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Marco Antonio Barrera says one boxer is the best in the world in his own right

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Marco Antonio Barrera says one boxer stands alone as the best in the world

Mexican boxing legend Marco Antonio Barrera has revealed his top five pound-for-pound list, making it clear who he believes is definitely in first place.

It is generally accepted that undisputed two-division champions Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue are the crème de la crème, given their complete dominance in multiple weight classes.

In particular, Usyk scored a series of monumental victories against the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, becoming the greatest heavyweight of his era.

Inoue also put to rest any doubts about his supremacy at 122 pounds, where he will defend his undisputed crown against Junto Nakatani on May 2.

While there isn’t much discussion about Usyk and Inoue’s place on any ranking list, the remaining spots are obviously much more subjective.

Largely because of him dominant unanimous decision win over Teofimo Lopez in January, many believe Shakur Stevenson deserves a top-five finish.

According to BarreraHowever, Usyk takes the top spot ahead of Inoue, with the remaining spots occupied by Dmitry Bivol, Jesse Rodriguez and Canelo Alvarez.

“Usyk number one.

Number two Inoue; number three Bivol; number four “Bam” Rodriguez; number five I think [is] “Canelo Alvarez.”

Bivol became the undisputed lightweight heavyweight king in February 2025, exacting revenge on Artur Beterbiev with a career-defining majority victory.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez has been taking the minor leagues by storm in recent years, perhaps most notably beating out Clear Edwards and Juan Francisco Estrada in 2024.

As for Canelo, it has become harder to justify his top-five finish since the Mexican lost to Terence Crawford, who moved up two weight classes in September to secure a unanimous decision victory.

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Arnold Barboza Jr. calls out Ryan Garcia and then Devin Haney

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Image: Arnold Barboza Jr. names Ryan, Haney, Teofimo as next targets

After his victory over Kenneth Sims Jr. Arnold Barboza Jr. he made it clear that he was looking for the biggest fights available in the welterweight division. After Saturday night’s victory, Barboza named several massive names as his next opponents, including Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez.

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Barboza said a fight with Ryan Garcia makes particular sense given their shared promotional affiliations. The fight was already discussed earlier this year before plans changed.

“I think it’s the perfect fight for him,” Barboza said of Ryan. “This fight was supposed to take place in February. We have been negotiating this fight.”

Ryan’s immediate future remains uncertain as things start to look up for the welterweight division. Haney is expected to have another major fight, leaving Barboza hoping that Garcia will be available if he is looking for a summer fight.

Barboza also reiterated his desire for a rematch with Teofimo, the only fighter to beat him as a professional. The defeat continues to be a motivating factor for the Californian fighter as he looks for his first shot at a world title.

“Of course I would love to get my licking back,” Barboza said. “This is my only loss.”

In addition to those two names, Barboza mentioned Haney among the champions he is eager to face as he continues his fight in the 147-pound division. He also dismissed a recent social media sparring tour involving Keyshawn Davis, saying he would be willing to fight Davis if the lightweight fighter decided to move up in weight.

Earlier in the evening, another potential opponent briefly entered the discussion when Alexis Rocha entered the ring following his own win on the same card against Joseph Diaz Jr.. Barboza indicated he would take the fight if needed, although his post-fight comments made it clear he preferred the bigger fights currently available in the division.

For Barboza, the victory over Sims was another step forward in a career built on taking on tough fights. As his performances have strengthened his position in the league, he now hopes that his next chance will come against one of the biggest names in the sport.

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Categories Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez

Last updated: 15/03/2026 at 2:54

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Tony Bellew says the unbeaten British fighter could be the ‘complete package’: ‘He can take a bit of a beating’

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Tony Bellew says unbeaten British fighter could be ‘the complete package’: “He’ll take some beating”

Tony Bellew has singled out one undefeated star who has the potential to achieve great things in the sport.

Bellew had a career in his own right, winning the WBC cruiserweight title with a victory over Ilunga Makabu at his beloved Goodison Park in Liverpool in 2016.

More victories over David Haye followed, after which Bellew announced the end of his professional career defeat against Oleksandr Usyk at the Manchester Arena in 2018.

After hanging up his gloves, Bellew became a key pundit in boxing and named a fighter who has impressed him greatly in his compact career so far.

Posting on social mediathe Liverpool fighter praised prospect Pat Brown, who has competed in the cruiserweight division for many years, just like Bellew.

“This adolescent man could be the total package!! He’s going to get a little beat up in Cruiser!”

Brown represented Great Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympics and turned professional a year later. The 26-year-old has won all five of his professional fights to date, most recently stopping Felix Valera within two rounds in November.

He is due to return to action in April, when he will headline the Matchroom Boxing gala in Altrincham, where he will face Vasil Ducar. If Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn is to be believed, Brown could be ready to fight for world trophies sooner rather than later.

This could be a challenging task for Brown, however, as Gilberto Ramirez holds the WBO and WBA titles, Noel Mikaelyan is the WBC champion and Jai Opetaia currently holds the IBF belt, although an official decision is expected to be made soon on whether the Recent Zealander will remain champion.

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Anthony Cacace defeats Jazza Dickens to become a two-time champion

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Anthony Cacace celebrates after defeating Jazza Dickens to win the WBA super featherweight title in Dublin

Anthony Cacace became a two-time world champion after defeating Jazzy Dickens by unanimous decision in Dublin to win the WBA super featherweight title on St. Patrick’s weekend.

Cacace won by scores of 116-112, 116-113 and 115-113 in a tight but controlled performance against Liverpool’s southern midfielder, who had periods of success but never did enough to turn the fight to his advantage.

The fight was the main event in Dublin, where Dickens entered the contest looking to make a statement in his first title defense, while Cacace arrived with a chance to regain world honors at 130 pounds.

Cacace took over after a tight start

They both started cautiously, although Cacace opened up the advantage, being the busier of the two. Dickens responded well in the second minute, landing the sharper punch of the round and showing signs that he could cause trouble for the taller man when he let go of his hands.

The fight was tight in the early stages, but Cacace’s moment began to stand out. The third goal was scored with a powerful shot overdue in the round after Dickens had been enjoying his own success, and although the champion had established himself well in round four, the momentum picked up again in round five.

Cacace’s ponderous blow earlier in the session clearly hurt Dickens and forced him into survival mode.

There were then warnings about the utilize of the head as the champion tried to recover, but the challenger had already made a name for himself and from there began to take more control of the fight.

Queensberry

Dickens responded but Cacace closed well

Dickens continued to show heart and didn’t let the fight get away from him completely. He returned to the action at times, particularly in the ninth and tenth sets, when he improved the situation and took advantage of a slight deterioration in Cacace’s rhythm.

However, Cacace built enough of a lead and finished strongly. He boxed intelligently throughout the entire episode, chose his punches well and made sure there was no way back into the fight for Dickens later.

An crucial eleventh round effectively removed any doubts, and the challenger finished the twelfth knowing he had probably done enough.

World Boxing News scored the fight 116-112 for Cacace, which was consistent with one of the official results, and the Irishman was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

With the victory, Cacace was crowned a two-time super featherweight world champion, leaving Dickens time to reflect on a spirited effort that ultimately fell tiny of the novel titleholder’s more composed and eye-catching work.

WBN reported full undercard results throughout the night.


About the Author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

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