Latest news with #Uncrowned
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cyril Gane's coach says Tom Aspinall has "more pressure on him than any other fighter in the last decade"
After years of orbiting each other in the UFC heavyweight rankings, Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall will finally meet at UFC 321 on Oct. 25 in Abu Dhabi. The fight will be the first official undisputed heavyweight title defense for the champion Aspinall after his promotion from interim status in the wake of Jon Jones' retirement earlier this year. Long before that, however, he and Gane seemed destined to collide, with occasional finger-pointing over reasons why it's yet to come to fruition. Gane's coach Fernand Lopez has been somewhat frustrated by the saga over the years, and ultimately sees Aspinall with all the pressure — despite Gane's previous title bids coming up short. "The part of the whining where he's talking about people avoiding him — do you really think in this division when you get in the top 10, and when you get to the third, the second one, the champ, you really think that people are making the choices guided by fear?" Lopez said on Tuesday's edition of Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show." "That makes no sense. Do you really think that anyone in the fight game, in the top 10, would be scared? "You can name whoever you want. Derrick Lewis, one of the best knockout artists in the division. Jairzinho [Rozenstruik], Francis Ngannou, everyone. It's not about being scared of someone. It's about making choices. I choose to fight with you, or I don't choose to fight with you, and we will call you a coward, or someone who ducked a fight when the UFC gives you a major proposition, and you say no. Not because anyone calls you out. This is the part that annoys me. "Him saying that he will retire Cyril Gane, or he will erase him from the title run, makes sense for me. This is fair enough. It's OK. It's hard to build the fight in total to clash a little bit. But just keep this in mind: Tom Aspinall has more pressure on him than any other fighter has experienced in the last decade. Can you imagine what will happen if Tom Aspinall does not deliver on October 25? That will be beyond an embarrassment. This is a lot of pressure that you don't want to take on your shoulders." Gane and Aspinall have gone in separate directions of sorts since the divisional landscape dramatically shifted with Ngannou's departure in 2022. While Aspinall was on the mend from his torn ACL against Curtis Blaydes, Gane went on to face Jones for the vacant title, succumbing to a first-round guillotine choke. Aspinall ultimately returned to score two wins, earning him the interim heavyweight title before he defended the strap in his rematch with Blaydes this time last year. Meanwhile, Gane returned to title contention with a two-fight winning streak that included victories over Serghei Spivac and Alexander Volkov. Having watched the saga not only between Gane and Aspinall over the years, but Aspinall and Jones, Lopez has found it all more aggravating than exciting. "It's kind of annoying, whining around saying that ... Ciryl ducked him and this and that," Lopez said. "Everyone ducked him, he's walking around like we're a duck. It's kind of annoying because generally, the few times we met with Tom, the family, everything was so respectful and smooth. Even in Paris, the guy decided to fly from London by himself. "He decided on his own to fly to Paris and challenge Ciryl. I'm there, and then no one at the UFC asked us if we want Tom to get in the cage. No one. Everything was smooth. Then you have someone cageside, who says to you, 'Well, I want to fight you. Can you call me out?' Why should [Gane] do that? So Ciryl didn't call him out. Obviously, he's looking forward and he started to think about how to make better on his career, so he was looking forward to trying to fight Jon Jones. Because at that time, I think that Tom was fifth in the rankings, or something like that. "That very night, when Tom was saying that, he was kind of frustrated because he didn't have Ciryl calling him out. At the same night, you can see them with [Michael] Bisping, with Ciryl hanging around at the afterparty. Everything was very friendly, so I don't know if it's frustration or what he's doing, but I find that very annoying. I can understand what Jon Jones is saying. That sounds annoying to come back and try to tease people. The fight is happening, so let's just come down and have this fight." Gane and Lopez had their eyes on Aspinall long before they started to prep for a potential matchup, dating back to when Aspinall took on their team member Alan Baudot in 2020. Despite any frustrations toward Aspinall and the bizarre nature of how the division has unfolded, Lopez understands the talent Aspinall possesses — even if he believes it may be somewhat overblown. "Tom is a good fighter. Don't get me wrong," Lopez said. "He's one of the best, but I just want to let you know that people tend to overreact and overrate someone very quickly. Let's really check. You guys are telling us that this guy was doing BJJ a very long time, when he was a teenager. ... Did he win any ADCC? What happened? "So, I think that we need to be a little bit careful with what we are saying. ... What I just know is that if we are taking this fight, we are pretty sure that Ciryl can make this out. It's a hard fight, but I think Ciryl has what it takes."