Tag: Terence Crawford

Fighter of the Year: Terence Crawford made the decision process easy

Fighter of the Year: Terence Crawford made the decision process easy with his monumental knockout of Errol Spence Jr.

Many people seem to believe that a boxer must have multiple fights to be considered for Fighter of the Year.

Not us. Sometimes a single victory is so monumental that it carries more weight than even two or three important wins by rivals. That was the case when we selected our award winner for 2023.

Naoya Inoue had a hell of year, knocking out Stephen Fulton and Marlon Tapales to become undisputed champion in a second division. Devin Haney outpointed Vasiliy Lomachenko and Regis Prograis. David Benavidez dominated two excellent boxers, Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade. And Gervonta Davis KO’d two unbeaten Garcias, Hector Luis and Ryan.

Those stars all had solid credentials for Fighter of the Year. However, their accomplishments didn’t add up to what Terence Crawford did on July 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Crawford fought Errol Spence Jr. in the most significant matchup of the year, a meeting of two unbeaten pound-for-pounders – Crawford No. 1 and Spence No. 4 on Boxing Junkie’s list – for the undisputed welterweight championship.

It brought back memories of great 147-pound matchups of the past, including Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns and Felix Trinidad vs. Oscar De La Hoya. It was historic.

In the end, however, it wasn’t competitive as Crawford turned a 50-50 matchup on paper into a stunning mismatch in the ring.

Crawford was nothing short of spectacular, putting Spence down three times, breaking him down and taking him out in the ninth round of what was arguably his coronation as the best fighter in the post-Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao era.

He also became the first undisputed welterweight champion in the four-belt era and the first man to win all four major belts in a second division, adding to the weight of his achievement.

See why Crawford was an obvious choice for 2023 Fighter of the Year?

“Man, I’m so blessed,” Crawford said in the ring after his victory. “I swear, I swear, like I said before, I always dreamed of being a world champion. I’m an overachiever. Nobody believed in me when I was coming up.

“I made everybody a believer.”

Indeed, he did. And it started in the second round.

That’s when, with about 20 seconds to go, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) put Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) down with a right jab that resembled a power punch. Spence got to his feet and wasn’t hurt badly, but Crawford was just getting started.

From then on, the winner was in complete control, coldly, methodically destroying an opponent many believed was his equal going into the highly anticipated showdown.

The fight was already slipping away from Spence in Round 7, during which Crawford put him down twice, first by a counter right about a minute into the round and then by a right hook in the final seconds. The end, it seemed, was near.

Crawford stung Spence midway through Round 9 and then unloaded as vicious an assault as you’ll ever see in the ring. Spence somehow remained on his feet but he took terrible punishment, enough to convince referee Harvey Dock to end the slaughter.

It was a performance for the ages given the perception of Spence at the time, the stakes and Crawford’s complete dominance. No one else could match his accomplishment.

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Fighter of the Month: Naoya Inoue continues to fight like a ‘Monster’

Fighter of the Month: Naoya Inoue made history with his 10th-round knockout of Marlon Tapales on Dec. 26 in Tokyo.

Can anyone compete with Naoya Inoue? The answer to that question appears to be “no.”

Marlon Tapales gave the gifted Japanese star more resistance than most of his opponents but he suffered the same fate as all but three of them, getting knocked out by his fellow unified 122-pound titleholder in the 10th round on Dec. 26 in Tokyo.

Inoue made history in the process. He became only the second boxer in the four-belt era to win all the major titles in a second division. Terence Crawford was the first to do so.

 

And Inoue continued to build a case that he’s the best fighter in the world, although he sits at No. 2 behind Crawford on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list.

Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) controlled the fight from beginning to end but took more punches than he typically does and had difficulty breaking down the resilient Tapales (37-4, 19 KOs).

The Filipino southpaw went down under a series of hard punches to the head and body in Round 4, which seemed to be the beginning of the end. However, he survived that adversity to do his best work in Rounds 7 and 8.

Tapales found a way to land counter punches more consistently than he had earlier in the fight and took everything Inoue threw at him in those rounds.

However, his rally (if that’s what it was) didn’t last long. Inoue, who remained persistent throughout, gave notice that he wanted another early night by hurting Tapales with a combination of power punches late in Round 9.

