B/R Boxing Rankings for February 2023
Maybe they'll happen. Maybe they won't.
Boxing, on its best days, is an inexact (albeit sweet) science.
Though sublimely talented fighters abound across continents and weight classes, the non-linear nature of the sport hardly guarantees the best will meet the best. That leaves the observers to continue a perpetual debate over who would win out if all the competitors were created equal in terms of size.
The Bleacher Report combat team happily re-entered that fray for the month of February to create its latest top-10 pound-for-pound list with a rubric that includes recent fight results, past performances and input from other respected sources, including The Ring and Boxing Scene, among others.
Scroll through to see what we came up with, and drop a line with your own thoughts in the comments.
10. Jermell Charlo
1 of 10
Weight Class: 154 pounds
Titles Held: IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO
Jermell Charlo is in search of a super fight.
The 32-year-old Texan has beaten every opponent he's faced in the ring—having avenged both the lone loss and draw on his record—and is one of the sport's few undisputed champions in a consistently chaotic four-belt era.
But he's hardly a household name.
In fact, it's a fair bet that when his name comes up, roughly half of those speaking it might be mistaking him for twin brother (and fellow world champion at 160 pounds) Jermall.
Problem is, that's unlikely to change anytime soon.
Though he'd probably prefer to tangle with a high-profile foe climbing the ladder from seven pounds below at welterweight, Charlo is more likely to return to action later this year (after recuperating a broken left hand) against either two-time foe Tony Harrison or unbeaten but comparatively unproven Tim Tszyu.
Charlo was scheduled to face Tszyu, the son of former 140-pound king Kostya Tszyu, in January, but the bout was scuttled by injury. Tszyu chose to set a date with Harrison, with whom Charlo has split a pair of bouts, with the winner penciled in for the title shot.
9. Shakur Stevenson
2 of 10
Weight Class: 135 pounds
Titles Held: None
The quest for a third world title now has an official start date.
Shakur Stevenson made his intention to climb to 135 pounds known last September after he missed weight for a 130-pound championship defense against Robson Conceição.
He pressed forward and defeated the game Brazilian by unanimous decision anyway, then he went into a holding pattern while his Top Rank promotional apparatus settled on the ideal time, place and opponent for a debut at lightweight.
Turns out he'll begin doing business in the new weight class on April 8 in front of a partisan home crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, where he'll face unbeaten Japanese veteran Shuichiro Yoshino in a scheduled 12-rounder.
The bout is being billed as an eliminator for the WBC title, which means the winner will move up in line—Stevenson is ranked third, Yoshino is fifth—for a shot at champion Devin Haney.
Stevenson, not surprisingly, insists it'll be him.
"I am taking over the lightweight division, and my run will start on April 8 in Newark," he said.
8. Tyson Fury
3 of 10
Weight Class: 200+ pounds
Titles Held: WBC
The biggest name in the big-boy division has big plans for 2023.
WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury is pursuing a unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk that would meld his one-belt claim with the three straps (IBF, WBA, WBO) that the Ukrainian has held since toppling Anthony Joshua in England 17 months ago.
The promotional parties have targeted late April for their get-together, and they went face-to-face following Fury's most recent defeat of Derek Chisora, but the mercurial Fury has kept options open just in case the ultimate showdown doesn't go off as planned.
He's also suggested a combat summit with former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou, per GiveMeSport's Tom Ward, that would be contested in a cage with boxing rules and four-ounce gloves.
And British promoter Frank Warren threw his hat into the matchmaking ring with the news that his client, unbeaten slugger Joe Joyce, could face Fury in the summertime at Wembley Stadium if Fury handles Usyk (or Ngannou) and Joyce beats Zhilei Zhang.
"I go for the money," Fury told TalkSport. "That's what I do. I go in, get my brains beat out of me for a few quid. And it becomes obsessive, the old prize fighting game, and that's why it's difficult to walk away."
