Once upon a time, boxing was the most popular sport in the United States. The sport lost that status in the 1960s as other sports emerged, and boxing struggled with corruption and infighting. But the sport is enjoying a renaissance with a spike in interest and Boxing odds wagering action. A plethora of superstars is a big reason for boxing’s return to prominence. Terence Crawford, Saul Alvarez, Demitri Bivol, Nayona Inoue, and many others light up the marquee as top draws.
Terence Crawford
First in the current pound-for-pound rankings is Terence Crawford. Crawford has never lost a fight, with a record of 40-0 in his career. He is the current International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, and World Boxing Organization world welterweight champion. Also known as “Bud,” Crawford stands at 5’8” with a reach of 74 inches and fights from a southpaw stance. He is a native of Omaha, Nebraska, where he still resides.
Bud Crawford is coming off a 9th-round technical knockout win over Errol Spence Jr on July 29, 2023. As a result, Crawford retained his unified world welterweight title in a bout held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
Canelo
Although Bud Crawford is the top-ranked pound-for-pound boxer, Saul Alvarez is the biggest online betting brand in the sport. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has a career record of 60-2-2. He is the current International Boxing Federation, World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, and World Boxing Organization champion. Specifically, Alvarez stands at 5’8” with a reach of 70.5 inches and fights from an orthodox stance. He is a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, where he still resides.
Last time out for Canelo was a unanimous decision win over Jermell Charlo on September 30, 2023. Canelo retained his unified title belts at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Of course, Alvarez is best known for his hated rivalry against Gennadiy Golovkin. GGG and Canelo met three times, with Alvarez winning the final two matchups. Following a draw in their first fight. The Canelo vs. GGG Trilogy remains one of the biggest moneymakers in boxing history.
Also, Canelo had an iconic bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr on September 14, 2013. Alvarez lost a majority decision that many believe went to the wrong man.
Dmitry Bivol
Namely, Dmitry Bivol has climbed the charts to rank third on the pound-for-pound rankings. Bivol has a career record of 21-0 and is the World Boxing Association Super World Light Heavyweight champion. Bivol stands at 6’0” with a reach of 72 inches and fights from an orthodox stance. The nave of Russia currently resides in Indio, California.
Last time out for Bivol was a unanimous decision win over Gilberto Ramirez on November 5, 2022. Bivol retained his title belt at Etihad Arena in Aby Dhabi. Previously, on May 7, 2022, Bivol won his biggest matchup with the Boxing lines. Bivol defeated Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Naoya Inoue
In sum, Naoya Inoue has a career record of 25-0 with 22 knockouts. He ranks fourth on the pound-for-pound rankings. Inoue is the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization champion. He stands sat 5’5” with a reach of 67.5 inches and fights from an orthodox stance. He is a native of Japan, where he still resides.
On the whole, Inoue’s 2nd round technical knockout win over Nonito Donaire was the biggest of his career.