Pound-for-Pound Update 3-29-21

It's been many months since the last Saturday Night Boxing Pound-for-Pound Update and in the interim much has changed throughout the Rankings. To start at the top, there's a new sheriff in town as Saul Alvarez moves up to #1 after his note-perfect domination of 168-lb. titlist Callum Smith in December. He also stopped mandatory challenger Anvi Yildirim after three rounds in their fight in February. Canelo slides up one spot from #2 to #1.  

Elsewhere in the upper end of the Rankings, Juan Estrada defeated Roman Gonzalez by split decision to avenge his 2012 loss. Although many thought that Gonzalez had done enough to earn the victory, the fight was close and Estrada winning the fight was by no means a robbery, despite a poor scorecard from one of the judges. With the win, Estrada moves up from #6 to #4. In addition, Gonzalez, even at his advanced age, showed that he still has enough to compete with the elite in the sport. He rises to #14 from #18. 

Canelo, the New Saturday Night Boxing #1 Fighter
Photo Courtesy of Ed Mulholland

Staying in the junior bantamweight division, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai moves up one spot from #11 to #10 after stopping Kwanthai Sithmorseng, who was a former strawweight champion many years ago. Sor Rungvisai stopped his foe and fellow countryman in three rounds. 

And in another display of the fantastic talent at junior bantamweight, Kazuto Ioka knocked out three-division titlist Kosei Tanaka in the eighth round. Ioka, now a four-weight world titleholder, achieved the signature win of his career with that stoppage. He re-enters the Rankings at #15. With the loss, Tanaka, who had been #16, exits the list. 

In another change, Errol Spence moves up one spot in the Rankings after his unanimous decision victory over Danny Garcia. He ascends to #7.

The final change in this update sees Miguel Berchelt exit the Rankings after his tenth-round knockout loss to Oscar Valdez. Berchelt had been ranked at #19. It was a coin flip to me as to whether Valdez or Jermall Charlo should enter the Rankings. I picked Charlo, but both are deserving of praise. Charlo enters the list at #20. 

One final note, due to the COVID pandemic and the related difficulty around the world in putting fights together, I have not removed any boxers from the list who have been inactive for over a year. For the next update, that rule will be reintroduced and any applicable fighters who have been inactive and have nothing scheduled will be removed.

Here is the complete Saturday Night Boxing Pound-for-Pound List: 

1. Saul Alvarez
2. Naoya Inoue
3. Terence Crawford
4. Juan Estrada
5. Oleksandr Usyk
6. Teofimo Lopez
7. Errol Spence
8. Gennadiy Golovkin
9. Jermell Charlo
10. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
11. Artur Beterbiev
12. Manny Pacquiao
13. Tyson Fury
14. Roman Gonzalez
15. Kazuto Ioka
16. Vasiliy Lomachenko
17. Mikey Garcia
18. Josh Taylor
19. Kenshiro Teraji
20. Jermall Charlo

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

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