Devin Haney is clearly one of the best boxers in the world at the age of 23, as he proved again in a bout one-sided victory in his rematch with George Kambosos Jr. on Saturday in Melbourne, Australia.
The question is his place on the pound-for-pound list is based on his performance in the ring.
Haney entered his second match against Kambosos as one of five Boxing Junkie Honor Campaigns. However, with consecutive wins over Jorge Linares, Joseph Diaz Jr and Kambosos (2 times), it’s time for him to break into the Top 15.
Who did he replace and where did he land?
Middleweight champion Jermall Charlo remains undefeated but he hasn’t fought since last June, meaning he’s been out of the ring for 16 months. And he clearly doesn’t have a fight in the works, which underscores his inactivity.
Thus, Boxing Junkie brought Charlo from 13th place to Honor. That opens up a spot in the Top 15 for the well-deserved Haney, who comes in at number 15.
He ranks below Shakur Stevenson (now number 13) and equally talented Roman Gonzalez (no 14). And of course, he will have a better chance of promotion against next-level opponents like Vasiliy Lomachenko (No. 8) and Gervonta Davis (No. 11).
Note: Charlo has a track record and a chance to be in the Top 15, possibly higher. He just needs to get busy and move on to a really big fight, which has kept him evasive for the past five, six years.
Here’s what the current list looks like:
JUNKIE BOX
POUND-FOR-POUND
- Terence Crawford – In talks to meet Errol Spence Jr. for the undisputed welterweight championship.
- Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to meet Paul Butler for the undisputed bantamweight title on December 13 in Tokyo.
- Oleksandr Usyk – No scheduled combat.
- Errol Spence Jr. – In talks to meet Terence Crawford for the undisputed welterweight championship.
- Tyson Fury – No scheduled combat.
- Dmitry Bivol – Scheduled to defend his WBA light heavyweight title against Gilberto Ramirez on November 5 in the United Arab Emirates.
- Canelo Alvarez– No scheduled combat.
- Vasiliy Lomachenko – Scheduled to face Jamaine Ortiz on October 29 in New York.
- Juan Francisco Estrada – Scheduled to face Roman Gonzalez on December 3. Estrada is the WBC bantamweight “franchise champion”.
- Jermell Charlo – It is reported that an agreement has been reached to defend his undisputed junior middleweight championship against Tim Tszyu on January 28 but no official announcement has been made.
- Gervonta Davis – No scheduled combat.
- Artur Betterbiev – In talks to schedule his light heavyweight title defense against Anthony Yarde after the match was adjourned due to Beterbiev’s injury. They could meet on January 28 if Yarde wins a catch-up match next month.
- Shakur Stevenson – No scheduled combat.
- Roman Gonzalez – Expected to face WBC bantamweight “franchise champion” Juan Francisco Estrada on December 3.
- Devin Haney – No scheduled combat);
Mention of honor (alphabetically): David Benavidez (no scheduled combat); Jermall Charlo (no scheduled combat); Stephen Fulton Jr. (no scheduled combat); Kazuto Ioka (faces Joshua Franco in a children’s bantamweight unification match on New Year’s Eve); Josh Taylor (supposedly to defend his junior welterweight WBO title in a rematch against Jack Catterall early next year but no announcement has been made).
