The retirement of Terence Crawford sent ripples through boxing, impacting a number of fighters and divisions.
Canelo Alvarez’s plans to avenge his September 2025 defeat to Crawford were immediately scrapped, while the super-middleweight division was left without a recognised number one.
Crawford’s victory over Canelo made him a three-weight undisputed champion, but his decision to hang up the gloves left all four titles vacant.
The WBA have since acted to elevate interim titleholder Jose Armando Resendiz to full champion, while the remaining three belts are expected to find new owners this year, with a host of contenders lining up for their opportunity.
The fallout extended beyond the world title picture and into the pound-for-pound debate. While inherently subjective, such rankings continue to shape discussions around boxing’s elite, regardless of weight class.
For several years, Crawford featured prominently in the top three alongside heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) and multi-weight phenom Naoya Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs).
With Crawford now removed from the equation, Usyk and Inoue are widely viewed as the leading candidates for the top spot, depending on who you ask, with Dmitry Bivol and Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez commonly cited to round out the top five.
Inoue enjoyed a busy 2025, making four successful defences of his undisputed super-bantamweight title. His year was capped with a routine points victory over David Picasso last month in Riyadh.
Prior to his final fight of the year, Fight Hub TV caught up with the Japanese star and asked whether Crawford’s retirement now made him the best fighter in the world. Inoue’s response was characteristically brief.
“Hai (yes).”
Whether Usyk would agree is unlikely to become a pressing debate. What is beyond doubt is that boxing currently boasts two exceptional champions who, in their own ways, are staking legitimate claims to greatness.
