Junto Nakatani – Syndication Server

Pound-for-pound: Does No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk leap frog Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue?

Pound-for-pound: Does No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk leap frog Nos. 1 and 2 Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue to the top of the list?

Oleksandr Usyk gave the performance of a lifetime on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, rallying to defeat gigantic Tyson Fury by a split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in a quarter century.

But was it enough to catapult No. 3-ranked Usyk past Nos. 1 and 2 Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list?

No.

Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) deserves consideration for the top spot after taking down Anthony Joshua in back-to-back fights in 2021 and 2022, stopping Daniel Dubois in nine rounds in August and now handing Fury the first loss of his career.

That’s a hell of a run by any standard. And the former cruiserweight champ has done it against naturally larger men, who would have trouble competing with him if he were their size. That obviously works in his favor in the pound-for-pound debate.

So why isn’t he No. 1?

Let’s start with Crawford and Inoue. The gifted lower-weight stars don’t have quite the resume Usyk has but they’ve dominated one contender after another to climb to the top of the list and have shown no signs of weakness.

Remember: We were as amazed when Crawford demolished fellow pound-for-pounder Errol Spence Jr. and Inoue got up from a knockdown to destroy Luis Nery as we are now following Usyk’s historic victory over Fury.

And while we must keep in mind the size difference between Usyk and his heavyweight rivals, he dominated neither Joshua nor Fury and benefitted from a controversial call by the referee – a clean body shot that was ruled a low blow — against Dubois to maintain his perfect record.

Fury believes he did enough against Usyk to get the decision, which isn’t far fetched given the tight, back-and-forth war. Had it gone Fury’s way, we wouldn’t even be talking about Usyk as a potential No. 1.

None of the above is meant to denigrate Usyk’s accomplishments. He has demonstrated over the past two years that he not only is the top heavyweight at the moment but also an all-time great, which is the highest praise in boxing.

He just hasn’t done quite enough to leap frog two other future Hall of Famers, Crawford and Inoue.

Of course, we must add one thing: If Usyk fights and beats Fury again — particularly if it’s more convincing the second time — we’ll have to revisit our decision to leave him at No. 3.

What about Fury, who entered Saturday at No. 9? He drops to No. 11 — below Bam Rodriguez and Artur Beterbiev — after his disastrous performance against Francis Ngannou in October and his setback against Usyk on Saturday.

And, obviously, Fury also can change his fortunes if he can turn the tables on Usyk in a rematch.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 8 Gervonta Davis will face Frank Martin and No. 15 David Benavidez will take on Oleksandr Gvozdyk on the same card June 15 in Las Vegas.

Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

Terence Crawford – Scheduled to challenge 154-pound titleholder

Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles.
Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
Oleksandr Usyk – No fight scheduled.
Dmitry Bivol – Fight against No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
Juan Francisco Estrada – Scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against No. 11 Jesse Rodriguez on June 29 in Phoenix.
Canelo Alvarez – No fight scheduled.
Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to defend his 135-pound title against Frank Martin on June 15 in Las Vegas.
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Scheduled to face No. 5 Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.
Artur Beterbiev – Fight against No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
Tyson Fury – No fight scheduled.
Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
Vasiliy Lomachenko – No fight scheduled.
Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduled.
David Benavidez – Scheduled to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15 in Las Vegas.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to face Fernando Martinez in a 115-pound title-unification bout in on July 7 in Tokyo); Teofimo Lopez (scheduled to defend his 140-pound title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami); Junto Nakatani (scheduled to defend his 118-pound title against Vincent Astrolabio on July 20 in Tokyo).

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Pound-for-pound: Did No. 2 Naoya Inoue do enough to supplant No. 1 Terence Crawford?

Pound-for-pound: Did No. 2 Naoya Inoue do enough in his breathtaking victory over Luis Ney to supplant No. 1 Terence Crawford?

Who’s truly the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound? Depends who you talk to.

Terence Crawford, No. 1 on Boxing Junkie’s list, and No. 2 Inoue are both unbeaten, near-flawless all-around fighters who have dominated almost everyone they’ve faced over an extended period of time.

Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) was at his glorious best in the early morning hours (U.S. time) Monday in Japan.

Luis Nery shocked everyone watching by putting Inoue down in the opening round but that only hardened Inoue’s resolve. The 122-pound champion responded by destroying a good opponent, putting him on the canvas three times and brutally stopping him in Round 6.

