B/R Boxing Pound-for-Pound Rankings: October
It's official, the 2023 calendar is in the championship rounds.
And while non-sports fans may drift toward preparing for imminent holidays, those who connect their revelry to in-ring celebrations still have plenty to look forward to.
No fewer than 11 world title fights are on the docket to wrap up the year, and they'll include several fighters for whom reasonable claims for pound-for-pound inclusion can be made. And that doesn't include WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury, who'll risk his status, if not his title, in a 10-round special event against ex-UFC king Francis Ngannou later this month.
Put it all together and there's plenty of reason for the B/R combat team to reconvene for an update to its running top-10 list across all weights. The go-to rubric, as always, includes recent results, past performances and input from other respected sources, including The Ring and Boxing Scene.
Scroll to see what we came up with and drop a line with your thoughts in the comments.
10. Vasiliy Lomachenko
1 of 10
Weight Class: 135 pounds
Major Titles Held: None
It's not every guy who can work his way onto a top-10 list with a 3-2 record across his last five fights and no current title claims. But it's not every guy who's Vasiliy Lomachenko.
The well-respected Ukrainian, now 35, gets the emeritus nod thanks largely to a three-division championship legacy and the fact that he pushed undisputed lightweight king Devin Haney, a consensus top-10 guy, to the limit in his most recent appearance in May.
Are his best days behind him? Yes. But he's still a world-class talent.
9. Teofimo Lopez
2 of 10
Weight Class: 140 pounds
Major Titles Held: WBO
Writing Teofimo Lopez off has been a long-term career path for some.
The "Takeover" was a surprise winner against Vasiliy Lomachenko in their three-belt lightweight title showdown three years ago, but flopped on the main stage in his first defense and looked so mediocre in his next two bouts that it seemed the party was over.
So when he climbed to 140 to face unbeaten, long-reigning divisional king Josh Taylor, there were few willing to stand up and claim Lopez would emerge as a new monarch.
Until he did. And immediately made crow the top item on the naysayers' menu.
8. Errol Spence Jr.
3 of 10
Weight Class: 147 pounds
Major Titles Held: None
He's not reigned as long as Lomachenko, but Errol Spence Jr. gets emeritus treatment, too.
The 33-year-old Texan assembled a collection of three welterweight title belts across seven fights from 2016 to 2022. Still, it's hard to erase the visuals from a ninth-round beatdown administered by fellow 147-pound claimant Terence Crawford in their July unification match.
He'll reportedly get the chance now that the rematch clause in the original contract has been invoked, but it'll take a Herculean effort from "The Truth" to nudge the competitive needle even a little bit. If he can, he stays. But if he can't, he's making a final pound-for-pound stand.
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7. Tyson Fury
4 of 10
Weight Class: Heavyweight
Major Titles Held: WBC
Tyson Fury is giving the people what they want.
No, actually, what the two-time heavyweight claimant is actually doing is giving the people what he wants to give them.
And he's not apologetic.
"If they don't like the idea, I don't give a f--k. Then don't watch it," Fury told Bleacher Report, referring to his imminent "bout" with Ngannou on October 28 in Saudi Arabia.
The good news for purists? The run-up to the Ngannou show has yielded another set of reports that a deal has been done via which Fury will face his heavyweight title-claiming rival, Oleksandr Usyk, either late this year or early in 2024.
So be patient, folks. It may actually happen this time.
6. Devin Haney
5 of 10
Weight Class: 135 pounds
Major Titles Held: IBF, WBA, WBO
Devin Haney clearly recognizes the value of a palette cleanser.
The multi-belted lightweight title claimant heard a chilly reception as he left the ring following a controversial win over Lomachenko in May. So, rather than stewing about it while waiting for another 135-pound rival to emerge, the "Dream" chose another path.
He'll climb five pounds to challenge WBC super lightweight champ Regis Prograis in San Francisco on December 9, a decision that's left people admiring his willingness to chase greatness rather than continuing to demand reform following the Lomachenko escape.
