QUARTER MASTERS
#4 OLEKSANDR USYK 24-0 (15 KOs), 2013-present Titles held: Cruiserweight (undisputed); Heavyweight (undisputed) Only slightly less eye-watering than Lomachenko’s resume, Usyk’s amateur record was 335-15 and he
Crawford proved his welterweight superiority by stopping Errol Spence.
too brought home an Olympic gold medal for Ukraine. He turned pro as a cruiserweight in 2013 and won his first world title in his 10th fight, battling the very tough and previously undefeated Krzysztof Glowacki to a unanimous decision in Poland. This version of Usyk was still a bit raw. His first defense was a ninth-round stoppage of Thabiso Mchunu in a bout that showed what would become a common narrative for Usyk: In the beginning he’s a good fighter, and by the end he’s a great fighter. As his comfort level increases, so do the similarities to his aforementioned countryman, which makes sense because Usyk trained with
Lomachenko’s father, Anatoly, as an amateur and would go back to him in 2017 as a pro. Usyk is so skilled defensively – able to remain close by deflecting or slipping punches, able to control the fight from range and utilizing impeccable footwork to flow from one extreme to the other with ease – that he can afford to spend time figuring out what’s in front of him. Once he has, he doesn’t just fight his opponents; he surrounds them. His ability to step around and attack before his foe can adjust, his baffling combinations that utilize every possible angle and exploit every opening … not to belabor the comparison to Loma, but he can do it
a gift to anyone who enjoys mythical matchups. Pick a Four King and go to town. And in addition to having a list of skills that would read like cherry-picking a buffet of all the fighters mentioned so far, “Bud” might be the scariest fighter in this top 10, with maybe the exception of Inoue. Crawford is typically a slow starter, but so are great white sharks. He doesn’t mind giving up a round or two, because gathering information is an important part of his process, and there’s a sense of dread that builds as he calmly circles and pokes at his opponents to find their weaknesses. And when he does finally begin to unpack his toolbox, it contains an array of both hammers and scalpels (and maybe a pair of pliers). As rounds roll by and Crawford increases the pressure, you can tell that the Nebraskan likes his job (see Errol Spence Jr.).
all, and he does it in a 6-foot- 3 body carrying 200+ pounds. That’s a testament to his athletic abilities and incredible conditioning; he only seems to get stronger as a fight unfolds. The skills, the punch volume and the mobility alone would make him unique, but the intangibles are what have truly elevated him. Once he had cleaned out the division and become the undisputed champion, thus challenging Evander Holyfield as the greatest cruiserweight of all time, he would go on to follow “The Real Deal” again by becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion. He slew the giants of his era – Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, twice each – through intelligence and pure willpower, morphing as the situation required and, when only having more fighting spirit would make the difference, dipping into a well that seems to reach the center of the earth.
#3 TERENCE CRAWFORD 42-0 (31 KOs), 2008-present Titles held: Lightweight (Ring, WBO); Junior welterweight (undisputed); Welterweight (undisputed); Junior middleweight (WBA); Super middleweight (undisputed)
Crawford is the man of the hour after the Hall of Fame-worthy feat of becoming an undisputed champion in a third weight division. That brilliant display of boxing against Canelo becomes a pound-for-pound triumph when you add that Crawford had only recently been a champion at welterweight, had only fought once at junior middleweight, skipped middleweight entirely and challenged a man who was in the discussion to name the best super middleweight of all time. And all of that took place after Crawford had already been undisputed at 140 pounds and a champion at 135. Given his weight range, Crawford is
He has so many options, in fact, that you never know which Crawford you’re going to get. Maybe he doesn’t either. He’s the best switch-hitter in the sport but sometimes doesn’t switch stances once during a fight. He’s a ruthless finisher but can also hold back, be patient and rely on counterpunching to get the job done safely; he’s far from reckless. But even when he’s being “safe,” the dog is bound to get out eventually. Before we get to the top two, it’s worth remembering that Crawford, Inoue and Usyk are still very much active. Crawford and Inoue in particular have looming matchups that could take them even higher on this list.
Usyk repeated his victory over Daniel Dubois with a fifth-round KO.
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