Tag: Yordenis Ugas

Pound for pound: Down goes Canelo, down goes Canelo

Pound for pound: Canelo Alvarez, No. 2 going into his fight with Dmitry Bivol, takes a tumble down the list while Bivol joins the club.

Canelo Alvarez can no longer argue that he’s the No. 1 fighter in the world.

The Mexican superstar, the consensus pound-for-pound king but No. 2 in Boxing Junkie’s rankings going into this past Saturday, lost a close, but clear decision to light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

One unavoidable price he must pay is a fall from his lofty perch.

The question is, how far should he drop? And at what number should the previously unranked Bivol enter Boxing Junkie’s rankings after his monumental upset?

First, Alvarez.

On one hand, some might argue that the undisputed 168-pound champion shouldn’t be punished too severely because he took a significant risk by moving up in weight to face a top 175-pounder. Also, the scores were close (115-113 on all three cards).

And, of course, we can’t dismiss everything Alvarez has accomplished over a dominating run the past several years.

On the other hand, Alvarez had fought at 175 in the past, stopping capable, but aging Sergey Kovalev. And many observers believe Bivol’s victory was decisive in spite of the official scores. Even the judges gave him seven of the final eight rounds.

In the end, Boxing Junkie decided to drop Alvarez from No. 2 to No. 7, which reflects what we saw on Saturday night but keeps him among the best handful of boxers.

Now Bivol.

One could argue that the Russian shouldn’t enter the list above Alvarez because of one victory, as significant as it was.

The problem with that argument is that Bivol had a number of important successes going into the fight with Alvarez, including one-sided victories over Sullivan Barrera, Isaac Chilemba, Jean Pascal and Joe Smith Jr. in succession.

Another factor working against Bivol is that he wasn’t ranked going into the fight, which could make a huge leap seem awkward.

However, after consideration, it was decided that Bivol’s strong resume and convincing victory over the reigning No. 2 fighter – a man many believed to be all but unbeatable – merits placement above Alvarez on the pound-for-pound list.

He comes in at No. 6, behind only No. 1 Terence Crawford, No. 2 Naoya Inoue, No. 3. Oleksandr Usyk, No. 4 Errol Spence Jr. and No. 5 Tyson Fury.

Next up on the pound-for-pound list: No. 10 Jermell Charlo and unranked Brian Castano are scheduled to meet on Saturday to unify all the 154-pound titles.

The addition of Bivol drops Kazuto Ioka from No. 15 to Honorable Mention. And it pushes HM Mairis Briedis out of the rankings.

Here is 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 Nonito Donaire in a bantamweight title-unification rematch on June 7 in Japan.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Reportedly set to face Anthony Joshua a second time on July 23 but no official announcement has been made.
  4. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  5. Tyson Fury – No fight scheduled.
  6. Dmitry Bivol – No fight scheduled.
  7. Canelo Alvarez– No fight scheduled.
  8. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Career on hold because of the war in Ukraine.
  9. Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBC junior bantamweight title against Joshua Franco in June.
  10. Gennadiy Golovkin – Had been expected to face Canelo Alvarez a third time in September but that matchup is now up in the air.
  11. Jermell Charlo – Scheduled to face Brian Castano for the undisputed junior middleweight championship on May 14 in Carson, California.
  12. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to face Joe Smith Jr. in a light heavyweight title-unification fight on June 18 in New York.
  13. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Rolando Romero on May 28 in Brooklyn, New York.
  14. Jermall Charlo – Scheduled to defend his middleweight title against Maciej Sulecki on June 18 in Houston.
  15. Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduled,

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Nonito Donaire (scheduled to face Naoya Inoue on June 7); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to defend junior bantamweight title against Donnie Nietes on July 13); George Kambosos (scheduled to defend his lightweight titles against Devin Haney on June 5); Josh Taylor (no fight scheduled).

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Pound for pound: Down goes Canelo, down goes Canelo

Pound for pound: Canelo Alvarez, No. 2 going into his fight with Dmitry Bivol, takes a tumble down the list while Bivol joins the club.

Canelo Alvarez can no longer argue that he’s the No. 1 fighter in the world.

The Mexican superstar, the consensus pound-for-pound king but No. 2 in Boxing Junkie’s rankings going into this past Saturday, lost a close, but clear decision to light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

One unavoidable price he must pay is a fall from his lofty perch.

The question is, how far should he drop? And at what number should the previously unranked Bivol enter Boxing Junkie’s rankings after his monumental upset?

First, Alvarez.

