Usyk Replaces Crawford As Ring’s New Pound-for-Pound No. 1

Crawford’s No. 1 Was Always Argued

Crawford’s run at No. 1 never sat the same way. His win over Canelo Álvarez was a big night, but it came with questions that never went away. The size difference mattered. The setup mattered. And after that fight, there wasn’t much added to strengthen the argument. The ranking stayed in place, but the résumé underneath it didn’t change.

That’s where the gap shows. Pound-for-pound isn’t supposed to be about reputation or past praise. It’s supposed to be about who kept taking tough fights and backing up the spot. Usyk did that. Crawford didn’t do much to close the distance once he got there.

Ring Magazine’s updated top 10 pound-for-pound rankings (December 24):

Oleksandr Usyk
Naoya Inoue
Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez
Artur Beterbiev
Dmitriy Bivol
Canelo Álvarez
Junto Nakatani
Gervonta Davis
Devin Haney
Oscar Collazo

Most of the complaints have come from the bottom of the list. WBO minimumweight champion Oscar Collazo checks in at No. 10, and many fans aren’t sold. Not because Collazo can’t fight, but because the division doesn’t draw much interest. Pound-for-pound lists say weight shouldn’t matter. Fan reaction says it still does.

Beterbiev Over Bivol: Why Ring Leaned That Way

Artur Beterbiev being ranked ahead of Dmitriy Bivol has also been questioned. It shouldn’t have been. In their rematch, Bivol spent long stretches moving and staying on the outside. Beterbiev came forward, landed the heavier shots, and controlled the early rounds.

Bivol was given the decision, but it wasn’t decisive. The fight was close. Ring’s ordering reflects that. Movement alone didn’t settle it.

Reputation Carried More Than Results

This update doesn’t feel dramatic. It feels overdue. Crawford held the top spot more on reputation than on who he actually beat in their prime. The résumé never caught up to the placement. And when the conversation turned toward bigger, more dangerous fights at 168, it ended quickly. He retired before that stretch ever arrived. Usyk didn’t take that route. He stayed in the mix, took the hard fights, and left less room for argument. That’s why the list settles at No. 1 and starts to unravel further down.