Four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr made no hesitation when naming the current pound-for-pound standout in the world of boxing, believing one fighter to be comfortably clear of the rest of the pack.
Over the last couple of years, the general consensus in the sport has been that the pound-for-pound number one is either Terence Crawford, Naoya Inoue or Oleksandr Usyk, after each became multi-divisional four-belt undisputed champions.
However, last week ‘Bud’ Crawford announced his retirement from boxing, hanging up the gloves after a legendary victory over Canelo Alvarez that he would surely struggle to top.
As a result, most fans are left to pick between the reigning super-bantamweight world champion, Inoue, and unified heavyweight ruler, Usyk.
Although, in an interview with K.O. Artist Sports, Jones Jr had no difficulty in choosing between the two as he confidently declared Usyk as the best fighter in boxing.
“Right now, if Terence is retired, that will be Usyk, without a question.”
It’s clear to see why Jones thinks that, as Usyk became just the third fighter in boxing history to win a world title at both cruiserweight and heavyweight before then becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since the turn of the millennium when he defeated Tyson Fury last year.
Now, the Ukrainian has vacated his WBO world title, after becoming a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion by defeating Daniel Dubois in July.
The 38-year-old southpaw is expected to return to action in mid 2026 and take on Deontay Wilder, with fans reassured that he still has a few years left in the sport.
