Boxing Hall of Famer Floyd Mayweather made a surprising pick for who he believes deserves the pound-for-pound No. 1 spot.
Floyd Mayweather might be eight years removed from the end of his legendary professional boxing career, but he still keeps a keen eye on the sport, and most notably the pound-for-pound conversation he topped for years.
Mayweather remains active in exhibition fights, including in recent bouts against John Gotti III and Logan Paul, but has dismissed a potential comeback on the professional scene. The 50-0 Mayweather retired from pro boxing after defeating UFC superstar Conor McGregor in the dubbed ‘money fight’ in 2017.
Boxing fans often question when the ‘next Floyd Mayweather’ will appear inside the ring. In Mayweather’s absence, many top stars have made names for themselves inside the ring, including heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk and his former rival Canelo Alvarez.
Floyd Mayweather dismisses Canelo Alvarez’s case for pound-for-pound No. 1
Alvarez is a common pick amongst boxing fans and experts for the pound-for-pound king, along with Usyk. But Mayweather showered praise on another top name who is expected to fight Alvarez later this year.
In a recent interview with Forbes, Mayweather tabbed Alvarez’s future rival as the pound-for-pound best boxer.
“I think Terence Crawford, right now in the sport of boxing, is the pound-for-pound best fighter,” Mayweather opined.
“It’s good to see him in the position that he’s in. Terence Crawford, continue to be great.”
Terence Crawford is closing in on Mayweather’s 50-0 record and is nine wins away from matching it. Crawford and Alvarez are expected to fight later this year, potentially in September, according to Riyadh Season and Turki Alalshikh.
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Terence Crawford set for likely superfight with Canelo Alvarez
If the Alvarez vs. Crawford fight comes to fruition, it’ll be one of the biggest boxing superfights in recent history. The fight almost didn’t come to fruition after Alvarez was in advanced talks to fight Jake Paul, before negotiations fell through at the one-yard line.
Crawford hasn’t fought since defeating Israil Madrimov in August to win the WBA and WBO light middleweight titles. Before that, he finished 11 consecutive fights, including a TKO win over Errol Spence Jr. in July 2023.
Alvarez will face William Scull in his return to the ring on May 3rd. He lost to Mayweather in 2013 by majority decision after a 43-fight unbeaten streak to begin his career.