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7. Devin Haney
4 of 10
Weight Class: 135 pounds
Titles Held: IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO
Unlike Charlo, a fellow undisputed champion, Devin Haney has no shortage of familiar names seeking to make his in-ring acquaintance.
The Las Vegas-based 24-year-old earned and defended his four-belt status at 135 pounds in 2022 and is being pursued these days by the likes of Vasiliy Lomachenko, himself a former multi-belt champion in the weight class after previous reigns at 126 and 130.
Their belt has been most recently rumored for May, as Bob Arum noted on ID Boxing, and the number of would-be suitors grew by one when the aforementioned Stevenson, a fellow unbeaten 20-something, announced a transition to lightweight that will be made competitively official in April.
Haney has also mused about the idea of his own climb, to 140 pounds, to face off with former 135-pound claimant and Lomachenko conqueror Teofimo Lopez.
So, in Haney's case, it's good—not to mention lucrative—to be the king.
"We take on all comers," he said, per Mike Coppinger of ESPN. "No matter who it is, we want to fight the best fighters in the world. I believe I'm the best fighter in the world. Whoever is next, bring him on."
6. Dmitry Bivol
5 of 10
Weight Class: 175 pounds
Titles Held: WBA
What a difference a year makes.
At the outset of February 2022, light heavyweight champ Dmitry Bivol was two months beyond a WBA title defense against the anonymous Umar Salamov and three months away from a life-changing defeat of pay-per-view stalwart Canelo Álvarez.
Twelve months later, the still-unbeaten Russian claimant is pondering an Álvarez rematch and entertaining the idea of chasing undisputed status with a showdown against the IBF, WBC and WBO belt-holder at 175 pounds, Artur Beterbiev.
Beterbiev retained his belts last month against Anthony Yarde and maintained the momentum for the unification showdown, in spite of business-side obstacles.
Bivol works with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing promotion, which has an exclusive content deal with DAZN. Beterbiev, meanwhile, is promoted by Top Rank, which has an exclusive content deal with ESPN. Regardless, count former heavyweight king Evander Holyfield among those who'd love to see it.
"Bivol vs. Beterbiev is one of the most anticipated fights in the whole world," Holyfield told Boxing Scene. "I think this fight will be exciting. It is important that everything is resolved in order to organize this fight."
5. Errol Spence Jr.
6 of 10
Weight Class: 147 pounds
Titles Held: IBF, WBA, WBC
The times may be a changin' for Errol Spence Jr.
The unbeaten Texan remains the welterweight champion of record with the IBF, WBA and WBC titles, and the boxing world continues to pine for a fight that would pit him against the division's other reigning title-holder, Terence Crawford.
But now that the promotional dance between them has drifted into marathon length, Spence is perusing the crowd for a new partner.
He seems to have settled on former 147-pound claimant Keith Thurman for a bout that would take place at 154 pounds, per ESPN's Mike Coppinger. It would be a non-title affair at that weight and could be a prelude for Spence ultimately challenging the aforementioned Charlo rather than heading back down to 147—a number he's had some issues consistently hitting—to meet Crawford.
And no less an authority than Hearn, who promoted Spence's welterweight title win against Kell Brook in 2017, expects the experiment to be permanent.
"I think he's been at 147 for a long time. He's very tight at the weight. When you look at the mileage on Errol Spence through accident, through the eye operation and stuff like that, it's going to be harder for him to start making weight," Hearn said, per FightHype. "Respect to him and the way he makes that weight, but I see him moving up, and I guess 154 is his future."
4. Canelo Álvarez
7 of 10
Weight Class: 168 pounds
Titles Held: IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO
He's not fought in five months and may not fight for a few more, but make no mistake, Álvarez is still one of those guys whose every move nudges the sport's needle.
He appeared twice in 2022, losing a surprise to Bivol at light heavyweight before dropping back to 168 to defend his undisputed status in a trilogy-capper against long-time foe Gennady Golovkin.
Injuries sustained over those fights and others prompted left wrist surgery that's kept him on the shelf since the fall, but a return in May is the topic of heavy whispers these days.
