ESPN
Mar 13, 2025, 06:49 AM ET
For the second consecutive month, there's a major shakeup in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings.
In February, David Benavidez replaced Junto Nakatani on the list following "The Mexican Monster's" impressive win over David Morrell.
Now, Nakatani reenters on the heels of Gervonta Davis' career-worst performance, a shocking draw with Lamont Roach on March 1.
For the first time in recent memory, "Tank" Davis won't be on the list as he struggled mightily as a -2000 favorite, per ESPN BET. He was previously No. 8 pound-for-pound. It's Benavidez who now occupies that spot, with Nakatani and Shakur Stevenson behind him, respectively.
That's not the only movement. Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev swapped spots in the top five following Bivol's decision victory on Feb. 22 to even the score in the undisputed light heavyweight championship rematch.
Naoya Inoue was tied with Terence Crawford in the previous rankings but now solely occupies No. 2 with "Bud" one spot below.
Our panel of Mike Coppinger, Timothy Bradley Jr., Joe Tessitore, Teddy Atlas, Nick Parkinson, Eric Raskin, Bernardo Osuna, Michelle Joy Phelps, 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 March 13.
1. OLEKSANDR USYK 
Previous ranking: 1
RECORD: 23-0, 14 KOs
DIVISION: Heavyweight (unified champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Tyson Fury, Dec. 21
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
The Olympic gold medalist has effectively cleaned out the top of the heavyweight division since September 2021, with a pair of decision wins over Tyson Fury, two points victories over Anthony Joshua, and a ninth-round KO of Daniel Dubois. Those are five combined wins over three of the four fighters behind him in ESPN's heavyweight rankings. Still, there remain intriguing fights for Usyk. His promoter, Alexander Krassyuk, told The Ring recently that the 38-year-old won't join Fury in retirement and will fight on. Usyk is interested in a rematch with IBF champion Daniel Dubois -- whom he KOed in Round 9 in August 2023 -- to regain the undisputed championship. -- Mike Coppinger
2. NAOYA INOUE Previous ranking: T-2
RECORD: 29-0, 26 KOs
DIVISION: Junior featherweight (undisputed champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (KO4) Ye Joon Kim, Jan. 24
NEXT FIGHT: May 4 vs. Ramon Cardenas
"The Monster" will fight in the U.S. for the first time since 2021 with a May 4 matchup against Ramon Cardenas in Las Vegas. San Antonio's Cardenas, who's rated No. 10 by ESPN at 122 pounds, figures to be another Inoue KO casualty. The rare Sunday title fight will cap a packed fight weekend that begins May 2 with Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez in separate bouts before Canelo's return the following day. Inoue is expected to meet former champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September in Japan followed by a December bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. -- Coppinger
3. TERENCE CRAWFORD 
Previous ranking: T-2
RECORD: 40-0, 31 KOs
DIVISION: Junior middleweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Israil Madrimov, Aug. 3
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
The four-division champion is lined up for his dream fight in September, a shot at super middleweight king Canelo Alvarez, where Crawford would move up two more weight classes after only one fight at 154 pounds. There's no denying Crawford's immense talent and skill set: he can switch seamlessly between orthodox and southpaw, possesses elite footwork and an A+ fighting spirit. All of that will be tested if he faces Alvarez as expected. Besides the tremendous gap in size, Crawford is perhaps the sport's most inactive star. The last time he fought more than once was in 2019. And if he fights Alvarez, sources told ESPN Crawford won't fight before then, and will use the time to build his body up to 168 pounds. -- Coppinger
4. DMITRY BIVOL 
Previous ranking: 5
RECORD: 24-1, 12 KOs
DIVISION: Light heavyweight (undisputed champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (MD12) Artur Beterbiev, Feb. 22
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Bivol picked up a second victory over a surefire future Hall of Famer with a decision win over Artur Beterbiev on Feb. 22. The other such win came in May 2022 when he soundly defeated Canelo Alvarez. Many observers believed Bivol deserved the nod when he met Beterbiev in October, but he was even more impressive in the rematch as he sustained his offensive attack late in the fight. The first time around, Beterbiev unanimously swept the final three rounds to win the fight. Next up for Bivol is likely a third fight with Beterbiev or an undisputed light heavyweight title defense vs. Benavidez. -- Coppinger
5. ARTUR BETERBIEV Previous ranking: 4
RECORD: 21-1, 20 KOs
DIVISION: Light heavyweight
LAST FIGHT: L (MD12) Dmitry Bivol, Feb. 22
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Beterbiev suffered the first loss of his pro career in the Bivol rematch on Feb. 22, but he remains in stellar form at 40 years of age. Beterbiev simply ran into a fellow elite fighter in a career that included no such opposition. And like the first bout, which Beterbiev won via decision, they mostly fought on even terms again. It's possible Beterbiev will gain his own shot at revenge in a rubber match later this year. -- Coppinger
6. CANELO ALVAREZ Previous ranking: 6
RECORD: 62-2-2, 39 KOs
DIVISION: Super middleweight (unified champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Edgar Berlanga, Sept. 14
NEXT FIGHT: May 3 vs. William Scull
Alvarez remains the unquestioned face of boxing, the only fighter who can draw both on pay-per-view and at the gate no matter who his opponent is. Canelo will fight William Scull on May 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the IBF title that was stripped from him last year in what would amount to a tune-up bout ahead of a fight with Terence Crawford in September. After picking up easy wins over Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga in 2024, a showdown with Crawford is set for September if Canelo emerges as undisputed champion May 3 (and without injury). -- Coppinger
7. JESSE RODRIGUEZ Previous ranking: 7
RECORD: 21-0, 14 KOs
DIVISION: Junior bantamweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO3) Pedro Guevara, Nov. 9
