Top Fighters Pound for Pound in 2022 photos by Al Applerose

By Uppercutmagazine.com staff

(Published Jan. 8, 2022)

Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez heads the top of the pound for pound standings again for the third year. He continues to boggle the mind of fans who flock to stadiums wherever Canelo fights. He has become the main star in boxing as his $36 million per fight purse can attest.

Few other fighters or athletes can match Canelo’s financial resume last year, let alone his physical and technical prowess inside the boxing ring. Canelo is the pound for pound king.

Others like Terence Crawford, Tyson Fury and Naoya Inoue continue their success too with sterling performances.

Some newcomers to this list are Mexico’s Oscar Valdez, United Kingdom’s Josh Taylor and Australia’s George Kambosos Jr. All had remarkable fights in 2021.

Here’s the list as of January 1, 2022:

Pound for Pound

1. Saul Alvarez (57-1-2) Mexico -the redhead from Guadalajara trounced two undefeated world champions and demolished a contender in 2021. No one should debate his qualifications. He has won titles in the super welterweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. Though a mere 5’8 in height, Canelo has defeated opposition who towered over him. Naturally strong, Alvarez simply knows how to break down a foe and win. It’s amazing.

2. Terence Crawford (38-0) USA – hailing from Nebraska the welterweight champion finally got one of the known fighters to share the prize ring in November when Shawn Porter complied. It was a shootout with Crawford proving his superiority in dazzling form. He’s a complete fighter with a great chin, excellent speed and enough power to end the fight quickly. You cannot teach what the three-division champion knows.

3. Tyson Fury (31-0-1) UK – Not many heavyweights have the overall boxing skills of Tyson Fury. The towering giant proved he can box, punch and take a punch in his trilogy against Deontay Wilder. The British fighter is very agile and smart inside the boxing ring. He is at the top of the mountain in the heavyweight division. He could be champion for a very long time.

4. Oleksandr Usyk (19-0) Ukraine – Though Usyk had problems in his first heavyweight encounter, he quickly regrouped and then shocked the boxing world with an upset win over Anthony Joshua last September in England. The real shock was Usyk’s ability to fight up close against the towering heavyweight and beat him inside. It was a masterful display of boxing.

5. Naoya Inoue (22-0) Japan – The three-division champion Inoue keeps dropping contenders with ease in the bantamweight division. The fighter known as “Monster” continues to dominate the dominate the bantamweights not named Nonito Donaire. Could a rematch with Nonito be imminent? Or is Inoue ready to move up another weight division? The Japanese fighter is worth watching anytime he steps in the boxing ring.

6. Josh Taylor (18-0) UK – the Scottish fighter had a spectacular year in becoming the undisputed super lightweight world champion in 2021. His dominant win over Jose Carlos Ramirez was impressive and showed that maybe a move up to welterweight is next. A clash with Terence Crawford would be spectacular. Taylor is very tall and a rough customer with his no-prisoner attitude inside the prize ring. Don’t miss his fights.

7. Gennady Golovkin (41-1-1) Kazakhstan – though Triple G has been basically inactive, the middleweight champion can’t be blamed entirely. The pandemic forced a cancelation of his match in Japan. Many fail to realize only Canelo Alvarez has beaten and tied him in the boxing ring. Golovkin has defeated everyone else. Time is running out, but GGG remains a dangerous fighter in the middleweight up to light heavyweight division.

8. Errol Spence Jr. (27-0) USA – the car accident Spence had several years ago also nullified the momentum he had built after defeating Mikey Garcia and Shawn Porter. About a year ago he soundly defeated Danny Garcia and now has lost another year to inactivity. Spence has loads of talent and at 31 he remains in his prime. The Texas lefty needs to fight Terence Crawford in a mega fight.

9. Nonito Donaire (42-6) USA – Several years ago when Nonito lost the super bantamweight title many figured his career was spiraling down. But after a classic performance with Naoya Inoue that ended in a close defeat, the Filipino Flash followed that up with a knockout win over France’s Nordine Oubaali for the WBC bantamweight title and a knockout win over undefeated contender Reymart Gaballo. Impressive.

10. Oscar Valdez (30-0) Mexico – the Sonora Mexican fighter burst into these standings with a pivotal knockout win over fellow Mexican Miguel Berchelt. That win last year gave him his second division world title and also the Knockout of the Year. It was a textbook display of boxing combined with a picture-perfect counter left hook ending for the super featherweight champion.

11. George Kambosos Jr. (20-0) Australia – Though Kambosos defeated Teofimo Lopez in a dubious decision win, he did prove that he could hang with an elite fighter and that in itself was admirable. Our publication felt Lopez won clearly but that’s not our call. Kambosos deserves a place on this list for making the fight close enough to earn win. He did what others could not to, beat Lopez.

12. Juan Francisco Estrada (42-3) Mexico – The two-division champion Estrada finally got his rematch with Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez after nine years and was it a doozy. Both fighters have honed their craft and out-lasted a whole generation of fighters since they first met in 2012. This past year they lit up the boxing ring with superb fighting skills and fiery combinations. Get ready for their third meeting in March.

Honorable Mention

Vasyl Lomachenko, Teofimo Lopez, Anthony Joshua, Regis Prograis, Roman Gonzalez, Mikey Garcia, Gervonta Davis, Jermall Charlo, Jaron Ennis, Billy Joe Saunders, Demetrius Andrade, David Benavidez,