The opponent of choice could be British veteran John Ryder, who's won four straight fights and is the WBO's second-tier champion beneath Álvarez's full-fledged status at 168.
From there, a rematch with Bivol beckons for the 32-year-old, who turned pro in 2005.
"Anything that is better for my career, for my legacy, I'm gonna do it," he told The Ring. "Weight classes, more championships, good fights. Right now, I want the rematch with Bivol. That's the only fight I'm thinking about."
3. Terence Crawford
8 of 10
Weight Class: 147 pounds
Titles Held: WBO
If you feel like following Crawford's career these days is akin to binging As The (Promotional) World Turns, you're not wrong.
Now 35, the proud Nebraskan was a client of Top Rank for several years, and his parting with Bob Arum and Co. created hope that a Spence fight would soon occur. That clearly hasn't happened, and he was instead left to batter the anonymous David Avanesyan for an upstart pay-per-view provider in December.
Recently, Golden Boy Promotions czar and ex-welterweight cash cow Oscar De La Hoya made a pitch for Crawford's services, claiming he'd provide a steady diet of emerging challenges at 147 pounds and could ultimately deliver the Spence event as well.
De La Hoya promotes both Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Alexis Rocha, who are the No. 1 and No. 3 contenders to Crawford's WBO title, respectively.
"I told Crawford, 'Let us present to you a schedule of fights leading up to Spence.' I have all the confidence in the world that Crawford versus Spence will happen," De La Hoya told DAZN's Chris Mannix (h/t Boxing Scene). "We did discuss a Rocha fight. I think it's a big possibility. He's number three in the world. Rocha versus Crawford, who knows."
2. Oleksandr Usyk
9 of 10
Weight Class: Heavyweight
Titles Held: IBF, WBA, WBO
Fury may be the motormouth of the two would-be heavyweight combatants, but don't think for a second that Usyk isn't capable of a volley or two as well.
The three-belt champ kept the social media fires burning ahead of the as-yet-unofficial showdown by going to Twitter with a simple "I'm here" lob in his rival's direction as he stood flexing in a training ring in front of a Ukrainian flag.
Warren, who promotes Fury, told TalkSport the event will "100 percent" take place on the last Saturday in April, which would be the 29th. As for the location, though Saudi Arabia appears to be the front-runner as a destination, that could change if final details aren't worked out.
"Where it takes place I genuinely think will be determined within the next six or seven days maximum," Warren said. "If we can't do what we're being asked to do with Tyson and Usyk (in Saudi Arabia), then the fight will take place in the UK."
Usyk, let's not forget, won gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London before turning pro and winning his initial 16 fights while becoming an undisputed champion at cruiserweight. He made the full-time jump to heavyweight in 2019 and has gone 4-0 since, including the two title-fight defeats of Joshua.
1. Naoya Inoue
10 of 10
Weight Class: 118 pounds
Titles Held: IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO
Heralding Naoya Inoue's exploits these days is challenging for even those with the heftiest arsenals of adjectives.
Now 29, the Japanese superstar has done precisely nothing wrong since turning professional just more than a decade ago, winning his first world title in his sixth fight at 108 pounds and since adding laurels at 115 and 118 with nary a misstep.
In fact, not only has he never been beaten, he's almost never been challenged.
His 24 bouts have lasted a measly 138 rounds, an average of less than six per outing as he's registered 21 KOs. He's stopped five straight opponents since last going the 12-round distance in 2019, including a two-round blowout of the future Hall of Famer who'd pushed him to the scorecards, Nonito Donaire.
A December KO of Paul Butler sealed up undisputed status at bantamweight and preceded a planned move to 122, where he'll seek to become the first Japanese fighter to earn four-belt status in two weight classes.
"Even moving up to (122), I still want to aim to become the undisputed champion," he said, per Agence France-Presse (h/t inquirer.net).
"To be undisputed champion in two weight classes would be a world's first and a fantastic achievement, and that's something I want to aim for."
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