It was a clash of pound-for-pound top-10 boxers last year when Dmitry Bivol met Artur Beterbiev in a rematch won by Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight championship. But that bout occurred Feb. 22, 2025, and both fighters have been inactive ever since, making them ineligible for the ESPN rankings.
With two spots up for grabs, a couple of new faces have entered the rankings. Jaron “Boots” Ennis, who remained undefeated and won the vacant WBA interim junior middleweight title with a first-round knockout of Uisma Lima in October, is the new No. 8. Taking the No. 10 spot is another 154-pound interim titlist, Vergil Ortiz Jr., who captured the WBC belt with a second-round TKO of Erickson Lubin in November.
Another notable new champion missed out on the top 10: Ryan Garcia dethroned WBC welterweight titlist Mario Barrios with a dominant performance on Feb. 21, but he did not gain enough voter support to enter the rankings.
Our panel of Andreas Hale, Joe Tessitore, Teddy Atlas, Nick Parkinson, Eric Raskin, James Regan, Bernardo Osuna, Eric Woodyard, Bernardo Pilatti, Charles Moynihan, Salvador Rodriguez, Jim Zirolli, Michael Mascaro, Aladdin Freeman, Victor Lopez and Damian Delgado Averhoff shares its votes.
More ESPN rankings: Divisional rankings and women’s pound-for-pound rankings.
Note: Results are through Feb. 25, 2026.
1. OLEKSANDR USYK 
Previous ranking: 1
RECORD: 24-0, 15 KOs
DIVISION: Heavyweight (unified champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (KO5) Daniel Dubois, July 19, 2025
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
The retirement of Terence Crawford elevates Usyk to the top spot on the pound-for-pound rankings. Although he is almost 39 years old, he remains elite with no signs of slowing down as evidenced by his one-sided knockout win in a rematch with Dubois last July. He has defeated Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois twice each, and is in need of a new opponent for his next fight. It appeared that Usyk would face former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. However, Wilder has secured a fight with Derek Chisora, leaving Usyk looking for an opponent. It’s possible he returns this Summer against Andy Ruiz Jr. or he may opt to defend against the WBC No. 1 contender and interim titleholder Agit Kabayel. — Andreas Hale
2. NAOYA INOUE Previous ranking: 2
RECORD: 32-0, 27 KOs
DIVISION: Junior featherweight (undisputed champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) David Picasso, Dec. 27, 2025
NEXT FIGHT: May 2 vs. Junto Nakatani
Inoue completed his four-fight year in 2025 by notching his fourth win with a wide unanimous decision against Picasso. After completing what had been a blistering pace for the champion and one not typically seen from fighters of his stature, Inoue will take some time off before his mega fight with fellow Japanese champion Junto Nakatani, reportedly set for May 2 at Tokyo Dome. — Hale
3. JESSE RODRIGUEZ Previous ranking: 3
RECORD: 23-0, 16 KOs
DIVISION: Junior bantamweight (unified champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (KO10) Fernando Martinez, Nov. 22, 2025
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
“Bam” Rodriguez took care of business in dominant fashion against Martinez to add the WBA title to his collection at junior bantamweight. It wasn’t just that he won, it was how easy he made it look. Martinez was undefeated heading into the fight, yet he was made to look like a novice as Rodriguez had his way before securing the finish in the 10th round. At 25, Rodriguez is the youngest fighter on the pound-for-pound list and will have plenty of time to crack the top spot. Rodriguez is one of the best fighters in the world as well as one of the most entertaining to watch. — Hale
4. SHAKUR STEVENSON Previous ranking: 4
RECORD: 25-0, 11 KOs
DIVISION: Junior welterweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Teofimo Lopez Jr., Jan. 31
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Stevenson shoots up the pound-for-pound list after pitching a near shutout against Teofimo Lopez Jr. to win a major world title in a fourth weight class. But it’s not just that he’s winning fights, Stevenson, 28, is operating on a different plateau, dominating the opposition, and barely conceding rounds against fellow world champions. He has plenty of options moving forward as he could look to unify at 140 or 135. Or, he could climb up another weight class to 147 pounds. He’s knocking at the door of the top spot. — Hale
5. DAVID BENAVIDEZ 
Previous ranking: 7
RECORD: 31-0, 25 KOs
DIVISION: Light heavyweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO7) Anthony Yarde, Nov. 22, 2025