On one hand, some might argue that the undisputed 168-pound champion shouldn’t be punished too severely because he took a significant risk by moving up in weight to face a top 175-pounder. Also, the scores were close (115-113 on all three cards).

And, of course, we can’t dismiss everything Alvarez has accomplished over a dominating run the past several years.

On the other hand, Alvarez had fought at 175 in the past, stopping capable, but aging Sergey Kovalev. And many observers believe Bivol’s victory was decisive in spite of the official scores. Even the judges gave him seven of the final eight rounds.

In the end, Boxing Junkie decided to drop Alvarez from No. 2 to No. 7, which reflects what we saw on Saturday night but keeps him among the best handful of boxers.

Now Bivol.

One could argue that the Russian shouldn’t enter the list above Alvarez because of one victory, as significant as it was.

The problem with that argument is that Bivol had a number of important successes going into the fight with Alvarez, including one-sided victories over Sullivan Barrera, Isaac Chilemba, Jean Pascal and Joe Smith Jr. in succession.

Another factor working against Bivol is that he wasn’t ranked going into the fight, which could make a huge leap seem awkward.

However, after consideration, it was decided that Bivol’s strong resume and convincing victory over the reigning No. 2 fighter – a man many believed to be all but unbeatable – merits placement above Alvarez on the pound-for-pound list.

He comes in at No. 6, behind only No. 1 Terence Crawford, No. 2 Naoya Inoue, No. 3. Oleksandr Usyk, No. 4 Errol Spence Jr. and No. 5 Tyson Fury.

Next up on the pound-for-pound list: No. 10 Jermell Charlo and unranked Brian Castano are scheduled to meet on Saturday to unify all the 154-pound titles.

The addition of Bivol drops Kazuto Ioka from No. 15 to Honorable Mention. And it pushes HM Mairis Briedis out of the rankings.

Here is 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 Nonito Donaire in a bantamweight title-unification rematch on June 7 in Japan.
  3. Oleksandr Usyk – Reportedly set to face Anthony Joshua a second time on July 23 but no official announcement has been made.
  4. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  5. Tyson Fury – No fight scheduled.
  6. Dmitry Bivol – No fight scheduled.
  7. Canelo Alvarez– No fight scheduled.
  8. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Career on hold because of the war in Ukraine.
  9. Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBC junior bantamweight title against Joshua Franco in June.
  10. Gennadiy Golovkin – Had been expected to face Canelo Alvarez a third time in September but that matchup is now up in the air.
  11. Jermell Charlo – Scheduled to face Brian Castano for the undisputed junior middleweight championship on May 14 in Carson, California.
  12. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to face Joe Smith Jr. in a light heavyweight title-unification fight on June 18 in New York.
  13. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Rolando Romero on May 28 in Brooklyn, New York.
  14. Jermall Charlo – Scheduled to defend his middleweight title against Maciej Sulecki on June 18 in Houston.
  15. Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduled,

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Nonito Donaire (scheduled to face Naoya Inoue on June 7); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); Kazuto Ioka (scheduled to defend junior bantamweight title against Donnie Nietes on July 13); George Kambosos (scheduled to defend his lightweight titles against Devin Haney on June 5); Josh Taylor (no fight scheduled).

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Pound for pound: Shakur Stevenson ascends the list

Pound for pound: Shakur Stevenson ascends the list after his victory over Oscar Valdez on Saturday.

Sometimes fighters make it impossible to keep them off pound-for-pound lists.

Shakur Stevenson did that this past Saturday in Las Vegas, outclassing previously unbeaten and respected Oscar Valdez to unify two 130-pound titles by a unanimous decision and leave no doubt that he’s among the best in the business.

Stevenson not only won handily, he embarrassed an elite opponent with his sublime skill. That’s a rarity. It’s Mayweather-esque.

Thus, the pride of Newark, New Jersey, ascends from Honorable Mention to No. 14 on the Boxing Junkie list, pushing Kazuto Ioka (No. 14 last week) to No. 15 and Josh Taylor (No. 15 last week) to Honorable Mention.

And stay tuned. We expect the 24-year-old to climb much higher over the next year or two.

Next up on the pound-for-pound list: No. 2 Canelo Alvarez challenges light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on pay-per-view Saturday in Las Vegas..