The end came in the following round. Naoya split Tapales’ guard with a straight right hand that forced his opponent to his knees and then all fours. And he wasn’t able to get up, making him “The Monster’s” seventh consecutive knockout victim.

That made him an easy choice for Boxing Junkie Fighter of the Month.

And he doesn’t appear to be slowing down at 30 years old. We have a feeling that many more accolades — perhaps No. 1 pound-for-pound? — will come his way before all is said and done.

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Fighter of the Month: Naoya Inoue continues to fight like a ‘Monster’

Fighter of the Month: Naoya Inoue made history with his 10th-round knockout of Marlon Tapales on Dec. 26 in Tokyo.

Can anyone compete with Naoya Inoue? The answer to that question appears to be “no.”

Marlon Tapales gave the gifted Japanese star more resistance than most of his opponents but he suffered the same fate as all but three of them, getting knocked out by his fellow unified 122-pound titleholder in the 10th round on Dec. 26 in Tokyo.

Inoue made history in the process. He became only the second boxer in the four-belt era to win all the major titles in a second division. Terence Crawford was the first to do so.

 

And Inoue continued to build a case that he’s the best fighter in the world, although he sits at No. 2 behind Crawford on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list.

Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) controlled the fight from beginning to end but took more punches than he typically does and had difficulty breaking down the resilient Tapales (37-4, 19 KOs).

The Filipino southpaw went down under a series of hard punches to the head and body in Round 4, which seemed to be the beginning of the end. However, he survived that adversity to do his best work in Rounds 7 and 8.

Tapales found a way to land counter punches more consistently than he had earlier in the fight and took everything Inoue threw at him in those rounds.

However, his rally (if that’s what it was) didn’t last long. Inoue, who remained persistent throughout, gave notice that he wanted another early night by hurting Tapales with a combination of power punches late in Round 9.

The end came in the following round. Naoya split Tapales’ guard with a straight right hand that forced his opponent to his knees and then all fours. And he wasn’t able to get up, making him “The Monster’s” seventh consecutive knockout victim.

That made him an easy choice for Boxing Junkie Fighter of the Month.

And he doesn’t appear to be slowing down at 30 years old. We have a feeling that many more accolades — perhaps No. 1 pound-for-pound? — will come his way before all is said and done.

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Wish list: Best single matchup for each Boxing Junkie pound-for-pounder in 2024

Wish list: The best single matchup for each Boxing Junkie pound-for-pounder in 2024.

Sometimes fans receive the fights they crave. Usually they don’t.

We remain optimistic, though, always hoping the best fighters in the world will face their equals instead of obscure mandatory title challengers or stay-busy foes.

With that in mind, here’s a list of the 20 fighters on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list — the Top 15 and five honorable mentions — and the one opponent we most want to see them fight in the coming year.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that politics or unreasonable demands sink the potential matchups you see below.

  1. Terence Crawford – Jermell Charlo. The biggest challenge for the best fighter in the world — and 147-pound champion — is at 154 pounds.
  2. Naoya Inoue – It seems no one in or around the 122-pound champion’s weight class can compete with him. Murodjon Akhmadaliev might have the best chance.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Tyson Fury. And it’s happening on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia. We’ll have our first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis barring something unforeseen.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Artur Beterbiev. What’s better than a meeting between unbeaten, highly respected fighters for an undisputed championship?
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – Jesse Rodriguez. “Bam,” one of the hottest fighters in the world, called out Estrada for could turn out to be a passing-of-the-torch matchup.
  6. Canelo Alvarez– David Benavidez. Duh.
  7. Jermell Charlo – Crawford. We like Charlo vs. Tim Tszyu, who has earned the opportunity to face the top 154-pounder. However, Charlo-Crawford would be a next-level matchup.
  8. Gervonta Davis – Shakur Stevenson. This would be a pairing of two profoundly gifted fighters, both of whom have the ability to become No. 1 pound-for-pound one day soon.
  9. Tyson Fury – Oleksandr Usyk. This is Fury’s opportunity to end all debate about who is the best heavyweight of the post-Klitschko era.
  10. Devin Haney – Teofimo Lopez. Haney is in talks with Ryan Garcia — who would make for a big event — but a victory over Lopez would do more for his legacy.
  11. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Estrada. Rodriguez already has three significant victories but a date with the future Hall of Famer would be his ultimate test.
  12. Errol Spence Jr. – Jaron Ennis. Spence needs to prove that he’s better than he looked in his knockout loss to Crawford. Ennis, as talented as anyone, needs a big fight. Perfect.
  13. Vasiliy Lomachenko – George Kambosos Jr. The Aussie probably isn’t a significant threat to Loma but a victory in the fight, which is in the works, would get him a title. He deserves the opportunity.
  14. Artur Beterbiev – Bivol. The classic matchup of boxer vs. puncher arguably would determine the best 175-pounder since Hall of Fame Andre Ward retired.
  15. Shakur Stevenson – Davis. Stevenson is one significant victory away from becoming a superstar. This matchup would give him that opportunity.

