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2023 Boxing: Pound-For-Pound Rankings

Who is at the Top for Men and Women Entering New Year?

Pound-For-Pound Rankings Betting Analysis

This year in boxing was dominated by heavyweights, upsets and the biggest matches for the women. It was a banner year for women’s boxing. In fact, the top boxers on the women’s side not only fought each other but have been linked to one another at some point.

As for the men, several “super fights” were nothing but all talk. This prompted us to shuffle boxing’s pound-for-pound (P4P) list, which we also factor in boxing betting odds.

Claressa Shields | Nic antaya/getty images/afp

Let’s check the latest Boxing picks, stats, and Boxing predictions. We’ve plenty of Boxing expert picks for you to consider.

Men’s P4P Rankings

  1. Naoya Inoue (24-0-0, 21 KOs)
  2. Oleksandr Usyk (20-0-0, 13 KOs)
  3. Dmitry Bivol (21-0-0, 11 KOs)
  4. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (58-2-2, 39 KOs)
  5. Terence Crawford (38-0-0, 29 KOs)
  6. Errol Spence Jr. (28-0-0, 22 KOs)
  7. Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs)
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada (44-3-0, 28 KOs)
  9. Devin Haney (28-0-0, 15 KOs)
  10. Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-2-0, 11 KOs)

The biggest surprise here is likely the demotion of Crawford to the middle of the list. However, this is prize-fighting and it’s more about “what have you done for me lately?” And on that note, a KO win over David Avanesyan as a 1-50 favorite did not move the needle for us.

At the top, we gave the nod to Inoue over Usyk. It was close but Inoue’s two knockout wins were more impressive than a split-decision win for Usyk. even if that win came against a former P4P boxer Anthony Joshua. Inoue starched Nonito Donaire, the future Hall of Famer, in just two rounds. And then he unified all the 118-pound belts with another KO.

Not too far behind is Dmitry Bivol. The Russian did not only upset Canelo as a +300 underdog, but he also handed Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez his first loss. Considering the online sports betting lines, Bivol was the most profitable boxer on this list and deserves a spot in the top three.

Meanwhile, Alvarez bounced back from his loss by closing his trilogy with Gennady Golovkin in an emphatic fashion. Alvarez dominated his old rival and finished the year strong.

Speaking of trilogies, Juan Francisco Estrada bested Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez for a second straight time to win their “rubber match.” He has pushed himself to the top of the super flyweight rankings and has not lost since 2018.

Also worth keeping an eye on is the potential bout between Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2023. Haney, the undisputed and unified lightweight champ, gets a chance to move into the top five if he can turn back the once-former P4P king himself.

Women’s P4P Rankings

  1. Claressa Shields (13-0-0, 2 KOs)
  2. Katie Taylor (22-0-0, 6 KOs)
  3. Amanda Serrano (43-2-1, 30 KOs)
  4. Chantelle Cameron (15-0-0, 8 KOs)
  5. Savannah Marshall (12-1-0, 10 KOs)
  6. Alycia Baumgardner (13-1-0, 7 KOs)
  7. Mikaela Mayer (17-1-0, 5 KOs)
  8. Jessica McCaskill (11-2-0, 4 KOs)
  9. Delfine Persoon (50-3-0, 19 KOs)
  10. Seniesa Estrada (23-0-0, 9 KOs)

As difficult as it was to figure out the men’s No. 1 P4P boxer, choosing between Shields and Taylor was like “Sophie’s Choice.” In the end, we gave it to Shields for her one-sided victory over Marshall. Both Shields and Taylor also opened as slight underdogs. Folks quickly bet online on them, which made them two of the biggest money trains this 2022.

Taylor may now be fighting Chantelle Cameron, who also flipped the betting lines with her win over Jessica McCaskill. The 31-year-old Brit unified the light welterweight titles and became her nation’s first undisputed female champion.

In the lower half, a new rivalry is brewing between Alycia Baumgardner and Mikaela Mayer. Baumgardner upset Mayer to claim her super featherweight titles. This won’t be the last we see of the two.

And, finally, “Superbad” Seniesa Estrada returned to the ring and dominated Jazmin Gala Villarino to retain her minimumweight title. With a new contract, we’re hoping Estrada stays more active and books bigger bouts down the road.

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