Oleksandr Usyk has admitted, despite his own supreme ability, that there is another man who is currently the best in the world.
Many would have Usyk atop their pound-for-pound lists. He is a former Olympic gold medalist who has not lost a professional fight and, in 2018, became the undisputed cruiserweight champion.
He then moved up for a historic double to win all four heavyweight belts, having twice beaten Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. In between times, he also stopped Daniel Dubois, who he rematches next month for a chance to become undisputed yet again.
Should Usyk pull it off and beat the Brit again, he has an extremely strong case as the best of his generation. However, speaking to DAZN, the Ukrainian named fellow two-weight undisputed champ, Terence Crawford, as the current best.
“For me, pound-for-pound number one is Terence Crawford. I like this man, he’s a great fighter. For me, maybe I’m number 17.”
Crawford won all the belts in the super-lightweight division and then repeated the feat at welterweight in July 2023 when he stopped Errol Spence. He has since moved up again to claim another world title at 154lbs and, later this year, he takes on his biggest challenge yet.
On September 13, he steps into the ring against multi-weight ruler and undisputed super-middleweight champion Saul Canelo Alvarez. Crawford remains unbeaten in the professional ring, while Alvarez has lost just twice in more than 50 fights.
Like Usyk’s next bout, this one is further legacy-defining for the American.