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lerone Murphy on Aaron Pico bout: 'A fighter like me, who's quiet and whatnot, I've got to take these chances'
Lerone Murphy has the biggest opportunity of his career lined up for Aug. 16 against promotional newcomer Aaron Pico at UFC 319. Competing in the promotion's big return to Chicago wasn't initially part of Murphy's summer plans. Top-ranked featherweight contender Movsar Evloev was instead tasked with welcoming Pico to the Octagon, however Evloev was ultimately forced to withdraw from the bout with an undisclosed injury. Speaking to Uncrowned on Monday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show," Murphy revealed that he was offered the matchup on short notice only a matter of days ago, yet he was fully on board with it immediately. "It's going to bring good eyes to me and it's a big opportunity for me now, in the position I'm in, to make some noise and try to get that No. 1 spot," Murphy explained. "A fighter like me, who's quiet and whatnot, I've got to take these chances. They're not going to give me nothing for free. "A fight's a fight. For me, I'm going in there with no pressure. Don't get it twisted, he's coming from another organization, but this kid's good. This kid's high level. I believe this is like a championship-level fight. He's good enough to compete with anyone in that division, especially in the top 10. So yeah, I think it's a big fight, it's a big stop to tick." Murphy, 34, joins the fast-growing list of UFC stalwarts to receive the honor of tackling one of the promotion's big-name acquisitions from the PFL-Bellator merger. Before Pico made the jump, his fellow former Bellator standouts Patchy Mix and Patricio Pitbull notably floundered in their UFC debuts. Despite Pico's lack of comparative experience to those two, Murphy doesn't want to discredit his next obstacle. The Brit also saw no reason to refuse the fight just because Pico has yet to debut. "He's fought some good guys, to be fair, but definitely not the level of guys I've fought," Murphy said. "I've fought better fighters than he has, so I think I've got the edge in experience. But yeah, he's wrestled from [early childhood] as well, so a fight's a fight. I've been in there with the best of the guys, and I'll be ready for Aaron Pico. Simple. "The game's the game. Listen, from a business perspective, people would probably have said, 'You shouldn't take the fight, sit out and wait for a big opportunity.' But it's like, for me, I think this is a big opportunity. I just want to fight as well, bro. I'm not getting no younger. I just want to stay active, I want to fight. Everybody else seems to get surgery and whatnot. Do I want to be sat out waiting until December, November? No, I don't. I'm ready to go now. So, whoever, whenever. "If I believe I can be champion, I've got to be able to fight anybody in any given moment, and that's it for me," Murphy continued. "We took the fight. I know it's a tough fight. I know it's a dangerous fight. Big risk, big reward, isn't it? Simple. I'm happy and I'm excited." As a UFC newcomer, Pico still finds himself in a massive spot with the late opponent switch, switching from one undefeated top featherweight contender to another. Like Evloev, Murphy has long been on a tear, winning 16 of his 17 career bouts, with the lone non-victory coming in the form of a draw six years ago in his UFC debut. Yet Murphy's winning streak hasn't yet put him at the forefront of title talks. For "The Miracle," he believes that's more a sign of the times than a knock on his talent. "I feel like MMA nowadays is like the WWE. You've got to have it all," Murphy said. "You've got to have the acting skills, there's a lot that comes with the game. "It's not just about who's the best fighter. If it was, there's a lot of guys that would have fought for the title a long time ago. It's about who's the fan favorite, and you see other guys in the division getting big, fast pushes. I fought two main events, beat two guys in main events. Two five-rounders. Three guys