WHO ARE THE MOST EXCITING FIGHTERS IN THE GAME TODAY? LEGENDARY FORMER CHAMPS AND BOXING INSIDERS PICK THEIR FAVORITES.

Technical boxing skills always get our respect, but most fans reserve true love for the fighters that deliver genuine, jaw-dropping drama every time they step into the ring. 

The sport is at its best when world-class and elite-level boxers combine their talent, skill and technique with a take-no-prisoners warrior spirit. 

The Four Kings exhibited this special combination against each other and the top welterweights and middleweights of the 1980s. Terry Norris, James Toney, Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, Ike Quartey and Fernando Vargas continued the tradition throughout the ’90s. Manny Pacquiao and the magnificent Mexican trio of Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez staged their own brilliant round robin during the 2000s, before their torch was picked up by Canelo Alvarez, Gennadiy Golovkin and Roman Gonzalez in the 2010s.

These all-time greats, hall of famers and future hall of famers gave us fights, rounds and knockouts of the year during their outstanding careers (some of which are still in play), and they all proved their ability to go where others couldn’t with the blood, sweat and tears they shed on the way to becoming modern-day icons.

And what about now? What do you say to somebody who has been burned too many times by boring pay-per-view megafights and declares that “boxing is dead”?

Fans of action have been onto Gervonta Davis (here clobbering Hugo Ruiz in 2019) for quite a while now, and he hasn’t shown any signs of mellowing over the years. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

Ring Magazine contributor Anson Wainwright sought to answer that question by polling a group of former champions and veteran insiders to learn which active fighters they most enjoy watching and why.

Unsurprisingly, The Ring’s 2023 Fighter of the Year, Naoya Inoue, was mentioned the most, followed by pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford. Light heavyweight wrecking machine Artur Beterbiev, marauding super middleweight David Benavidez and lightweight star Gervonta Davis were also lauded by much of the panel for obvious reasons.

Pick any of his fights, such as this 11-round demolition of Paul Butler in December 2022, and Naoya Inoue will show you pretty much everything you like to see. (Photo by Naoki Fukuda)

“I like offensive fighters who are sound fundamentally and look to entertain,” said veteran columnist Steve Kim. “Look, I get that winning is the name of the game, but as a boxing fan, I’m here to be entertained. I prefer guys who throw and land an abundance of punches and can execute intricate combinations and land with precision.”

Japanese superstar Inoue represents the highest level of boxing entertainment, according to the co-host of the popular 3 Knockdown Rule podcast.

“To me, the most exciting fighter has to be someone who operates on the edge of defeat.”
– Chris Algieri

“Inoue is an offensive machine, one who is very technically sound and is an incredible blend of speed and power,” continued Kim. “Topping it all off is a ring mentality; ‘The Monster’ is not out there to score 12-round decisions. His goal is to score knockouts.

“But what’s been impressive is that he has gotten better fundamentally and has evolved as a boxer. He’s a guy that not only entertains but provides a guide for young boxers on how to be a complete prizefighter.”

Three-division champ Shane Mosley sees greatness when he watches Crawford box.

“[He] comes to fight – power, speed, movement, the mentality of the hunt. [I like] fighters like that,” said the hall of famer. “Terence Crawford actually reminds me of myself. The mentality. He’s strong, daring to be great. He has all the qualities to be a great fighter.”

Like Inoue, Terence Crawford is a fighter who combines elite-level skills with nasty-level aggression. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Former featherweight champ Barry McGuigan enjoys watching a wide variety of boxing styles, but his No. 1 choice for entertainment is unified lightweight heavyweight champ Artur Beterbiev.

“For pure excitement, I hang my hat on Beterbiev,” said the hall of famer. “You get entertainment when that guy goes in the ring. He’s a whirlwind and he’s a power puncher. He trusts his chin and he can really fight.”

One of Beterbiev’s cornermen, Russ Anber, shared his thoughts on two young veterans who appear to just be reaching their peaks.

