Pound for pound update January 2020: a new name at the top

6. Erroll Spence Jr.

Record: 26-0, 21 KOs

Previous Ranking: 9

Since our last ranking, Spence has earned two victories over Mikey Garcia and Shawn Porter, which has helped him move up three spots on the list.

His fight with Mikey can be summed up in one word: domination. Sure, Mikey was moving up in weight, so most felt Spence would win solely on his size advantage. However, that was not the case.

Spence won because of his boxing skill, he wanted to remind everyone that he is more than just a ferocious puncher, he is a world class boxer. It was such a good performance that if they were the same size, the fight would have played out the same way, Spence showed he is on a different level and among the best in the sport.

Following the win against Garcia, Spence went on to fight the always tough Shawn Porter, who frankly is a few close rounds from being undefeated.

Spence was the rightful winner, but it was not quite as dominant as some fans had expected, which is more of a testament to how good Porter is.

Some say that struggling a bit with Porter is a reason to think Spence is a little overhyped, but that is not fair to either fighter. Porter gives anyone fits, and has a very tough style to deal with. Coming into this fight, he only had two losses — a razor close decision to Keith Thurman and a majority decision loss to Kell Brook in 2014.

Really, who looks great against Porter? Kell Brook was probably the fighter who looked the best against him, and Spence broke Brook’s orbital bone.

Here’s to a speedy return to full health for Spence (who was recently in a terrible car accident), and seeing him in the ring soon.

P.S. Arum and Haymon, make a Spence-Crawford ASAP.