in the top 15, and I've still got to fight these people [like Pico]. So that just goes to show, if you're a fan favorite, you get fast-tracked. It's business, I get it." Murphy believes the same logic can be applied to Evloev and how he was lined up with Pico despite being the No. 1-ranked contender. As successful as Evloev has been, his lack of a finishes in his nine UFC fights has led to speculation that the UFC wants to see him be more exciting before he gets a title shot. But Murphy sees the potential to leapfrog the heap and get a title shot of his own if he takes out Pico. Reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is among the current crop of titleholders still waiting to get their next title defense, which only gives Murphy more confidence he can make waves with an impactful performance. If nothing else, UFC 319 provides a good spotlight that the Brit intends to capitalize on. "I just explained the game," Murphy said. "When you look at it from the UFC's perspective, it's like, who's going to sell the pay-per-views? It's a business, and who's going to pay to see Volkanovski vs. Evloev? I personally would like to see it, but most people probably won't. They'll probably want to see the Diego Lopeses, the Jean Silvas. These guys that have got a bit of hype. The game's the game, isn't it? And if it goes off [merit], maybe Evloev should have gotten the title, but he's just pulled out of this fight here, another opportunity, so it's going to be a long road for him. "I think this fight's going to be a fire fight. I think we're both going to show our weight in gold and I believe this is the No. 1 contender fight. That was the No. 1 contender fight, Evloev and Pico, 100%. And obviously UFC want more U.S. champions, I believe. They've got one U.S. champion now at the moment. "I know if I go out there and do what I need to do, do what I know I can do, everybody's going to be screaming for my shot."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rory MacDonald, Jailton Almeida, Fernand Lopez, Shadasia Green and more
Ariel Helwani and the Boys In The Back go live on Uncrowned and YouTube at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT/6 p.m. UK time for Tuesday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show." Catch the full rundown below. 1 p.m. ET: Ariel and the gang kick off the show. 1:35 p.m. ET: New WBO super middleweight champion Shadasia Green makes her debut on the show. 2 p.m. ET: Jailton Almeida previews his UFC 321 showdown against Alexander Volkov. 2:30 p.m. ET: Old friend Rory MacDonald stops by to check in. 3 p.m. ET: Ciryl Gane's coach Fernand Lopez looks ahead to their Tom Aspinall showdown. Catch all new episodes of "The Ariel Helwani Show" live every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET on Uncrowned and The Ariel Helwani Show's YouTube page. To listen to every episode, subscribe on Spotify or iTunes.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dakota Ditcheva details terms of new PFL contract, 'frustration' over long layoff
PFL brought out all its stars for its debut in Cape Town, South Africa this past weekend, including pound-for-pound climber Dakota Ditcheva. Now 15-0 after her dominant unanimous decision win over Sumiko Inaba, the undefeated superstar had gathered dust on the shelf since her last appearance in November — the eight-month layoff represented, by far, the longest of her MMA career. Ditcheva voiced her concerns about inactivity in recent months, which ultimately led to her getting her wish and landing the Inaba fight. Along with that in-cage return came a fresh new PFL contract as well, as Ditcheva revealed after her win. Speaking this week on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show," Ditcheva expanded on what her immediate future with the company entails. "I am happy now in the end. It took a while," Ditcheva said. "I fought last November, so it took us a while until something was right for the both of us, but I'm happy now. I've secured my future for me and my family. I'll be there until 2027. How can I not be happy with that? I'm looking forward to hopefully building the division now and challenging someone else. If I'm not champion, I don't really care about that. I care about winning. I don't really care about the belt. So, for me, I get to challenge other girls now and I'm happy to carry on doing that, but getting what I deserve out of it at the same time." Unfortunately for Ditcheva, her long-awaited return didn't land as an overall positive. In the opening minute of the third round against Inaba, Ditcheva broke her left hand on a punch. She underwent surgery this week to repair the damage, postponing any hopes of her regaining steam and maintaining a high level of activity. Ultimately, the