"The retirement of Terence Crawford elevates Usyk to the top spot on the pound-for-pound rankings. Although he is almost 39 years old, he remains elite with no signs of slowing down as evidenced by his one-sided knockout win in a rematch with Dubois last July. He has defeated Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois twice each, and is in need of a new opponent for his next fight."
"It's unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, last seen dominating Daniel Dubois in a fifth-round KO victory in July. Usyk, the former undisputed heavyweight champion, who turns 39 on Saturday, previously was ranked second. The No. 2 position in these rankings is now occupied by undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue. He defeated David Picasso on Dec. 27 by unanimous decision to set up a potential 2026 clash with countryman Junto Nakatani, which would be the biggest bout in Japanese boxing history."
Terence Crawford's retirement moves unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk to the top of ESPN's men's pound-for-pound rankings. Usyk remains dominant at nearly 39, highlighted by a fifth-round KO of Daniel Dubois and career wins over Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. Naoya Inoue rises to No. 2 after a unanimous decision over David Picasso and the potential 2026 showdown with Junto Nakatani. Teofimo Lopez Jr. claims a new top-10 spot at No. 10 and is slated to face Shakur Stevenson on Jan. 31. Rankings reflect panel votes and results through Jan. 15, 2026.
Read at ESPN.com
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