Oleksandr Usyk ranked himself in 17th position when asked who tops his pound-for-pound rankings.
The Ukrainian is ranked in many people’s leading ten fighters in the pound-for-pound rankings, given he won the undisputed titles with a win over Tyson Fury in May.
His success came having already reigned as the undisputed king of the cruiserweight champion, and was top of the tree according to Ring Magazine in October.
But surprisingly in a modest assessment on the current landscape, he named four-weight world champion Terence Crawford as his number one pick.
He told DAZN: “For me, pound-for-pound number one is Terence Crawford. I like this man, he’s a great fighter.
When subsequently asked where he would rank himself, he added: “For me, maybe I’m number 17.”
‘The Cat’ almost certainly belongs in the top ten, so is doing himself a real disservice after yet another phenomenal year.
Equally Crawford has had a good year, having moved up to 154lbs where he captured the WBA crown with a win over Israil Madrimov in August.
That came after his success in 2023 where he ousted bitter rival Errol Spence with a stunning win to gain all of the undisputed marbles at 147lbs.
Crawford is at the height of many boxing experts pound-for-pound lists, with current undisputed super-bantamweight king Naoya Inoue also leading the way in the main group.
For Usyk, his stake to the crown could be about to increase with a huge rematch set to take place against Fury this weekend in Saudi Arabia.
A win will see the 37-year-old retain his undefeated record of 22 wins [14 KOs] and write his name again in the heavyweight history books.
His journey may also not be over there if he does win, given he has hinted at a potential switch back down to cruiserweight.
Usyk feels more comfortable at that weight, and his manager Alex Krassyuk has even confirmed that exact plan of action if he beats Fury.
One challenge that could be intriguing could be a clash with unified champion Jai Opetaia if he elects to switch back down.
And the undefeated Australian is more than happy to accommodate Usyk, and is keen on the fight given he has now pursued it for several years.
“I would love to fight Usyk one day,” he said.
“It’s a fight that I’ll definitely be chasing. I’ve been around Usyk for a long time.
“We were both at the same Olympic Games [in 2012]. I was only young. I’ve always been close.
“I’ve always been in the shadows. I feel like my opportunity’s getting closer and closer to being in there against him.
“The goal’s never changed. We’ve been doing the same thing ever since I was a little kid.
“Train, eat, sleep on repeat. It’s easy to say [stuff]. I’m trying to live it.
“I’m trying to train hard every day and just fight and prepare and do what I’ve got to do to prove it.”
