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.
- Tyson Fury (1)
- Anthony Joshua (2)
- Deontay Wilder (3)
- Andy Ruiz (4)
- Luis Ortiz (5)
- Alexander Povetkin (6)
- Dillian Whyte (7)
- Kubrat Pulev (8)
- Oleksandr Usyk (-)
- Joseph Parker (9)
Dropped from the rankings: Dereck Chisora (10)
Dereck Chisora gave Oleksandr Usyk all he could handle. It was a good sample of what Usyk is in for at heavyweight against much heavier and stronger guys. Usyk displayed great cardio and technical boxing, which got him to the top of the cruiserweight division. He’ll have to show a little more if he wants to be at the top of the heavyweight division. Usyk enters the rankings at ninth, with Chisora, despite the valiant effort, dropping out of the top 10.
- Mairis Briedis (1)
- Yunier Dorticos (2)
- Ilunga Makabu (3)
- Krzystztof Glowacki (4)
- Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (5)
- Kevin Lerena (6)
- Lawrence Okolie (7)
- Arsen Goulamirian (8)
- Aleksei Papin (9)
- Noel Gevor (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the last month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Artur Beterbiev (1)
- Sergey Kovalev (3)
- Oleksandr Gvovdyk (4)
- Dmitry Bivol (5)
- Jean Pascal (6)
- Joe Smith Jr. (7)
- Badou Jack (8)
- Eleider Alvarez (9)
- Gilberto Ramirez (10)
- Maxim Vlasov (-)
Dropped from the rankings: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (2)
Well, Canelo going to light heavyweight was just a one-fight deal apparently. Alvarez beat Sergey Kovalev, got a belt, and made a little history. He hasn’t fought or expressed interest in the division since. He’s got his own problems going on with Golden Boy, so who knows how soon before we see Alvarez back in the ring. He drops from the rankings, while Maxim Vlasov enters at No. 10.
- Callum Smith (1)
- Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (2)
- David Benavidez (3)
- Billy Joe Saunders (4)
- Caleb Plant (5)
- Daniel Jacobs (6)
- Anthony Dirrell (7)
- John Ryder (8)
- Willie Monroe Jr. (9)
- Rocky Fielding (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the last month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (1)
- Gennady Golovkin (2)
- Jermall Charlo (3)
- Demetrius Andrade (4)
- Sergiy Derevyanchenko (5)
- Ryota Murata (6)
- Jaime Munguia (7)
- Chris Eubank Jr. (8)
- Michael Zefara (10)
- Tim Tszyu (10)
Jaime Munguia was back in action. He got the victory over Tureano Johnson and remains in the No. 7 spot.
- Jermell Charlo (1)
- Jarrett Hurd (2)
- Erislandy Lara (3)
- Jeison Rosario (4)
- Julian Williams (5)
- Tony Harirson (6)
- Kell Brook (7)
- Liam Smith (8)
- Brian Carlos Castano (9)
- Michel Soro (10)
No fighters in the top 10 were in action during the last month, so the rankings remain unchanged.
- Terence Crawford (1)
- Errol Spence Jr. (2)
- Shawn Porter (3)
- Manny Pacquiao (4)
- Keith Thurman (5)
- Danny Garcia (6)
- Yordenis Ugas (7)
- Mikey Garcia (8)
- Jessie Vargas (10)
- Sergey Lipinets (9)
The fight between Sergey Lipinets and Custio Clayton was scored a majority draw, which is a disappointing result for Lipinets. His inability to pick up the victory costs him a spot in the rankings.
