Has Terence Crawford Finally Surpassed Canelo?

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 13: LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 13: Canelo Alvarez (L) takes a punch from Terence Crawford in their undisputed super middleweight title fight during Netflix’s Canelo v Crawford Fight Night at Allegiant Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

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After Terence Crawford topped Canelo Alvarez in their megafight earlier this month, the dynamics shifted (perhaps only slightly) when it comes to boxing’s pound-for-pound list and its pound-for-pound moneymakers list. Yes, Alvarez is still featured on both, but Crawford’s standing, currently and historically, when it comes to all-time greatness and all-time moneymaking certainly rose.

Before I get into boxing’s biggest moneymakers, here’s how I rank the regular pound-for-pound list.

1. Terence Crawford

2. Naoya Inoue

3. Oleksandr Usyk

4. Dmitry Bivol

5. Artur Beterbiev

6. Junto Nakatani

7. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez

8. Shakur Stevenson

9. Canelo Alvarez

10. David Benavidez

But just because you’re the best boxer, that doesn’t mean you’re the best box-office draw. That said, here are the sport’s Top 10 Pound-For-Pound Moneymakers.

Note: These rankings are based on past fight purses, ticket sales, potential future bouts and opponents, and where they currently stand in boxing’s pecking order.

1) Canelo Alvarez: Though he lost a close but not controversial decision to Terence Crawford earlier this month, Alvarez is still the king of big-money fights – certainly in North America. More than 40 million people watched him battle vs. Crawford on Netflix, and Alvarez reportedly made between $100-$150 million for the event. Alvarez might be falling down my pound-for-pound list (see above), but he still can still rake in nine-figure deals.

2) Terence Crawford: Crawford was the B-side vs. Alvarez, but he still helped draw some historic numbers. Though Crawford was never a big PPV headliner (until he faced Errol Spence at least), his major victories in the last few years have certainly helped him achieve more mainstream attention. Along with Alvarez, the two drew a gate of more than $47 million, the third-highest total in boxing history, with about 70,000 fans in attendance. Crawford said he accepted the Alvarez showdown for a $10 million purse, but he probably earned multiples of that by the end.

3) Jake Paul: Though Paul is nowhere near a list of top-10 pound-for-pound boxers or the top-10 boxers in the cruiserweight division, he has shown he’s one of the biggest money-producers in the sport. His clash with Mike Tyson compelled 108 million people globally to watch on Netflix, and Paul said he made in the low $30 million range to fight the former heavyweight champion. Next up is an exhibition vs. Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Considering Paul will probably outweigh Davis by at least 60 pounds, many observers are calling this bout a farce. But Paul is predicting a $50 million payday for their fight in November.

4) Oleksandr Usyk: Though he’s beaten Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua twice, Usyk isn’t the global superstar those two are (even if, unlike Fury and Joshua, Usyk will retire as one of the best cruiserweights AND heavyweights in history). Still, he commands a nice payday. He reportedly made in the neighborhood of $130 million when he knocked out Daniel Dubois in their July rematch. Plus, unlike Fury and Joshua, we’re pretty sure Usyk will continue fighting for now.

5) Tyson Fury: We don’t even know whether Fury will return to the ring, but he is popular enough in the UK to fill Wembley Stadium and he could still likely command an eight-figure payday. If he and Anthony Joshua ever could come to an agreement to fight, it might be the biggest all-British fight in history.

6) Anthony Joshua: He’s sort of in the same boat as Fury. He doesn’t need to fight ever again (he’s one of the world’s best-paid athletes at more than $80 million), but the British boxing audience would welcome him back with open arms, even if he were to eventually fight Jake Paul. Joshua hasn’t shown he’s the same caliber of fighter as Fury (he’s 28-4 compared to Fury’s 34-2-1). But if he ever matches up vs. Fury, everybody involved would make a ton of money.

7) Naoya Inoue: After selling out the Tokyo Dome, compelling more than 50,000 fans to watch him fight in his native Japan, Inoue drew a solid crowd recently in Las Vegas. Next, he’ll travel to Saudi Arabia in December as he continues to stamp himself as an internationally known fighter who can command $7 million per bout. And if he ever fights Junto Nakatani, it would be one of the biggest events in Japanese boxing history.

8) Manny Pacquiao: Though he wouldn’t have appeared on this list in the past few years, Pacquiao is back, grabbing a draw against welterweight titlist Mario Barrios in July and reportedly notching an eight-figure payday. And the 46-year-old actually looked solid in his first real boxing match in four years. He said he wants another bout by the end of 2025. If it happens, boxing fans will watch, and Pacquiao will get paid.

9) Gervonta Davis: If Davis retires after his exhibition against Paul, like Tank is now claiming, it’ll be the end of a career that will feel like a disappointment. Other than Ryan Garcia, Davis would never have faced a top-notch fighter that would put him in danger of losing a fight (no Shakur Stevenson, no Teofimo Lopez, no Davin Haney). He has Hall of Fame talent but not a Hall of Fame resume. But he has sold plenty of tickets in plenty of US markets, and he has made plenty of money. If he leaves the sport, it’ll still feel like a big letdown.

10) Amanda Serrano/Katie Taylor: Two of the best female fighters ever have tangled three times, and they’ve earned seven-figure purses for doing so. The two even headlined a Netflix show that compelled about 6 million people to watch. Their trilogy has been an amazing accomplishment for female boxing (and for boxing in general), and though they’re nearing the end of their careers, they deserve to be on this list together.