Jaime Munguia (here attacking John Ryder in January 2024) gets hit, sometimes a lot, but his willingness to mix it up makes him a fan-favorite. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom)

“As a purist and trainer, there are styles which thrill me because of the level of excellence,” said the renowned trainer/cutman. “As a fan, there will always be those with their reckless style who have thrilled fans for over a century.

“Tank Davis is pure punching power excitement. An action stylist, Davis brings a higher-than-usual intelligence to the ring to match his higher-than-usual punching power. An easy fan favorite. 

“David Benavidez is non-stop action and power-punching to match. Benavidez is already a two-time world champion and has faced some formidable challengers along the way. A long-overdue potential matchup with Canelo could be one of the biggest fights in the game.”

Chris Algieri was known as a thinking-man’s technician during his fighting days, but he wore his heart on his sleeve the night he outpointed punishing brawler Ruslan Provodnikov for the WBO 140-pound title almost 10 years ago. Now a respected commentator and pundit, the scholarly New Yorker has an appreciation for boxing’s entertainers.

Wrecking ball, tank, bulldozer, pick your machine — they all work for Artur Beterbiev. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

“Being the most exciting fighter in the sport means you are consistently in thrilling fights and there is a certain level of anticipation that surrounds any of your bouts,” said Algieri. “Fighters like Naoya Inoue, Artur Beterbiev and Jaime Munguia immediately come to mind. What do they all have in common? An ‘O’ in the loss column. To me, the most exciting fighter has to be someone who operates on the edge of defeat. Spend enough time on the edge, and you will garner some losses.”

Canelo Alvarez received a lot of respect from the former fighters on the panel despite having two losses and two draws on his hall of fame-worthy resume.

“My favorite fighter today is Canelo Alvarez,” said former bantamweight champ Wayne McCullough. “He’s always been exciting – breaks a fighter down, busts him up and knocks him out.

“However, in my opinion, Naoya Inoue is the epitome of an exciting fighter. He comes out guns blazing, throwing bunches of punches, looking for knockouts, but he can box, too.

“I also like Tank Davis. He can get a knockout and box behind a good, solid jab. What he did to Ryan Garcia, from the start of the fight to the end, was extremely exciting.”

THE PANEL:

Former fighters (listed in alphabetical order): Chris Algieri, Marco Antonio Barerra, Carl Froch, Ricky Hatton, David Lemieux, Lennox Lewis, Ray Mancini, Wayne McCullough, Barry McGuigan, Erik Morales, Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas and Antonio Tarver

Boxing insiders: Russ Anber, Stephen “Breadman” Edwards, Steve Kim, Joe Koizumi, J Russell Peltz and Bruce Trampler

***

THE DYNAMITE DOZEN

Naoya Inoue
Record: 26-0 (23 KOs)
Age: 30
Nation: Japan
Ring ranking: Junior featherweight champion, No. 2 pound for pound
World titles held: Ring, WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO

Why: “[Inoue is] a debilitating puncher, boxing’s most dominating and damaging champion,” said Anber. “When your nickname is ‘The Monster,’ you better be able to fight, and if you can fight, you better fight like a monster. Naoya Inoue does that!”

Added former light heavyweight champ and hall of famer Antonio Tarver: “Inoue burst onto the scene destroying [Stephen] Fulton with the [fan and media] anticipation of a young Manny Pacquiao, and he didn’t disappoint, showing the blistering speed and power of a guy that can move up several weight classes to make fights we can only dream about.”

The Lowdown: Inoue claimed his first world crown at junior flyweight in only his sixth pro bout, jumped flyweight altogether and claimed another title at junior bantamweight in just his eighth fight before becoming Ring Magazine/undisputed bantamweight champion. Inoue continued to live up to his “Monster” moniker at junior featherweight, where he impressively stopped the respected Stephen Fulton (TKO 8) and Marlon Tapales (KO 10) during his 2023 Fighter of the Year campaign. We’re enamored with the Japanese superstar because the otherworldly talents and fight-ending power that have carried up through the divisions. Inoue is ranked No. 33 in The Ring’s 100 Greatest Punchers special issue published in 2022. 

