Naoya Inoue praises Terence Crawford’s win over Errol Spence Jr. and shares pick for the best fighter in the world
Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue are two of the pound-for-pound best boxers on the planet. The pair, alongside Oleksandr Usyk, are viewed by many as the three kings of the P4P rankings, having all achieved undisputed world titles in two weight divisions - the only three men in boxing to do so.
Crawford became the first male boxer to achieve the feat following his victory over Errol Spence Jr. in 2023. The fight was billed as one of the biggest welterweight clashes of all time, with both men entering the ring undefeated and as champions.
'Bud' showcased his magnum opus against his toughest opponent to date, and dropped Spence Jr. three times en route to a TKO win in Round 9.
Several months later, Inoue faced off against Marlon Tapales, where he replicated Crawford's feat by becoming the undisputed super bantamweight champion.
After his recent defense of the super bantamweight world titles, 'The Monster' was interviewed by Top Rank Boxing, where he was asked to share his pick for the best boxer in the world. He said:
"I think it's important for me to recognize myself as the best, but the Crawford-Spence fight is something that I have been very impressed with."
Watch Naoya Inoue praise Terence Crawford below (1:55):
Terence Crawford may struggle against Israil Madrimov, says Eddie Hearn
Terence Crawford has conquered both the light welterweight and welterweight divisions, achieving undisputed world titles in both weight classes. The Nebraska native has now moved up to super welterweight (154 pounds), and will face WBA champion Israil Madrimov in his debut in August this year.
Madrimov will be making the first defense of the title he won in March 2024 against Magomed Kurbanov.
Eddie Hearn has stated that the WBA champion will be the most powerful puncher that 'Bud' has faced yet, and could cause an upset against the undefeated American.
During a recent interview with Fight Hub TV, Hearn said:
"I've got to say, and I really mean this, I've got bad, bad feelings for Terence Crawford against Israil Madrimov. Because all I hear is Crawford-Canelo, Crawford-Boots, Crawford-this. He is fighting the biggest puncher he's ever faced on August 3rd... I'm telling you now, if Crawford gets hit on the chin by Israil Madrimov, he is gonna really, really know about it.... I've got a really sneaky feeling for my guy on August 3rd, I really have. I think it's a really tough fight."
Watch Eddie Hearn's interview below (7:55):