Inoue was nothing short of brilliant. It becomes more and more clear that he’s one of the best to ever do it.

And don’t count the knockdown against him when assessing his pound-for-pound credentials. Almost all the great ones have gone down. The important thing is they get up and demonstrate who’s the better man, as Inoue did in spectacular fashion on Monday.

The question is whether he did enough — or is good enough — to supplant Crawford at No. 1. That answer is no, at least for now.

The resume of Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is roughly equal to that of Inoue. Both of them have faced a long list of top contenders but relatively few pound-for-pound-caliber foes, although Crawford is coming a ninth-round knockout of Errol Spence Jr. last July.

And Crawford has been as dominating as Inoue, unleashing an overwhelming combination of skill, speed and power on one opponent after another.

The knockout of Spence, a pound-for-pounder himself, was just as breathtaking as Inoue’s annihilation of Nery at the Tokyo Dome even though Crawford didn’t have to demonstrate that he could overcome adversity.

Crawford has been nothing short of brilliant his entire career, which is why he was Boxing Junkie’s top pound-for-pounder since this feature was initiated in 2019 and hasn’t budged.

How could we justify demoting him under those circumstances? We can’t.

Inoue could reach the top at some point in part because of their respective ages: He’s 31, Crawford 36. That time simply isn’t now.

Another pound-for-pounder was in action on May 4, No. 6 Canelo Alvarez, who defeated Jaime Munguia by a one-sided decision in Las Vegas.

The superstar looked sharp but he was never destined to leap up the list because Munguia was not ranked. However, sitting directly above Alvarez at No. 5 is fellow Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada.

Did Alvarez do enough to swap places with his countryman? That’s a matter of interpretation. We decided to leave Alvarez where he is in good part because Estrada is scheduled to face rising star and No. 10 “Bam” Rodriguez on June 29. Estrada’s fate is in his hands.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 13 Vasiliy Lomachenko is scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia..

Here’s what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

Terence Crawford – Scheduled to challenge 154-pound titleholder

Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles.
Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
Dmitry Bivol – Fight against No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
Juan Francisco Estrada – Scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against No. 11 Jesse Rodriguez on June 29 in Phoenix.
Canelo Alvarez – No fight scheduled.
Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to defend his 135-pound title against Frank Martin on June 15 in Las Vegas.
Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Scheduled to face No. 5 Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.
Artur Beterbiev – Fight against No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship, originally scheduled for June 1, was postponed after Beterbiev injured his knee.
Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia.
Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduld.
David Benavidez – Scheduled to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15 in Las Vegas.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to face Fernando Martinez in a 115-pound title-unification bout in on July 7 in Tokyo); Teofimo Lopez (reportedly near a deal to defend his 140-pound title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami); Junto Nakatani (no fight scheduled).

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Junto Nakatani, Kosei Tanaka, Takuma Inoue deliver impressive victories in Japan

Junto Nakatani, Kosei Tanaka and Takuma Inoue delivered impressive victories Saturday in Japan.

Japanese fighters had a big night Saturday in Tokyo.

Junto Nakatani, Kosei Tanaka and Takuma Inoue all took significant steps in their careers by delivering convincing victories at Kokugikan Arena.

Nakatani (27-0, 20 KOs) knocked out Alexandro Santiago (28-4-5, 14 KOs) in six rounds to take the Mexican’s IBF 118-pound title, giving Nakatani a major belt in a third division.

Nakatani controlled the fight from the outset, outclassing the new champion. Santiago had upset Nonito Donaire to win the WBC belt in his previous fight.

Tanaka left no doubt that he was the better man against Christian Bacasegua, winning a one-sided decision to capture a vacant 115-pound title. He’s now a four-division titlist in only 21 fights.

Bacasegua (22-5-2, 9 KOs) got off to a strong start but Tanaka (20-1, 11 KOs) found a grove around the third round and never looked back.

And Inoue (19-1, 5 KOs), the younger brother of Naoya Inoue, knocked out former beltholder Jerwin Ancajas (34-4-2, 23 KOs) in the first defense of his 118-pound title.

Ancajas, once a rising star, is now 1-3 in his last four fights.

Junto Nakatani, Kosei Tanaka, Takuma Inoue deliver impressive victories in Japan

Junto Nakatani, Kosei Tanaka and Takuma Inoue delivered impressive victories Saturday in Japan.

