Juan Manuel Marquez Names His Top Pound-For-Pound Boxer

Choosing Naoya Inoue as his number one, the Boxing Legend highlights unmatched activity and opponent quality

Legendary boxer Juan Manuel Marquez calls Naoya Inoue the best pound-for-pound combatant on earth /

By Mohamed Bahaa

Renowned boxer and former three-weight world champion Juan Manuel Marquez is much-loved for his remarkable career. His dramatic four-fight rivalry with Manny Pacquiao and his triumph over fellow Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera, who once called Marquez "the best of our era," help to make him the 2012 Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year.

Three fighters have set themselves above the rest in the boxing arena of today: Terence Crawford, Oleksandr Usyk, and Naoya Inoue. By turning out two-division undisputed champions in the four-belt era, these three athletes have accomplished remarkable feats. Crawford made headlines with his dominant victory over Errol Spence Jr. at welterweight, Usyk defeated the towering Tyson Fury at heavyweight, and Inoue performed an amazing knockout of Marlon Tapales to grab the super-bantamweight title.



When Marquez was asked to rank these top contenders, he shared his professional assessment. "For me, the Japanese fighter Inoue is pound-for-pound number one. Terence Crawford is number two. Oleksandr Usyk is number three. For me, in my opinion," Marquez said.

Marquez went into more detail on his thinking, finally ranking Inoue highest because of his regular activity and opponent quality. "Usyk won the fight with Tyson Fury, it was a great victory. I think, for me, Inoue is a great fighter. He puts everything in the ring. He wants to make pressure. He throws a lot of punches. He’s a great fighter and for me number one pound-for-pound. Terence Crawford is another great fighter. I say number one is Inoue because he fights against great opponents. Two or three fights a year – great activity."

Boxing fans excitedly await the next moves for these three champions as the year unfolds. Usyk will face Fury in a December rematch; Inoue is scheduled to defend his four super-bantamweight titles against TJ Doheny in September; Crawford is investigating choices for his next fight, maybe including a super-fight with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

Marquez's appreciation of Inoue's ability as the sport develops emphasizes the need of constant performance and eagerness to meet the biggest obstacles. Among the outstanding fighters in a field, Inoue distinguishes himself as a real pound-for- pound king with his unrelenting quest of excellence and his capacity to perform under stress. Both supporters and experts will be keenly observing to see whether he can keep this degree of supremacy and so strengthen his legacy in the next years.