Men’s boxing top 12 P4P rankings: Oleksandr Usyk no longer No. 1

Boxing‘s upper echelon has been quiet without much summer action, and these pound-for-pound rankings aim to sort out the best of the best from every weight class.

Naoya Inoue took the top spot after outlasting a game Junto Nakatani in Tokyo. The loss left Nakatani with a fractured orbital bone. Oleksandr Usyk gave up his remaining heavyweight titles in search of one final opponent. Dmitry Bivol and Canelo Alvarez both returned from long layoffs tied to surgery. Devin Haney still doesn’t have his next fight signed after three opponents fell through.

Here is how boxing’s top 12 pound-for-pound fighters stack up heading into the fall.

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1. Naoya Inoue

Record: 33-0, 27 KOs
Division: Junior featherweight
Last fight: W (UD12), Junto Nakatani, May 2, 2026
Next fight: TBA

Inoue defended his undisputed junior featherweight titles with a decision win over countryman Junto Nakatani in Tokyo. Nakatani surged in the middle rounds and briefly troubled the champion. But Inoue steadied himself and pulled away over the final third of the fight. The win marked Inoue’s seventh defense of his undisputed crown. Inoue’s promoter has discussed a fight with Jesse Rodriguez for early 2027. The Monster has said he won’t wait past March for that fight to come together.

2. Oleksandr Usyk

Record: 25-0, 16 KOs
Division: Heavyweight
Last fight: W (TKO11), Rico Verhoeven, May 23, 2026
Next fight: TBA

Usyk needed a controversial stoppage to get past kickboxing crossover star Rico Verhoeven. Verhoeven troubled him for long stretches before the fight was ruled over in the 11th round. The Ukrainian has since given up his three remaining heavyweight titles. He says his final fight will be a “Last Dance” bout in the United States. Deontay Wilder has emerged as the leading candidate for that fight. Usyk turns 40 in January and has not set a date for his farewell bout.

3. Jesse RodriguezJesse Rodriguez (silver/black trunks) during a WBC super fly championship bout at T-Mobile Arena.

Record: 24-0, 17 KOs
Division: Bantamweight
Last fight: W (KO6), Antonio Vargas, June 13, 2026
Next fight: TBA

Rodriguez made a successful bantamweight debut by dropping Antonio Vargas in the fifth round. He finished the fight in the sixth to win the WBA title and become a three-division champion. His trainer Robert Garcia wants one more fight at 118 pounds before a jump to 122. That path could lead to a showdown with Naoya Inoue in 2027. Rodriguez says the timing and opponent don’t matter to him. The Texan has stated he will fight anyone put in front of him.

4. Shakur Stevenson

Record: 25-0, 11 KOs
Division: Junior welterweight
Last fight: W (UD12), Teofimo Lopez, January 31, 2026
Next fight: TBA

Stevenson pitched a near-shutout over Teofimo Lopez to win a world title in a fourth weight class. He later signed with Zuffa Boxing and said he would not fight stablemate Jose Valenzuela next. Stevenson has pushed for fights with Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis instead. Those efforts stalled over money and catchweight demands. The Newark native is now in talks for a unification fight against WBA titleholder Gary Antuanne Russell. That bout would mark his debut under the Zuffa banner.

5. David BenavidezDavid Benavidez, the WBC world light heavyweight champion, works out in front of a public audience.

Record: 32-0, 26 KOs
Division: Cruiserweight
Last fight: W (KO6), Gilberto Ramirez, May 2, 2026
Next fight: TBA

Benavidez blew out Gilberto Ramirez in his cruiserweight debut to become a three-division champion. The win came on Cinco de Mayo weekend and added the WBA and WBO belts to his collection. The Arizona native also still holds the WBC title at light heavyweight. Benavidez pushed for a unification fight with WBC cruiserweight titleholder Noel Mikaelian. Mikaelian instead signed to fight Jai Opetaia in September. Reports have since linked Benavidez to a December fight against Michal Cieslak.

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6. Dmitry Bivol

Record: 25-1, 12 KOs
Division: Light heavyweight
Last fight: W (UD12), Michael Eifert, May 30, 2026
Next fight: Callum Smith, December 12, 2026, Ekaterinburg, Russia

Bivol returned from a 15-month layoff following back surgery to beat Michael Eifert. He dropped Eifert in the first round and cruised to a wide decision. The Russian then underwent surgery on his left elbow to remove loose particles. The WBO ordered him to defend against interim titleholder Callum Smith. Both sides have agreed to terms for a December 12 fight in Russia. Bivol still prefers a trilogy fight with Artur Beterbiev down the line.

