Men’s Boxing Pound-for-Pound Rankings: Inoue Holds Strong, Canelo Slips

1. Oleksandr Usyk (Previous ranking: 1)

The undisputed champion across two weight classes has been on a remarkable run since moving to heavyweight five years ago. He has defeated two heavyweight greats (Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua twice) and stopped rising contender Daniel Dubois. He is expected to face Dubois again on July 19 to reaffirm his undisputed heavyweight status. With gold medals and undisputed titles at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, Usyk has achieved nearly everything in boxing and is solidifying his place among the all-time greats. — Andreas Hale

2. Naoya Inoue (Previous ranking: 2)

Naoya Inoue is a rare blend of dominance and excitement. His recent thrilling victory over Ramon Cardenas in Las Vegas further confirmed the Japanese superstar as a must-watch fighter. He already has a September clash lined up against Murodjon Akhmadaliev in Japan. Looking ahead to 2026, a potential move to featherweight or a major all-Japan showdown against fellow champion Junto Nakatani could be on the horizon. — Hale

3. Terence Crawford (Previous ranking: 3)

The primary criticism against Crawford has been his activity level. However, his year-long break is ending as he prepares to challenge Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight. This fight offers Crawford the chance to become the only boxer in the four-belt era to be undisputed in three different weight classes. It is remarkable to consider that Crawford, who began his career collecting titles at 135 pounds, is now poised to take on the sport`s biggest star at 168 pounds. If anyone can achieve this feat, it is `Bud.` — Hale

4. Dmitry Bivol (Previous ranking: 4)

Dmitry Bivol avenged his sole career loss with an excellent performance against Artur Beterbiev on February 22. He will likely face Beterbiev in a rubber match next, temporarily putting off a showdown with David Benavidez. Should Bivol emerge victorious again, a highly anticipated clash with `The Mexican Monster` could be a highlight of 2026. — Hale

5. Artur Beterbiev (Previous ranking: 5)

Artur Beterbiev suffered the first loss of his professional career in a rematch against Dmitry Bivol on February 22, but he still delivered a strong performance against a fellow top pound-for-pound fighter. Given the competitive nature of both fights, it is understandable that Beterbiev maintains his position on the P4P list. He is likely to get an opportunity to avenge the loss in a return bout later this year. Despite being in his 40s, Beterbiev continues to perform at an elite level. — Hale

6. Jesse Rodriguez (Previous ranking: 7)

It is remarkable what `Bam` Rodriguez has accomplished by the age of 25. The two-division champion has defeated potential Hall of Famers and continues his climb. The WBC junior bantamweight champion is set to unify titles against unbeaten WBO titleholder Phumelele Cafu on July 19. As the only boxer on this list born in the 2000s, Rodriguez has significant potential to rise further in the rankings. — Hale

7. Canelo Alvarez (Previous ranking: 6)

Boxing`s biggest star delivered an underwhelming performance in his recent bout against William Scull, despite once again becoming the undisputed champion at 168 pounds. However, that fight paved the way for arguably the biggest fight of the year, as Canelo accepts the challenge of Terence Crawford. While recent opposition has been criticized, Canelo boasts an excellent career record and now has the opportunity to add another future Hall of Famer to his list of defeated opponents. — Hale

8. David Benavidez (Previous ranking: 8)

For various reasons, David Benavidez seems to be a avoided opponent. He achieved everything he could at 168 pounds but couldn`t secure a fight with Canelo Alvarez. Now at light heavyweight, he faces a similar situation after Dmitry Bivol vacated the WBC title to pursue a rubber match with Beterbiev instead of facing Benavidez. With impressive wins over Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade, and David Morrell on his resume, it seems only a matter of time before `The Mexican Monster` gets his chance against the sport`s biggest names. The even more concerning fact for his opponents is that he is only 28 and likely hasn`t reached his physical peak. — Hale

