Oleksandr Usyk has taken the top spot in the new updated Ring Magazine pound-for-pound ratings as the king after capturing the undisputed heavyweight championship with a win over Tyson Fury last Saturday night.
Usyk’s Triumph Over Fury
Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) beat the previously unbeaten Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) by a 12 round-split decision after his late rally to win the championship rounds.
It’s good that the fight didn’t end in a controversial decision because the ninth-round standing eight count given to Fury by referee Mark Nelson was very odd-looking. That move, something you rarely see, saved Fury from a sure-thing knockout.
If Fury had won the fight, it would be his second controversial victory in a row that took place in Riyadh. Last October, Fury was given a 10-round split decision win over Francis Ngannou in a fight that a lot of fans saw him losing.
Given how the pound-for-pound list constantly changes, it’ll be interesting to see how long Usyk stays as the king. He’s got a potential rematch with Fury in October if the Gypsy King chooses to fight him again. If Usyk wins, he’ll likely keep his top spot pound-for-pound spot.
The New Pound-for-Pound Top 10
1. Oleksandr Usyk
2. Naoya Inoue
3. Terence Crawford
4. Canelo Alvarez
5. Artur Beterbiev
6. Dmitry Bivol
7. Errol Spence
8. Gervonta Davis
9. Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez
10. Junto Nakatani
The new updated Ring Magazine pound-for-pound list still needs tweaking because Naoya Inoue is out of place at #2 and should be further down the list due to the weak opposition he’s been feasting on at Super Bantamweight.
We’ll see what happens with the Usyk-Fury rematch. I wouldn’t be surprised if Fury chooses not to fight Usyk again and plays it safe. The Saudis might then choose to match the Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang winner against Usyk or wait until Anthony Joshua faces the winner of the June 1st fight between Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois.
An improved list pound-for-pound list:
1. Oleksandr Usyk
2. Gervonta Davis
3. Anthony Joshua
4. Canelo Alvarez
5. Artur Beterbiev
6. Dmitry Bivol
7. Jaron Ennis
8. Jessie Rodriguez
9. Terence Crawford
10. Naoya Inoue
Naoya Inoue didn’t last long as Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound king after earning that honor last May. Inoue had beaten Luis Nery in a title defense of his undisputed super bantamweight championship to briefly hold the top spot in the Ring Magazine pound-for-pound ratings.
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