Here is what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Canelo Alvarez– Scheduled to challenge WBA light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
  3. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to face Nonito Donaire in a bantamweight title-unification rematch on June 7 in Japan.
  4. Oleksandr Usyk – In talks to defend his heavyweight titles against Anthony Joshua in a rematch this summer.
  5. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  6. Tyson Fury– No fight scheduled.
  7. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Career on hold because of the war in Ukraine.
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBC junior bantamweight title against Joshua Franco in June.
  9. Gennadiy Golovkin – No fight scheduled but expected to face Canelo Alvarez a third time in September.
  10. Jermell Charlo – Scheduled to face Brian Castano for the undisputed junior middleweight championship on May 14 in Carson, California.
  11. Artur Beterbiev – In talks to face Joe Smith Jr. in a light heavyweight title-unification fight on June 18 in New York.
  12. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Rolando Romero on May 28 in Brookly, New York.
  13. Jermall Charlo – Scheduled to defend his middleweight title against Maciej Sulecki on June 18 in Houston.
  14. Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduled.
  15. Kazuto Ioka – The WBO has ordered a rematch between Ioka and Donnie Nietes for Ioka’s junior bantamweight belt but no deal is in place.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Mairis Briedis (expected to defend his IBF cruiserweight title against Jai Opetaia in June or July); Nonito Donaire (scheduled to face Naoya Inoue on June 7); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); George Kambosos (scheduled to defend his lightweight titles against Devin Haney on June 5); Josh Taylor (no fight scheduled).

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Pound for pound: Shakur Stevenson ascends the list

Pound for pound: Shakur Stevenson ascends the list after his victory over Oscar Valdez on Saturday.

Sometimes fighters make it impossible to keep them off pound-for-pound lists.

Shakur Stevenson did that this past Saturday in Las Vegas, outclassing previously unbeaten and respected Oscar Valdez to unify two 130-pound titles by a unanimous decision and leave no doubt that he’s among the best in the business.

Stevenson not only won handily, he embarrassed an elite opponent with his sublime skill. That’s a rarity. It’s Mayweather-esque.

Thus, the pride of Newark, New Jersey, ascends from Honorable Mention to No. 14 on the Boxing Junkie list, pushing Kazuto Ioka (No. 14 last week) to No. 15 and Josh Taylor (No. 15 last week) to Honorable Mention.

And stay tuned. We expect the 24-year-old to climb much higher over the next year or two.

Next up on the pound-for-pound list: No. 2 Canelo Alvarez challenges light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on pay-per-view Saturday in Las Vegas..

Here is what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Canelo Alvarez– Scheduled to challenge WBA light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
  3. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to face Nonito Donaire in a bantamweight title-unification rematch on June 7 in Japan.
  4. Oleksandr Usyk – In talks to defend his heavyweight titles against Anthony Joshua in a rematch this summer.
  5. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  6. Tyson Fury– No fight scheduled.
  7. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Career on hold because of the war in Ukraine.
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBC junior bantamweight title against Joshua Franco in June.
  9. Gennadiy Golovkin – No fight scheduled but expected to face Canelo Alvarez a third time in September.
  10. Jermell Charlo – Scheduled to face Brian Castano for the undisputed junior middleweight championship on May 14 in Carson, California.
  11. Artur Beterbiev – In talks to face Joe Smith Jr. in a light heavyweight title-unification fight on June 18 in New York.
  12. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Rolando Romero on May 28 in Brookly, New York.
  13. Jermall Charlo – Scheduled to defend his middleweight title against Maciej Sulecki on June 18 in Houston.
  14. Shakur Stevenson – No fight scheduled.
  15. Kazuto Ioka – The WBO has ordered a rematch between Ioka and Donnie Nietes for Ioka’s junior bantamweight belt but no deal is in place.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Mairis Briedis (expected to defend his IBF cruiserweight title against Jai Opetaia in June or July); Nonito Donaire (scheduled to face Naoya Inoue on June 7); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); George Kambosos (scheduled to defend his lightweight titles against Devin Haney on June 5); Josh Taylor (no fight scheduled).

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Pound for pound: Did Tyson Fury do enough to climb the list?

Pound for pound: Did Tyson Fury do enough to climb the list?

Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury gave the most spectacular performance of his career this past Saturday in London, stopping Dillian Whyte with a booming upper cut in the sixth round.

In the process, he retained his title and bolstered his position as the top big man of his era.

But was it enough to bump our No. 6 fighter pound-for-pound higher on the list?

No.

One, as impressive as Fury’s victory was, we had to take Whyte’s limitations into consideration when we assess the winner’s performance. Bottom line: Defeating Whyte isn’t a great achievement.

And, two, we had to look at the fighters ahead of Fury on the list: No. 1 Terence Crawford, No. 2 Canelo Alvarez, No. 3 Naoya Inoue, No. 4. Oleksandr Usyk and No. 5 Errol Spence Jr.