7. Jaron Ennis

Record: 36-0, 32 KOs
Division: Junior middleweight
Last fight: W (TKO7), Xander Zayas, June 27, 2026
Next fight: TBA

Ennis dropped Xander Zayas three times before stopping him in the seventh round. The win made him a unified champion and a two-division titleholder. Ennis has said his goal now is to become undisputed at 154 pounds. His promoter Eddie Hearn has floated fights with WBC champion Sebastian Fundora and IBF titleholder Josh Kelly. A long-rumored fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr. has been pushed to the back burner. The Philadelphia native has not ruled out that fight for later.

8. Devin Haney

Record: 33-0 (1 NC), 15 KOs
Division: Welterweight
Last fight: W (UD12), Brian Norman Jr., November 22, 2025
Next fight: TBA

Haney has not fought since outpointing Brian Norman Jr. to win the WBO welterweight title. That win made him a champion in a third weight class. The gap since that fight now runs past nine months. Three separate opponents have fallen through in that stretch. Mandatory challenger Keyshawn Davis withdrew from a scheduled fight over pay. Talks with IBF champion Liam Paro and WBA titleholder Jack Catterall both stalled without a signed deal. The three-division champion remains without a confirmed opponent for his next fight.

9. Junto Nakatani

Record: 32-1, 24 KOs
Division: Junior featherweight
Last fight: L (UD12), Naoya Inoue, May 2, 2026
Next fight: TBA

Nakatani suffered the first loss of his career against Naoya Inoue in Tokyo. The Japanese star had won 32 straight fights before running into Inoue. The bout was billed as the biggest in Japanese boxing history. Nakatani rallied hard in the middle rounds after falling behind early. He finished the fight with a fractured left orbital bone. That injury has kept him out of the ring since May.

10. Canelo AlvarezCanelo Alvarez (red trunks) and Gennadiy Golovkin (white trunks) box during a super middleweight championship bout.

Record: 63-3-2, 39 KOs
Division: Super middleweight
Last fight: L (UD12), Terence Crawford, September 13, 2025
Next fight: Christian Mbilli, October 31, 2026, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Alvarez lost his undisputed super middleweight titles to Terence Crawford by unanimous decision. It was his first defeat since 2022 and ended a long unbeaten run. He had left elbow surgery weeks later to clear out loose particles. Alvarez has not fought since, and the layoff has stretched past a year. The Mexican star will challenge WBC titleholder Christian Mbilli on October 31 in Riyadh. Crawford has since retired, closing the door on an immediate rematch.

11. Jai Opetaia

Record: 30-0, 23 KOs
Division: Cruiserweight
Last fight: W (UD12), Brandon Glanton, March 8, 2026
Next fight: Noel Mikaelian, September 12, 2026, Las Vegas

Opetaia stopped Brandon Glanton to become the first-ever Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight champion. The Australian was later stripped of his IBF title and has sued that organization for reinstatement. Opetaia will defend his Ring and Zuffa titles against WBC champion Noel Mikaelian on September 12. The winner could face the winner of a rumored Benavidez fight in 2027. Opetaia has openly criticized Benavidez for avoiding him. He called out the fellow champion by name in the official fight announcement.

12. Oscar Collazo

Record: 15-0, 12 KOs
Division: Strawweight
Last fight: W (KO2), Neider Valdez, June 20, 2026
Next fight: Ricardo Sandoval, October 10, 2026, Chicago

Collazo scored a second-round knockout over late replacement Neider Valdez in a non-title bout. His original opponent Joey Canoy withdrew days before the event. Collazo is skipping straight to a flyweight title challenge in his very next fight. The Puerto Rican will face unified champion Ricardo Sandoval on October 10 in Chicago. The move skips two weight classes above his usual 105-pound division. Collazo will risk his unbeaten record without his own titles on the line.

Others receiving votes

• Vergil Ortiz Jr. (24-0), Junior middleweight
• Emanuel Navarrete (40-2), Junior lightweight
• Rafael Espinoza (28-0), Featherweight
• Raymond Muratalla (25-0), Lightweight
• O’Shaquie Foster (25-3), Junior lightweight

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