negotiation period took as long as it did because Ditcheva stood her ground after her breakthrough run through 2024's PFL flyweight tournament. "I just know what I deserve now, and I feel like it just took a little bit of time for them to understand how serious I was about getting what I deserve. I wasn't really going to settle, as well," she said. "It's difficult. [PFL] haven't really seen where the division's going. I want to be somewhere that's active, and when you keep me out for eight months, you're not giving me any confidence for me to be active. I'm not OK with sitting out for eight months, and I'm not OK sitting out for longer. So I had to kind of sit down and get a plan with them and know that I'm going to be fighting and I'm not going to be out for another eight months, which is now part of my contract. I have dates in there now. I've got time limits where they need to keep me active, and I feel like they understood how serious I was about good opponents and making sure I'm fighting. Once we'd come to that agreement, I felt like we'd come to a good deal in place." Ditcheva, 26, has mostly been a silent but violent force throughout her career, letting her work in the cage do much of her talking. That's still the case, however she gained so much momentum in 2024 that she became a pound-for-pound player; she currently sits at No. 5 here at Uncrowned. Having that momentum halted by the promotion's decision-making in 2025 rather than her own was far from ideal. "For sure, I felt the frustration, but I wanted to stay professional," Ditcheva said. "Obviously a lot of people went online and stuff [to complain], and everyone's different. Obviously people are sat out a lot longer than I have. I just kind of wanted to make sure I had a direction first before I started moaning publicly. I felt like it was something PFL and I could solve behind closed doors, and we have in the end. "I did do that one interview that was telling everyone I don't know what's going on, then literally like the next weekend I had a fight announced, so it kind of helped at the same time. I prefer to keep everything private and work through it that way until it's necessary." Going forward, activity shouldn't be an issue for the British knockout artist thanks to her new contract. Ditcheva shared that she has a certain number of fights guaranteed to fulfill until her contract expires in 2027. So depending on how quickly she fulfills those fights, she can become a free agent earlier. In the interim, Ditcheva will heal from her broken hand. After that, who knows what could be in store, as she teased the possibility of unexpected possibilities, including non-MMA fights. "You never know what happens in the next two years," Ditcheva said. "You could see some kind of — I don't know. People might lose their mind at the top of these promotions and make us do a crossover. You just don't know. You've got to be patient. Anything can happen in two years. Don't write me off."
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boxing pound-for-pound rankings (July 2025): Katie Taylor dethrones Claressa Shields as No. 1 women's boxer
Katie Taylor made it 3-0 in her historic rivalry with Amanda Serrano earlier this month at a sold-out Madison Square Garden. Taylor and Serrano, two of Uncrowned's top pound-for-pound boxers, had two controversial Fight of the Year contenders in 2022 and 2024. But when they met for the third time on July 11, Ireland's Taylor outboxed the Puerto Rican for a more convincing victory to take a clean sweep in their much-hyped trilogy of fights. By doing so, Taylor convinced Uncrowned's panel of experts — Kel Dansby, Alan Dawson, Darshan Desai, Jake Donovan, Lewis Watson and Elliot Worsell — that she was worthy of dethroning Claressa Shields for the No. 1 spot in the Women's pound-for-pound rankings. But that isn't the only change to our list. The last month and a half of boxing has seen 8 fighters in Uncrowned's previous rankings compete with mixed results. So we thought this was the perfect time for our updated pound-for-pound list. Uncrowned's voters have ranked the men's and women's pound-for-pound best, one through 10, using a weighted points system to determine the final rankings. (Being voted No. 1 equals 10 points, No. 2 equals nine points, down to No. 10 equaling one point.) Without further ado, here are our rankings for July! MEN'S POUND-FOR-POUND 1. Oleksandr Usyk — Unified heavyweight champion (Prev: 1) Oleksandr Usyk brutally knocked out Daniel Dubois to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion at Wembley Stadium this past Saturday — and reassert his position as pound-for-pound the best fighter in boxing. A road warrior, Usyk has boxed in title fights in seven different countries, mostly