Terence Crawford exited the current pound-for-pound debate last week when he announced his retirement from the sport of boxing, leaving many to slot Naoya Inoue at number one.
The switch-hitter from Omaha, Nebraska made a sudden announcement that he was hanging up the gloves while rumours were swirling that he may rematch Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez next year.
Crawford beat Canelo via unanimous decision to become a three-weight undisputed world champion. Having won belts in a total of five divisions and compiling an undefeated record of 42-0, he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame with open arms.
Some in the sport would have liked to see ‘Bud’ continue, but Japanese superstar Inoue — who has been undisputed in two divisions — told Fight Hub TV that he was not surprised.
“It’s a stage that will come to any fighter, so I’m not thinking anything about it.”
Crawford has been praised by the likes of Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr for bowing out on top.
Asked if the retirement puts him in the number one pound-for-pound slot, Inoue nodded, though he has considered himself the best for a long time, above both Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk, the man who rounds out the widely accepted top three.
The 32-year-old looks to prove that one again when he faces David Picasso in this year’s final major fight card. The Riyadh Season main event is propped up by a bout between Junto Nakatani and Sebastian Hernandez, with tentative plans in place for Inoue and Nakatani to face off in May of next year at the Tokyo Dome.