The top 10 pound-for-pound boxers pre-Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev II

1. Vasyl Lomachenko

Some would say it’s premature to already crown Vasyl Lomachenko as the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing, but this is also a peculiar time for these mythical rankings. As it stands, there are three fighters other than Lomachenko (8-1, 6 KOs) — Gennady Golovkin, Andre Ward, and Sergey Kovalev — who can make viable, albeit flawed, claims to the throne.

There aren’t enough superlatives to describe what Lomachenko can do in the ring, from the Matrix-like angles he can attack from to his Baryshnikov-esque footwork. And although his professional resume is comprised of fewer than 10 pro bouts, Lomachenko is already 7-1 in world title fights and has won belts in two weight classes. More importantly, in making Nicholas Walters quit, he’s proven he can thoroughly outclass an elite opponent.

Lomachenko once described himself as a “boxer-painter,” and while the term could be construed as pretentious, there is artistry to the great Ukrainian’s work. Ultimately, the greatest endorsement of Lomachenko’s abilities comes in the form of his opponents’ utterly dejected (and distorted) faces. Championship-caliber fighters are literally devoid of ideas against such virtuosity.

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Indeed, one could argue that Lomachenko is more the heir apparent to the throne than it’s current king based on the fact that he hasn’t had the chance to strut his stuff enough against elite competition. And yet, when you truly break it down, his level of opposition already matches, if not surpasses, some of the fighters on this list who have three times as many fights.

So why deny what the proverbial eye test seems to confirm? Vasyl Lomachenko is the best boxer in the world.