We couldn’t find justification for Fury to overtake the top three or Usyk and Spence, who are coming off impressive victories over Anthony Joshua and Yordenis Ugas. Joshua and Ugas are better fighters than Whyte.

Thus, Fury, our top heavyweight, remains at No. 6 for now. Of course, that could change if he gets a shot at Usyk, who is expected to face Joshua in a rematch this summer.

Next up on the pound-for-pound list: Honorable Mention Shakur Stevenson, who faces Oscar Valdez in a 130-pound title-unification bout this Saturday in las Vegas (ESPN, ESPN+).

Also, we took this opportunity to acknowledge that Stevenson was inadvertently removed from the list recently. As a result, we ended up with six fighters with legitimate claims on five Honorable Mention positions.

We finally settled on the five Honorable Mentions you see below.

Here is what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Canelo Alvarez– Scheduled to challenge WBA light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
  3. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to face Nonito Donaire in a bantamweight title-unification rematch on June 7 in Japan.
  4. Oleksandr Usyk – In talks to defend his heavyweight titles against Anthony Joshua in a rematch.
  5. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  6. Tyson Fury– No fight scheduled.
  7. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Career on hold because of the war in Ukraine.
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBC junior bantamweight title against Joshua Franco.
  9. Gennadiy Golovkin – No fight scheduled but expected to face Canelo Alvarez a third time in September.
  10. Jermell Charlo – Scheduled to face Brian Castano for the undisputed junior middleweight championship on May 14 in Carson, California.
  11. Artur Beterbiev – In talks to face Joe Smith Jr. in a light heavyweight title-unification fight on June 18 in New York.
  12. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Rolando Romero on May 28 in Brookly, New York.
  13. Jermall Charlo – Scheduled to defend his middleweight title against Maciej Sulecki on June 18 in Houston.
  14. Kazuto Ioka – The WBO has ordered a rematch between Ioka and Donnie Nietes for Ioka’s junior bantamweight belt but no deal is in place.
  15. Josh Taylor – No fight scheduled.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Mairis Briedis (no fight scheduled); Nonito Donaire (scheduled to face Naoya Inoue on June 7); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); George Kambosos (scheduled to defend his lightweight titles against Devin Haney on June 5); Shakur Stevenson (scheduled to fight Oscar Valdez on April 30).

Pound for pound: Did Tyson Fury do enough to climb the list?

Pound for pound: Did Tyson Fury do enough to climb the list?

Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury gave the most spectacular performance of his career this past Saturday in London, stopping Dillian Whyte with a booming upper cut in the sixth round.

In the process, he retained his title and bolstered his position as the top big man of his era.

But was it enough to bump our No. 6 fighter pound-for-pound higher on the list?

No.

One, as impressive as Fury’s victory was, we had to take Whyte’s limitations into consideration when we assess the winner’s performance. Bottom line: Defeating Whyte isn’t a great achievement.

And, two, we had to look at the fighters ahead of Fury on the list: No. 1 Terence Crawford, No. 2 Canelo Alvarez, No. 3 Naoya Inoue, No. 4. Oleksandr Usyk and No. 5 Errol Spence Jr.

We couldn’t find justification for Fury to overtake the top three or Usyk and Spence, who are coming off impressive victories over Anthony Joshua and Yordenis Ugas. Joshua and Ugas are better fighters than Whyte.

Thus, Fury, our top heavyweight, remains at No. 6 for now. Of course, that could change if he gets a shot at Usyk, who is expected to face Joshua in a rematch this summer.

Next up on the pound-for-pound list: Honorable Mention Shakur Stevenson, who faces Oscar Valdez in a 130-pound title-unification bout this Saturday in las Vegas (ESPN, ESPN+).

Also, we took this opportunity to acknowledge that Stevenson was inadvertently removed from the list recently. As a result, we ended up with six fighters with legitimate claims on five Honorable Mention positions.

We finally settled on the five Honorable Mentions you see below.

