Usyk lost his No. 1 spot in the world boxing rankings
Oleksandr Usyk is no longer at the top of the list of the world’s best boxers, regardless of weight class. Japanese champion Naoya Inoue now holds the top spot in The Independent’s prestigious rankings. The Ukrainian, who had long been considered the world’s top boxer following his victories in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, has dropped to second place.
The British publication The Independent has updated its P4P ranking—a list of the strongest boxers regardless of weight. This time, first place went to Japan’s Naoya Inoue. Oleksandr Usyk dropped to second place, while American Shakur Stevenson took third.
Also making the top ten were Jesse Rodriguez, Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev, Devin Haney, David Benavidez, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, and Zunto Nakatani. The magazine explained that Usyk had previously topped the rankings following the end of Terence Crawford’s career. However, Inoue’s recent performances prompted a reevaluation of the boxers’ rankings.
Why Usyk Lost the Top Spot
Journalists at The Independent noted that the Ukrainian has a unique list of achievements. Usyk is an Olympic champion, a former undisputed cruiserweight world champion, and the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.
The publication also highlighted his victories over Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois, and his two wins over Tyson Fury. “Usyk remains one of the greatest boxers of our time,” the journalists noted. However, the editorial team drew attention to the Ukrainian’s most recent fight against kickboxer Rico Verhuven. Despite the knockout victory, Usyk’s performance was described as less convincing than his previous bouts.
Inoue impressed with his form
The main argument in favor of the Japanese fighter was his recent string of performances. Before the rankings were updated, Naoya Inoue scored a spectacular victory over his compatriot Junto Nakatani, which ultimately convinced the editorial team to award him the top spot. Despite losing his top spot in the rankings, Usyk remains one of the biggest names in world boxing and continues to rank among the best fighters of our time. This was reported by The Independent.
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