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Following in the footsteps of the great Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez, Rodriguez is the next elite fighter below 118 pounds. He proved as much last year with a KO of future Hall of Famer Juan Francisco Estrada, who defeated Gonzalez twice. Rodriguez has yet to meet a fighter who could test him but that could change with his next fight. "Bam" is in talks to face Fernando Martinez in a 115-pound title unification. Martinez is underrated and is coming off a win over Kazuto Ioka. He's No. 2 at junior bantamweight in ESPN's rankings behind Rodriguez. -- Coppinger
8. DAVID BENAVIDEZ Previous ranking: 10
RECORD: 30-0, 24 KOs
DIVISION: Light heavyweight (interim champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) David Morrell, Feb. 1
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
"The Mexican Monster," as Mike Tyson calls Benavidez, has been knocking on the door of pound-for-pound recognition for years. He broke through in 2023 with a pair of quality wins over Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade at 168 pounds. Benavidez felt those performances were enough to land a shot at champion Canelo Alvarez, but boxing's top star still denied. Benavidez wisely moved up to 175 pounds rather than chase Alvarez. And now, after a clear win over Morrell where he survived a flash knockdown, there's no doubting Benavidez's skill set. He can reach yet another level if he can secure a fight with undisputed light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. -- Coppinger
9. JUNTO NAKATANI Previous ranking: N/R
RECORD: 30-0, 23 KOs
DIVISION: Bantamweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (KO3) David Cuellar Contreras, Feb. 24
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Nakatani is one of four bantamweight titleholders, but he's head and shoulders above the rest. The rangy puncher picked up another early KO with a third-round finish of David Cuellar in Tokyo in February. Next up is expected to be a title unification bout with Ryosuke Nishida. It's all leading up to an eventual super fight showdown with undisputed junior featherweight champ Naoya Inoue that should be the biggest fight in Japan's history. -- Coppinger
10. SHAKUR STEVENSON Previous ranking: 9
RECORD: 23-0, 11 KOs
DIVISION: Lightweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO9) Josh Padley, Feb. 22
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Stevenson was slated to fight Floyd Schofield on Feb. 22, but a fight-week illness scrapped the fight and inserted British fighter Josh Padley on a few days' notice. Padley, who was working as an electrician, was overmatched as Stevenson picked up his first stoppage win in four fights. Still, Stevenson's performance was hardly spellbinding as he didn't take many chances. Perhaps he needs an elite opponent to bring him to the next level. -- Coppinger
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: Gervonta Davis (18), Teofimo Lopez Jr. (8), Vasiliy Lomachenko (4), Janibek Alimkhanuly (1).
How our writers voted
Bradley: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3: Inoue, 4. Bivol, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Alvarez, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Nakatani, 9. Stevenson, 10. Davis
Coppinger: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Bivol, 4. Crawford, 5. Alvarez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Nakatani, 9. Benavidez, 10. Davis
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. Alvarez, 9. Stevenson, 10. Benavidez
Parkinson: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Crawford, 4. Bivol, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Alvarez, 7. Rodriguez, 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. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Bivol, 5. Alvarez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Nakatani, 9. Benavidez, 10. Stevenson
Phelps: 1. Usyk, 2. Bivol, 3. Alvarez, 4. Crawford, 5. Inoue, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Lopez, 8. Rodriguez, 9. Benavidez, 10. Stevenson
Rodriguez: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Bivol, 4. Crawford, 5. Alvarez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Stevenson, 9. Nakatani, 10. Benavidez
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. Inoue, 3. Crawford, 4. Bivol, 5. Alvarez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Benavidez, 8. Stevenson, 9. Davis, 10. Rodriguez
Pilatti: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Bivol, 4. Crawford, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Benavidez, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Nakatani, 9. Stevenson, 10. Alimkhanuly
Zirolli: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Stevenson, 5. Bivol, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Alvarez, 8. Rodriguez, 9. Lopez, 10. Nakatani
Mascaro: 1. Usyk, 2. Crawford, 3. Inoue, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Bivol, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Alvarez, 8. Nakatani, 9. Benavidez, 10. Davis
Freeman: 1. Inoue, 2. Crawford, 3. Usyk, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Bivol, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Nakatani, 8. Alvarez, 9. Stevenson, 10. Davis
Lopez: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Crawford, 4. Bivol, 5. Alvarez, 6. Beterbiev, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Benavidez, 9. Stevenson, 10. Nakatani
Delgado Averhof: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Bivol, 4. Crawford, 5. Alvarez, 6. Rodriguez, 7. Beterbiev, 8. Benavidez, 9. Davis, 10. Stevenson
ESPN experts' poll
First place: Usyk (15), Inoue (1), Crawford (1)
Second place: Inoue (9), Crawford (7), Bivol (1)
Third place: Inoue (6), Crawford (4), Bivol (4), Usyk (2), Alvarez (1)
Fourth place: Bivol (8), Crawford (5), Rodriguez (2), Beterbiev (1), Stevenson (1)
Fifth place: Alvarez (7), Beterbiev (5), Bivol (4), Inoue (1)
Sixth place: Beterbiev (9), Alvarez (2), Rodriguez (2), Benavidez (2), Davis (1), Nakatani (1)
Seventh place: Rodriguez (8), Alvarez (2), Benavidez (2), Beterbiev (1), Davis (1), Nakatani (1), Lopez (1), Lomachenko (1)
Eighth place: Nakatani (6), Alvarez (4), Stevenson (3), Rodriguez (2), Benavidez (2)
Ninth place: Stevenson (6), Benavidez (5), Davis (2), Lopez (2), Rodriguez (1), Nakatani (1)
10th place: Davis (5), Stevenson (3), Benavidez (3), Nakatani (3), Beterbiev (1), Rodriguez (1), Akhmadaliev (1)