Here is what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Canelo Alvarez– Scheduled to challenge WBA light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
  3. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to face Nonito Donaire in a bantamweight title-unification rematch on June 7 in Japan.
  4. Oleksandr Usyk – In talks to defend his heavyweight titles against Anthony Joshua in a rematch.
  5. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  6. Tyson Fury– No fight scheduled.
  7. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Career on hold because of the war in Ukraine.
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBC junior bantamweight title against Joshua Franco.
  9. Gennadiy Golovkin – No fight scheduled but expected to face Canelo Alvarez a third time in September.
  10. Jermell Charlo – Scheduled to face Brian Castano for the undisputed junior middleweight championship on May 14 in Carson, California.
  11. Artur Beterbiev – In talks to face Joe Smith Jr. in a light heavyweight title-unification fight on June 18 in New York.
  12. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Rolando Romero on May 28 in Brookly, New York.
  13. Jermall Charlo – Scheduled to defend his middleweight title against Maciej Sulecki on June 18 in Houston.
  14. Kazuto Ioka – The WBO has ordered a rematch between Ioka and Donnie Nietes for Ioka’s junior bantamweight belt but no deal is in place.
  15. Josh Taylor – No fight scheduled.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Mairis Briedis (no fight scheduled); Nonito Donaire (scheduled to face Naoya Inoue on June 7); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); George Kambosos (scheduled to defend his lightweight titles against Devin Haney on June 5); Shakur Stevenson (scheduled to fight Oscar Valdez on April 30).

Pound for pound: Yordenis Ugas drops out, Tyson Fury next pound-for-pounder in action

Pound for pound: Yordenis Ugas dropped off Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list after losing to Errol Spence Jr. on Saturday.

Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list changes this week. And more shakeups could lie ahead.

Yordenis Ugas, who had been on the list as an Honorable Mention after upsetting Manny Pacquiao to win a 147-pound title, drops out after losing decisively in his title-unification bout against Errol Spence Jr. on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.

The Cuban has been replaced as an HM by junior bantamweight contender Roman Gonzalez, who rebounded from a loss to two-belt champion Juan Francisco Estrada to easily outpoint Julio Cesar Martinez on March 5.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 6 Tyson Fury, who is scheduled to defend his heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte on Saturday at Wembley Stadium in London.

Here is what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Canelo Alvarez– Scheduled to challenge WBA light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
  3. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to face Nonito Donaire in a bantamweight title-unification rematch on June 7 in Japan.
  4. Oleksandr Usyk – In talks to defend his heavyweight titles against Anthony Joshua in a rematch.
  5. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  6. Tyson Fury– Scheduled to defend his heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte on April 23 in London.
  7. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Career on hold because of the war in Ukraine.
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBC junior bantamweight title against Joshua Franco.
  9. Gennadiy Golovkin – No fight scheduled but expected to face Canelo Alvarez a third time in September.
  10. Jermell Charlo – Scheduled to face Brian Castano for the undisputed junior middleweight championship on May 14 in Carson, California.
  11. Artur Beterbiev – In talks to face Joe Smith Jr. in a light heavyweight title-unification fight on June 18 in New York.
  12. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Rolando Romero on May 28 in Brookly, New York.
  13. Jermall Charlo – Scheduled to defend his middleweight title against Maciej Sulecki on June 18 in Houston.
  14. Kazuto Ioka – The WBO has ordered a rematch between Ioka and Donnie Nietes for Ioka’s junior bantamweight belt but no deal is in place.
  15. Josh Taylor – No fight scheduled.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Mairis Briedis (no fight scheduled); Nonito Donaire (scheduled to face Naoya Inoue on June 7); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); George Kambosos (scheduled to defend his lightweight titles against Devin Haney on June 5); Teofimo Lopez (no fight scheduled); .

Pound for pound: Yordenis Ugas drops out, Tyson Fury next pound-for-pounder in action

Pound for pound: Yordenis Ugas dropped off Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list after losing to Errol Spence Jr. on Saturday.

Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list changes this week. And more shakeups could lie ahead.

Yordenis Ugas, who had been on the list as an Honorable Mention after upsetting Manny Pacquiao to win a 147-pound title, drops out after losing decisively in his title-unification bout against Errol Spence Jr. on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.

The Cuban has been replaced as an HM by junior bantamweight contender Roman Gonzalez, who rebounded from a loss to two-belt champion Juan Francisco Estrada to easily outpoint Julio Cesar Martinez on March 5.

Next pound-for-pounder up: No. 6 Tyson Fury, who is scheduled to defend his heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte on Saturday at Wembley Stadium in London.

