doesn't top razor-sharp Terence Crawford
Inevitably when Saul Alvarez and Naoya Inoue fight on the same weekend, the conversation turns to the pound-for-pound crown.
Inoue is a tremendous puncher, probably the hardest pound-for-pound, as he proved by putting Luis Nery away in the sixth round in Tokyo. Alvarez is a phenomenon. He has lost only twice in a long career, the first time against one of the best defensive fighters in history, Floyd Mayweather, the second against one of the great light-heavyweights of the age, Dimitry Bivol.
Canelo had too much for Jaime Munguia last week, inflicting a first career defeat on his fellow Mexican. He claimed the win proved he is still the best fighter in the world. He’s an elite performer for sure, but neither Inoue nor Canelo top Terence Crawford in my mind.
Crawford won his first world title at lightweight against Ricky Burns in Glasgow a decade ago. That was the first time I saw him in the flesh. We heard all the talk about him, and he lived up to it.
They are speculating about a fight with Alvarez. He should forget that. As it is, he has gone through the divisions from lightweight to welter. You reach a stage where a ceiling is hit. Brilliance at a certain weight no longer transfers. A bit like Canelo against Bivol. As brilliant as Canelo is at super-middleweight, he ran out of gas at light heavy.
Crawford is old school – his timing, speed and spatial awareness is remarkable. He does not look like a heavy puncher but he is razor sharp and his feet are always in perfect position. So every time he hits you, you feel it. He drifts in and out of punching range and never gets nailed. Inoue is more explosive but Crawford does not get hit like Inoue did last week.
After Crawford, Inoue and Canelo, I would have Bivol and fellow light heavy Artur Beterbiev in the list. We shall have to wait until Beterbiev recovers from injury to determine which order they sit after their June 1 date was pulled.
Terence Crawford celebrates
For his amateur success, cruiserweight record as a pro and the outclassing of Anthony Joshua at heavyweight, Oleksandr Usyk has to be in any top-10 list. Tyson Fury, too, but he has not fought the class of opponent Usyk has. Again, which order they sit in will be determined next week.
Gervonta Davis also makes my list of pound-for-pound contenders. Even before Devin Haney lost to Garcia, in what we now know were debatable circumstances, I had Davis ahead of Haney and Shakur Stephenson, who are both defensive fighters. You can’t take your eyes off Davis – my kind of fighter who puts everything on the line.
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