Following Terence Crawford’s retirement, most fans are debating whether it is Oleksandr Usyk or Naoya Inoue that can be considered as boxing’s pound-for-pound number one. However, Tim Bradley believes that an another fighter deserves the top spot.
Crawford, Usyk and Inoue are the only three men to have become the undisputed champion in multiple weight divisions during the four-belt era; making all three worthy candidates of being recognised as the best fighter on the planet in recent years.
In 2025, it was ‘Bud’ who pushed ahead in the eyes of many, after becoming the second fighter in boxing history to claim the undisputed throne in three weight-classes and doing so with a stellar victory over Canelo Alvarez.
After his retirement, the debate has been resurrected around his two standout pound-for-pound rivals, but former two-division world champion Tim Bradley told his YouTube channel that his pick is fellow American, Shakur Stevenson, who became boxing’s third youngest four-division world champion back in July.
“Shakur Stevenson is the best fighter in the world. He ain’t got the accolades of an Usyk, in terms of undisputed and all of that s**t, he ain’t done all of that s**t that Inoue did in the lower weight classes.
“No, he ain’t done none of that, but he is a four-division world champion and he is the best fighter in the world. He gets touch the least, out of any fighter in the world.
“He the best fighter in the world. Period.”
Stevenson has built his reputation on control over power, combining a southpaw stance with sharp footwork and defensive awareness to dictate range and tempo.
An Olympic silver medallist before turning professional, he has, as Bradley points out, consistently limited opponents to low output.
If the Newark native manages to land more fights against big names – the likes of Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia or Devin Haney – more will begin to agree with Bradley’s take. However, he will still be competing with Usyk, who returns next month against kickboxing icon Rico Verhoeven, and Inoue, who has a mega fight in Japan against Junto Nakatani.