Here is what the list looks like at the moment:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – No fight scheduled.
  2. Canelo Alvarez– Scheduled to challenge WBA light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7.
  3. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to face Nonito Donaire in a bantamweight title-unification rematch on June 7 in Japan.
  4. Oleksandr Usyk – In talks to defend his heavyweight titles against Anthony Joshua in a rematch.
  5. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  6. Tyson Fury– Scheduled to defend his heavyweight title against Dillian Whyte on April 23 in London.
  7. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Career on hold because of the war in Ukraine.
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBC junior bantamweight title against Joshua Franco.
  9. Gennadiy Golovkin – No fight scheduled but expected to face Canelo Alvarez a third time in September.
  10. Jermell Charlo – Scheduled to face Brian Castano for the undisputed junior middleweight championship on May 14 in Carson, California.
  11. Artur Beterbiev – In talks to face Joe Smith Jr. in a light heavyweight title-unification fight on June 18 in New York.
  12. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Rolando Romero on May 28 in Brookly, New York.
  13. Jermall Charlo – Scheduled to defend his middleweight title against Maciej Sulecki on June 18 in Houston.
  14. Kazuto Ioka – The WBO has ordered a rematch between Ioka and Donnie Nietes for Ioka’s junior bantamweight belt but no deal is in place.
  15. Josh Taylor – No fight scheduled.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Mairis Briedis (no fight scheduled); Nonito Donaire (scheduled to face Naoya Inoue on June 7); Roman Gonzalez (no fight scheduled); George Kambosos (scheduled to defend his lightweight titles against Devin Haney on June 5); Teofimo Lopez (no fight scheduled); .

Good, bad, worse: Is Errol Spence Jr. vs Terence Crawford next up?

A critical look at the past week in boxing GOOD Errol Spence Jr.’s dominating victory over Yordenis Ugas was special … but it was nothing compared to what might follow. Spence was nothing short of sensational on Saturday at AT&T Stadium outside …

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

Errol Spence Jr.’s dominating victory over Yordenis Ugas was special … but it was nothing compared to what might follow.

Spence was nothing short of sensational on Saturday at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas, coldly, methodically breaking down an accomplished opponent before stopping him in the 10th round to unify three welterweight titles.

The performance was particularly impressive given the obstacles he had to overcome – a horrific car accident in 2019, a detached retina last year and a 16-month layoff.

Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) is No. 5 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound – a similar position to most rankings – but some might argue that he should be closer to the top, closer to Boxing Junkie’s No. 1-ranked fighter, Terence Crawford.

That’s what makes a potential showdown between Spence and Crawford so compelling. Not only would the fight establish an undisputed welterweight champion; it would also pit two Top-5 pound-for-pounders against one another.

It doesn’t get better than that.

And the chances of it actually happening after years of anticipation appear to be high, as Spence and free-agent Crawford no longer fight for competing entities. Plus, Spence never made it more clear than he did after the fight on Saturday that he wants to meet Crawford in the ring.

I wish the fight had happened a few years ago, when Crawford (who turns 35 in September) was in his physical prime. However, this wouldn’t be like Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, which had the feel of an old-timers game because it happened far too late.

Spence demonstrated on Saturday night that he’s at least close to his best. And Crawford is coming off an impressive knockout of former champion Shawn Porter in November, evidence that he remains near the top of his game.

Spence vs. Crawford might be the biggest possible fight in boxing. Fingers crossed it happens in the fall.

 

BAD

Yordenis Ugas was deavstated after his setback. AP Photo / Jeffrey McWhorter

“I feel sad because I trained really hard for this fight,” Ugas said after falling short of goal to become unified welterweight champion. “All respect to Errol Spence. He’s a great champion. I’m just sad with what happened tonight.”

Ugas’ sentiments are understandable. He experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows in consecutive fights, which is always takes a toll.

The one-time Cuban amateur star had come a long way, overcoming the trials of defection from his native country, back-to-back losses in 2014 and a subsequent two-year hiatus from the sport to build himself into a top 147-pound contender.

And his ascent was capped with a monumental upset of Manny Pacquiao last August, which gave him his first major title at the age of 34 and made him a major player in the division.

Then, in one night, it must have felt as if he were back in 2014. He fought gallantly but was outclassed by Spence in the end, which left him on the wrong end of a one-sided beating and with a broken orbital bone. Ugas is good, Spence is special.

Thus, it was easy to understand Ugas’ anguish the fight. However, time will provide perspective.

The fact he was able to overcome the obstacles to reach the pinnacle of the sport is an accomplishment that will always bring him pride. Unlike Pacquiao, who was 42 when they fought, Ugas is young enough to continue with his career.

And, finally, we shouldn’t feel too sorry for him: He should walk away with at least $2 million after pay-per-view revenues are divvied up. That should help alleviate some of the emotional pain he’s feeling after his disappointment.

 

WORSE

Ugas wasn’t the only older fighter to have a rough time Saturday.

First, in England, 34-year-old Chris van Heerden, a solid fighter since turning pro 16 years ago, failed to survive two full rounds against rising star Conor Benn. The Los Angeles-based native of South Africa didn’t have time to show anything.

Then, on the Spence-Ugas card, Josesito Lopez, 37, Francisco Vargas, 37, and Yuriorkis Gamboa, 40, looked their ages.

