Paulie Malignaggi Names His Pound-For-Pound King: “He’s Something Very Special”

Paulie Malignaggi has listed the people he believes to be the very best fighters on the planet, regardless of weight restrictions.

The pound-for-pound debate rages on, with many taking their rankings seriously whilst others ignore it entirely. One thing that’s certain is many top fighters are making their case well.

Following Terence Crawford’s victory over Errol Spence Jr to become undisputed at welterweight, most put the Omaha native at the top of their lists. Enter Naoya Inoue, who has continued to stop opponents in incredible fashion. He became four-belt champion in a second weight class shortly after Crawford.

Speaking on Pro Box TV, Malignaggi revealed his updated list has those two elite operators trailing behind Oleksandr Usyk at number one.

“I got Oleksandr Usyk at number one. What he accomplished was something very special. I still got Crawford at two. I know Inoue just won, but, splitting hairs, Inoue got dropped, which shows a little bit of susceptibility. Crawford looks really, really dominating each and every time. Inoue at three. Possibly the most exciting fighter in the sport right now.”

He praised the Ukrainian for beating the likes of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury at such a size disadvantage, believing victories like those to hold more weight in the pound-for-pound debate.

“He’s battling a disadvantage that a natural heavyweight doesn’t have to deal with. It’s funny, because by old standards Usyk would be a normal heavyweight, even a big heavyweight in some era. In today’s era he’s a small heavyweight. He’s had to come up from cruiserweight and take on these “giants” and figure out how to beat them not just physically but also mentally and cerebrally.”

Usyk is set to run it back with Fury on December 21. Whether or not it will be for the undisputed championship once more remains to be seen.