Vasyl Lomachenko will aim to burnish his reputation as one of the finest boxers of his generation when he meets fellow Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell at the O2 Arena on Saturday.
The masterful Ukrainian star can add the vacant WBC belt to his WBA and WBO titles at lightweight — the third division he has ruled as a world champion.
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Lomachenko's dazzling exploits means he is frequently talked of as a leading pound-for-pound fighter — the endlessly debatable rankings of the best performers in the sport, regardless of their weight division.
Here, while preparing ourselves for what might be lurking in the comments section, we rank our top five boxers in the world today.
Fantastic reception for both Champ @VasylLomachenko and Challenger @luke11campbell at tonight’s workout! #LomaCampbell pic.twitter.com/LFiQNCsrOq
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 28, 2019
5) Naoya Inoue
Record: 18-0 (16 KOs)
"Monster" may campaign at the lower weights but he hits incredibly hard. The different classifications at flyweight were not a problem for Inoue, and the early signs are he will take the bantamweight division by storm, too. The 26-year-old stopped Jamie McDonnell in a round to claim the WBA belt and then marked his first defense by doing the same to Juan Carlos Payano. Emmanuel Rodriguez had the temerity to take Inoue into round two before being decked three times in May. Future hall of famer Nonito Donaire is up next.
4) Oleksandr Usyk
Record: 16-0 (12 KOs)
Another Ukrainian to make waves after huge success as an amateur, Usyk confirmed his status as the best cruiserweight in the world by retaining the IBF, WBA, WBO and WBC belts against Tony Bellew in November. A southpaw who carries power, his step up to the heavyweight division has been delayed by a bicep injury but is keenly anticipated.
3) Terence Crawford
Record: 35-0 (26 KOs)
Like Lomachenko, Crawford is a three-weight world champion. The Omaha-born 31-year-old is a switch-hitting expert who goes from orthodox to southpaw with ridiculous ease. His fast hands also catch the eye as well as opponents, and his skillset has been too much for any foe to deal with to date, including latest victim Amir Khan in April. A welterweight unification with compatriot Errol Spence Jr. is a fight the world wants to see but, predictably, one television and promotional arrangements might continue to delay.
2) Saul "Canelo" Alvarez
Record: 52-1-2 (35 KOs)
Alvarez's gripping bouts with middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin might have ended with disputed decisions but they also left the Mexican icon as boxing's biggest star. A supreme tactician and counter-puncher, Canelo showcased his chilling power to the body when becoming a three-weight champion versus an overmatched Rocky Fielding last December. He then underscored his supremacy at 160 pounds by outpointing Danny Jacobs. Could Sergey Kovalev be next?
1) Vasyl Lomachenko
Record: 13-1 (10 KOs)
After an illustrious career in the amateurs that finished with 396 wins and a solitary defeat, the 31-year-old has achieved plenty over the course of 14 outings in the paid ranks. Lomachenko has won titles at feather, super-feather and lightweight, recording wins over Jorge Linares, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Gary Russell Jr. and Jose Pedraza before blitzing Campbell's countryman Anthony Crolla last time out. The solitary blip came against Orlando Salido in his second fight — and even that was a much-debated split-decision verdict.