By continuing his full evolution into that of a power puncher and finisher, Tyson Fury continued to diversify his game as the unbeaten WBC and lineal heavyweight champion of the world.
Fury scored a spectacular one-punch stoppage of the battle-tested Dillian Whyte inside a raucous Wembley Stadium in London last weekend. Given how well Fury controlled distance from a technical standpoint and met Whyte’s attempts at physicality with borderline dirty tactics, it’s hard to imagine favoring any other heavyweight in the world against him.
The results of an expected summer rematch between unified champion Oleksandr Usyk and former king Anthony Joshua could dictate Fury’s decision making regarding talks of retirement. Either way, Fury has proven that a motivated version of himself is a scary proposition.
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Below is the latest Pound for Pound rankings update after Fury’s big win in April.
Pound-for-Pound Rankings
1. Canelo Alvarez
Undisputed super middleweight champion (57-1-2, 38 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 1
The best in the world somehow keeps getting better. Alvarez became the first undisputed king at 168 pounds by stopping unbeaten Caleb Plant last November. The Mexican superstar is slated to return to DAZN and the light heavyweight division when he takes on Dmitry Bivol in May with hopes of a trilogy bout against Gennadiy Golovkin in September.
2. Errol Spence Jr.
Unified welterweight champion (28-0, 22 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 4
Despite a 17-month layoff and surgery to repair a detached retina, Spence returned looking better than ever at age 32 in his demolition of Yordenis Ugas to unify three of four world titles. The only fight that makes sense for next is an undisputed showdown with WBO champion Terence Crawford in arguably the biggest fight the sport could make.
3. Terence Crawford
WBO welterweight champion (37-0, 27 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 2
Crawford made an incredible series of adjustments to slow down and finish Shawn Porter in their November pay-per-view clash. As a network and promotional free agent, the time has never been better for Crawford to seek a career-defining test for all four welterweight titles against Spence.
4. Naoya Inoue
Unified bantamweight champion (19-0, 17 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 3
The Japanese “Monster” closed off 2021 with a stay-busy knockout in his native Japan. Inoue’s combination of power, speed and boxing IQ is among the best in the game. Up next is a June title unification against living legend Nonito Donaire, in a rematch of their 2019 thriller.
5. Tyson Fury
WBC heavyweight champion (32-0-1, 24 KOs) | Previous ranking: 6
At 33, “The Gypsy King” may have authored his most thorough and impressive performance to date when he knocked out Dillian Whyte with one punch in front of 94,000 fans in London. Although Fury has teased both retirement and a mixed rules match against UFC star Francis Ngannou, a shot at the undisputed championship is still at reach.
6. Vasiliy Lomachenko
Lightweight (16-2, 11 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 5
The ongoing conflict in his native Ukraine forced Lomachenko to the frontlines and out of a possible title bout against unified lightweight king George Kambosos Jr. Regardless of when he returns, the 34-year-old Lomachenko used 2021 to remind his critics how dominant he still is by dismantling Masayoshi Nakatani and Richard Commey.
7. Oleksandr Usyk
Unified heavyweight champion (19-0, 13 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 7
The former undisputed cruiserweight champ upset the apple cart at heavyweight by convincingly outpointing Anthony Joshua. A contractually obligated rematch is likely for this summer after Usyk was given clearance by his native Ukraine to begin training despite the ongoing conflict with Russia.
8. Shakur Stevenson
WBO junior lightweight champion (17-0, 9 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 8
The two-division champion produced the breakthrough performance his talent had regularly teased when he stopped Jamel Herring last October to claim a 130-pound title. At just 24, the southpaw is already being compared to a young Floyd Mayweather. Stevenson is set to take on Oscar Valdez on April 30 to unify the WBC and WBO belts.
9. Gervonta Davis
Secondary lightweight champion (25-0, 24 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 9
“Tank” battled through an injured hand to outpoint a determined Isaac Cruz in their December pay-per-view bout. Davis will bring his star to the Big Apple when he faces Rolly Romero in a May bout in Brooklyn that promises fireworks.
10. Josh Taylor
Undisputed junior welterweight champion (18-0, 13 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 10
“The Tartan Tornado” struggled to a split-decision win over mandatory challenger Jack Catterall in February which most felt Taylor had lost. Taylor, who was cut and dropped, along with being outlanded nearly 2-1 overall, announced he is likely heading to 147 pounds.
Dropped out: None
Honorable mention: Juan Francisco Estrada, Artur Beterbiev, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Yordenis Ugas, Roman Gonzalez