Who we’d like to see him fight: His next scheduled opponent, Luis Nery, promises action. Nery, The Ring’s No. 5-rated junior featherweight, won the 2023 Fight of the Year when he halted Azat Hovhanisyan in the 11th round of their barnburner last February. Beyond Nery, any of the current featherweight titleholders – Luis Alberto Lopez (IBF), Rey Vargas (WBC), Ray Ford (WBA) and Rafael Espinoza (WBO) – would make for entertaining battles.

Photo by Naoki Fukuda

Terence Crawford
Record: 40-0 (31 KOs)
Age: 36
Nation: U.S.
Ring ranking: Welterweight champion, No. 1 pound-for-pound
World titles held: Ring, WBA, WBC, WBO

Why: “Bud Crawford is slick as hell and can really bang,” said McGuigan, “he’s a ruthless finisher.”

Added Anber: “A combination of all-around skill and power, Crawford has proven to be boxing’s complete throwback fighter. His longevity and dominance speaks volumes for the exceptional talent he possesses. In my opinion, he has been underrated for too long!”

The Lowdown: Crawford, No. 1 in The Ring’s pound-for-pound rankings, came of age at lightweight, where he was Ring champion. At junior welterweight and welterweight, he became Ring and undisputed champion. Rarely troubled, the switch-hitter is fantastically talented but also a very good puncher, stopping his last 11 opponents dating back to July 2016. The 36-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska, reminded us just how good he is when he took apart longtime rival Errol Spence Jr. (TKO 9) last summer. 

Who we’d like to see him fight: Tim Tszyu.

Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime

Gervonta Davis
Record: 29-0 (27 KOs)
Age: 29
Nation: U.S.
Ring ranking: No. 2 at lightweight, No. 9 pound-for-pound
World titles: WBA 

Why: “Tank, I believe, is a ‘box office hit,’” said Tarver. “He truly represents the culture with an electrifying style that creates some memorable KOs.”

Added former super middleweight champ and hall of famer Carl Froch: “I love watching Gervonta Davis – unorthodox, aggressive, mindset of a killer and punch power in both hands.”

Added hall of famer Joe Koizumi, the dean of Japanese boxing journalists: “His power, as shown in his one-punch demolition of Leo Santa Cruz, is remarkable. Second to none.”

The Lowdown: The Baltimore native won a world title at junior lightweight before settling at lightweight. Davis has become a huge draw in the U.S., regularly filling up arenas across the country with people wanting to see his vicious punching power. That was showcased when he eviscerated Leo Santa Cruz (KO 6) with a huge left uppercut. He also stopped Mario Barrios (TKO 11), who was much bigger than him, when he briefly stepped up to junior welterweight. Tank saw his star grow when he dominated another popular boxer, Ryan Garcia (KO 7), in Las Vegas. The two combined for 1.2 million pay-per-view buys.

Who we’d like to see him fight: Shakur Stevenson.

Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime

Canelo Alvarez
Record: 60-2-2 (39 KOs)
Age: 33
Nation: Mexico
Ring ranking: Super middleweight champion, No. 4 pound-for-pound
World titles: Ring, WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO

Why: “I can’t lie, Canelo is a hell of a fighter,” said former middleweight titleholder David Lemiuex. “I love how he fights. I would’ve loved to mix it up with Canelo, to taste his power, see what he’s made of. Tremendous boxer, though. Much respect to him.”

The Lowdown: Boxing’s biggest star is never far away from the action. He has the best resume in the sport and claimed world titles at junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight and a brief dalliance at light heavyweight. The 33-year-old Mexican is currently the Ring and undisputed super middleweight champion and sits at No. 4 in the mythical pound-for-pound ratings. He fills arenas all over North America and usually gives the tens of thousands in attendance their money’s worth. 

