In the world of boxing, the rankings picture can get a little muddled. There are multiple titleholders and different organizational rankings. We’ve taken the approach of simply identifying who we think are the 10 best fighters in each weight class as of this moment.
Every month, Combat Press will rank each weight class from heavyweight to strawweight, as well as the pound-for-pound rankings.
- Anthony Joshua
- Deontay Wilder
- Wladimir Klitschko
- Luis Ortiz
- Joseph Parker
- Kubrat Pulev
- Alexander Povetkin
- Jarrell Miller
- Andy Ruiz Jr.
- Carlos Takam
Joshua remains atop the list following his knockout victory over Wladimir Klitschko in what is up to this point the leading contender for “Fight of the Year” in the sport.
- Oleksandr Usyk
- Murat Gassiev
- Mairis Breidis
- Denis Lebedev
- Krzysztof Glowacki
- Tony Bellew
- Marco Huck
- Dmitry Kudryashov
- Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
- Ilunga Makabu
There are some shakeups to come in this weight class, where several top contenders will face off in the World Boxing Super Series.
- Andre Ward
- Adonis Stevenson
- Sergey Kovalev
- Eleider Alvarez
- Oleksandr Gvozdyk
- Artur Beterbiev
- Nathan Cleverly
- Sullivan Barrera
- Marcus Browne
- Dmitry Bivol
Ward, fresh off of his second victory over Kovalev, now occupies the top spot at light heavyweight.
- James DeGale
- Gilberto Ramirez
- George Groves
- Chris Eubank Jr.
- Anthony Dirrell
- Callum Smith
- Andre Dirrell
- Tyrone Zeuge
- Jose Uzcategui
- Avni Yildirim
DeGale sits atop the super middleweight mountain for now.
- Gennady Golovkin
- Saul “Canelo” Alvarez
- Daniel Jacobs
- Billy Joe Saunders
- David Lemieux
- Jermall Charlo
- Sergiy Derevyanchenko
- Andy Lee
- Avtandil Khurtsidze
- Willie Monroe Jr.
Golovkin remains the man to beat at middleweight. The fight the boxing world has been clamoring for, which pits Golovkin against the No. 2-ranked Alvarez, is scheduled to take place on Sept. 16.
- Erislandy Lara
- Jermell Charlo
- Demetrius Andrade
- Jarrett Hurd
- Erickson Lubin
- Julian Williams
- Liam Smith
- Maciej Sulecki
- Austin Trout
- Brian Castano
The slick Cuban Lara sits atop the junior middleweight rankings for now.
- Keith Thurman
- Errol Spence Jr.
- Danny Garcia
- Shawn Porter
- Kell Brook
- Jeff Horn
- Jessie Vargas
- Manny Pacquiao
- Lamont Peterson
- Sadam Ali
Thurman, who is coming off a narrow victory over the third-ranked Garcia, currently occupies the top spot at welterweight. Spence scored an impressive TKO victory over Brook in May and is hot on Thurman’s heels.
- Terence Crawford
- Julius Indongo
- Antonio Orozco
- Adrian Granados
- Eduard Troyanovsky
- Mikey Garcia
- Regis Prograis
- Sergey Lipinets
- John Molina
- Adrien Broner
Crawford has established himself as the clear No. 1 fighter at 140 pounds. He’s scheduled to face Indongo on Aug. 19.
- Jorge Linares
- Mikey Garcia
- Terry Flanagan
- Robert Easter Jr.
- Anthony Crolla
- Denis Shafikov
- Raymundo Beltran
- Dejan Zlaticanin
- Luke Campbell
- Felix Verdejo
Linares sits atop the lightweight mountain following consecutive victories over No. 5-ranked Crolla.
- Vasyl Lomachenko
- Miguel Berchelt
- Jezreel Corrales
- Gervonta Davis
- Francisco Vargas
- Takashi Uchiyama
- Orlando Salido
- Robinson Castellanos
- Takashi Miura
- Miguel Roman
Lomachenko is clearly the man to beat at 130 pounds. He already boasts a fantastic record after only nine professional contests.
- Gary Russell Jr.
- Leo Santa Cruz
- Carl Frampton
- Lee Selby
- Abner Mares
- Oscar Valdez
- Scott Quigg
- Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar
- Claudio Marrero
- Joseph Diaz
Russell sits atop the featherweight division for now. However, this is a competitive division that could see some shakeups.
- Guillermo Rigondeaux
- Jessie Magdaleno
- Nonito Donaire
- Julio Ceja
- Rey Vargas
- Jonathan Guzman
- Moises Flores
- Hugo Ruiz
- Cesar Juarez
- Shun Kubo
Rigondeaux has been the man to beat at 122 pounds for quite a few years now.
- Shinsuke Yamanaka
- Zhanat Zhakiyanov
- Jamie McDonnell
- Juan Carlos Payano
- Ryan Burnett
- Zolani Tete
- Luis Nery
- Liborio Solis
- Karim Guerfi
- Takuma Inoue
Yamanaka has enjoyed a lengthy reign as WBC bantamweight champion. He’s slated to face No. 7-ranked Nery on Aug. 15.
- Naoya Inoue
- Roman Gonzalez
- Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
- Carlos Cuadras
- Jerwin Ancajas
- Khalid Yafai
- Luis Concepcion
- Rau’shee Warren
- Kohei Kono
- Sho Ishida
The top players in this division will all be in action on the same card on Sept. 9.
- Kazuto Ioka
- Donnie Nietes
- Daigo Higa
- Juan Carlos Reveco
- Francisco Rodriguez Jr.
- Sho Kimura
- Moruti Mthalane
- Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep
- Andrew Selby
- Vincent Legrand
Ioka has been on a tear at flyweight. Nietes, a former long-reigning junior flyweight champion, holds the No. 2 spot.
- Kosei Tanaka
- Pedro Guevara
- Ken Shiro
- Milan Melindo
- Ryoichi Taguchi
- Carlos Canizales
- Felix Alvarado
- Hekkie Budler
- Ganigan Lopez
- Randy Petalcorin
The undefeated Tanaka has quickly established himself as a force at 108 pounds.
- Wanheng Menayothin (birth name: Chayaphon Moonsri)
- Knockout CP Freshmart (birth name: Thammanoon Niyomtrong)
- Hiroto Kyoguchi
- Byron Rojas
- Jose Argumendo
- Leroy Estrada
- Simphiwe Khonco
- Carlos Buitrago
- Joey Canoy
- Tatsuya Fukuhara
Two Thai Champions sit atop the strawweight rankings. Hopefully a unification bout can be made soon.
- Andre Ward
- Vasyl Lomachenko
- Gennady Golovkin
- Terence Crawford
- Roman Gonzalez
- Saul “Canelo” Alvarez
- Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
- Guillermo Rigondeaux
- Mikey Garcia
- Sergey Kovalev
With the controversial nature of Ward’s victory over Sergey Kovalev, you could certainly argue his placement atop the pound-for-pound list, but you certainly won’t find another fighter in the sport with a better resume at the moment. Ward has beaten several elite challengers at 168 and 175 pounds and has remained a top fighter for a number of years. His No. 1 spot is well earned. It’s up to the others on this list to prove they deserve it more.