Some thoughts on Gervonta Davis’ knockout win over Hector Luis Garcia…
• This was a quality win. Garcia, despite being a sizeable underdog, is a finished fighter. He was undefeated and had a legitimate 130 pound title coming off the two biggest wins of his career. He had a good game plan too. He didn’t get too caught up on his punches early and refused to fall into some of the smartly placed traps Davis was setting for him. Davis, however, can crack, and when he finally caught Garcia in the eighth round, it was over.
• Garcia didn’t stop. It was certainly frustrating to see Garcia retire on his stool after the eighth round. It looked to be a competitive fight up to that point—the judges’ scorecards, which had Davis well ahead, felt wide—and I wanted to see if Garcia could pull away in the final rounds. But he said that his corner had lost the sight in his right eye and if he had done that, the ninth round would not have lasted very long.
• Ryan Garcia next? Of course it is. The two fighters agreed to terms and the networks (Showtime and DAZN) worked out an arrangement where Showtime would produce the show with DAZN collecting a seven-figure fee. But Golden Boy, Garcia’s promoter, has yet to receive an official contract and Davis goes on trial next month for a hit-and-run that could result in jail time.
• Fighters need to stay active. On the undercard, Demetrius Andrade looked sluggish, Rashidi Ellis missed and Jaron Ennis went the distance for the first time in his career. Andrade had not fought in 14 months, Ellis had fought one round in the last 26 and Ennis, usually a busy fighter, was coming off one fight in 2022. A lot of work is done in the gym but to stay sharp, fighters need to fight.
On to Sports Illustrated’s the latest pound for pound rankings.
1. Terence Crawford
Record: 39-0
Last Month: 1
Last Fight: KO win David Avanesyan
Next fight: TBD
Crawford ended a 13-month layoff on December 10, where he successfully defended his 147-pound title with a spectacular sixth-round knockout of Avanesyan. It was Crawford’s 10th straight stoppage victory and re-established the three-division champion—at least in these rankings—as the pound-for-pound king of boxing. The question now is whether Crawford can rekindle negotiations for a fight with Errol Spence. Talks between the two sides publicly—a lot publicly—fell apart in October, but a Crawford-Spence matchup remains among boxing’s greatest.
2. Oleksandr Usyk
Record: 20-0
Last Month: 2
Last Fight: SD defeats Anthony Joshua
Next fight: TBD
Only Canelo Alvarez can claim a better start than Usyk, whose achievements include wins over Marco Huck, Mairis Briedis and Tony Bellew at cruiserweight and now a pair of wins over Anthony Joshua at heavyweight. Usyk entered boxing’s glamor division well, finding a comfortable weight (around 221 pounds) and a fighting style that made him difficult to beat. Representatives of Usyk and Tyson Fury are in advanced discussions to formalize a Fury-Usyk fight that would crown the undisputed heavyweight champion.
3. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez
Record: 58-2-2
Last Month: 3
Last Fight: UD defeat Gennadiy Golovkin
Next fight: TBD
The third fight between Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin in September did not match the intensity of the first two but this he did establishes the first clear winner in one of boxing’s better rivalries and this he did put the 32-year-old Alvarez back in the win column after last May’s upset loss to Dmitry Bivol. Alvarez recently underwent surgery on his injured left wrist, setting him back until next May, at the earliest. While Alvarez has publicly stated interest in a rematch with Bivol, Eddie Hearn, Alvarez’s promoter, says Alvarez is likely to face interim 168-pound titleholder John Ryder, with the Middle East emerging as potential landing spot.
4. Naoya Inoue
Record: 24-0
Last Month: 4
Last Fight: KO win vs. Paul Butler
Next fight: TBD
Welcome to the undisputed club, Naoya Inoue. Inoue cemented his status as the best 118-pound fighter in boxing—and one of the best fighters in the world—with a lopsided knockout victory over Butler that made the fourth undisputed reigning champion of Inoue boxing. Inoue plans to move up to 122 pounds, where two title holders—Stephen Fulton and MJ Akhmadaliev—have shared their belts. The question is, or will you go to Japan to face him?
