Naoya Inoue is now considered the best fighter on the planet with two substantial boxing platforms in BoxRec and The Ring Boxing Magazine both deciding that the Japanese fighter is deserving to be regarded as the #1 pound-for-pound fighter following his win over Luis Nery on Monday May 6th. As a result, Inoue overtakes the position of Terence Crawford who was regarded as the best fighter in the world after becoming undisputed at welterweight on June 29th, 2023.
Notably, this is not the first time Naoya Inoue has been considered the best in the world, with him already having occupied the #1 pound-for-pound (P4P) position with both BoxRec and The Ring prior to Terence Crawford’s (40-0, 31 KO’s) June 29th victory last year.
However, with Inoue proving to be much more active; becoming a unified champion at super bantamweight, an undisputed champion in the same division, and recently defending all his 122 lbs titles on May 6th to legitimize his undisputed status within the sport and his weight class.
Both Inoue’s achievements and activity have virtually ensured he should remain the pound-for-pound #1 for some time to come, with no other fighter in the top 10 P4P rankings expected to come close to fighting as many relevant fights as Inoue has.
Inoue’s rise back to the top of the sport also validates that the merit system still works, with both The Ring and BoxRec acknowledging that a fighter having a great performance in one match or greater popularity does not actually signify the fighter is the best fighter in the world. Instead, Naoya Inoue has set the bar for what it means to be the pound-for-pound king―challenging himself by fighting as many times as possible while battling against the best available; from contenders to champions.
As a result, any fighter wishing to be considered the best must abide by the same standards as Inoue has shown; remaining active and competitive.
General Entertainment Authority (GEA) chairman Turki Alalshikh also offered his thoughts on the recent promotion of Inoue to #1 on BoxRec’s pound-for-pound rankings, arguing for Terence Crawford to be considered the best in the world.
“Inoue is a great boxer, but Crawford is the pound-for-pound number one,” Alalshikh posted on Twitter/X. “I don’t know how the ranking works or if there’s a clear criteria, but it seems like there are some personal opinions and inaccuracies involved. I believe that boxing needs one entity to evaluate with transparency and credibility. Soon, I will support a project for that matter…!“
Despite Alalshikh’s vocal assertions, it failed to address Crawford’s lack of activity as opposed to Inoue’s; with Crawford having yet to fight since becoming undisputed on July 29th while Inoue has become undisputed and defended his world titles within the span of half a year since fighting in the same week as Crawford.
