Who are the best boxers in each of the original eight weight classes? Check out Boxing Junkie’s new “Great Eight” feature.
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Welcome back to the Great Eight, the best fighters in each of the original eight weight classes – heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.
Our list has been frozen for lack of action as a result of the coronavirus pandemic but the boxing gears are turning and the sport is expected to restart next month.
With that in mind, we wanted to remind you who comprises our Great Eight and – for the purposes of this post – present the single fighter we believe is the biggest threat to each man on our elite-of-the-elite list.
Remember: The heavyweight division includes cruiserweights, light heavyweight includes super middleweights, middleweight includes junior middleweights … all the way down to flyweight, which includes junior flyweights and strawweights.
Here we go.
HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs)
Biggest threat: Anthony Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs). The emphatic nature of Fury’s seventh-round knockout victory over Deontay Wilder in February seems to have eliminated Wilder as a serious threat, although one never knows because of his punching power. That leaves fellow Briton Anthony Joshua as the only man who could challenge Fury. Andy Ruiz Jr. shocked the world by stopping Joshua last June, raising questions about his toughness, but Joshua bounced back to easily outpoint Ruiz in their rematch in December. We would favor Fury to beat Joshua but the latter has the tools to give our champion some trouble. Oleksandr Usyk? Too small.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs)
Biggest threat: Dmitry Bivol (17-0, 11 KOs). Beterbiev proved in his 10th-round knockout of Oleksandr Gvozdyk in October that his combination of ability and strength is likely to overwhelm even an elite opponent. The potential problem here is that Bivol seems to be better Gvozdyk. Beterbiev’s fellow Russian doesn’t have tremendous punching power but he has baffled one opponent after another with his special skill set. If he can handle Beterbiev’s unusual strength and ability to hurt his opponents – a big “if” – he might be able to take down the most dominating fighter among 175- and 168-pounders.
MIDDLEWEIGHT
Champion: Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs)
Biggest threat: Gennadiy Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs). Triple-G might the only threat to Alvarez here. It’s difficult to imagine the Mexican star fighting anyone else at 160 pounds, as he seems to be transitioning into a super middleweight. And who knows? Even a third fight between them could take place at a catch weight between 160 and 168. Let’s assume that they’ll meet a third time at 160, though. Most knowledgeable observers say Golovkin is in decline at 38, an opinion based on so-so performances against Steve Rolls and Sergey Derevyanchenko. We would favor the younger, fresher Alvarez, too. However, we’re not willing to write off an old warrior who will be motivated to demonstrate that he remains formidable. Triple-G is a real threat.
WELTERWEIGHT
Champion: Terence Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs)
Biggest threat: Errol Spence Jr. (26-0, 21 KOs). Will we ever see the dream welterweight matchup? The feeling here is that Crawford is the slightly better, more-dynamic fighter of the two but Spence makes up for that infinitesimal disadvantage with an edge in natural size, although Crawford might be stronger than many realize. This is essentially a 50-50 fight, meaning Spence would be a bona fide threat to Crawford’s position here. We can only hope that it happens soon. For the record: Others in a deep division – including Shawn Porter and Manny Pacquiao – also are a threat to Crawford, just not to the extent Spence is.
LIGHTWEIGHT
Champion: Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs)
Biggest threat: Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs). The beauty of this entry is that Lomachenko and Lopez are en route to a meeting before the end of the year. Lomachenko (our No. 1 fighter pound-for-pound) is the best boxer in the world. And while the Ukrainian has had only 15 pro fights, he had a zillion as a decorated amateur. That means he’d have an advantage over Lopez in terms of experience, too. The Honduran-American shouldn’t be overlooked, though. He has an impressive skill set built on his own solid amateur foundation, is an excellent athlete, has one-punch knockout power and has a killer’s mentality. He’s a genuine threat to the 32-year-old Lomachenko.
FEATHERWEIGHT
Champion: Gary Russell Jr. (30-1, 18 KOs)
Biggest threat: Shakur Stevenson (13-0, 7 KOs). Russell hasn’t had what might be described as a defining victory even though he turns 32 on June 5, but we have a good idea of what he brings to the ring. The 2008 U.S. Olympic has a sound fundamental foundation and possibly the fastest hands in the sport, which can overwhelm his opponents. We’d favor Russell to beat anyone between 122 and 126 pounds. Stevenson might push him, though. He, too, is quick, athletic and a former U.S. Olympian. He won a silver medal in 2016. Stevenson’s obvious deficiency is a lack of experience. He’s only 22 and has never faced anyone near Russell’s level. We’d learn a great deal about Stevenson if this fight happened. Leo Santa Cruz? We think he’s finished at 126.
BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs)
Biggest threat: Juan Francisco Estrada (40-3, 27 KOs). Nonito Donaire proved in defeat that the gifted Inoue is human, although he battled through injuries to beat the tough veteran by a unanimous decision in November and preserve his place among the best in the sport. Fellow 118-pounders Guillermo Rigondeaux and John Riel Casimero might have the ability to push Inoue but his biggest threat currently fights at 115. Estrada is a superb all-around boxer who has proven himself over and over again against elite opposition on big stages. He definitely has the ability to threaten Inoue. The question would be size. Could the Mexican move up to 118 and handle a beast like Inoue? That could determine the winner.
FLYWEIGHT
Champion: Kosei Tanaka (15-0, 9 KOs)
Biggest threat: Moruti Mthalane (39-2, 26 KOs). Tanaka announced that he plans to move up to 115 pounds, which means he isn’t likely to fight again in our flyweight-junior flyweight-strawweight division. However, we’re going to wait for him to sign a contract to fight at 115 before removing him. The next best – and certainly the most proven – at 112 and below is Mthalane, the 37-year-old South African. Mthalane hasn’t lost since he was stopped by a prime Nonito Donaire 2008 and seems to be as good as ever even at an advanced age. We’d favor a gifted young fighter like Tanaka over Mthalane but one never knows when it comes to a crafty veteran. One could also make a case for unbeaten junior flyweight Ken Shiro as the best of the bunch.
