Pound-For-Pound Is A Ranking System In Boxing, Comparing Fighters Of Different Weights To Determine Who Is The Best

Pound-for-pound is a term used regularly in boxing circles, but what exactly does it mean? Join us as we examine the meaning of pound-for-pound (P4P) in boxing terms, and how a P4P list is ranked.

What Does Pound-For-Pound Mean?

The term ‘pound-for-pound’, in boxing, is a way of comparing fighters from various different weight classes to determine who the best is. In essence, the pound-for-pound rankings compare the best fighters from each separate weight class, putting them all in one hypothetic list and ranking each of them.

This mean that if you had someone like Naoya Inoue, the super-bantamweight king, fighting Daniel Dubois, one of the heavyweight world champions, it would be a hypothetical fight if both men were the same weight. Thus, who would win?

The pound-for-pound rankings cause great debate in boxing. The term has been used for well over a century in combat sports, not just boxing. It is also used in sports such as mixed martial artis, particular the UFC, and other combat sports such as kickboxing and wrestling.

Thus, the pound-for-pound conversation and P4P rankings have been around for a very long time. The term was first used officially in 1906 in a boxing sense, but was coined into a phrase by sportswriters during the 1940s/1950s when talking about the great Sugar Ray Robinson.

As fighters don’t directly compete against one another due to huge weight disparities, judging the best P4P fighter is subjective, and ratings can vary massively. However, the general consensus is that a pound-for-pound list is the best way of matching fighters up against each other if they were fighting on a level playing field.

When Were P4P Rankings First Brought In To Boxing?

The term ‘pound-for-pound’ was historically associated with fighters such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Benny Leonard and others who were widely considered to be the most skilled fighters of their day. However, the phrase itself has actually been used for well over a century now.

An early example of the phrase being used in a boxing sense was in the Evening Star newspaper back in 1906. The article was about Battling Nelson, describing him as “the fighter of the century at his weight”, and stated “he would never back water or split hairs when required to meet any boxer on a pound-for-pound basis.”

What the Evening Star newspaper article was trying to say was that if the weight was equal, Battling Nelson would have fought anyone.

These rankings were brough about to distinguish fighters from the lower weights from the generally more popular heavyweight champions. Just because a fighter wasn’t a heavyweight in size and stature, didn’t necessarily mean they weren’t more skilled or better boxers all-round than the heavyweight champions of yester year.

Given the term ‘pound-for-pound’ has been talked about since the days of Battling Nelson, it is estimated that the phrase was first used sometime around 1905/06. This makes the phrase just shy of 120 years old as of today.

Although sportswriters and boxing fans have been using the phrase for over a century, a legitimate pound-for-pound ranking system was only put into place in the late 20th century. Since 1989, The Ring magazine has maintained a pound-for-pound rankings list of fighters.

Today, this is how fans distinguish who the best fighters on the planet are from all weight classes combined.

What Is The Criteria For A Boxing Pound-For-Pound List?

When compiling a P4P list, there are various criteria fans, media and other boxing authorities may use to distinguish theirs. Like judging, it is subjective and can vary depending on how an individual sees it.

Some people might prefer technical skill and boxing ability, some may favour the big knockouts. Other criteria may include the length of a reign as champion, beating top opponents, consistency at the top level and career longevity.

Depending on what you like to watch, whether that be hitting and not getting hit, or big knockouts, pound-for-pound rankings are totally subjective. There is no right or wrong answer as such, but it is generally the same fighters we see crop up at the top of the majority of P4P lists today.

Which Fighters Are Recognised As P4P Stars Today?

Nowadays, the pound-for-pound conversation usually includes Naoya Inoue, Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk as the outright Top 3. Again, this isn’t definitive and is totally subjective.

Some people may completely disagree with this Top 3 and have someone else at the top of the list, such as undisputed light-heavyweight king Artur Beterbiev. Some might favour the power and eye-catching knockouts of Gervonta Davis, some might like Jesse Rodriguez’s chances again his contemporaries pound-for-pound.

Other names such as Dmitry Bivol, Shakur Stevenson and Junto Nakatani are generally recognised as Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters. Some may still include the likes of Tyson Fury and even Vasyl Lomachenko, despite suffering losses in their last fights.

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is another name who undoubtedly remains near the top of almost all pound-for-pound rankings by various boxing authorities and respected names.

Official Ring Magazine P4P Rankings (Men’s Top 10)

Official Ring Magazine P4P Rankings (Women’s Top 10)

Boxing Pound-For-Pound Rankings – Key Takeaways

To conclude, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to compiling a pound-for-pound list in boxing. It is totally subjective.

Pound-for-pound in boxing purely means putting fighters against each other in a hypothetic sense if the playing field was level. Would the best heavyweight in the world beat the best super-flyweight in the world? Who is more skilful? Would their skill and ability outweigh the power and knockout punch?

The general consensus is that technical boxing skill, knockouts, length of a reign as champion, beating top opponents, consistency at the top level and career longevity are widely regarded as some of the main criteria for accurate P4P lists.

It creates great debate amongst boxing fans day in, day out. Be sure to claim the various boxing betting offers and free bet deals available on the SportsCasting site ahead of the next big fight night.