Comments Thread For: BoxingScene roundtable: Who will be considered the pound-for-pound king in 12 months time?

[The D3vil]

It will be Usyk unless he retires or Crawford fights & beats Canelo.

I don't see how anybody could say it's anybody but Crawford, if he goes up 2 more weight classes & beats a P4P level fighter in Canelo.

But, I don't think that will happen, so I say at the end of 2025 it'll be.

1. Usyk
2. Inoue
3. Crawford
4. Bam
5. Bivol
6. Beterbiev
7. Stevenson
8. Nakatani
9. Teo Lopez
10. Boots

[IronDanHamza]

If I had to guess, Bam or Inoue.

Been following Bam for his whole career and he's an exceptional fighter, potentially one of the best I've seen, for a long time.

Hope my prediction of P4P supremacy comes true.

[crimsonfalcon07]

What seems likely to me is this:

Usyk fights once: the winner of Dubois v Parker. He's got to wait until that's over, and then they have to negotiate and then go through camp, and someone will get injuries and delay it. That doesn't leave much room for a second fight.

Crawford doesn't fight at all, because he's being Canelo or nothing. He'll find out why weight classes exist if he does somehow get that fight.

Canelo fights Scull and some other nobody like Surace if he beats Munguía again. Or maybe Crawford if Turki wants to drop huge money on it.

Beterbiev v Bivol winner has that, plus defending against Michael Eifert, if they fight again.

Bam doesn't even have a fight scheduled. He's got a mandatory to be decided by Choc v Moloney, and is waiting for Puma v Ioka 2.

Inoue will have Goodman, MJ or Picasso, and probably Nakatani. Maybe all 4.

I'm really curious to see what Nakatani's schedule will end up looking like.

We simply don't have enough information yet and possible winners likely will have to go through one or more fellow P4P stal***** to get there, but from what we know so far, and past trends, only Inoue has the schedule to really be in the conversation already. Remember, those fights you all are sneering at are the #1, #2/3, and #7 contenders (he's already beaten the others), and the #1, and likely unified champion and fellow P4P talent in Nakatani. Outside of them, and the unlikely circumstance that Bam also fights one or both of those two only Beterbiev and Bivol will be fighting another P4P fighter, unless we get the circus of Crawford v Canelo, and Crawford would have to somehow pull that off, because Canelo gets zero credit for winning that fight.

[takenotes]

Right now it is Usyk. If Usyk does not fight or only has one fight this year AND Bud fights and beats Canelo, I would say Bud. Hard to say without knowing who anyone is fighting.

If Usyk does not fight and Crawford does not fight Canelo, I would say Inoue or Bam.

[hugh grant]

If usyk beats big men like zhang, bakole and bud beats nelo, it's got to be between these 2.

[Elheath]

Usyk, if he fights twice this year, would likely keep it by de facto. However if he fights only once against winner of Parker-Dubois then probably not enough.

Opetaia might have a chance if he fights three times this year and goes undisputed in CW with his next two fights, but I won't bank on it.

Winner of Beter/Bivol rematch will depend on who and how they win their 2nd match of the year. They got a chance if it is two convincing wins between winner of Beter/Bivol and Bena/Morrell.

Crawford is not likely UNLESS he fights twice this year (very unlikely) against notable 154 guys OR if he somehow gets Canelo and if defeats him in his one annual fight (another HUGE if x2). One unification win against Murta/Fundora won't be enough no matter what.

Shakur will have to defeat Schofield, Zepeda, and Tank convincingly but I am skeptic if all three happens this year.

Inoue is likely to end the year with Goodman, Picasso, and MJ. It will be a good year in a vacuum but not Inoue tier great, and probably end up in a solid honerable mention but not a winner UNLESS all of the above have a well below expectation year (Usyk/Crawford only one fight, Beter/Bivol have a meh 2nd fight and such).

Nakatani has an outside chance IF he fights Cueller in February followed by two unification or one unification and one voluntary defense against Estrada, and the above guys also have meh years.

Anyone picking Bam needs to consider his unfortunate situation he's in right now similar to Inoue's position during 115, in that due to his high risk low reward position he's currently out of the loop of unifications until late in 2nd half if you look at his choices deeply.
Martinez has Ioka rematch around February and the winner likely followed by mandatory with Jimenez. Cafu has Chocolatito on March with winner getting Tanaka. Garcia and Calixto needs to do a rematch after the controversial draw last month, and will have it possibly in the spring.
Bam would likely end up getting an underwhelming voluntary stay busy defense in the spring and hopefully get one unification around fall at best.

[Ropeydope]

I'm going with BAM BAM, he rips through them all, including knocking out Inoue if they fight. That's my pick.

That would definitely put Bam at the top, but don’t see that happening in 2025. The Japs will each take an interim and fight each other

[Ropeydope]

If Crawford can get Cinnamon in the ring and beat him (two big ifs), than him hands down. Otherwise the winner of Inoue v Nakatani. If Usyk goes on a spree of the big men at HW, he’ll still be in the conversation.

[LG Motel 22]

I think nakatani after beating bam and inoue

[HandsofIron]

Crawford or Usyk