9. Junto Nakatani (Previous ranking: 9)

Japan`s other highly-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, Junto Nakatani, will aim to unify bantamweight titles on June 8 when he faces IBF titleholder Ryosuke Nishida. `Big Bang` is known for his exciting style and has won all four of his bantamweight bouts by knockout since moving up from junior bantamweight last February. A massive potential showdown with countryman Naoya Inoue is anticipated, which would likely be the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history. — Hale

10. Shakur Stevenson (Previous ranking: 10)

Shakur Stevenson is set to face an opponent who could challenge his reputation as an elite, though sometimes perceived as overly cautious, tactician when he fights William Zepeda on July 12 in New York. While Stevenson has been exceptional throughout his career, a common complaint is that he makes winning appear too easy and often coasts to decision victories. He should face a high-volume challenge in Zepeda, presenting an opportunity to silence these criticisms. Winning has never been an issue for Stevenson, but delivering electrifying performances is potentially the key to elevating him to superstardom. — Hale

Ranking Methodology

The rankings are determined using a points system where a first-place vote earns 10 points, a second-place vote earns nine points, and so forth. Ties are broken by giving precedence to the fighter with the highest individual ranking from any voter, followed by the fighter with the most votes at that specific ranking.

Other fighters receiving votes: Gervonta Davis (16 points), Teofimo Lopez Jr. (7), Vasiliy Lomachenko (4), Jaron Ennis (1), Janibek Alimkhanuly.

Panelists` Votes Breakdown

Here is how each expert panelist cast their votes for the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters:

• Bradley: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3: Inoue, 4. Bivol, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Alvarez, 7. Nakatani, 8. Rodriguez, 9. Stevenson, 10. Benavidez
• Hale: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Bivol, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Rodriguez, 7. Alvarez, 8. Benavidez, 9. Stevenson, 10. Nakatani
• Atlas: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Bivol, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Davis, 7. Lomachenko, 8. Alvarez, 9. Rodriguez, 10. Benavidez
• Tessitore: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Beterbiev, 5. Bivol, 6. Nakatani, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Benavidez, 9. Stevenson, 10. Alvarez
• Parkinson: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Crawford, 4. Bivol, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Rodriguez, 7. Alvarez, 8. Nakatani, 9. Benavidez, 10. Davis
• Raskin: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Crawford, 4. Bivol, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Rodriguez, 7. Benavidez, 8. Alvarez, 9. Stevenson, 10. Nakatani
• Osuna: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Crawford, 4. Bivol, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Rodriguez, 7. Nakatani, 8. Benavidez, 9. Alvarez, 10. Stevenson
• Rodriguez: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Bivol, 4. Crawford, 5. Alvarez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Nakatani, 9. Benavidez, 10. Ennis
• Woodyard: 1. Crawford, 2. Inoue, 3. Usyk, 4. Bivol, 5. Alvarez, 6. Benavidez, 7. Davis, 8. Stevenson, 9. Lopez, 10. Beterbiev
• Moynihan: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Bivol, 5. Alvarez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Benavidez, 8. Stevenson, 9. Davis, 10. Rodriguez
• Pilatti: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Bivol, 4. Beterbiev, 5. Crawford, 6. Benavidez, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Nakatani, 9. Stevenson, 10. Alimkhanuly
• Zirolli: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Stevenson, 5. Bivol, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Alvarez, 9. Lopez, 10. Nakatani
• Mascaro: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Crawford, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Bivol, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Nakatani, 8. Benavidez, 9. Davis, 10. Lopez
• Freeman: 1. Inoue, 2. Crawford, 3. Usyk, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Bivol, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Nakatani, 8. Stevenson, 9. Alvarez, 10. Lopez
• Lopez: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Crawford, 4. Bivol, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Alvarez, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Benavidez, 9. Stevenson, 10. Nakatani
• Delgado Averhof: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Bivol, 4. Crawford, 5. Rodriguez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Benavidez, 8. Alvarez, 9. Davis, 10. Lopez