against fighters from those regions. He won the World Boxing Super Series at cruiserweight by clearing out the best fighters in that division, and rivals Evander Holyfield as the best 200-pound fighter the world has ever seen. After becoming undisputed champion at cruiserweight, he then moved up to heavyweight and wasted no time defeating Anthony Joshua (twice) and Tyson Fury (twice), despite surrendering a considerable size advantage to the modern day giants. In that sense, he epitomizes what the concept of pound-for-pound is all about. Now, Usyk, 38, might have just one fight left in boxing. Whether it's Joseph Parker, Moses Itauma, or even Fury for a third time, rest assured that Usyk will produce something special on the night. 2. Naoya Inoue — Undisputed super bantamweight champion (Prev: 2) Like Usyk, Naoya Inoue is a two-division undisputed world champion. The Japanese fighter has held world championships across four weight classes and is building a hulking résumé, with signature wins over Nonito Donaire (twice), Stephen Fulton, and Luis Nery. Inoue was last in action this past May, where he exchanged knockdowns with Ramon Cardenas before stopping the game Mexican fighter in the eighth round of an instant classic at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Inoue will fight Matchroom's Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September, before a potential all-Japanese superfight with Junto Nakatani next spring. 3. Terence Crawford — WBA super welterweight champion (Prev: 3) Terence Crawford is your favorite fighter's favorite fighter. Even Usyk recognizes Crawford as the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world, over himself. "Bud" managed to clean out super lightweight without too much adversity, then dove into 147 pounds as a feared fighter. When Crawford finally landed his long-awaited superfight with Errol Spence Jr., he showed exactly why he was avoided for so long. A fight initially thought to be an even match on paper became a total mismatch in reality, as Crawford pummeled Spence for a ninth-round TKO win. It was a brutally one-sided demolition job. More recently, the Omaha native edged Israil Madrimov to become a four-division champion. He now heads toward a legacy bout with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight world championship in September at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. 4. Dmitry Bivol — Undisputed light heavyweight champion (Prev: 4) Bivol held the WBA light heavyweight crown for seven years until falling short to Beterbiev in their undisputed title fight this past October. During his reign, Bivol made 12 successful defenses, which included an upset win over "Canelo" in 2022. Bivol managed to avenge his defeat to Beterbiev earlier this year and ascend as only the 11th man to become undisputed champion of the four-belt era. Bivol and Beterbiev are likely to run it back later in 2025 or early 2026. Outside of that, there are numerous other significant fights available for Bivol, including David Benavidez, a rematch with Alvarez, or the consensus No. 1 cruiserweight Jai Opetaia. Regardless, out of every fighter on this list, it is Bivol who has two of the most significant and meaningful wins, considering his victories over both "Canelo" and Beterbiev. His ticket to the Hall of Fame in Canastota has already been punched. 5. Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez — WBC & WBO flyweight champion (Prev: 5) Rodriguez stepped in to face Carlos Cuadras on five days' notice for his first world title in 2022. It was a two-division jump for "Bam," but his trainer, Robert Garcia, had no doubt he was up to the test. Rodriguez impressed to capture the WBC super flyweight crown and has never looked back. The 24-year-old has taken out three of the four kings at super flyweight and now chases undisputed status at 115 pounds. "Bam" is not just a fight fan's favorite anymore. He's now a star of the sport. He stopped Phumelela Cafu in a unification fight in front of 10,000 people at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, this past Saturday, and will look to add another belt to his name when he faces WBA titleist Fernando "Puma" Martinez on Nov. 22. Rodriguez even signed to fight Naktani — another man on this list — but Akihiko Honda, who co-promotes both fighters, vetoed the fight. 