HONORABLE MENTION

  • David Benavidez – Canelo Alvarez. Benavidez has earned the right to face the man he has been chasing.
  • Jermall Charlo – Benavidez or Alvarez. If the two 168-pound stars don’t fight one another — or perhaps after they do — either would make the biggest fight of Charlos’ career.
  • Roman Gonzalez — “Bam” Rodriguez said in so many words that he has too much respect for “Chocolatito” to fight him, but, man, this would be an amazing matchup of special little men.
  • Kazuto Ioka — Juan Francisco Estrada. Ioka and Estrada were headed for a meeting in 2023 until talks broke down. The title-unification matchup would be fabulous if Estrada doesn’t fight Rodriguez.
  • Teofimo Lopez — Haney. Lopez’s victory over Josh Taylor was a step back to his pre-Kambosos status. He’d be all the back — and then some — with a victory over Haney.

Wish list: Best single matchup for each Boxing Junkie pound-for-pounder in 2024

Wish list: The best single matchup for each Boxing Junkie pound-for-pounder in 2024.

Sometimes fans receive the fights they crave. Usually they don’t.

We remain optimistic, though, always hoping the best fighters in the world will face their equals instead of obscure mandatory title challengers or stay-busy foes.

With that in mind, here’s a list of the 20 fighters on the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list — the Top 15 and five honorable mentions — and the one opponent we most want to see them fight in the coming year.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that politics or unreasonable demands sink the potential matchups you see below.

  1. Terence Crawford – Jermell Charlo. The biggest challenge for the best fighter in the world — and 147-pound champion — is at 154 pounds.
  2. Naoya Inoue – It seems no one in or around the 122-pound champion’s weight class can compete with him. Murodjon Akhmadaliev might have the best chance.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Tyson Fury. And it’s happening on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia. We’ll have our first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis barring something unforeseen.
  4. Dmitry Bivol – Artur Beterbiev. What’s better than a meeting between unbeaten, highly respected fighters for an undisputed championship?
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – Jesse Rodriguez. “Bam,” one of the hottest fighters in the world, called out Estrada for could turn out to be a passing-of-the-torch matchup.
  6. Canelo Alvarez– David Benavidez. Duh.
  7. Jermell Charlo – Crawford. We like Charlo vs. Tim Tszyu, who has earned the opportunity to face the top 154-pounder. However, Charlo-Crawford would be a next-level matchup.
  8. Gervonta Davis – Shakur Stevenson. This would be a pairing of two profoundly gifted fighters, both of whom have the ability to become No. 1 pound-for-pound one day soon.
  9. Tyson Fury – Oleksandr Usyk. This is Fury’s opportunity to end all debate about who is the best heavyweight of the post-Klitschko era.
  10. Devin Haney – Teofimo Lopez. Haney is in talks with Ryan Garcia — who would make for a big event — but a victory over Lopez would do more for his legacy.
  11. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – Estrada. Rodriguez already has three significant victories but a date with the future Hall of Famer would be his ultimate test.
  12. Errol Spence Jr. – Jaron Ennis. Spence needs to prove that he’s better than he looked in his knockout loss to Crawford. Ennis, as talented as anyone, needs a big fight. Perfect.
  13. Vasiliy Lomachenko – George Kambosos Jr. The Aussie probably isn’t a significant threat to Loma but a victory in the fight, which is in the works, would get him a title. He deserves the opportunity.
  14. Artur Beterbiev – Bivol. The classic matchup of boxer vs. puncher arguably would determine the best 175-pounder since Hall of Fame Andre Ward retired.
  15. Shakur Stevenson – Davis. Stevenson is one significant victory away from becoming a superstar. This matchup would give him that opportunity.

