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Usyk names the best fighter in the world now Crawford has retired: “I can’t say it’s me”

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Oleksandr Usyk remains adamant that, even after Terence Crawford announced his retirement last December, he is not the sport’s leading pound-for-pound operator.

Despite his humility, many would regard Usyk as the finest fighter of his generation, with the Ukrainian having become a three-time, two-division undisputed champion.

His professional accolades followed a distinguished amateur career, where he claimed Olympic gold in 2012, before defeating the likes of Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev to unify all four major belts at 200lbs.

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The 39-year-old then cemented himself as the greatest heavyweight of this era by securing two victories over Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois, respectively.

And yet, even during his reign as the undisputed king, Usyk always maintained his belief that Crawford was the number one pound-for-pound fighter.

Since then, though, the masterful southpaw has been forced to select a different candidate after the three-division undisputed champion called time on his illustrious career.

Speaking with Inside the Ring ahead of his clash with Rico Verhoeven on May 23, Usyk named four-division world champion Shakur Stevenson as the man to replace Crawford.

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“Thank you so much [to] people who support me, but I cannot say [the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter is] me.

“Now, maybe it’s Shakur.”

While Stevenson is certainly a top five pound-for-pound star, some would argue that two-division undisputed champion Naoya Inoue deserves to be placed above him at this stage.

The Japanese ‘Monster’ has dominated several of the lower weight classes in recent years, notably defeating the likes of Nonito Donaire, Stephen Fulton and Luis Nery. His case will be made stronger if he defeats Junto Nakatani on May 2.

Stevenson, meanwhile, has terrific potential to become the sport’s flagship fighter. A three-division champion at the age of 28, the Newark southpaw comes off a dominant win over Teofimo Lopez and looks to push on by facing more big names in and around the 140 weight class.

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Sports

What happened to Carter Welling? Know why Clemson forward was rushed to locker room in ACC Tournament Second Round vs. Wake Forest

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12 March 2026

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Clemson Tigers forward Carter Welling made his way to the locker room in his team’s ACC Tournament second-round game against Wake Forest. The versatile forward was promptly ruled out of the contest.

With the Tigers emerging 71-62 winners, let’s look at what happened to Carter Welling.

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What happened to Carter Welling?

Clemson was leading 37-23 as Welling made his way to the basket. The Tigers’ junior attempted to stop and pump-fake, but then collapsed and could not get to his feet on his own power. He was then helped off the court and into the locker room.

According to Yahoo Sports, Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell said Carter Welling is “unlikely” to play in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals against North Carolina. The update comes after it was confirmed that Welling suffered a right knee injury against the Demon Deacons.

It’s important to note that Welling needed assistance from two Clemson trainers to help him off the court. He did return on crutches and with a brace on his knee to watch the rest of the contest.

Welling departed with a stat line of five points, four rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 12 minutes. Clemson will look to RJ Godfrey, Nick Davidson and freshman Chase Thompson to step up in the key junior’s absence.

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What’s next for the Clemson Tigers?

The No. 5 seed Clemson (23-9) will face off against No. 4-seeded North Carolina (24-7) on March 12 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). They’ll likely enter the game without their second-leading scorer and top rebounder in Welling.

Clemson has won three of their last five games, with their most recent loss coming against the Tar Heels. They’ve since pulled off victories over Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.

The North Carolina Tar Heels have won four of their last five games. Their most recent loss came at the hands of archrivals, the No. 1-ranked Duke Blue Devils. They’ll fancy their chances against the Clemson Tigers in a neutral location.

The Tar Heels picked up a win against the Tigers earlier this month. They’re now looking to end their ACC tournament run.

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