World boxing rankings: Crawford surpasses Ukraine's Usyk

Usyk remains second after Crawford’s success

Oleksandr Usyk held the top spot in the P4P rankings following his May victory over Tyson Fury, later defeating the Brit again in December and knocking out Daniel Dubois in July.

However, his place was overtaken by Crawford, who on September 13 in Las Vegas defeated Mexican fighter Saul Alvarez by unanimous decision.

This victory allowed the American to become the undisputed champion in three weight classes — junior welterweight, welterweight, and super middleweight.

After the loss, Alvarez dropped from 7th to 10th place in the rankings.

Naoya Inoue holds third place despite victory

Japanese boxer Naoya Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs), the undisputed super bantamweight champion, slightly dropped to third position after successfully defending his title against Murodjon Akhmadaliev.

Experts note that his shift in the rankings reflects Crawford’s success more than any shortcomings in Inoue’s performance.

Rest of ESPN’s P4P top 10

In fourth place is light heavyweight Dmitry Bivol, who defeated Artur Beterbiev in February.

Jesse Rodriguez rounds out the top five, with Artur Beterbiev taking sixth place.

They are followed by Shakur Stevenson, David Benavidez, Junto Nakatani, and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.

The P4P rankings evaluate fighters based on skill level, titles, conquered divisions, records, and the caliber of their opponents.

Experts note that the voting formula takes into account both recent fight results and the fighter’s overall career.

Crawford’s historic achievements and Usyk’s outlook

The victory over Alvarez made Crawford the only male boxer in the four-belt era (since 2007) to become an undisputed champion in three weight divisions. Usyk, meanwhile, continues to establish himself as the dominant heavyweight of his generation.

The Ukrainian’s next opponent could be Joseph Parker, but his two victories over Anthony Joshua, along with wins against Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois, have already made Usyk one of the strongest boxers of the modern era.

Expert assessment and prospects

ESPN’s panel of experts, including Andreas Hale, Timothy Bradley Jr., and Joe Tessitore, highlights the high level of all fighters in the top 10.

They particularly emphasize Crawford’s outstanding performance and Usyk’s consistency. Upcoming fights, including those of Inoue and Rodriguez, could further shift the balance of power in the P4P rankings.

ESPN’s top 3 P4P rankings

1. Terence Crawford
2. Oleksandr Usyk
3. Naoya Inoue

Earlier, we reported on how Usyk froze the battle for heavyweight championship belts.