6. Artur Beterbiev — Former undisputed light heavyweight champion (Prev: 6) After edging a controversial decision over Bivol in October to become the undisputed light heavyweight champion, Beterbiev fell short in the rematch earlier in the year. Now the pair looks headed toward a trilogy — arguably the most significant three-fight series since Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury. Beterbiev, 40, picked up boxing's 175-pound titles one by one prior to his first career loss and could move up to cruiserweight to become a two-division champion after the Bivol trilogy. A fight between Beterbiev and Opetaia would be a sensational matchup some time in the next 12 months, and there's a chance that it could be for all four cruiserweight belts — meaning a win would see Beterbiev join the top three names on this list as two-division undisputed champions. 7. Junto Nakatani — WBC & IBF bantamweight champion (Prev: 8) Nakatani is perhaps in the position Inoue was among the wider boxing community before Inoue's win over Fulton. As an undefeated three-division champion, but one based in the lower weights and away from the Western community, Nakatani is still building a fan base in the U.S. Nakatani knocked out David Cuellar in Tokyo on Feb. 24 to make the third defense of his WBC bantamweight title. He then added the IBF championship to his WBC crown with a 6th-round TKO win over Ryosuke Nishida in June. Nakatani could land his big breakout fight against Inoue in the spring of 2026. It has all the makings to be the Japanese equivalent of Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns. 8. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez — Undisputed super middleweight champion (Prev: 7) Alvarez has been the sport's biggest commercial star for almost a decade. The Mexican champion faced the best opponents boxing had to offer across many divisions until his May 2022 defeat to Bivol. But since then, Alvarez has seemingly become more reluctant to take on some of the bigger challenges available to him, and is arguably showing his age by throwing fewer punches. This past May in Saudi Arabia, "Canelo" made his Riyadh Season debut against William Scull, looking listless throughout the show but still securing a decision win. He has not knocked out anybody since 2021, and will now put his undisputed status at 168 pounds on the line against Crawford this September in Las Vegas at the home of the NFL's Raiders. Had that fight taken place last year, few would have picked against "Canelo." But questions are now being asked about whether Alvarez is finally showing his age in boxing years. It may well become a more competitive fight than what it once was. 9T. Shakur Stevenson — WBC lightweight champion (Prev: 10T) Shakur Stevenson produced the most exciting performance of his career when he outclassed William Zepeda earlier this month in New York. Not only was it compelling television, it also showcased the different facets of Stevenson's game. The three-division world champion isn't just a mover, but he can hold his feet and land the harder punches. For many years, fight fans have been calling for Stevenson to entertain them and show that there is more to his game than simply dominating dull, low-output contests against overmatched, befuddled opposition. He has now done that, but he is still crying out for a big name to share the ring with him. With Gervonta "Tank" Davis' latest issues outside the ring, Vasiliy Lomachenko recently retiring, and Keyshawn Davis set to move up to super lightweight, Stevenson might have to jump two divisions to welterweight and face Conor Benn for that big fight. 9T. David Benavidez — WBC light heavyweight champion (Prev: 9) A two-weight world champion, David Benavidez is proving to be a BMF for boxing as he seeks out the toughest fights and over-delivers with a relentless and grueling fighting style. With wins over Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell, Benavidez has continually delivered in elite fights. He has struggled to get Alvarez and Bivol to step into the ring with him, and so will return to face another top contender, Anthony Yarde, on Nov. 22 before setting his sights on the Bivol vs. Beterbiev 3 winner in 2026. Outside of that, Benavidez could jump up to cruiserweight and share the ring with Opetaia or "Zurdo" Ramirez. The hard-hitting champion certainly has the frame to compete at cruiserweight, and now that he features on Turki Alalshikh's Riyadh Season cards, it should become easier for "The Monster" to land the bigger fights. (Others receiving votes: Kenshiro Teraji, Lamont Roach.) WOMEN'S POUND-FOR-POUND 1. Katie Taylor — Undisputed super lightweight champion (Prev: 2) Taylor's sublime boxing ability was available for all to see when she comfortably outboxed Serrano for a decision win earlier this month. Some believed that Taylor's brilliant résumé, which includes wins over Serrano, Delfine Persoon, and Chantelle Cameron, wasn't enough to crown her as the No. 1 pound-for-pound women's boxer due to the closeness of her fights and the controversy stemming from several of them. But with her more convincing victory over Serrano, the time is now for Taylor to wear her crown as the best in the world. The Irishwoman is nearing the end of her pro career and could have just one bout left. Taylor hopes for a grand send-off at her dream venue, the 80,000-capacity Croke Park Stadium in Ireland, in 2026. 