Japanese fighters had a big night Saturday in Tokyo.

Junto Nakatani, Kosei Tanaka and Takuma Inoue all took significant steps in their careers by delivering convincing victories at Kokugikan Arena.

Nakatani (27-0, 20 KOs) knocked out Alexandro Santiago (28-4-5, 14 KOs) in six rounds to take the Mexican’s IBF 118-pound title, giving Nakatani a major belt in a third division.

Nakatani controlled the fight from the outset, outclassing the new champion. Santiago had upset Nonito Donaire to win the WBC belt in his previous fight.

Tanaka left no doubt that he was the better man against Christian Bacasegua, winning a one-sided decision to capture a vacant 115-pound title. He’s now a four-division titlist in only 21 fights.

Bacasegua (22-5-2, 9 KOs) got off to a strong start but Tanaka (20-1, 11 KOs) found a grove around the third round and never looked back.

And Inoue (19-1, 5 KOs), the younger brother of Naoya Inoue, knocked out former beltholder Jerwin Ancajas (34-4-2, 23 KOs) in the first defense of his 118-pound title.

Ancajas, once a rising star, is now 1-3 in his last four fights.

Alexandro Santiago vs. Junto Nakatani: Date, time, how to watch, background

Alexandro Santiago vs. Junto Nakatani: Date, time, how to watch, background.

Alexandro Santiago is scheduled to defend his 118-pound title against two-division champ Junto Nakatani on a stacked card Saturday in Tokyo.

ALEXANDRO SANTIAGO (28-3-5, 14 KOs)
VS. JUNTO NAKATANI (26-0, 19 KOs)

Date: Saturday, Feb. 24
Time: 5 a.m. ET / 2 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Kokugikan Arena, Tokyo
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Division: Bantamweight (118 pounds)
At stake: Santiago’s WBC title
Pound-for-pound: None
Odds: Nakatani 6-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Significance (up to five stars): ****
Also on the card: Takuma Inoue vs. Jerwin Ancajas, bantamweights (for Inoue’s WBA title); Kosei Tanaka vs. Christian Bacasegua, junior bantamweights (for vacant WBO title)
Background: Santiago vs. Nakatani highlights a card featuring three major titles fights. Santiago made a splash last July, when he upset future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire by winning a unanimous decision and the vacant WBC 118-pound title. The 28-year-old Mexican is 4-0 since he lost a close (disputed?) decision to unbeaten Gary Antonio Russell in November 2021. Nakatani, who had an impressive run a 112- and 115 pounds, will fight for a major title in his first fight as a 118-pounder. The 26-year-old southpaw from Japan is a considerable favorite over Santiago because of his combination of ability, power and strong resume. He’s coming off a one-sided decision over Argi Cortes in the only defense of his WBO 115-pound title, his latest success against elite opposition. He’s 6-0 (4 KOs) against current or former word titleholders. Inoue (18-1, 4 KOs) will be making the first defense of his WBA belt against Ancajas (34-3-2, 23 KOs). The brother of Naoya Inoue is 5-0 since he lost a decision to Nordine Oubaali in 2019. Ancajas bounced back from back-to-back losses to Fernando Martinez by stopping Wilner Soto in five rounds last June. Tanaka (19-1, 11 KOs) will be trying to win a major title in a fourth division. He has won four straight fights since he was stopped by Kazuto Ioka in 2020. Bacasegua (22-4-2, 9 KOs) is fighting for a major title for the first time. He has never fought outside his native Mexico.

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Alexandro Santiago vs. Junto Nakatani: Date, time, how to watch, background

Alexandro Santiago vs. Junto Nakatani: Date, time, how to watch, background.

Alexandro Santiago is scheduled to defend his 118-pound title against two-division champ Junto Nakatani on a stacked card Saturday in Tokyo.

