Tag: Tyson Fury

Pound-for-pound: Where does Artur Beterbiev land after his dominating victory?

Pound-for-pound: Where does Artur Beterbiev land after his dominating knockout victory over Callum Smith?

Artur Beterbiev demonstrated in his impressive seventh-round stoppage of Callum Smith on Jan. 13 that he’s at the peak of his abilities as he approaches his 39th birthday.

The 175-pound champion now has 20 knockouts in as many fights.

Where does his latest victory leave him on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list?

Beterbiev entered the fight at No. 14, below Nos. 12 and 13 Errol Spence Jr. and Vasiliy Lomachenko, both of whom are coming off losses in their most recent fights.

Thus, Beterbiev jumps up two spots to No. 12, directly below No. 11 Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, who is coming off a sensational ninth-round knockout of previously unbeaten Sunny Edwards last month.

Of course, Beterbiev’s place on the list is tenuous: He and No. 4 Dmitry Bivol have reportedly agreed to meet for the undisputed 175-pound championship in late spring or summer, which would be the toughest matchup of Beterbiev’s career.

Spence (now No. 13) has no fight scheduled. Lomachenko (No. 14) reportedly will face George Kambosos Jr. for a vacant 135-pound title on May 12 in Australia, which would give the Ukrainian a chance to move back up the list.

Next pound-for-pounder up: Honorable Mention Teofimo Lopez is scheduled to defend his WBO 140-pound title against Jamaine Ortiz on Feb. 8 in Las Vegas.

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. Artur Beterbiev – No fight scheduled.
  13. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  14. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Reportedly set to face George Kambosos Jr. for the vacant IBF 135-pound title May 12 in Australia, although no formal announcement has been made.
  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 (no fight scheduled); Teofimo Lopez (scheduled to defend his WBO 140-pound title against Jamaine Ortiz on Feb. 8 in Las Vegas).

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Francis Ngannou: Tyson Fury ‘owes me a fight,’ win or lose against Oleksandr Usyk

Francis Ngannou makes it clear: “I don’t give a sh*t about the winner of Usyk and Tyson. I’m comin after Tyson.”

[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] wants to rematch [autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag] no matter what.

Ngannou (0-1) meets Anthony Joshua (27-3) in a 10-round boxing match March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, WBC heavyweight champion Fury faces Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles, in an undisputed championship fight on Feb. 17 also in Riyadh.

Ngannou pushed Fury to the limit when he knocked him down in a close decision loss this past October. He is eager to run things back with “The Gypsy King” regardless of the outcome of his next fight.

“I’m not looking for the winner of Tyson Fury (and Usyk),” Ngannou told TMZ. “I’m looking for Tyson. Tyson owes me a fight. I don’t give a sh*t about the winner of Usyk and Tyson. I’m coming after Tyson. Win or lose, I want Tyson.”

Ngannou plans on ramping up his game even more after his impressive performance vs. Fury. He acknowledges that the element of surprise no longer plays in his favor.

“He’s seen me box already, so he knows a little bit what is coming after,” Ngannou said. “Unlike Tyson Fury, that was out of the blue, didn’t know what to expect. Joshua kind of knows what to expect. I think this time I need to put it up even more to get the job done.”

According to FanDuel, Ngannou is a +500 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the former UFC heavyweight champion would win $500. Joshua is a -700 favorite, meaning a $700 wager would be needed to return a $100 profit.

Ngannou thinks it makes total sense that he’s a big underdog.

“I’m going in against a former champion, against a guy that’s been in the game for so long, winning, and all this stuff,” Ngannou said. I think he’s 30-something and I’m 0-1. Come on, man. How do you make me a favorite?”

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Francis Ngannou opens as sizable betting underdog against Anthony Joshua

Francis Ngannou has opened as a sizable betting underdog against Anthony Joshua. The two are scheduled to meet on March 9 in Saudi Arabia.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published at MMAJunkie.com.

***

Even though he was impressive in his professional boxing debut, Francis Ngannou is once again a big underdog at the betting window.

Ngannou (0-1) is set to face Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) in a heavyweight boxing match on March 8 in Saudi Arabia. It will be just the second professional boxing bout for Ngannou, following a competitive debut against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in October.

According to FanDuel, Ngannou is a +500 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the former UFC heavyweight champ would win $500. Joshua (27-3) is perhaps unsurprisingly a massive favorite in the contest.

The former boxing champion opens as a -700 favorite, meaning a $700 wager would be needed to return a $100 profit. For the bettors who embrace chaos and drama, a draw result is +2000, meaning a $100 bet would win $2,000.

In his first boxing bout, Ngannou was a +600 underdog to Fury. Ngannou gave bettors who wagered on Fury at -1,000 a solid scare when he scored a knockdown in the third round, which was also the biggest single moment of their 10-round fight. Ngannou even entered the final round as a live betting favorite.

Joshua was also a clear favorite in his previous outing against Otto Wallin. The U.K.’s heavyweight won a decision as a -380 favorite, turning away Wallin, who came in as a +285 underdog.