NEXT FIGHT: May 2 vs. Gilberto Ramirez
After wiping out Yarde in November, Benavidez announced that he would move up to cruiserweight to challenge “Zurdo” Ramirez, the unified champion. The fight is set to take place during Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas, with Benavidez looking to become a three-division champion. Should Benavidez emerge victorious, his options are plentiful, as a move back down to light heavyweight for the right fight (Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol) is still in his plans. “The Mexican Monster” is primed to have a massive 2026 between his crowd-pleasing style and a bevy of quality opponents. — Hale
6. JUNTO NAKATANI Previous ranking: 8
RECORD: 32-0, 24 KOs
DIVISION: Bantamweight (unified champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Sebastian Hernandez, Dec. 27, 2025
NEXT FIGHT: May 2 vs. Naoya Inoue
Despite narrowly escaping with a controversial win over Hernandez, Nakatani still secured his end of a potential all-Japanese showdown with Naoya Inoue set for May 2 at Tokyo Dome. The performance was far from Nakatani’s best, but a move to a new weight class and a tougher-than-expected opponent likely contributed to a fight many expected him to cruise through. Off nights happen, and they’re forgivable. Even though his stock took a minor hit, Nakatani will have the opportunity to silence any doubts by defeating Inoue. — Hale
7. DEVIN HANEY Previous ranking: 9
RECORD: 33-0, 1 NC, 15 KOs
DIVISION: Welterweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Brian Norman Jr., Nov. 22, 2025
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Haney defeated the biggest puncher at welterweight with relative ease as he dominated Norman to become WBO champion. Comments about Haney’s demise after the Ryan Garcia fight were grotesquely exaggerated, and he silenced the naysayers by brilliantly outboxing a fighter with even bigger punching power than Garcia. A three-division champion who just turned 27, Haney cracks the list with his impressive skill set and instincts. — Hale
8. JARON “BOOTS” ENNIS Previous ranking: NR
RECORD: 35-0, 31 KOs
DIVISION: Interim junior middleweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO1) Uisma Lima, Oct. 11, 2025
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Ennis’ talent is undeniable as “Boots” has mowed down the opposition since debuting a decade ago. The only question has been his opposition, as Ennis has yet to face an elite fighter. He’s passed the eye test thus far and arrives on the pound-for-pound list due to his brilliant switch-hitting ability and boxing IQ. He needs to be tested and a long-anticipated showdown with Vergil Ortiz Jr. has been teased for the past few years. Just when it felt like it was close to happening, legal issues have come between the two fighters as the boxing world waits to see if the showdown will finally come to fruition. — Hale
9. CANELO ALVAREZ 
Previous ranking: 8
RECORD: 63-3-2, 39 KOs
DIVISION: Super middleweight
LAST FIGHT: L (UD12) Terence Crawford, Sept. 13, 2025
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Canelo returned to the pound-for-pound rankings by virtue of elimination. Although he lost to Terence Crawford last September, there’s no shame in losing to arguably the best boxer of the generation. But all eyes will be on Canelo’s next move as he prepares to return from elbow surgery in September. The super middleweight division is wide open with Crawford’s retirement and Canelo could try to reclaim the titles he lost. — Hale
10. VERGIL ORTIZ JR. Previous ranking: NR
RECORD: 24-0, 22 KOs
DIVISION: Interim junior middleweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (KO2) Erickson Lubin, Nov. 8, 2025
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Ortiz has been a wrecking ball with all but two of his wins coming by stoppage. Last year he mowed down both Israil Madrimov and Erickson Lubin in dominant fashion, proving that he’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He has yet to meet his match in the ring but a proposed showdown with Jaron “Boots” Ennis would easily be one of the biggest fights of the year between two boxers with immense potential. Unfortunately, Ortiz’s legal issues with Golden Boy Promotions have gotten in the way, which could put him on the shelf until they are ironed out. — Hale
The formula
The rankings are based on a descending points system, with a first-place vote awarding 10 points, a second-place vote awarding nine points and so on. A tie goes to the fighter with the highest ranking, then the one with the most votes at that ranking.