2. Claressa Shields — Undisputed heavyweight champion and WBO light heavyweight champion (Prev: 1) Shields is a five-division world champion and the only boxer, male or female, to have held undisputed titles in three different weight divisions of the four-belt era. She won undisputed gold at middleweight in 2019 (where there are only 37 active participants in the world), at super welterweight in 2021 (which has 63 registered boxers), and most recently at heavyweight, (home to just 18 fighters). With 118 fighters competing in the three divisions she's won the undisputed championships in, it's understandable why the two-time Olympic champion has struggled to find big-name dance partners. Regardless, she's beaten every contender put in front of her, and that's all that anyone can ask of any pugilist. Shields returns on July 26 to defend her undisputed heavyweight crown against New Zealand's IBF light heavyweight champion Lani Daniels. 3. Gabriela Fundora — Undisputed flyweight champion (Prev: 4) Fundora stopped Gabriela Alaniz in impressive fashion to unify the flyweight division this past November in Las Vegas. She then followed up that win with a seventh-round knockout over Marilyn Badillo Amaya at a Golden Boy show in Oceanside, California, in April. At just 22 years old, she is the youngest undisputed champion of the four-belt era — and she could very well be the face of women's boxing in the years to come. 4. Amanda Serrano — Unified featherweight champion (Prev: 3) Puerto Rico's Serrano was defeated for a third time by Taylor in their undisputed title fight earlier in July. This time, however, there was no controversy on the night — Serrano was simply beaten by the better woman. Regardless of coming out 0-3 in the historic series, Serrano will always be able to say that she took part in the first major trilogy of fights in women's boxing. It is unclear what the future holds for Serrano, but fights with Chantelle Cameron or Alycia Baumgardner — both of whom share a promoter with Serrano — would make for compelling viewing. 5. Chantelle Cameron — WBC interim super lightweight champion (Prev: 5) Chantelle Cameron captured the undisputed super lightweight title with victory over Jessica McCaskill in 2022, but her biggest triumph undoubtedly came when she upset Taylor in her homecoming bout at a packed 3 Arena in Dublin the following year. Taylor would produce a fantastic performance against all odds to defeat Cameron in the rematch and become a two-division undisputed champion. Cameron has since recorded three wins on the trot, including a decision over Jessica Camara on the Taylor vs. Serrano 3 undercard. The Brit wants another shot at Taylor, but the fight could prove difficult to make after the Irishwoman, uncharacteristically, fired shots at Cameron's commercial standing in the post-fight press conference after her third win over Serrano. 6. Alycia Baumgardner — Undisputed super featherweight champion (Prev: 7) Baumgardner announced herself to the pugilist community when she knocked out Terri Harper on her feet to win the WBC super featherweight title in November 2021. Baumgardner eventually became the undisputed champion at 130 pounds, beating Mikaela Mayer, but her career was halted for some time after failing an anti-doping test in the lead-up to her title defense against Christina Linardatou. The American fought to a no-contest against Delfine Persoon in her return fight this past September. Baumgardner has since made big moves in the women's game, signing with Jake Paul and Nikisa Bidarian's Most Valuable Promotions. She made her debut for the company on the Taylor vs. Serrano undercard, defeating Jennifer Miranda. Baumgardner now hopes to land a fight with Taylor for all of the marbles at 140. 7. Dina Thorslund — Former Unified bantamweight champion (Prev. 6) Thorslund has secured world titles in two weight classes: Bantamweight and super bantamweight. Since unifying in 2023, she has made three successful defenses of her bantamweight crown. Thorslund was scheduled to take on Shurretta Metcalf in a three-belt unification bout on the Taylor vs. Serrano 3 undercard, but the Danish woman withdrew one month out due to an impending pregnancy. Thorslund ended up relinquishing her WBC and WBO titles due to her extended period out of the ring. New Zealand's Chernkea Johnson defeated Metcalf for the WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF undisputed bantamweight title on the Taylor vs. Serrano 3 bill. Thorslund's return could see her get a straight shot at the undisputed crown against Johnson. 