One of the most competitive races over any calendar year for the top spot on the pound-for-pound rankings in recent memory was only doubled by a similar race for best boxer of the year in 2023.
In either race, it’s hard to come up with a wrong answer considering the massive years turned in by everyone from Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue to David Benavidez and Devin Haney. Yet, the race for P4P best came down to just the first two names and, once again, it’s hard to go wrong.
For the four-division champion Inoue not to close out the year as P4P king after going from unifying all four bantamweight titles last December to doing the exact same thing one year later at 122 pounds, it would take a Herculean effort. Luckily for Crawford, that’s exactly what he provided in late July when, after years of buildup, he finally fought fellow unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. and delivered one of the most thorough audits in a pay-per-view fight in some time.
Comparing the two is very much an apples to apples type deal. Crawford may have had only one victory in 2023 but it came against someone who joined him in the top 3, at the time, in terms of P4P rankings in a fight between unbeaten and all-time great welterweights. But Inoue not only had two wins, both of which were impressive because they came in a fourth weight division when we had questions about whether his power and chin would carry, he thoroughly dominated his own P4P-level opponent in unbeaten Stephen Fulton Jr. in July.
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Inoue packaged the Fulton dismantling with a difficult yet impressive takedown of Filipino slugger Marlon Tapales in late December. Tapales was fresh off of upsetting unified junior featherweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev, who will likely be Inoue’s next opponent, back in April.
However you slice it, Inoue continues to only add to one of the greatest careers in modern boxing history. And even though it’s starting to look like 122 pounds could be his ceiling in terms of his power leveling off just enough, his rare combination of speed, technique, IQ and athletic explosiveness was more than enough to turn both of his fights in 2023 into mere target practice.
Inoue is a generational talent who isn’t done at age 30 adding to his now legendary resume. But as it stands right now, at the close of yet another impressive year, it’s fair to say Inoue has done just barely enough to separate himself as the best boxer on the planet.
Using a criteria that takes into account everything from accomplishments to current form, let’s take a closer look at the top fighters inside the ring. Below is the latest Pound for Pound rankings update after Inoue’s win in December.
Pound-for-Pound Rankings
1. Naoya Inoue
Undisputed junior featherweight champion (23-0, 21 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 2
Even though he briefly lost the top spot in the rankings following Terence Crawford’s spellbinding domination of Errol Spence Jr., the Japanese “Monster” reclaimed his spot by equaling Crawford’s claim as the only boxers in the four-belt era to be undisputed champion in two divisions. Inoue, a four-division champion and future Hall of Famer, did so by blasting a determined Marlon Tapales in December.
2. Terence Crawford
Undisputed welterweight champion (39-0, 29 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 1
If you wondered how great Crawford really was, his dismantling of the unbeaten Spence in their long-awaited undisputed title bout provided the answers we so desperately coveted. Crawford wasn’t just better than Spence, he proved he would be a handful for any welterweight in history. A contractually obligated rematch with Spence should kick off 2024, likely at 154 pounds.
3. Canelo Alvarez
Undisputed super middleweight champion (60-2-2, 38 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 3
The former P4P king is still the undisputed champion of one of the sport’s hottest divisions and he proved against Jermell Charlo in their September PPV that he’s not done yet at 33. Now fully healthy, Alvarez redeemed himself from a trio of ho-hum performances over the past two years with a dominant decision win.
4. Oleksandr Usyk
Unified heavyweight champion (19-0, 13 KOs | Previous ranking: No. 4
Usyk’s professional run has been as decorated as it has been perfect. The former undisputed cruiserweight champ scored a pair of resounding victories over Anthony Joshua to unify a trio of heavyweight titles. Following a stoppage of mandatory foe Daniel Dubois, Usyk now finally gets his undisputed, four-belt clash against WBC champion Tyson Fury in February.
5. Devin Haney
WBC junior welterweight champion (31-0, 15 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 5
The 25-year-old Haney has made a heck of a case for boxer of the year in 2023 after outpointing former P4P king Vasiliy Lomachenko in May at lightweight before moving up to 140 pounds and dominating Regis Prograis in a shutout to capture a second world title in as many divisions. Simply put: Haney can do it all.
6. Dmitry Bivol
WBA light heavyweight champion (21-0, 11 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 6
Following an incredible 2022, which included a victory over Canelo Alvarez and almost universal acclaim as the fighter of the year, Bivol has sat out most of this calendar year in hopes of facing unified champion Artur Beterbiev in a long-awaited undisputed fight. To stay busy, Bivol outpointed (yet failed to finish) an overmatched Lyndon Arthur in December.
7. Tyson Fury
WBC heavyweight champion (34-0-1, 25 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 7
This has been nothing short of a weird 2023 for the “Gypsy King.” Fury was criticized heavily for delaying his undisputed fight against unified king Oleksandr Usyk, which will now take place in February. And he was lucky to hang on to his unbeaten record in his disputed decision win over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in October, which saw Fury hit the canvas against the novice pugilist.
8. Errol Spence Jr.
Welterweight (28-1, 22 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 8
The former unified welterweight king endured tremendous punishment in a disastrous undisputed title loss to long-time rival Terence Crawford. A full-time move up to 154 pounds is expected for the 33-year-old Spence, who recently activated his immediate rematch clause with Crawford.
9. Gervonta Davis
Secondary lightweight titleholder (29-0, 27 KOs) | Previous ranking: 9
It’s about time “Tank” is finally getting his due as one of the most dangerous and well-rounded boxers on the planet. The efficient sniper finished unbeaten Ryan Garcia with a body shot in Round 7 of their April superfight. Recently free from prison, Davis is expecting an early 2024 return.
10. Shakur Stevenson
WBC lightweight champion (21-0, 10 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 10
Although Stevenson limited the hard-punching Edwin De Los Santos to a CompuBox-record over 12 rounds of just 40 punches landed, he was widely criticized for how boring his November victory was in their vacant 135-pound title bout. Stevenson, who appeared to have an injured left hand, won a title in a third weight division at just age 26 yet was criticized in full for not capitalizing offensively on openings.
Dropped out: None
Honorable mention: Vasiliy Lomachenko, Artur Beterbiev, Teofimo Lopez Jr., Juan Francisco Estrada, David Benavidez
