That unapologetic reply from Gervonta Davis, where he said, “Abso-fu**kin-lutely,” when asked whether he was the ‘face of boxing’, still resonates with fans the world over. In a lot of ways, the honor gathered momentum thereafter. Numerous debates surfaced over who is the actual ‘face of boxing’. Then you have Canelo Alvarez, who reportedly disputed ‘Tank’s contention. So the conundrum continues. Different people, different perspectives.

Now Andre Ward too joined the debate. Only that his suggestion snowballed into a major online debate with many fans not able to agree with his suggestions. Fans last saw the Olympic gold medalist in a training camp with close friend Terence Crawford in the lead-up to the Israil Madrimov fight. Ward was also in discussion with former champions, Andre Berto and André Dirrell.

Andre Ward: The true measure of boxing greatness

Sometime after the discussion started, Andre Berto shared his thoughts on how both ‘Tank’ Davis and Canelo Alvarez remain on top when it comes to legacy, power to draw crowds, or sheer marketability. Andre Ward promptly joined, “When I think of the face of boxing, I think about Canelo Alvarez. I think about Gervonta Davis.”

However, it doesn’t mean that he would skip one more name—Terence Crawford. “But then you also can’t leave out Terence Crawford,” said ‘S.O.G’. Highlighting the different levels of success and influence, the former world champion acknowledged arguments favoring Gervonta Davis and Canelo Alvarez’s names for the ‘face of boxing’ tag. Nevertheless, “I think really it’s it’s it’s out of maybe those three,” he stated.

Berto concurred. Calling out ‘Bud’ as probably the best boxer in the world, he mentioned how the Nebraskan has fought during the last two to three years, thereby finding a place among the top-tier of the boxing world.

Skill vs. Fame

But from the reactions that came, it seems quite a few expected some changes in the list. Let’s check what a few of them had to say.

‘Cigar Talk’s host, Naji Chill, highlighted that boxing is not based in the United States alone. Hence, the ‘face of boxing’ debate should involve other hubs as well. He cited Anthony Joshua‘s example. The former unified champion has been very consistent in drawing huge crowds to the arenas. “Boxing is a global sport. We can’t just think of only America anymore when considering the Face of Boxing. No way Anthony Joshua isn’t in that conversation when selling out stadiums virtually every time out,” he said.

Adding his response to Naji Chill’s message, @dantheboxingman added Naoya Inoue‘s name. So when it boils down to attracting capacity audiences, ‘The Monster’ and ‘AJ’ might have done a better job than ‘Bud’ Crawford. “Yup, I’d put Naoya Inoue and AJ above Crawford in terms of selling out venues,” said the boxing follower.

The next fan expressed surprise and frustration that, despite his achievements, Oleksandr Usyk remains underappreciated. They said, “How is Usyk still this underrated?” The following user tried to reason. According to them, Terence Crawford might be the most gifted boxer among the three. However, unlike ‘Tank’ and Alvarez, he could be lacking the celebrity status necessary to become the ‘face of boxing’. They said, “Bud is probably the best out of the 3 with the least star power. So definitely not the face of boxing.”

Finally, this user lamented how the ‘face of boxing’ isn’t centered around a boxer’s abilities. Had it been so, then definitely the names of Crawford and Inoue would have stayed on top. “Too bad, “the face of boxing” title isn’t purely based on skill. If it was Crawford and Inoue would get way more credit,” the user said.

Clearly, the debate will continue. But first of all, the parameters on which the honor could be bestowed could have been concluded.

If it’s an admixture of fighting skills plus selling power, then with some of the best sellers under their belt, Gervonta Davis and Canelo Alvarez have a rightful claim as the face of boxing. But then it also means that far too many boxers who are immensely talented but due to one reason or another are still not able to attract crowds might get left out of the much-coveted honor.

Do you agree with André Ward’s observations? Who will be on your list?