Others receiving votes: Jai Opetaia (9), Oscar Collazo (7), Rafael Espinoza (5), Gervonta Davis (4), Abdullah mason (3), Osleys Iglesias (2), Teofimo Lopez jr. (2), Ryan Garcia (2), Raymond Muratalla (2), O’Shaquie Foster (2), Sebastian Fundora (1)
How our writers voted
Hale: 1. Usyk, 2. Stevenson, 3. Inoue, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Nakatani, 8. Ortiz, 9. Lopez, 10. Ennis
Atlas: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Nakatani, 8. Davis, 9. Ennis, 10. Muratalla
Tessitore: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Nakatani, 6. Benavidez, 7. Haney, 8. Opetaia, 9. Ennis, 10. Alvarez
Parkinson: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Stevenson, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Haney, 6. Benavidez, 7. Nakatani, 8. Opetaia, 9. Alvarez, 10. Garcia
Raskin: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Alvarez, 8. Ortiz, 9. Nakatani, 10. Espinoza
Regan: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Stevenson, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Nakatani, 8. Ennis, 9. Alvarez, 10. Garcia
Osuna: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Nakatani, 6. Benavidez, 7. Haney, 8. Ennis, 9. Collazo, 10. Espinoza
Rodriguez: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Benavidez, 5. Stevenson, 6. Nakatani, 7. Alvarez, 8. Haney, 9. Collazo, 10. Espinoza
Woodyard: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Stevenson, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Benavidez, 6. Nakatani, 7. Haney, 8. Collazo, 9. Ortiz, 10. Ennis
Moynihan: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Stevenson, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Benavidez, 6. Nakatani, 7. Alvarez, 8. Ennis, 9. Haney, 10. Davis
Pilatti: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Nakatani, 8. Mason, 9. Iglesias, 10. Muratalla
Zirolli: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Stevenson, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Benavidez, 6. Nakatani, 7. Haney, 8. Ennis, 9. Opetaia, 10. Ortiz
Mascaro: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Nakatani, 6. Benavidez, 7. Haney, 8. Ennis, 9. Ortiz, 10. Espinoza
Freeman: 1. Inoue, 2. Rodriguez, 3. Usyk, 4. Stevenson, 5. Haney, 6. Nakatani, 7. Benavidez, 8. Ennis, 9. Foster, 10. Espinoza
Lopez: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Nakatani, 8. Alvarez, 9. Ennis, 10. Opetaia
Delgado Averhof: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Nakatani, 8. Alvarez, 9. Ennis, 10. Fundora
ESPN experts’ poll
First place: Usyk (13), Inoue (3)
Second place: Inoue (12), Usyk (2), Rodriguez (1), Stevenson (1)
Third place: Rodriguez (9), Stevenson (5), Usyk (1), Inoue (1)
Fourth place: Stevenson (9), Rodriguez (6), Benavidez (1)
Fifth place: Benavidez (10), Nakatani (3), Haney (2), Stevenson (1)
Sixth place: Haney (7), Nakatani (5), Benavidez (4)
Seventh place: Nakatani (7), Haney (5), Alvarez (3), Benavidez (1)
Eighth place: Ennis (6), Alvarez (2), Ortiz (2), Opetaia (2), Haney (1), Collazo (1), Davis (1), Mason (1)
Ninth place: Ennis (4), Alvarez (2), Ortiz (2), Collazo (2), Nakatani (1), Haney (1), Opetaia (1), Iglesias(1), Lopez (1), Foster (1)
10th place: Espinoza (5), Ennis (2), Muratalla (2), Garcia (2), Alvarez (1), Ortiz (1), Opetaia (1), Davis (1), Fundora (1)