HONORABLE MENTION

  • David Benavidez – Canelo Alvarez. Benavidez has earned the right to face the man he has been chasing.
  • Jermall Charlo – Benavidez or Alvarez. If the two 168-pound stars don’t fight one another — or perhaps after they do — either would make the biggest fight of Charlos’ career.
  • Roman Gonzalez — “Bam” Rodriguez said in so many words that he has too much respect for “Chocolatito” to fight him, but, man, this would be an amazing matchup of special little men.
  • Kazuto Ioka — Juan Francisco Estrada. Ioka and Estrada were headed for a meeting in 2023 until talks broke down. The title-unification matchup would be fabulous if Estrada doesn’t fight Rodriguez.
  • Teofimo Lopez — Haney. Lopez’s victory over Josh Taylor was a step back to his pre-Kambosos status. He’d be all the back — and then some — with a victory over Haney.

Great Eight: Welcome aboard, Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez … for now

Great Eight: Boxing Junkie welcomes Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez aboard … for the time being.

The proliferation of titles makes it difficult for all but the most astute fans to determine the cream of the boxing crop.

That’s why Boxing Junkie came up with its “Great Eight” feature, which names the best fighter in each of the original eight weight classes –heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

Heavyweight includes cruiserweight (and the WBA and WBC’s bridgerweight), light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight and so on down to flyweight, which includes junior flyweight and strawweight.

In this installment of “Great Eight,” we do three things:

  • Crown a new champion in the lightest weight class (although he plans to move back into the next division),
  • Provide the final listing of the year,
  • And take a peek at potential changes that might lie ahead.

First, surging Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez dethroned Sunny Edwards as flyweight champion here, the result of his sensational nine-round demolition of his British rival to become undisputed 112-pound champion on Dec. 16.

Rodriguez’s reign isn’t destined to be a long one, however: He’s expected to move back up to 115, at which he had success last year. That would move him into the bantamweight division for the purposes of Great Eight, which would result in another change at flyweight.

We’ll see what our No. 11 pound-for-pounder decides to do next and act accordingly.

Meanwhile, we also could see multiple changes in the other seven divisions in 2024. Great Eight champions Tyson Fury (heavyweight), Dmitry Bivol (light heavyweight) and Jermell Charlo (middleweight) could face their demise in the coming year.

And, of course, the other champions also have capable rivals who would love a crack at them. Stay tuned.

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) – Fury’s reign as the top man here is in jeopardy, as he’s scheduled to face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia. He’ll have to perform better against Usyk than he did against Francis Ngannou to win.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) – The 175-pound titleholder gave another strong performance on Dec. 23, shutting out overmatched Lyndon Arthur. A meeting with Artur Beterbiev for light heavyweight supremacy could be next if Beterbiev beats Callum Smith on Jan. 13.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pounder came up short against 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez but he remains the best at 160 and 154. He wants to fight pound-for-pound and welterweight king Terence Crawford, who would take Charlo’s place in this division with a victory.

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford, coming off his epic beat down of Errol Spence Jr., could be poised to move up to 154 to challenge titleholder Charlo, which would create an opening here. Only talented Jaron Ennis would appear to be a genuine threat at 147.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – “Tank” remains the most-complete fighter at 135 and 130 but boxing wizards Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko might have something to say about who reigns in Great Eight before all is said and done. Now we need to see these pivotal matchups.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) – Inoue gave another dominating performance against Marlon Tapales on Dec. 26, stopping the Filipino in the 10th round to become undisputed champion in a second weight class. Can anyone compete with him? Murodjon Akhmadaliev might have the best chance.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – The 33-year-old future Hall of Famer from Mexico didn’t fight this year but he presumably will get back to work soon. “Bam” Rodiguez called him out for what could turn out to be a passing-of-the-torch matchup. Will he bite?