- Josh Taylor (1)
- Regis Prograis (2)
- Jose Carlos Ramirez (3)
- Viktor Postol (4)
- Maurice Hooker (5)
- Jose Zepeda (9)
- Ivan Baranchyk (7)
- Mario Barrios (10)
- Jack Catterall (8)
- Arnold Barboza Jr. (-)
Dropped from the rankings: Kiryl Relikh (6)
It was a really busy month that included a “Fight of the Year” candidate in the 140-pound division. Let’s start with that insane fight between Ivan Baranchyk and Jose Zepeda, which saw both fighters repeatedly hit the canvas. Just when it looked like Zepeda would be out of there in the first round, he rallied back. It was a roller-coaster ride from there before Zepeda scored the knockout. It was a scary end for Baranchyk, but thankfully he got up on his own after a few minutes down. Zepeda vaults to sixth with the victory. Elsewhere, Regis Prograis and Mario Barrios picked up victories over inferior opponents. Prograis maintains his hold on the No. 2 ranking, while Barrios scoots up two spots to eighth. Kiryl Relikh departs the top 10 due to inactivity, which makes way for Arnold Barboza Jr. to debut at No. 10.
- Teofimo Lopez (2)
- Vasyl Lomachenko (1)
- Gervonta Davis (6)
- Luke Campbell (3)
- Richard Commey (4)
- Devin Haney (5)
- Emmanuel Tagoe (7)
- Rances Barthelemy (8)
- Javier Fortuna (9)
- George Kambosos Jr. (-)
Dropped from the rankings: Lee Selby (10)
This month of boxing really delivered. Teofimo Lopez and Vasyl Lomachenko finally squared off, and Lopez backed up all the talk he had done leading up to the fight. Everyone knew Lopez had power, but it was his technical ability that really stood out in this one. He out-boxed Loma in all phases of the game. Lopez is now the top dog in the division, while Lomachenko drops to second. Gervonta Davis defended both his 135- and 130-pound titles, which is unusual, but both he and Leo Santa Cruz fought at the 130-pound limit, so it was allowed. As a result, not only does Davis jump all the way up to No. 3 in the lightweight rankings, but he also rejoins the top 10 down at junior lightweight. If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch the uppercut knockout by Davis — it was nasty. Elsewhere, Lee Selby came out on the wrong end of a split decision against George Kambosos Jr., who in turn takes Selby’s spot at No. 10 in the lightweight poll.
- Miguel Berchelt (1)
- Gervonta Davis (-)
- Leo Santa Cruz (2)
- Miguel Roman (4)
- Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (5)
- Joseph Diaz Jr. (6)
- Tevin Farmer (7)
- Jamel Herring (8)
- Oscar Valdez (9)
- Rene Alvarado (10)
Dropped from the rankings: Francisco Vargas (3)
With Gervonta Davis dropping back down to fight for the 130-pound belt, he returns to the junior-lightweight rankings. Davis has spent the majority of the past few years dismantling opponents and defending his belts here. Leo Santa Cruz fought a good fight against Davis, but he got a bit too punch happy and paid the price. Yte, that’s no reason for him to stay out of the top three.
- Gary Russell Jr. (1)
- Josh Warrington (2)
- Emanuel Navarette (-)
- Abner Mares (4)
- Can Xu (5)
- Shakur Stevenson (6)
- Tugstsogt Nyambayar (7)
- Jessie Magdaleno (8)
- Kid Galahad (9)
- Ryan Walsh (10)
Dropped from the rankings: Carl Frampton (3)
Emanuel Navarette has firmly entrenched himself in his new division. This time, he defeated Ruben Villa for the WBO title. Navarette moves up to No. 3, taking the place of Carl Frampton, who has moved up a weight class.
- Rey Vargas (1)
- Murodjon Akhmadaliev (3)
- Daniel Roman (4)
- Isaac Dogboe (5)
- Ryosuke Iwasa (6)
- Ronny Rios (7)
- Brandon Figueroa (8)
- Stephen Fulton (9)
- Luis Nery (-)
- Carlos Castro (10)
Dropped from the rankings: Emanuel Navarette (2)
With Emanuel Navaratte’s move up a weight class, the junior featherweights all shift up a spot, with the exception of Carlos Castro, who stays put at No. 10. Luis Nery overtakes Castro as he jumps into the top 10 as the new No. 9.
