The Quest for Perfection: Which Undefeated King Will Fall First?
In the high-stakes world of professional boxing, the "0" on a fighter's record is the ultimate mark of greatness—and the ultimate target. As we move into a blockbuster May 2026 schedule, the landscape of the sport is changing. With Terence Crawford recently retired and the legendary light heavyweight duo of Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol finally trading losses in their historic series, the race for the longest unblemished run is wide open. The spotlight shines brightest on the Tokyo Dome this May, where Naoya "The Monster" Inoue (32-0) meets fellow countryman Junto Nakatani (32-0) in a rare battle of undefeated pound-for-pound icons. It is the purest "someone's 0 has to go" scenario in years. On the same night in Las Vegas, David Benavidez (31-0) risks his record by jumping up to cruiserweight to face Gilberto Ramirez. Perhaps the most controversial "0" on our list belongs to Devin Haney (33-0, 1 NC). Haney famously appeared to lose his undefeated status in 2024 against Ryan Garcia, but the result was overturned to a No-Contest after Garcia tested positive for the banned PED Ostarine. Since that night, Haney has rebuilt his momentum, recently capturing a welterweight title to keep his technical perfect streak alive. The list of "invincibles" remains deep and dangerous. Oleksandr Usyk (24-0) defends his heavyweight throne against Rico Verhoeven on May 23rd, while Gervonta "Tank" Davis (30-0) remains the sport's most feared knockout artist. Shakur Stevenson (25-0), the defensive wizard, has promised his next move will be his best move yet, teasing fans with a potential blockbuster announcement. Elsewhere, Jaron "Boots" Ennis (35-0) faces a massive test against Xander Zayas this June, Jai Opetaia (30-0) reigns with the inaugural Zuffa Boxing title, and Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez (23-0) builds his Hall of Fame trajectory. History shows that even the greatest eventually taste defeat. So, we ask the readers at LatestBoxing.com: Who is the first to fall? Is Nakatani the man to finally slay "The Monster"? Can Haney stay perfect at 147 lbs? Or will Usyk finally meet his match in Egypt? Drop your predictions in the comments below! Photo credit: The Ring Magazine Facebook
Please sign in to post a comment. Don't have an account sign up
Be first to Comment