5. Errol Spence Jr.
Record: 28-0
Last Month: 5
Last Fight: TKO win vs. Yordenis Ugas
Next fight: TBD
Spence, 32, continued his assault on the top names in the welterweight division last April, stopping Yordenis Ugas to collect a third piece of the 147-pound title. Despite a series of serious injuries—a car crash in 2019, an eye injury that forced him out of a scheduled fight with Manny Pacquiao in 2021, plus a crash in December that left Spence with minor bumps and bruises —Spence continues to go through injuries. the best fighters in his weight class. With Crawford off the table, Spence is aiming for a grudge match with Keith Thurman, the former welterweight champion who is among the few top 147-pounders Spence has yet to face. Spence tweeted that the fight could happen in April.
6. Tyson Fury
Record: 32-0-1
Last Month: 6
Last Fight: KO win Derek Chisora
Next fight: TBD
A December matchup against British rival Chisora went as expected, with Fury battering Chisora for the better part of ten rounds before the referee mercifully stopped the fight. Fury is undoubtedly the class of the heavyweight division, with a deep win streak that includes a win over Wladimir Klitschko and two wins over Deontay Wilder. Next, a legacy fight against Oleksandr Usyk, who will crown the first undisputed champion in the division since Lennox Lewis.
7. Dmitry Bivol
Record: 21-0
Last Month: 7
Last Fight: UD defeat Gilberto Ramirez
Next fight: TBD
Bivol, 31, locked up the 2022 Fighter of the Year with an impressive performance against the undefeated Ramirez. After outlasting the younger Canelo Alvarez last May, Bivol did the same to Ramirez, a physically bigger fighter, backing up Ramirez with the jab and battering him with combinations. Ramirez will have several lucrative options on the 23rd, including a rematch with Canelo Alvarez and a light heavyweight title unification fight with Artur Beterbiev, both of which could be on the table in the second half of the year. Before that time Bivol’s co-promoter, Eddie Hearn, suggested a fight in the UK against Callum Smith or Joshua Buatsi could take place in the spring.
8. Shakur Stevenson
Record: 18-0
Last Month: 8
Last Fight: UD beat Robson Conceicao
Next fight: TBD
Stevenson, 25, looked brilliant in a lopsided decision victory over the once-beaten Conceicao, leaving the former Olympic gold medalist on top while continuing to rank among boxing’s toughest fighters. to strike. Stevenson now moves up to 135-pounds where he expects a star matchup with Devin Haney, Vasyl Lomachenko and Gervonta Davis.
9. Jermell Charlo
Record: 35-1-1
Last month: 9
Last Fight: KO win Brian Castano
Next fight: 1/28 vs Tim Tszyu
Charlo earned a spot on this list after picking up a spectacular knockout victory over Brian Castano in May, avenging last year’s controversial draw and fully unifying the 154-pound division. Charlo’s junior middleweight resume is impressive: He has wins over Erickson Lubin, Austin Trout, Tony Harrison and Jeison Rosario, with his only loss a questionable decision loss to Harrison. Charlo has always taken the best in the division, although his next test will have to wait: Charlo was forced to withdraw from a scheduled title defense against Tim Tszyu with a hand injury that is expected to sideline him for two months.
10. Devin Haney
Record: 29-0
Last Month: 10
Last Fight: UD defeat George Kambosos
Next fight: TBD
Haney, 23, joined the rankings in November after his second straight decision win over former title holder George Kambosos. Traveling to Australia (again) Haney, operating behind a smooth jab and stinging right hand, dominated Kambosos. The win caps a solid two-year run for Haney that includes wins over Jorge Linares, Joseph Diaz Jr. and Kambosos. Haney should get a chance to boost his credentials next year: Top Rank intends to match Haney with Vasyl Lomachenko in a monster lightweight division showdown.
