Boxing P4P High 10: Who’s the highest canine between Inoue, Crawford, and Usyk?

June 2024

The voters: Scott Christ, Wil Esco, John Hansen, Patrick Stumberg, and Lewis Watson

Others Receiving Votes: David Benavidez 2, Vasiliy Lomachenko 1, Subriel Matias 1

Scott Christ

(1) Naoya Inoue, (2) Oleksandr Usyk, (3) Terence “Bud” Crawford, (4) Dmitry Bivol, (5) Artur Beterbiev, (6) Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, (7) Junto Nakatani, (8) Kenshiro Teraji, (9) Canelo Alvarez, (10) David Benavidez

Usyk strikes up, Crawford strikes down, Inoue stays put. That’s what I’ve acquired for now, however that is really a blessed interval for a boxing fan to be speaking P4P, until you strongly want there being one king miles forward of the pack. We’ve acquired not two however three guys with a robust declare proper now, all nonetheless working at an unbelievable degree. For me, it’s simply barely Inoue forward of Usyk, who’s simply barely forward of Crawford, and I’ve no concern by any means with any order.

The remainder stays the identical for me. We’ll have a June with Bam Rodriguez and David Benavidez each in motion, in addition to P4P listing contender Tank Davis, all in fights that may strengthen their instances. If Rodriguez dominates Juan Francisco Estrada transferring again to 115 lbs, until Estrada is simply brutally shot — which shouldn’t be the expectation — then he most likely strikes into my high 5, that will be one other main assertion. Dmitry Bivol can also be combating, although not within the battle we hoped to see.

Wil Esco

(1) Terence “Bud” Crawford, (2) Naoya Inoue, (3) Oleksandr Usyk, (4) Dmitry Bivol, (5) Artur Beterbiev, (6) Jaron “Boots” Ennis, (7) Canelo Alvarez, (8) Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, (9) Kenshiro Teraji, (10) Junto Nakatani

Recency bias is an actual factor however I’m going to battle the urge by retaining Terence Crawford as No. 1 for now, a minimum of till I see him in his subsequent outing. I’d get into the thick of it however Scott has already put collectively a properly written piece that principally echoes my sentiments on the matter of Crawford, Inoue, and Usyk.

Usyk’s win over Fury was actually an enormous one, however as you all know, I by no means actually rated Fury as P4P. Even nonetheless, a professional case for all three holding the highest spot will be made to the purpose the place I’d in any other case have all of them concurrently holding the No.1 place, however I used to be pressured to separate hairs. I really don’t assume there’s a transparent standalone #1 man in the intervening time, and I understand that as a great factor within the sense of we’re in an period of supreme expertise throughout weight lessons proper now. I can’t keep in mind one other level in my time following the game the place that’s been the case to this diploma.

John Hansen

(1) Naoya Inoue, (2) Terence “Bud” Crawford, (3) Oleksandr Usyk, (4) Dmitry Bivol, (5) Artur Beterbiev, (6) Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, (7) Kenshiro Teraji, (8) David Benavidez, (9) Junto Nakatani, (10) Subriel Matias

No adjustments for me, despite the fact that Usyk’s latest triumph probably makes that controversial for a lot of of our readers. Presumably a number of of my colleagues, too.

Proper now, we’re blessed to witness three separate all-time greats, any and all of whom have an inexpensive argument for The Greatest Proper Now, all of them hitting new heights inside the previous 12 months. Earlier than the Fury battle, I had Usyk a half-tier beneath Inoue and Crawford at 1a and 1b. Now, it’s clearly three males who might make an argument for the P4P honor not good now, however in virtually any period.

Traditionally, individuals of my heritage judging a magnificence contest between three immortals results in distress and struggling, and I’m positive that may show true once more within the feedback beneath. All I can say is: Should you might someway standardize the sizes of those guys and have them settle it within the ring tomorrow, I don’t assume there’s a extremely clear goal reply, however Inoue-Crawford-Usyk is the order through which I’d favor them, with barely a touch of daylight between any and all.

Crawford feels closest to the cliff, however the man we noticed in motion final time he fought actually hadn’t gone over it but. If he appears to be like a step slower in August, I’ll modify accordingly.

Patrick Stumberg

(1) Naoya Inoue, (2) Oleksandr Usyk, (3) Terence “Bud” Crawford, (4) Canelo Alvarez, (5) Dmitry Bivol, (6) Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, (7) Artur Beterbiev, (8) Junto Nakatani, (9) Kenshiro Teraji, (10) David Benavidez

So, right here’s my reasoning. Simply taking a look at wins on paper, Oleksandr Usyk toppling Tyson Fury is essentially the most spectacular single accomplishment on this listing and his two wins over Anthony Joshua, who you recognize I at all times go to bat for, are additionally robust. I’m not going to argue with anybody who places him within the high spot.

I simply can’t overlook the sheer dominance of Naoya Inoue’s victories. Usyk’s wins at heavyweight, although usually clear, are hard-fought and sometimes see him hit a minimum of a number of pace bumps alongside the way in which. Inoue has had precisely one spot of bother since beating a generational expertise with one useful eye: a full-force counter from arguably the second-hardest single-shot puncher in his division, which he acquired up from with time to spare and avenged with probably the most violent knockouts of the 12 months. There’s loads you may say about Luis Nery as an individual, however the man hits like a prepare and survived 10 impossibly grueling rounds with the implacable Azat Hovhannisyan earlier than pounding him into the grime. Inoue doing what he did to him just isn’t regular.

Once more, you might argue that the standard of Usyk’s latest victories and the scale variations concerned carry extra weight than the path of good-but-not-great our bodies that Inoue has left in his wake as he rises by way of the weights. Usyk is a masterful, generational expertise, however in my eyes, he’s mortal in a approach that Inoue merely isn’t.

Lewis Watson

(1) Oleksandr Usyk, (2) Naoya Inoue, (3) Terence “Bud” Crawford, (4) Artur Beterbiev, (5) Dmitry Bivol, (6) Canelo Alvarez, (7) Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, (8) Kenshiro Teraji, (9) Gervonta “Tank” Davis, (10) Vasiliy Lomachenko

P4P rankings are, by their nature, a moveable feast, and regardless of Inoue’s damaging efficiency at first of the month, Usyk’s toppling of Fury a number of weeks later sees the Ukrainian edge to the highest of my standings. In reality it’s an eeny, meeny, miny, moe selection from the highest three, however Usyk grabbed the tiger by the toe and practically stopped a person that outsized him on all metrics. The rarity in seeing a cruiserweight clear out the division after which leap as much as do the identical as a heavyweight (with a 62 lb weight distinction between opponents) shouldn’t be handled as a standard accomplishment, and Usyk is nicely on his approach to securing himself as an ATG.

Lomachenko pops his head again into the highest 10 after, considerably, rolling again the years in opposition to George Kambosos Jr. I feel we have now change into a bit of numb to Loma’s dominance within the sport, and have maybe criticized him unfairly in a lofted weight class