Lopez (38-9, 21 KOs) gave welterweight contender Cody Crowley (21-0, 9 KOs) some resistance early in their scheduled 10-rounder but seemed to get old mid-fight and was barely able to hear the final bell, as Crowley won a wide decision.

Lopez was one of the toughest fighters in the world between 135 and 147 pounds for years, including a knockout victory over Victor Ortiz. Now it appears he’s finished.

Vargas (27-4-2, 19 KOs) was still warming up when a monster left hand from lightweight prospect Jose Valenzuela knocked him onto his back and out. It’s difficult to imagine the former 130-pound champ bouncing back from that kind of setback but he’s a warrior through and through.

And Gamboa (30-5, 18 KOs) went down four times against juggernaut Isaac Cruz before the fight was mercifully stopped in the fifth round. The 2004 Olympic gold medalist and two-time featherweight champion was willing but no longer has the legs to fight at a high level. He’s shot.

I don’t want to be overly critical of matchmakers who tempt fate by pitting faded champions against hot young stars. Matchmaking is the hardest job in boxing. Plus, older fighters deserve opportunities if they can demonstrate they remain competent.

At the same time, the events of Saturday made it clear that matchmakers and other powerbrokers must be careful about making such decisions.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

Benn (21-0, 14 KOs) demonstrated again in his victory over van Heerden that he could develop into a threat to any of the top 147-pounders. He’s a dynamic all-around fighter with big-time power. Ask van Heerden. The only obvious flaw in Benn’s performance was that he was somewhat reckless from the opening bell. If he attacked a Spence or a Crawford with the abandon he went after van Heerden, he’d get knocked out. … Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) took another nice step in his career on the Spence-Ugas card, defeating previously unbeaten Radzhab Butaev (14-1, 11 KOs) by a split decision that should’ve been unanimous. He’s on the precipice of landing a world title fight and he might have the ability to win it. … Valenzuela (12-0, 8 KOs) made a powerful statement with his one-punch knockout of Vargas. The Seattle-based Mexican, a disciple of trainer Jose Benavidez Sr., is one of the top handful of prospects in the world. … I don’t know how far Crowley (21-0, 9 KOs) will go but he’s a good, disciplined boxer with the fitness to go 20 strong rounds. That formula is going to make him difficult to beat even at the highest level. … The knockout streak of junior welterweight Brandun Lee (25-0, 22 KOs) ended at 15 when clever Zachary Ochoa (21-3, 7 KOs) took him the distance on the Spence-Ugas card. No shame in that. He probably learned more during the unanimous-decision victory than he would’ve with another spectacular stoppage.

[lawrence-related id=29518,29498,29501,29504,29464]

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Good, bad, worse: Is Errol Spence Jr. vs Terence Crawford next up?

A critical look at the past week in boxing GOOD Errol Spence Jr.’s dominating victory over Yordenis Ugas was special … but it was nothing compared to what might follow. Spence was nothing short of sensational on Saturday at AT&T Stadium outside …

A critical look at the past week in boxing

GOOD

Errol Spence Jr.’s dominating victory over Yordenis Ugas was special … but it was nothing compared to what might follow.

Spence was nothing short of sensational on Saturday at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas, coldly, methodically breaking down an accomplished opponent before stopping him in the 10th round to unify three welterweight titles.

The performance was particularly impressive given the obstacles he had to overcome – a horrific car accident in 2019, a detached retina last year and a 16-month layoff.

Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) is No. 5 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound – a similar position to most rankings – but some might argue that he should be closer to the top, closer to Boxing Junkie’s No. 1-ranked fighter, Terence Crawford.

That’s what makes a potential showdown between Spence and Crawford so compelling. Not only would the fight establish an undisputed welterweight champion; it would also pit two Top-5 pound-for-pounders against one another.

It doesn’t get better than that.

And the chances of it actually happening after years of anticipation appear to be high, as Spence and free-agent Crawford no longer fight for competing entities. Plus, Spence never made it more clear than he did after the fight on Saturday that he wants to meet Crawford in the ring.

I wish the fight had happened a few years ago, when Crawford (who turns 35 in September) was in his physical prime. However, this wouldn’t be like Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, which had the feel of an old-timers game because it happened far too late.

Spence demonstrated on Saturday night that he’s at least close to his best. And Crawford is coming off an impressive knockout of former champion Shawn Porter in November, evidence that he remains near the top of his game.

Spence vs. Crawford might be the biggest possible fight in boxing. Fingers crossed it happens in the fall.