Well played, young man. Well played.
5. Dmitry Bivol
6 of 10
Weight Class: 175 pounds
Major Titles Held: WBA
At some point, Dmitry Bivol risks pound-for-pound atrophy.
The sublimely skilled light heavyweight titleholder had a banner 2022 with wins over Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez, but the momentum has been snuffed by a series of contractual fits and starts that have kept him out of the ring for the last 11 months.
And given the fact that nothing imminent is on the horizon, the clock is ticking.
The 32-year-old went on the record last week saying he'd drop to 168 pounds for the winner of Saturday's match between Canelo Alvarez and Jermell Charlo, and it's incumbent on his team to make that or something else happen soon before the bloom is totally off the rose.
4. Canelo Alvarez
7 of 10
Weight Class: 168 pounds
Major Titles Held: IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO
And all of a sudden, we're back to Canelo.
The long-time face of pay-per-view boxing had picked up a wrinkle or two with pedestrian performances across his last three fights, but he reestablished himself as a top-end commodity with a one-sided 12-round beatdown of Jermell Charlo on Saturday in Las Vegas.
The rising 154-pound champ was beaten like a side of beef in a Rocky movie across nearly every moment of 36 minutes, leaving Charlo to skulk back to super welterweight while Alvarez claimed a new cloak of invincibility.
"Nobody can beat this Canelo," he said after the fight. "I'm a strong fighter all the time. I'm a strong man."
3. Oleksandr Usyk
8 of 10
Weight Class: Heavyweight
Major Titles Held: IBF, WBA, WBO
When it comes to heavyweight palette cleaners, crown Oleksandr Usyk.
The Ukrainian champ is in a questionable aftermath of a TKO win over Daniel Dubois that was most memorable for the shot to the belly that dropped Usyk to the floor in the fifth round but was ruled low by referee Luis Pabon. So instead of a count, he was given time to recover. And four rounds later, the fight was over in his direction.
Not exactly the vibe he was looking for.
Which is why the aforementioned reports that a deal has been done with Tyson Fury matter so much. It changes the media narrative, gives fans something else to focus on, and gives Usyk the chance at heavyweight validation he's long coveted.
Mission (nearly) accomplished.
2. Naoya Inoue
9 of 10
Weight Class: 122 pounds
Major Titles Held: WBC, WBO
It's not Naoya Inoue's fault.
Though it doesn't seem all that long ago the "Monster" was dominating Stephen Fulton to claim supremacy in yet another weight class, it suddenly seems like it's been a while given the spate of big fights, circus events and contract signings occurring since July 25.
That doesn't mean the 30-year-old Japanese star is any less dominant, though.
He's been a champion at 108, 115 and 118 pounds and is seeking a bout with fellow two-belt claimant Marlon Tapales to lock up undisputed status at 122 before moving on again.
It'd be a huge shock if he were to lose that prospective matchup, so it's probably wiser to start scouting which foes could make the most sense for future fights at 126.
1. Terence Crawford
10 of 10
Weight Class: 147 pounds
Major Titles Held: IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO
Terence Crawford is coming off the biggest win of his career.
So it's no surprise that he's got a vast menu of options.
He's reportedly in the final stages of locking down a rematch with recent victim Errol Spence Jr. because the beaten man has invoked a contractual clause. If that doesn't happen, his was the first name out of Jermell Charlo's mouth following Charlo's loss to Canelo Alvarez.
And there's always the chance to engage Canelo himself, as was discussed by both men in the run-up to Saturday's big event in Las Vegas.
Given a 40-0 record with 31 KOs and title claims in three weight classes, there's plenty of evidence that shows Crawford is good at making decisions. And regardless of which direction he chooses to go this time, he's a worthy participant and a must-see fighter for those interested in watching the sport at its very pinnacle.
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