Who we’d like to see him fight: Canleo’s May 4 opponent, Jaime Munguia, will bring the heat and make for a terrific fight, but David Benavidez is the super middleweight member of The Dynamic Dozen who we believe will force the Mexican superstar to prove his greatness.

Photo by Melina Pizano/Matchroom

Artur Beterbiev
Record: (20-0, 20 KOs)
Age: 39
Nation: Russia/Canada
Ring ranking: No. 1 at light heavyweight, No. 5 pound-for-pound
World titles: WBC, IBF, WBO 

Why: When has a destructive, power puncher not been a fan favorite?” said Anber. “Artur Beterbiev has had a reign of terror in the light heavyweight division and has [the] only perfect KO ratio [among world titleholders]. A throwback fighter, Beterbiev has provided thrills in every one of his fights.”

The Lowdown: The former Russian amateur star is an offensive monster who applies educated pressure and systematically breaks down his opponents. That was very much in evidence when he became the first to stop former Ring/WBA super middleweight champ Callum Smith in seven brutal rounds.

Who we’d like to see him fight: His next scheduled opponent, Dmitry Bivol (June 6).

Photo by James Chance/Getty Images

David Benavidez
Record: 28-0 (24 KOs)
Age: 27
Nation: U.S.
Ring ranking: No. 1 at super middleweight
World titles: None 

Why: “I like (David) Benavidez, how he fights,” said former undisputed heavyweight champ and hall of famer Lennox Lewis. “He’s pretty rough – he’s a roughhouse boxer.”

The Lowdown: Benavidez twice won the WBC super middleweight title, but a lack of discipline saw him yield the belt outside the ring. The Arizona native is chasing Canelo and some believe his all-action, pressure and heavy-hands could be enough to beat the Mexican icon. Benavidez is in his athletic prime and has an exciting, fan-friendly style that always makes his fights engaging.

Who we’d like to see him fight: Canelo Alvarez.

Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime

Emanuel Navarrete
Record: 38-1-1 (31 KOs)
Age: 29
Nation: Mexico
Ring Ranking: No. 1 at junior lightweight
World titles: WBO

Why: “There’s a lot of exciting fighters today,” noted former three-division titleholder and hall of famer Marco Antonio Barrera. “One of them is ‘Vaquero’ Navarrete, who just gave us an extraordinary fight against Oscar Valdez.”

The Lowdown: Navarrete is an aggressive power-puncher who is never in a bad fight. The 29-year-old has won world titles at junior featherweight, featherweight and, most recently, the junior lightweight division. “Vaquero” is ungainly and unorthodox, but he makes it work for him.

Who we’d like to see him fight: O’Shaquie Foster.

Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Jaron Ennis
Record: 31-0 (28 KOs)
Age: 26
Nation: U.S.
Ring rankings: No. 2 at welterweight
World titles: IBF

Why: “Jaron Ennis is fun to watch,” said Koizumi. “[With] his versatile switch-hitting style he may be competitive against the aging star Terence Crawford.”

Added noted trainer and pundit Stephen “Breadman” Edwards: “‘Boots’ Ennis and ‘Monster’ Inoue are displaying their elite talent – but applying it violently. Both try to win every round displaying superior ability. They display defense, but at the same time they never coast to decisions. No matter who either is fighting, I watch.”

The Lowdown: The sublimely gifted boxer-puncher has run through his opposition without any problems. The Philadelphian has been so impressive, in fact, that he has drawn comparisons to a young Roy Jones Jr. We have yet to see the best of “Boots,” but it feels like he could be something very, very special.

Who we’d like to see him fight: Terence Crawford.

Photo by Amanda Westcott/Showtime

Jaime Munguia
Record: (43-0, 34 KOs)
Age: 27
Nation: Mexico
Ring ranking: No. 5 at super middleweight
World titles: None

Why: “You can check his last fights; fans went crazy,” noted Munguia’s former trainer, hall of famer Erik Morales. “His fight against Sergiy Derevyanchenko was [BWAA] Fight of the Year. Fans recognize him as a growing fighter.” 