FLYWEIGHT

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) – Rodriguez supplants Edwards as champion here after leaving no doubt about who is the best 112-pounder in the world. However, he has said he plans to move up to junior bantamweight. We’ll wait until he schedules a fight to remove him.

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Great Eight: Welcome aboard, Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez … for now

Great Eight: Boxing Junkie welcomes Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez aboard … for the time being.

The proliferation of titles makes it difficult for all but the most astute fans to determine the cream of the boxing crop.

That’s why Boxing Junkie came up with its “Great Eight” feature, which names the best fighter in each of the original eight weight classes –heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.

Heavyweight includes cruiserweight (and the WBA and WBC’s bridgerweight), light heavyweight includes super middleweight, middleweight includes junior middleweight and so on down to flyweight, which includes junior flyweight and strawweight.

In this installment of “Great Eight,” we do three things:

  • Crown a new champion in the lightest weight class (although he plans to move back into the next division),
  • Provide the final listing of the year,
  • And take a peek at potential changes that might lie ahead.

First, surging Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez dethroned Sunny Edwards as flyweight champion here, the result of his sensational nine-round demolition of his British rival to become undisputed 112-pound champion on Dec. 16.

Rodriguez’s reign isn’t destined to be a long one, however: He’s expected to move back up to 115, at which he had success last year. That would move him into the bantamweight division for the purposes of Great Eight, which would result in another change at flyweight.

We’ll see what our No. 11 pound-for-pounder decides to do next and act accordingly.

Meanwhile, we also could see multiple changes in the other seven divisions in 2024. Great Eight champions Tyson Fury (heavyweight), Dmitry Bivol (light heavyweight) and Jermell Charlo (middleweight) could face their demise in the coming year.

And, of course, the other champions also have capable rivals who would love a crack at them. Stay tuned.

Here are the top fighters in the original eight divisions:

HEAVYWEIGHT

Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) – Fury’s reign as the top man here is in jeopardy, as he’s scheduled to face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia. He’ll have to perform better against Usyk than he did against Francis Ngannou to win.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) – The 175-pound titleholder gave another strong performance on Dec. 23, shutting out overmatched Lyndon Arthur. A meeting with Artur Beterbiev for light heavyweight supremacy could be next if Beterbiev beats Callum Smith on Jan. 13.

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo (35-2-1, 19 KOs) – The 154-pounder came up short against 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez but he remains the best at 160 and 154. He wants to fight pound-for-pound and welterweight king Terence Crawford, who would take Charlo’s place in this division with a victory.

WELTERWEIGHT

Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) – Crawford, coming off his epic beat down of Errol Spence Jr., could be poised to move up to 154 to challenge titleholder Charlo, which would create an opening here. Only talented Jaron Ennis would appear to be a genuine threat at 147.

LIGHTWEIGHT

Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) – “Tank” remains the most-complete fighter at 135 and 130 but boxing wizards Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko might have something to say about who reigns in Great Eight before all is said and done. Now we need to see these pivotal matchups.

FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) – Inoue gave another dominating performance against Marlon Tapales on Dec. 26, stopping the Filipino in the 10th round to become undisputed champion in a second weight class. Can anyone compete with him? Murodjon Akhmadaliev might have the best chance.

BANTAMWEIGHT

Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3, 28 KOs) – The 33-year-old future Hall of Famer from Mexico didn’t fight this year but he presumably will get back to work soon. “Bam” Rodiguez called him out for what could turn out to be a passing-of-the-torch matchup. Will he bite?

FLYWEIGHT

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) – Rodriguez supplants Edwards as champion here after leaving no doubt about who is the best 112-pounder in the world. However, he has said he plans to move up to junior bantamweight. We’ll wait until he schedules a fight to remove him.

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Pound-for-pound: Where do Dmitry Bivol, Naoya Inoue stand after convincing victories?

Pound-for-pound: Did Dmitry Bivol and Naoya Inoue do enough in their convincing victories to climb Boxing Junkie’s list?

Dmitry Bivol and Naoya Inoue gave dominating performances within a span of two days.

