Crawford Or Usyk - Who is P4P #1 In Boxing?

The mythical, subjective P4P list in boxing sparks fierce debate among boxing circles. It doesn’t matter if you are a casual fan with a glancing interest in the sport or if you are somebody who lives and breathes it; ever since 2023, it’s been pretty clear that, even in the P4P rankings, there are two levels. 

In the bottom half, there are marvellous fighters like Bam Rodriguez, Junto Nakatani, and Bivol. However, the three that are leading the way are Inoue, Usyk, and Crawford. There are still some fans who believe that Inoue’s consistency and the fact that he fights more than once or twice a year still mean he’s P4P number one. 

However, others believe that Inoue simply doesn’t face the same A-grade competition that we’ve seen Usyk and Crawford take out. Again, there’s no right or wrong answer here, but today we’re going to examine the key talking points that people bring up when they’re deciding if it is Bud or Usyk who deserves the crown as the best P4P fighter in the sport.

Examining the betting odds

While the betting companies don’t always get the odds right, they are usually closer to the mark than people think, and this is often a good idea to get a gauge of how much of an even contest it is, or whether the promoters are doing the hard sell on a fight where there is obviously only one clear winner.

In boxing, the odds do not operate in the same manner as they do in other gambling markets. In casino gaming, for instance, online casino real money games have a pretty set range of odds. Although other innovations are improving the user experience for casino gaming customers, when it comes to boxing and boxing odds, there are additional variables to consider, which is why the odds are often a strong indicator of an upcoming bout.

Making the case For bud

Terence Crawford, for those who watch boxing, has been completely underrated for the best part of a decade. His main breakthrough moment was against Errol Spence, a fight that had been marinating for half a decade and was for the undisputed welterweight world championship.

Going into this fight, the betting companies were split; some had Spence a slight favorite, others had Crawford a slight favorite. This showed the magnitude of the event and the quality of both fighters. In reality, it was one of the most one-sided unified world championship fights of all time. Immediately from the off, Crawford was teeing off on Spence, looking a level above him in every department.

After putting Spence down in round 2, Crawford controlled the distance, the pace, and had Spence down twice again in round 7 before the ref called an end to proceedings in the 9th. 

The definitive canelo fight

Crawford then moved up to 154, won another belt in another division, and then faced off against Canelo at 168, a fight he was not the favorite in, and one that was streamed to an audience of tens of millions on Netflix. 

We’ve seen how integral streaming and digital media have become in the world of sports, whether through competitions and giveaways, as you can see in the link below, or in Canelo and Crawford’s fight being streamed to a monumental global audience.

Again, despite not being the favorite, Crawford defied so many in the boxing world, including myself. While the fight was closer than the Spence one, his ability to control the distance, box to a game plan, and avoid a shootout with the bigger fighter meant he took a wide victory on the cards, with many fans believing Canelo only scooped up a couple of rounds. Herein lies the argument for Crawford to be P4P number one, and based on these two fights, you can make a very strong case.

Oleksandr Usyk – The King Of The Big Ones

The first undisputed world heavyweight champion for 25 years, and former undisputed cruiserweight world champion – Usyk is a strong candidate for this title. He won all of his cruiserweight belts in his opponent’s backyards, looking a cut above them all, and then moved up to heavyweight, giving away huge amounts of weight to dethrone Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, who were considered the top 2 names at heavyweight.

Having beaten them both twice convincingly, including the first Fury fight, which could’ve been waved off in the 9th due to Usyk’s dominance, it’s the fact he has had such a stellar amateur career, and has been one of the few fighters in boxing history to move up from cruiserweight to dominate heavyweight, and to make it look as easy as he has. 

Some believe Usyk has the better names on his resume, which he does; it is a deeper resume. However, some believe that Crawford skipping two weight classes to beat the undisputed champion at 168 is enough for him to wear the crown as the king of boxing. One thing is for sure: we are in the presence of two of the greats, who could compete with anyone in any era.