The Lowdown: Munguia was The Ring’s Prospect of The Year in 2017. The Tijuana fighter annexed the WBO junior middleweight title in May 2018 and reeled off five successful defenses. He then outgrew that division and headed to middleweight before more recently heading up to super middleweight. Munguia is attack-minded and fights on the front foot – his style is quintessentially Mexican in the way he boxes, and he has already given us some excellent fights, none more so than his edge-of-the-seat thriller with Sergiy Dereyanchenko, which was one of the best fights of 2023.

Who we’d like to see him fight: His next opponent, Canelo (May 4) promises to deliver Cinco De Mayo fireworks, but potential Puerto Rican rival Edgar Berlanga would also be explosive.  

Photo by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom

William Zepeda
Record: 30-0 (26 KOs)
Age: 27
Nation: Mexico
Ring rankings: No. 3 at lightweight
World titles: None

Why: “Zepeda is a punching machine,” said Kim. “From the very first bell, as the old-timers say, ‘He fights like he’s double-parked.’ In other words, Zepeda comes out of the gate quickly, gets his hands moving and just continually ramps up the volume. There are very few dull rounds with him. He puts the pressure on guys and is relentless inside the ring.”

The Lowdown: Nobody in boxing throws more punches per round than Zepeda. The ultra-aggressive southpaw barrels into his opponents and wings away until he bludgeons them into submission. He’s yet to face the top fighters at lightweight, but the manner in which he goes about his craft suggests he’d be a tough out for anyone and will likely have to force the champions’ hands by becoming mandatory to earn his title shot. Zepeda is must-watch every time he fights. Zepeda’s most recent fight happened just as we were about to publish, and suffice it to say that he justified his position on this list, pulverizing Maxi Hughes with punches to the body (among everywhere else) and stopping him after four rounds.

Who we’d like to see him fight: Gervonta Davis.

Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images

Tim Tszyu
Record: 24-0 (17 KOs)
Age: 29
Nation: Australia
Ring ranking: No. 1 at junior middleweight
World titles: WBO 

Why: “Tim Tszyu’s aggressive style of fighting is so attractive that he might have the potential to be an international superstar,” said Koizumi.

The Lowdown: The oldest son of legendary former undisputed junior welterweight Kostya Tszyu has been a star in Australia for several years. Tszyu wasn’t content with his lot at home and came to America, but doubts were raised by his debut stateside when he got off the canvas to best Terrell Gausha (UD 12). That should have earned him a shot at then-Ring and undisputed champ Jermell Charlo, but the fight was postponed and eventually canceled when the American was injured. Unperturbed, Tszyu improved immeasurably and fights in a manner similar to his famous father and now looks like a real handful for anyone at 154 pounds.

Who we’d like to see him fight: Terence Crawford.

Photo by Zain Mohammed

Oleksander Usyk
Record: 21-0 (14 KOs)
Age: 37
Nation: Ukraine
Ring ranking: Heavyweight champion, No. 3 pound-for-pound
World titles: Ring, WBA, IBF, WBO 

Why: “This is where the purist in me comes out,” said Anber. “How is it possible to not like this guy? He always comes to fight and never stops working. His engine is second to none, and his discipline in and out of the ring is unmatched.”

The Lowdown: After a stellar amateur career, Usyk turned professional and quickly cleaned up the un-glamorous cruiserweight division by winning all four sanctioning body belts and Ring title on the road in his opponents’ homelands. Though undersized, the southpaw has brought his artistry to the heavyweight division, where he has grown even more and dissects and diffuses much bigger men. 

Who we’d like to see him fight: Fingers crossed that he finally gets his long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury on May 18.

Photo by Photo by Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty Images

PART 2: Honorable Mentions and Gunslingers Gone Cold …

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected].

Follow @AnsonWainwright