Naoya Inoue may be the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world. That sentiment has been shared enough times on these pages, even amid Oleksandr Usyk’s back-to-back victories over Tyson Fury in 2024, and Terence Crawford’s repeated triumphs. In fact, there are no better measuring sticks for Inoue than Usyk and Crawford.
Inoue, Crawford and Usyk – The Independent’s top three pound-for-pound boxers, in that order – are the only fighters in the four-belt era to have been undisputed champions at two weights. Crawford did it first, adding undisputed welterweight gold to his super-lightweight silverware; Inoue followed later in 2023, becoming undeniable at super-bantamweight, having previously earned that status at bantamweight; then Usyk got involved last May, the former cruiserweight king winning a classic with Fury to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years.