- Naoya Inoue (1)
- Emmanuel Rodriguez (3)
- Nonito Donaire (4)
- Nordine Oubaali (6)
- Jason Maloney (5)
- Guillermo Rigondeaux (6)
- John Riel Casimero (8)
- Zolani Tete (9)
- Takuma Inoue (10)
- Oscar Negrete (-)
Dropped from the rankings: Luis Nery (2)
Naoya Inoue made his Top Rank debut and did not disappoint. He picked up a TKO victory over Jason Maloney. His speed and power was too much for his opponent, and it was the perfect performance to introduce himself to a larger group of viewers in the United States. Luis Nery departs the top 10 with his move up in weight, leading to a shuffle among those immediately behind Inoue in our poll. After the loss to Inoue, Maloney remains at No. 5, but he now falls below Nordine Oubaali, who leapfrogs from sixth to fourth. With Nery’s departure, Oscar Negrete debuts in the rankings at No. 10.
- Juan Francisco Estrada (1)
- Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (2)
- Roman Gonzalez (4)
- Jerwin Ancajas (3)
- Khalid Yafai (5)
- Donnie Nietes (6)
- Kazuto Ioka (7)
- Carlos Cuadras (8)
- Joshua Franco (9)
- Francisco Rodriguez Jr. (10)
Surprise! The “little” guys brought it again this month. First, Juan Francisco Estrada was tested against a very game Carlo Cuadras. Cuadras dropped Estrada in round three, but Estrada regained control and finished Cuadras in the 11th round. Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez continued to look great, especially after many thought his career was on the downhill after two losses to Sor Rungvisai. Chocolatito cruised to a decision victory over Israel Gonzalez and advances to the No. 3 spot in the rankings as a result.
- Kosei Tanaka (1)
- Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar (2)
- Artem Dalakian (3)
- Sho Kimura (4)
- Moruti Mthalane (5)
- Cristofer Rosales (6)
- McWilliams Arroyo (7)
- Andrew Selby (8)
- Junto Nakatani (9)
- Giemel Magramo (10)
Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar got his second victory of 2020 with a finish of Moises Calleros in the second round. He holds steady at second in the rankings.
- Ken Shiro (1)
- Hiroto Kyoguchi (2)
- Hekkie Budler (3)
- Carlos Canizales (4)
- Elwin Soto (5)
- Angel Acosta (6)
- Felix Alvarado (7)
- Edward Heno (8)
- Daniel Valladares (9)
- Tetsuya Hisada (10)
No. 2-ranked Hiroto Kyoguchi got back in the ring for the first time in 14 months. He defeated Tetsuya Hisada via unanimous decision. Elwin Soto was also in action and scored a decision victory. Soto holds steady at fifth in our poll.
- Wanheng Menayothin (1)
- Knockout CP Freshmart (2)
- Byron Rojas (3)
- Jose Argumedo (4)
- Simphiwe Khonco (6)
- Nkosinathi Joyi (7)
- Joey Canoy (8)
- Melvin Jerusalem (9)
- Wilfredo Mendez (10)
- Pedro Taduran (-)
Dropped from the rankings: Leroy Estrada (5)
Leroy Estrada departs the rankings due to losses and inactivity. Every fighter moves up a spot, while Pedro Taduran joins the rankings as the new No. 10.
- Terence Crawford (1)
- Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (3)
- Naoya Inoue (4)
- Oleksandr Usyk (5)
- Teofimo Lopez (-)
- Gennady Golovkin (6)
- Vasyl Lomachencko (2)
- Errol Spence Jr. (7)
- Juan Francisco Estrada (9)
- Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (10)
Dropped from the rankings: Mikey Garcia (8)
Naoya Inoue moves to No. 3, while Canelo Alvarez inches up to second. Teofimo Lopez’s victory over Vasyl Lomachenko allows him to enter in fifth, with Loma dropping below Oleksandr Usyk and Gennady Golovkin to land in seventh. Mikey Garcia falls from the rankings entirely after too much inactivity and no big wins to make him worthy of a pound-for-pound ranking.