Bivol, the 175-pound titleholder, shut out Lyndon Arthur on the card featuring big-name heavyweights Saturday in Saudi Arabia. And Inoue stopped Marlon Tapales in 10 rounds to become only the second boxer to win all four major titles in a second division Tuesday in Tokyo.

Did they do enough to move up on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list? No.

No. 4-ranked Bivol didn’t face a serious threat in Arthur, who is no more than a solid contender. He could soon have a chance to climb, though. No. 3 Usyk presumably would drop if he loses to No. 9 Fury. And Bivol could be on a collision course with No. 14 Artur Beterbiev.

No. 2 Inoue overcame a more legitimate challenge against Tapales, a capable, rugged unified champion going into the fight. The Japanese star’s ability to deliver a knockout and make “undisputed” history were significant accomplishments.

However, it wasn’t enough to supplant No. 1 Terence Crawford, who was the first to become undisputed champion in two divisions when he knocked out Errol Spence Jr. in July.

Inoue’s best (only?) chance to reach No. 1 on the list is if Crawford falters, perhaps against No. 7 Jermell Charlo in a much-talked-about potential matchup.

Note: Honorable Mention Kazuto Ioka is scheduled to face Josber Perez on New Year’s Eve in Japan. Ioka is expected to defeat the obscure Venezuelan, which would leave Ioka in his current position here.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 14 Artur Beterbiev is scheduled to defend his 175-pound titles against Callum Smith on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada

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

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder and No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol– No fight scheduled.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – No fight scheduled.
  6. Canelo Alvarez– No fight scheduled.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder and No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Devin Haney– No fight scheduled.
  11. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – No fight scheduled.
  12. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  13. Vasiliy Lomachenko – No fight scheduled.
  14. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his 175-pound titles against Callum Smith on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada.
  15. Shakur Stevenson– No fight scheduled.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (no fight scheduled); Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against Josber Perez on New Year’s Eve in Japan); Teofimo Lopez (no fight scheduled).

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Pound-for-pound: Where do Dmitry Bivol, Naoya Inoue stand after convincing victories?

Pound-for-pound: Did Dmitry Bivol and Naoya Inoue do enough in their convincing victories to climb Boxing Junkie’s list?

Dmitry Bivol and Naoya Inoue gave dominating performances within a span of two days.

Bivol, the 175-pound titleholder, shut out Lyndon Arthur on the card featuring big-name heavyweights Saturday in Saudi Arabia. And Inoue stopped Marlon Tapales in 10 rounds to become only the second boxer to win all four major titles in a second division Tuesday in Tokyo.

Did they do enough to move up on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list? No.

No. 4-ranked Bivol didn’t face a serious threat in Arthur, who is no more than a solid contender. He could soon have a chance to climb, though. No. 3 Usyk presumably would drop if he loses to No. 9 Fury. And Bivol could be on a collision course with No. 14 Artur Beterbiev.

No. 2 Inoue overcame a more legitimate challenge against Tapales, a capable, rugged unified champion going into the fight. The Japanese star’s ability to deliver a knockout and make “undisputed” history were significant accomplishments.

However, it wasn’t enough to supplant No. 1 Terence Crawford, who was the first to become undisputed champion in two divisions when he knocked out Errol Spence Jr. in July.

Inoue’s best (only?) chance to reach No. 1 on the list is if Crawford falters, perhaps against No. 7 Jermell Charlo in a much-talked-about potential matchup.

Note: Honorable Mention Kazuto Ioka is scheduled to face Josber Perez on New Year’s Eve in Japan. Ioka is expected to defeat the obscure Venezuelan, which would leave Ioka in his current position here.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 14 Artur Beterbiev is scheduled to defend his 175-pound titles against Callum Smith on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada

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

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder and No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol– No fight scheduled.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – No fight scheduled.
  6. Canelo Alvarez– No fight scheduled.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder and No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Devin Haney– No fight scheduled.
  11. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – No fight scheduled.
  12. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  13. Vasiliy Lomachenko – No fight scheduled.
  14. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his 175-pound titles against Callum Smith on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada.
  15. Shakur Stevenson– No fight scheduled.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (no fight scheduled); Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against Josber Perez on New Year’s Eve in Japan); Teofimo Lopez (no fight scheduled).