8. Lauren Price — Unified welterweight champion (Prev: 10) There are few active fighters who are more decorated than burgeoning Welsh fighter Lauren Price, who won the gold medal for Britain at the 2020 Olympic Games, and has parlayed that success into the pro game. She's unified three major world championships, as well as The Ring Magazine title, after only nine bouts. In that short space of time, she's already defeated McCaskill and Natasha Jonas. At just 30 years old, the southpaw's best years may still be ahead of her. Price was hoping to unify her three titles with WBO champion Mayer in an undisputed bout, but the boxer's respective teams were unable to reach an agreement. Neither fighter's promoters, Top Rank or BOXXER, have a network deal at this time, so the fight could prove difficult to organize. 9. Ellie Scotney — Unified super bantamweight champion (Prev: Unranked) Ellie Scotney debuts on Uncrowned's women's pound-for-pound list at No. 9. She won her first world title when she outpointed New Zealand's Johnson, the current undisputed bantamweight champion, in June 2023. The Catford woman added the WBO belt to her collection with a dominant decision over Segolene Lefebvre in April 2024. Still, Scotney has struggled to gain recognition outside of the boxing community. To further her cause, she penned with Paul's Most Valuable Promotions earlier this year and added the WBC strap with a convincing win over Yamileth Mercado on the Netflix-streamed Taylor vs. Serrano 3 show, which was viewed by an audience of 6 million. Now Scotney has just one belt remaining to become undisputed champion — the WBA title currently held by the little-known Mexican Mayelli Flores. Outside Flores, Scotney could face the former WBC featherweight champion Skye Nicolson in a super bantamweight title defense after Nicolson moved down to 122 pounds following her loss to Tiara Brown in March. 10. Mikaela Mayer — WBO welterweight champion (Prev: 8T) Mayer has been on the wrong end of two disputed decisions. In 2022, she was considered unlucky not to get her hand raised after 10 brilliant rounds with Baumgardner, and in 2024, she came away second-best again in the eyes of the judges against Natasha Jonas. The rub of the green finally favored Mayer in September, though, when she edged Sandy Ryan to win the WBO welterweight title. Mayer vs. Ryan, alongside Taylor vs. Serrano 2, was the frontrunner for fight of the year honors in 2024. Mayer and Ryan fought a rematch on March 29, news of which was first reported by Uncrowned. It was a case of repeat rather than revenge as Mayer, again, won via decision. (Others receiving votes: Cherneka Johnson, Caroline Dubois, Yokasta Valle, Shadasia Green.) Here is how Uncrowned's boxing team voted: Kel Dansby MEN Oleksandr Usyk Naoya Inoue Terence Crawford Jesse Rodriguez Dmitry Bivol Saul Alvarez Junto Nakatani Shakur Stevenson David Benavidez Artur Beterbiev WOMEN Claressa Shields Katie Taylor Gabriela Fundora Amanda Serrano Alycia Baumgardner Mikaela Mayer Lauren Price Dina Thorslund Chernkea Johnson Chantelle Cameron Alan Dawson MEN Oleksandr Usyk Dmitry Bivol Naoya Inoue Terence Crawford Jesse Rodriguez Artur Beterbiev David Benavidez Lamont Roach Shakur Stevenson Junto Nakatani WOMEN Katie Taylor Claressa Shields Gabriela Fundora Chantelle Cameron Alycia Baumgardner Dina Thorslund Amanda Serrano Caroline Dubois Shadasia Green Ellie Scotney Darshan Desai MEN Oleksandr Usyk Naoya Inoue Terence Crawford Dmitry Bivol Jesse Rodriguez Artur Beterbiev Saul Alvarez Shakur Stevenson Junto Nakatani David Benavidez WOMEN Katie Taylor Claressa Shields Gabriela Fundora Amanda Serrano Chantelle Cameron Alycia Baumgardner Ellie Scotney Mikaela Mayer Lauren Price Cherneka Johnson Jake Donovan MEN Oleksandr Usyk Naoya Inoue Terence Crawford Dmitry Bivol Jesse Rodriguez Artur Beterbiev Junto Nakatani Saul Alvarez Shakur Stevenson David Benavidez WOMEN Katie Taylor Claressa Shields Gabriela Fundora Amanda Serrano Chantelle Cameron Dina Thorslund Lauren Price Mikaela Mayer Alycia Baumgardner Ellie Scotney Lewis Watson MEN Oleksandr Usyk Naoya Inoue Terence Crawford Dmitry Bivol Artur Beterbiev Jesse Rodriguez Junto Nakatani Kenshiro Teraji David Benavidez Shakur Stevenson WOMEN Katie Taylor Claressa Shields Gabriela Fundora Amanda Serrano Dina Thorslund Chantelle Cameron Ellie Scotney Alycia Baumgardner Yokasta Valle Lauren Price Elliot Worsell MEN Oleksandr Usyk Terence Crawford Dmitry Bivol Naoya Inoue Jesse Rodriguez Artur Beterbiev Saul Alvarez Junto Nakatani David Benavidez Shakur Stevenson WOMEN Claressa Shields Katie Taylor Gabriela Fundora Amanda Serrano Chantelle Cameron Lauren Price Ellie Scotney Alycia Baumgardner Mikaela Mayer Chernkea Johnson