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Francis Ngannou opens as sizable betting underdog against Anthony Joshua

Francis Ngannou has opened as a sizable betting underdog against Anthony Joshua. The two are scheduled to meet on March 9 in Saudi Arabia.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published at MMAJunkie.com.

***

Even though he was impressive in his professional boxing debut, Francis Ngannou is once again a big underdog at the betting window.

Ngannou (0-1) is set to face Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) in a heavyweight boxing match on March 8 in Saudi Arabia. It will be just the second professional boxing bout for Ngannou, following a competitive debut against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in October.

According to FanDuel, Ngannou is a +500 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the former UFC heavyweight champ would win $500. Joshua (27-3) is perhaps unsurprisingly a massive favorite in the contest.

The former boxing champion opens as a -700 favorite, meaning a $700 wager would be needed to return a $100 profit. For the bettors who embrace chaos and drama, a draw result is +2000, meaning a $100 bet would win $2,000.

In his first boxing bout, Ngannou was a +600 underdog to Fury. Ngannou gave bettors who wagered on Fury at -1,000 a solid scare when he scored a knockdown in the third round, which was also the biggest single moment of their 10-round fight. Ngannou even entered the final round as a live betting favorite.

Joshua was also a clear favorite in his previous outing against Otto Wallin. The U.K.’s heavyweight won a decision as a -380 favorite, turning away Wallin, who came in as a +285 underdog.

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Anthony Joshua to face MMA star-turned-boxer Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia

Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua is scheduled to face MMA star-turned-boxer Francis Ngannou on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.

We’ll see whether Anthony Joshua can get it right.

The former two-time heavyweight champ has agreed to face MMA star Francis Ngannou, who almost shocked the world in a split-decision loss to current champ Tyson Fury on Oct. 28 in the Cameroonian’s boxing debut.

The 10-round fight will take place March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the same site as the Fury-Ngannou event.

MMA Junkie confirmed the agreement and date following an announcement from Saudi Arabia’s chairman of general authority for entertainment Turki Alalshikh through Ariel Helwani.

A news conference to promote the fight is expected later this month in London.

Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) has bounced back from back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and last year — setbacks that cost him his titles and status — by outpointing Jermain Franklin and stopping Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin.

The 34-year-old from Watford, England, looked particularly good against Wallin, who could no longer fight after five one-sided rounds on Dec. 23 in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua was expected to fight fellow former champ Deontay Wilder in what would’ve been a massive showdown on March 8 but those plans were spoiled when Joseph Parker Jr. outpointed Wilder on the Joshua-Wallin card.

Fury and Usyk appear to be out of the picture for Joshua at the moment. The two are scheduled to meet on Feb. 17 in Riyadh for the undisputed championship and they agreed to a two-day rematch clause.

Ngannou left the UFC in early 2023 and declared his transition into the world of boxing. Though many doubted a massive “money fight” was on the table, Ngannou proved the skeptics wrong when he secured a professional bout against Fury.

Although Ngannou. 37, lost the bout, his competitive effort and knockdown of Fury garnered praise and respect across multiple combat sports communities. Many viewers even went as far as to say they thought Ngannou won the fight.

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Anthony Joshua to face MMA star-turned-boxer Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia

Former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua is scheduled to face MMA star-turned-boxer Francis Ngannou on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.

We’ll see whether Anthony Joshua can get it right.

The former two-time heavyweight champ has agreed to face MMA star Francis Ngannou, who almost shocked the world in a split-decision loss to current champ Tyson Fury on Oct. 28 in the Cameroonian’s boxing debut.

The 10-round fight will take place March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the same site as the Fury-Ngannou event.

MMA Junkie confirmed the agreement and date following an announcement from Saudi Arabia’s chairman of general authority for entertainment Turki Alalshikh through Ariel Helwani.

A news conference to promote the fight is expected later this month in London.

Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) has bounced back from back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and last year — setbacks that cost him his titles and status — by outpointing Jermain Franklin and stopping Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin.

The 34-year-old from Watford, England, looked particularly good against Wallin, who could no longer fight after five one-sided rounds on Dec. 23 in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua was expected to fight fellow former champ Deontay Wilder in what would’ve been a massive showdown on March 8 but those plans were spoiled when Joseph Parker Jr. outpointed Wilder on the Joshua-Wallin card.

Fury and Usyk appear to be out of the picture for Joshua at the moment. The two are scheduled to meet on Feb. 17 in Riyadh for the undisputed championship and they agreed to a two-day rematch clause.

Ngannou left the UFC in early 2023 and declared his transition into the world of boxing. Though many doubted a massive “money fight” was on the table, Ngannou proved the skeptics wrong when he secured a professional bout against Fury.

Although Ngannou. 37, lost the bout, his competitive effort and knockdown of Fury garnered praise and respect across multiple combat sports communities. Many viewers even went as far as to say they thought Ngannou won the fight.

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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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