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Pound-for-pound: ‘Bam’ Rodriguez has earned his way into Top 15

Pound-for-pound: Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez has earned his way into the Top 15 of Boxing Junkie’s list of best fighters.

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez appears to have won over virtually everyone.

The now-unified 112-pound champion dismantled previously unbeaten technician Sunny Edwards on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona, forcing the Londoner’s cornermen to end the assault after nine rounds.

The victory was his third over an elite opponent in his past five fights, including a decision over veteran Carlos Cuadras to win a vacant title at 115 and a knockout of possible future Hall of Famer Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

He also defeated Cristian Gonzalez by a one-sided decision even though he fought almost the entire bout with a broken jaw, proving he’s also as tough as anyone in the sport.

That level of success, his perfect record and “A” grades on the eye test has a lot of discerning observers using the hyphenated compound word starting with the letter “P” to describe the 23-year-old Texan: pound-for-pound.

Rodriguez (19-0, 12 KOs) entered his fight with Edwards as an Honorable Mention on Boxing Junkie’s list, as did the loser. What now for one of the sport’s fastest rising young stars?

Remember: There were some damn good fighters sitting directly above him in the Top 15 going into his fight against Edwards, including Nos. 11 through 15 Errol Spence, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Artur Beterbiev, Shakur Stevenson and David Benavidez.

In the end we decided that Rodriguez had to leap frog all of the above to No. 11, directly below another hot commodity, No. 10 Devin Haney.

And Rodriguez’s rapid rise might not stop there. He has said he plans to move back up to 115, where he would like to fight No. 5-ranked Juan Francisco Estrada. That matchup would give him another opportunity to surge farther up the list.

The fact Spence, Lomachenko, Beterbiev and Steveson fell one notch each (to Nos. 12, 13, 14 and 15) didn’t give us much pause. Benavidez slipping out of the Top 15 did.

Benavidez had just cracked the Top 15 after his sensational sixth-round knockout of Demetrius Andrade on Nov. 25, a victory that unscored the 27-year-old’s place among the best in the business.

Alas, he sat at No. 15 going into the weekend, meaning Rodriguez’s ascension dropped him back down to Honorable Mention for the time being. Consider him No. 16 for all intents and purposes.

And his fate will be in his own hands if he gets the matchup he wants in the spring, one with No. 6 Canelo Alvarez. If Benavidez gets that fight and wins – particularly if it’s convincing — he’ll have an excellent chance of entering the coveted Top 10.

One more bit of business: Edwards falls off the list entirely after his one-sided setback, which  created a new opening.

It was filled by 140-pound titleholder Teofimo Lopez Jr., who re-enters the Boxing Junkie list after his impressive unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten Josh Taylor to claim his belt in June.

Lopez now has victories over Lomachenko and Taylor in his last five fights. And while he lost a decision and his earlier titles in an upset against George Kambosos Jr. he did so with a dangerous condition in which air was present between his lungs.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 4 Dmitry Bivol is scheduled to defend his 175-pound title against Lyndon Arthur on Dec. 23 in Saudi Arabia.

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

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder Marlon Tapales for the undisputed 122-pound championship on Dec. 26 in Japan.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder and No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia.
  4. Dmitry Bivol– Scheduled to defend his 175-pound title against Lyndon Arthur on Dec. 23 in Saudi Arabia.
  5. Juan Francisco Estrada – No fight scheduled.
  6. Canelo Alvarez– No fight scheduled.
  7. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  8. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled.
  9. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to face fellow titleholder and No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Feb. 17 in Saudi Arabia.
  10. Devin Haney– No fight scheduled.
  11. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez – No fight scheduled.
  12. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  13. Vasiliy Lomachenko – No fight scheduled.
  14. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his 175-pound titles against Callum Smith on Jan. 13 in Quebec City, Canada.
  15. Shakur Stevenson– No fight scheduled.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): David Benavidez (no fight scheduled); Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to defend his 115-pound title against Josber Perez on New Year’s Eve in Japan); Teofimo Lopez (no fight scheduled).

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