Tyson Fury Calls Pound-for-Pound Rating "Rubbish"

Tyson Fury (Twitter @tyson_fury)

JAKARTA - Tyson Fury has lashed out at the pound-for-pound (across divisions) ratings, which he has criticized as "junk.

According to various ratings from various organizations and media, Canelo Alvarez is the highest-ranked boxer.

This is due to the fact that he is the undisputed 168 pound champion, while Fury finds himself a little further in the rankings.

"This is the biggest garbage load I've ever heard of," the Briton said in an interview with ESPN ahead of his bout with Dillian Whyte on Saturday, April 23.

"That's how I see it, I'm world heavyweight champion.

“So I can beat any other fighter in any division, cruiserweight, welterweight, featherweight. So I don't believe in pound-for-pound ratings.

"But I understand why they did it. To give more relevance to the smaller fighter, but pound-for-pound is the biggest crap I've ever heard of. Nothing beats a heavyweight. I am the king of the jungle, the lion."

Although his remarks could be seen as an insult to Canelo, Fury praised the Mexican boxer.

"I watched Canelo's fight, he's a great fighter," said the WBC heavyweight champion. "Very entertaining.

"I want to attend his fight against Dmitry Bivol in Las Vegas. Canelo has a lot of support. The people in Mexico are very good people, hard working people.

"One of my coaches, Jorge Capetillo, is from Mexico. I love Mexican culture. They are great fighters, a fighting nation."