Updated Top 10 Pound-for-Pound Rankings After Wladimir Klitschko's Loss
Tyson Fury dethroned long-reigning heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko via unanimous decision on Saturday night in Germany. The shocking upset netted the undefeated 27-year-old the lineal heavyweight championship, along with the IBF, WBA and WBO belts too.
The ramifications of Fury’s win reverberate beyond just the heavyweight division. A mainstay of Bleacher Report’s pound-for-pound list, Klitschko is 39 years old and has quite clearly shown signs of wear and tear over his last two fights.
Klitschko’s fall has shaken up our top-10 rankings. Click through the slideshow to see how the top 10 fighters in the sport rank against each other now. As always, the rankings are made according to the level of opposition the fighters face as well as their perceived willingness to face elite competition. Special emphasis is placed on how fighters have performed over the last calendar year.
Ins and Outs
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Despite knocking off the No. 2-ranked fighter pound-for-pound in the world, new heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has not jumped into our top-10 rankings. While the win was excellent on Fury’s part, he didn’t look particularly excellent against Klitschko. Instead, the 39-year-old Klitschko appeared pretty old and terrible over the 12-round fight.
There were thoughts after he struggled with Bryant Jennings in his last fight that Klitschko’s body might be breaking down. After seeing his effort against Fury, it’s pretty certain that is the case.
Klitschko therefore drops out of the top 10. He’ll likely be left out of the top 25 list altogether next time we publish one, too. Fury will probably rank somewhere in the 20s in that list, but no higher until he faces better opposition.
Former junior welterweight king Danny Garcia moves up from No. 11 to take a well-deserved spot among the top 10 fighters in the sport.
10. Danny Garcia (31-0, 18 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: A tremendous counterpuncher with nice balance and heavy hands, Danny Garcia was the lineal junior welterweight champion before he moved up to welterweight. There are plenty of big names for Garcia to prove himself against at 147 pounds. He started with a Round 9 knockout win over Paulie Malignaggi and will hope to do the same versus contender Robert Guerrero in January.
Previous Ranking: 11
Last Fight: Round 9 TKO win over Malignaggi
2016 Prediction: Garcia will remain one of the top fighters in the sport in 2016. Part of it will be that he won’t challenge himself against elite welterweight competition. But the other side of the coin is that he’s a good fighter who knows how to win big fights.
9. Terence Crawford (27-0, 19 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Terence Crawford has all the tools one looks for in an elite fighter. He’s fast, strong and knows how and when to punch. Crawford has long arms and looks like he’ll be able to grow nicely into a solid welterweight. He’s already been the lineal champion at lightweight, and he currently holds a belt at 140 pounds.
Previous Ranking: 10
Last Fight: Round 10 TKO win over Dierry Jean
2016 Prediction: Crawford will be on top of Bleacher Report’s pound-for-pound list by the end of 2016. He’ll continue his winning ways and defeat notable and elite opponents at 140 and 147 pounds, including Manny Pacquiao.
8. Juan Francisco Estrada (33-2, 24 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Juan Francisco Estrada might be the most underrated fighter in all of boxing. He currently holds the WBA and WBO flyweight titles and has not been defeated since a 2012 decision loss to Roman Gonzalez. He’s a tough and durable boxer who badly needs a rematch with Gonzalez to help shine a light on his excellent career.
Previous Ranking: 9
Last Fight: Round 10 KO win over Hernan Marquez
2016 Prediction: Estrada will get his rematch with Gonzalez and he’ll earn a draw against the undefeated flyweight king. The cards will be close, and people who have never seen the Mexican fight before will be surprised to see a fighter take it to Gonzalez the way he does.
7. Guillermo Rigondeaux (16-0, 10 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Guillermo Rigondeaux is an amazing boxer with unparalleled skills and superb power. The southpaw stylist is 35 years old though, so he might be on the downside of his short professional career. However, he remains the lineal junior featherweight champion and arguably one of the best fighters in the sport.
