He was top 5 before the first Beterbiev fight, top 5 after the first Beterbiev fight and still top 5 after the 2nd Beterbiev fight. I think there’s a case he’s #3. It’s not that he’s not an amazing fighter, it’s that there are so many amazing P4P fighters in the world right now.
I think it’s worth noting that they were both reining undisputed champions when he beat them, it’s a shame that he got the loss in the first fight, Canelo doesn’t belong on that list anymore because he got caught popped, anyone who gets caught hot shouldn’t be ranked on p4p, ring magazine, atg, hall of fame or be considered a lineal champion.
I would only 100% have Usyk over Bivol. Inoue and Crawford are in a similar category to Bivol but I'll give the 2nd spot to Bivol as he just beat a top 5 P4P guy.
Bivol has campaigned his whole life at the same weight, very comfortably. The only decent guy he has fought is beterbiev (canelo doesnt count, the same it wouldnt count if AJ wins to chocolatito, I only count legit fighters in the weight, canelo very obviously doesnt belong to that weight) Guys like inoue or crawford are clearly over him.
Clenelo was P4P#1 when Bivol SCHOOLED his ass whilst not needing to move out of second gear. He weighed 3-5lbs more than Clenelo with a 1.5'' reach advantage. That's not even one weight class heavier above 135. Bivol is routinely giving away at least that much and often more, much more or way more at LHW We have Loma routinely giving away 10-15lbs (20lbs in Haney's case) and often also just under six inches of reach at 135 whilst also often fighting in his opponent's backyard or on the road but we won't hear a goddamn peep about size. Actually, tell a lie we hear a ton about it on the only time in his career he held a big weight advantage. But when Clenelo get beat by a 3-5lb heavier 1.5 inch longer reach opponent on a deck heavily stacked in his favour it's David vs Goliath. Get. The. Hell. Out. Of. Here. Re. Bivol being a one weight champion. Well. that one-weight champion has routinely actually been facing bigger, much bigger, or way bigger opponent, whereas, a four-weight champ like Crawford hasn't. He was roughly the same size as the guys he fought in his third division and he even weighed a pound more than his career opponent at that weight in his fourth one Bivol 181 - Pascal 188 Bivol 184 - Chilemba 189 Bivol 180 - Agnew 186 Joe Smith weighed 188 against B-Hop Zurdo weighed 196 and 204 for LHW fights
True albeit Clenelo was undisputed at 168 Weird how Kovalev was ''the best LHW in the world'' when Clenelo beat him and not ''too big'' but Bivol was ''too big'' Sure, there's a very strong argument to be made for that
Kovalev absolutely out of his prime and likely fully alcoholic, already KOd twice and 2 months after his previous fight. I'm a huge canelo fan, but his win to kovalev is not very meaninful and the truth is that canelo does not belong in LWH.
Well Usyk Bivol Beterbiev Crawford Inoue That’s my top 5 probably. Inoue doesn’t have the quality of work that other have, Crawfords resume ain’t amazing eithet