FAQ
What does pound for pound mean?
Pound for pound ranks fighters on skill and achievement regardless of weight, asking who would win if all men were the same size. Sugar Ray Robinson is the traditional answer, with Mayweather and modern stars like Crawford and Inoue in the conversation.
What is the difference between a KO and a TKO?
A knockout, KO, means the fighter cannot beat the count of ten after going down. A technical knockout, TKO, means the referee, doctor or corner stops the fight because one man cannot safely continue, like Frazier retiring on his stool in Manila or the towel in Wilder against Fury II.
Why are there four championship belts?
Four major sanctioning bodies, the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO, each crown their own world champion, a fragmentation that began in the 1960s and 1980s. When one fighter holds all four, like Usyk at heavyweight in 2024 or Crawford at welterweight in 2023, they are called undisputed.
What was the Fight of the Century?
The name has been reused, but the 1971 Madison Square Garden battle between unbeaten champions Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali is the canonical one. Frazier won a unanimous decision, dropping Ali in the 15th round. The 1910 Jeffries Johnson fight in Reno and the 2015 Mayweather Pacquiao also carried the billing.
What does undisputed mean?
Undisputed means holding every major world title in a division at once. In the four belt era it requires the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO belts, achieved at cruiserweight and heavyweight by Usyk, at super middleweight by Canelo, and in two divisions each by Crawford and Inoue.
How many weight divisions are there in boxing?
There are 17 men weight classes recognized by the major bodies, from minimumweight at 105 pounds up to heavyweight, plus newer bridgerweight. The classic eight from flyweight to heavyweight built most of boxing history, and marquee divisions like welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight still carry the biggest crowds.