Previous Ranking: 8
Last Fight: 12-round decision win over Drian Francisco
2016 Prediction: Rigondeaux gets more fights in 2016, but he’s upset in one of them because he’s too old and not active enough to stay in top condition. Say goodbye to the Rigolution, folks.
6. Canelo Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: The current lineal middleweight champion and former junior middleweight titleholder has improved greatly since his one and only loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2013. Canelo Alvarez is a great combination puncher who has solid power, good footwork and extremely fast hands. The 25-year-old seems to get better and better with every outing.
Previous Ranking: 7
Last Fight: 12-round decision win over Miguel Cotto
2016 Prediction: Alvarez will bravely face unified middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin by the end of next year and give him a better fight than most thought he might. Golovkin wins the decision, but Alvarez earns the respect a fighter deserves when he faces the very best.
5. Sergey Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Sergey Kovalev is clearly one of the top fighters in boxing and may even be under ranked here at No. 5. He’s a dominant and unified light heavyweight champion, and he’s one of boxing’s best pure punchers. An excellent technician, Kovalev is an aggressive stalker who has nimble feet and heavy hands.
Previous Ranking: 6
Last Fight: Round 3 KO win over Nadjib Mohammedi
2016 Prediction: Kovalev will face undefeated superstar Andre Ward in 2016 and he’ll beat him. Ward will probably be favored going into the fight, but Kovalev’s underrated boxing skills lead him to a unanimous-decision win.
4. Timothy Bradley (31-1-1, 13 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Timothy Bradley might not have an elite skill set, but he certainly has elite credentials. He outboxed Juan Manuel Marquez in in 2013, stopped Brandon Rios in 2015 and has only been defeated by Manny Pacquiao. Who else cans say that? He’s held titles at 140 and 147 pounds, and he’s as tough and hardworking as they come.
Previous Ranking: 5
Last Fight: Round 9 TKO win against Brandon Rios
2016 Prediction: Bradley will bite off more than he can chew in 2016 and suffer a loss either by moving up to 154 pounds, where he doesn’t belong, or by getting dragged into a firefight with someone he should box with instead of brawl.
3. Gennady Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: No fighter appears as excellent as Gennady Golovkin right now. He’s a devastating puncher who is also one of the most skilled boxers in the sport. Golovkin is a unified middleweight champion and one of the scariest fighters in boxing. However, Golovkin will need better competition if he hopes to ascend to No. 1 in the sport.
Previous Ranking: 4
Last Fight: Round 8 KO win against David Lemieux
2016 Prediction: Golovkin will unify the middleweight championship by the end of 2015. He’ll knock off Andy Lee for the WBO belt before nabbing the lineal and WBC titles against Canelo Alvarez. Once accomplished, look for Golovkin to move up to 168 pounds.
2. Manny Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: He’s the most accomplished fighter in the sport today. Manny Pacquiao is historically great, one of the best of his era. Pacquiao is a hard-hitting southpaw with a frenetic style augmented by tremendous speed and power. Even at age 36, Pacquiao is one of the top fighters in the sport.
Previous Ranking: 3
Last Fight: 12-round UD loss to Floyd Mayweather
2016 Prediction: Pacquiao will go 1-1 in 2016 to end his illustrious career. He’ll grab a win early in 2016 to set up a showdown with Terence Crawford but will be outfought by the younger challenger over 12 close rounds.
1. Roman Gonzalez (42-0, 38 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Roman Gonzalez might be small, but he’s the best fighter in the world. A tremendous pressure fighter with great footwork and powerful punches, Gonzalez is the lineal flyweight champion and the best at what he does. Gonzalez has defeated excellent competition and has even more great fights ahead of him to prove his elite status to those who still doubt his ability.
Previous Ranking: 1
Last Fight: Round 9 TKO win against Brian Viloria
2016 Prediction: Gonzalez’s first career blemish will be the draw he suffers to Juan Francisco Estrada next year. Instead of a rematch, he’ll jump into a slugfest with Japan’s Naoya Inoue and shockingly lose a split decision.
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