While Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue can never duke it out in the ring due to a natural size disparity, the duo are currently locked in a non-contact – but fierce – battle for pound-for-pound supremacy.
Nothing elicits more vitriol in the boxing world than a pound-for-pound debate. When Mayweather was on top, it should have been Pacquiao. When Canelo was the king, it should have been GGG wearing the crown. Everyone has an opinion and those opinions are frequently laced with stubborn sentimentality.
In the case of Crawford and Inoue, it’s as closely run a contest as we’ve seen in the modern era Let’s compare the respective resumes.
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A world champion since March 2014, Crawford is 40-0 (31 KOs) and a three-division titleholder. In July, the Omaha native handed fellow pound-for-pound star Errol Spence Jr. a frightening beating, flooring “The Truth” three times on his way to a ninth-round stoppage. In what was universally considered a 50-50 matchup, “Bud” dominated the welterweight superfight to become a two-weight undisputed champion. He did that in the most eagerly anticipated fight in years.
Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a four-weight world champ and captured his first title in April 2014. In July, the Japanese superstar dethroned unified super bantamweight titleholder Stephen Fulton via destructive eighth-round stoppage, decking the American twice and handing him his first loss. Five months later, “The Monster” feasted on Marlon Tapales, halting the durable Filipino in 10 to match Crawford as a double undisputed champion. Inoue had only unified the bantamweight championship in December 2022.
Few fighters in boxing come close to matching statistics like these. Crawford and Inoue would have been elite-level players in any era. So who’s the best pound-for-pound? All you can do is give your opinion.
For me, I was more impressed by Crawford’s single performance than I was by Inoue’s double. “Bud” was punch-perfect against an unbeaten, unified world titleholder who held a top-five spot on any pound-for-pound list worth reading.
While Spence’s momentum had been blunted by a near-lethal car accident, he had bounced back to dominate Danny Garcia and Yordenis Ugas. Those wins were enough to convince many fans and experts that Spence, the naturally bigger man, was too big and strong for Crawford, who began his career as a lightweight.
Of course, the Monday morning quarterbacks are out in force now. To paraphrase:
“Spence should never have been pound-for-pound.”
“Spence was done after crashing his Ferrari.”
Well, unless you were chanting this stuff from the rooftops before the bell rang for the Spence-Crawford fight, then please don’t waste my time. This is Captain Hindsight nonsense, and to undermine Bud’s career-best performance in a bid to bolster Inoue’s standing is pathetic.
If you believe Inoue is pound-for-pound No. 1 solely because of the Japanese fighter’s performances in 2023, then I wouldn’t even argue. The Fulton showing in particular was electrifying and the finish was executed with the efficiency of a hangman. Against Tapales, Inoue was patient and workmanlike in dismantling a unified world titleholder.
I’ve been an Inoue rooter for years and he is my favourite fighter in world boxing. I just believe that Crawford deserves his flowers for dominating a fellow pound-for-pound entrant. Inoue was a favourite over both the fighters he defeated, and if Tapales had beaten him, it would have been a lock for Upset of the Year. That might be disconcerting for some, but it's true.
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The pound-for-pound debate will continue into 2024. Former undisputed cruiserweight champ Oleksandr Usyk has the chance to hit the double when he takes on Tyson Fury for full heavyweight honours on February 17. If the Ukrainian star wins convincingly, then he may overtake both Crawford and Inoue.
Regardless, I'd bet that “The Monster” will hit the top spot again soon. As great as he is, one senses that the best is yet to come.