 

BAD

Yordenis Ugas was deavstated after his setback. AP Photo / Jeffrey McWhorter

“I feel sad because I trained really hard for this fight,” Ugas said after falling short of goal to become unified welterweight champion. “All respect to Errol Spence. He’s a great champion. I’m just sad with what happened tonight.”

Ugas’ sentiments are understandable. He experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows in consecutive fights, which is always takes a toll.

The one-time Cuban amateur star had come a long way, overcoming the trials of defection from his native country, back-to-back losses in 2014 and a subsequent two-year hiatus from the sport to build himself into a top 147-pound contender.

And his ascent was capped with a monumental upset of Manny Pacquiao last August, which gave him his first major title at the age of 34 and made him a major player in the division.

Then, in one night, it must have felt as if he were back in 2014. He fought gallantly but was outclassed by Spence in the end, which left him on the wrong end of a one-sided beating and with a broken orbital bone. Ugas is good, Spence is special.

Thus, it was easy to understand Ugas’ anguish the fight. However, time will provide perspective.

The fact he was able to overcome the obstacles to reach the pinnacle of the sport is an accomplishment that will always bring him pride. Unlike Pacquiao, who was 42 when they fought, Ugas is young enough to continue with his career.

And, finally, we shouldn’t feel too sorry for him: He should walk away with at least $2 million after pay-per-view revenues are divvied up. That should help alleviate some of the emotional pain he’s feeling after his disappointment.

 

WORSE

Ugas wasn’t the only older fighter to have a rough time Saturday.

First, in England, 34-year-old Chris van Heerden, a solid fighter since turning pro 16 years ago, failed to survive two full rounds against rising star Conor Benn. The Los Angeles-based native of South Africa didn’t have time to show anything.

Then, on the Spence-Ugas card, Josesito Lopez, 37, Francisco Vargas, 37, and Yuriorkis Gamboa, 40, looked their ages.

Lopez (38-9, 21 KOs) gave welterweight contender Cody Crowley (21-0, 9 KOs) some resistance early in their scheduled 10-rounder but seemed to get old mid-fight and was barely able to hear the final bell, as Crowley won a wide decision.

Lopez was one of the toughest fighters in the world between 135 and 147 pounds for years, including a knockout victory over Victor Ortiz. Now it appears he’s finished.

Vargas (27-4-2, 19 KOs) was still warming up when a monster left hand from lightweight prospect Jose Valenzuela knocked him onto his back and out. It’s difficult to imagine the former 130-pound champ bouncing back from that kind of setback but he’s a warrior through and through.

And Gamboa (30-5, 18 KOs) went down four times against juggernaut Isaac Cruz before the fight was mercifully stopped in the fifth round. The 2004 Olympic gold medalist and two-time featherweight champion was willing but no longer has the legs to fight at a high level. He’s shot.

I don’t want to be overly critical of matchmakers who tempt fate by pitting faded champions against hot young stars. Matchmaking is the hardest job in boxing. Plus, older fighters deserve opportunities if they can demonstrate they remain competent.

At the same time, the events of Saturday made it clear that matchmakers and other powerbrokers must be careful about making such decisions.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

Benn (21-0, 14 KOs) demonstrated again in his victory over van Heerden that he could develop into a threat to any of the top 147-pounders. He’s a dynamic all-around fighter with big-time power. Ask van Heerden. The only obvious flaw in Benn’s performance was that he was somewhat reckless from the opening bell. If he attacked a Spence or a Crawford with the abandon he went after van Heerden, he’d get knocked out. … Eimantas Stanionis (14-0, 9 KOs) took another nice step in his career on the Spence-Ugas card, defeating previously unbeaten Radzhab Butaev (14-1, 11 KOs) by a split decision that should’ve been unanimous. He’s on the precipice of landing a world title fight and he might have the ability to win it. … Valenzuela (12-0, 8 KOs) made a powerful statement with his one-punch knockout of Vargas. The Seattle-based Mexican, a disciple of trainer Jose Benavidez Sr., is one of the top handful of prospects in the world. … I don’t know how far Crowley (21-0, 9 KOs) will go but he’s a good, disciplined boxer with the fitness to go 20 strong rounds. That formula is going to make him difficult to beat even at the highest level. … The knockout streak of junior welterweight Brandun Lee (25-0, 22 KOs) ended at 15 when clever Zachary Ochoa (21-3, 7 KOs) took him the distance on the Spence-Ugas card. No shame in that. He probably learned more during the unanimous-decision victory than he would’ve with another spectacular stoppage.

[lawrence-related id=29518,29498,29501,29504,29464]

[vertical-gallery id=29524]