ALEXANDRO SANTIAGO (28-3-5, 14 KOs)
VS. JUNTO NAKATANI (26-0, 19 KOs)

Date: Saturday, Feb. 24
Time: 5 a.m. ET / 2 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Kokugikan Arena, Tokyo
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Division: Bantamweight (118 pounds)
At stake: Santiago’s WBC title
Pound-for-pound: None
Odds: Nakatani 6-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
Significance (up to five stars): ****
Also on the card: Takuma Inoue vs. Jerwin Ancajas, bantamweights (for Inoue’s WBA title); Kosei Tanaka vs. Christian Bacasegua, junior bantamweights (for vacant WBO title)
Background: Santiago vs. Nakatani highlights a card featuring three major titles fights. Santiago made a splash last July, when he upset future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire by winning a unanimous decision and the vacant WBC 118-pound title. The 28-year-old Mexican is 4-0 since he lost a close (disputed?) decision to unbeaten Gary Antonio Russell in November 2021. Nakatani, who had an impressive run a 112- and 115 pounds, will fight for a major title in his first fight as a 118-pounder. The 26-year-old southpaw from Japan is a considerable favorite over Santiago because of his combination of ability, power and strong resume. He’s coming off a one-sided decision over Argi Cortes in the only defense of his WBO 115-pound title, his latest success against elite opposition. He’s 6-0 (4 KOs) against current or former word titleholders. Inoue (18-1, 4 KOs) will be making the first defense of his WBA belt against Ancajas (34-3-2, 23 KOs). The brother of Naoya Inoue is 5-0 since he lost a decision to Nordine Oubaali in 2019. Ancajas bounced back from back-to-back losses to Fernando Martinez by stopping Wilner Soto in five rounds last June. Tanaka (19-1, 11 KOs) will be trying to win a major title in a fourth division. He has won four straight fights since he was stopped by Kazuto Ioka in 2020. Bacasegua (22-4-2, 9 KOs) is fighting for a major title for the first time. He has never fought outside his native Mexico.

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Alexandro Santiago intends to build on his breakthrough victory over Nonito Donaire

Alexandro Santiago intends to build on his victory over Nonito Donaire. He defends his 118-title against Junto Nakatani on Saturday.

Was Alexandro Santiago’s title-winning victory over Nonito Donaire in July his coming out as an elite fighter? Or did the Mexican simply catch the then-40-year-old future Hall of Famer at the right time?

We’re going to find out on Saturday, when he defends his 118-pound belt against unbeaten southpaw Junto Nakatani in Tokyo (ESPN+).

Nakatani (26-0, 19 KOs) is one of the top smaller fighters in the world, a fearsome boxer-puncher with major titles in two divisions and a series of impressive victories, including a brutal knockout of Andrew Moloney. He’s also listed at 5 feet, 7½ inches, five inches taller than Santiago.

That’s why the Japanese fighter is around a 6-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets) even though he’s the challenger against Santiago (28-3-5, 14 KOs).

“What I know about him is he’s a young, hungry, great fighter,” Santiago told RingTV.com. “He has very good attributes. He’s tall, lean and a southpaw. In the past I’ve fought southpaws, and I was the shorter man.

“He’s been champion twice and I love this type of challenge because I know beating a fighter like this with a tremendous resume, I’m going to a bigger level and better fights.”

Santiago didn’t come out of nowhere to beat Donaire, against whom he won the vacant WBC title.

The 28-year-old resident of Tijuana made a strong impression in defeat against slick Gary Antonio Russell in 2021. Santiago lost a close majority decision that some believe went to the wrong fighter.

He defeated his next three opponents to earn a shot at Donaire and his first major belt. His victory in that fight was a significant break through.

“Beating a guy like Donaire, who is a superstar, soon probably a Hall of Famer, to conquer my dream of becoming a world champion was an incredible experience, something I dreamed about of since I was a young fighter,” he said.

“I celebrated with the people that I love, which is my family, my team, the Quiriarte family. It was very challenging and difficult but I do believe the challenge starts now, a lot more difficult fights like the one I have in Japan but I am very well prepared.

“I’m enjoying it, I’m having a lot of fun with it. I’m looking forward to it. I wish it was tomorrow.”

He insists he’s prepared for what appears to be the biggest challenge of his career on Saturday.

“I’m going to his backyard in Japan and I’ve been working extremely hard,” he said. “One of my belief’s is you win fights in the gym, mainly preparing yourself very well, the time, work ethic, the effort.

“That way the day of the fight everything will conclude, all the hard work usually is almost done. I have dedicated myself, I had good, tough sparring. We feel ready for this fight.”

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Alexandro Santiago intends to build on his breakthrough victory over Nonito Donaire

Alexandro Santiago intends to build on his victory over Nonito Donaire. He defends his 118-title against Junto Nakatani on Saturday.