Men's pound-for-pound rankings: Canelo Alvarez returns to the top 10

Canelo Alvarez returns to the top 10 following a dominant victory over Christian Mbilli in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 31. Alvarez had previously lost his spot after less than stellar performances in unanimous decision victories over Edgar Berlanga in 2024 and William Scull in 2025, followed by a clear defeat against Terence Crawford later that year. Alvarez (64-3-2, 39 KOs) hasn't scored a knockout since stopping Caleb Plant in November 2021. And while he went the distance against Mbilli, the fight was never in question, as Alvarez reaffirmed his status as the best super middleweight in boxing. With the victory, Alvarez takes over the No. 10 spot in the pound-for-pound rankings. Another fighter making a strong case for the top 10 is O'Shaquie Foster, who unified the WBO, IBF and WBC junior lightweight titles with an impressive performance against three-division champion Emanuel Navarrete on Oct. 24. Foster received several votes but not enough to break into the top 10, leaving him just outside the list. He could make an even stronger case by becoming undisputed. Foster will have that opportunity if he can secure a fight against the winner of WBA champion Anthony Cacace's matchup against Nick Ball on Dec. 19. Our panel of Joe Tessitore, Teddy Atlas, Nick Parkinson, James Regan, Eric Woodyard, Bernardo Pilatti, Salvador Rodriguez, Jim Zirolli, Michael Mascaro, Aladdin Freeman, Victor Lopez, Damian Delgado Averhoff and German Garcia shares its votes. More ESPN rankings: Divisional rankings and women's pound-for-pound rankings. Note: Results are through Nov. 4. 1. NAOYA INOUE RECORD: 33-0, 27 KOs DIVISION: Junior featherweight (undisputed champion) LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Junto Nakatani, May 2 NEXT FIGHT: TBA A champion in four weight classes and undisputed in two, "Monster" Inoue is the definition of a pound-for-pound fighter. His victory over fellow Japanese champion Junto Nakatani helped Inoue take the No. 1 spot from Oleksandr Usyk. His next fight could be a highly anticipated matchup with Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez in early 2027. If that fight doesn't happen next, Inoue has said he plans to move up in weight looking to become a champion in a fifth division. 2. OLEKSANDR USYK RECORD: 25-0, 16 KOs DIVISION: Heavyweight LAST FIGHT: W (TKO11) Rico Verhoeven, May 23 NEXT FIGHT: TBA Usyk appears to be entering the final stages of a Hall of Fame career, but he remains the best heavyweight in the world. Usyk struggled in his fight against former kickboxing champion Verhoeven, then vacated his WBA, IBF and WBC titles and has yet to announce his next fight. Usyk, an undisputed champion at cruiserweight and a two-time undisputed champion at heavyweight, said before the Verhoeven fight that he hoped to fight twice more. 3. JESSE RODRIGUEZ RECORD: 24-0, 17 KOs DIVISION: Bantamweight (champion) LAST FIGHT: W (KO6) Antonio Vargas, June 13 NEXT FIGHT: TBA "Bam" Rodriguez became a champion in a third division by stopping Vargas in his first fight at 118 pounds. He is now just one division below Naoya Inoue, the undisputed junior featherweight champion, setting up one of the most exciting matchups boxing can offer. But Rodriguez's manager and trainer, Robert Garcia, said after the Vargas fight that he wants Rodriguez to have one more fight at bantamweight before moving up to face Inoue. 4. DAVID BENAVIDEZ RECORD: 32-0, 26 KOs DIVISION: Cruiserweight (unified champion) LAST FIGHT: W (KO6) Gilberto Ramirez, May 2 NEXT FIGHT: Dec. 5 vs. Michal Cieslak Benavidez isn't wasting any time with his career. After failing to get Canelo Alvarez in the ring at super middleweight, he began moving up in weight and dominating opponents in each division. In his first fight at cruiserweight, "The Mexican Monster" stopped "Zurdo" Ramirez in impressive fashion to become the WBA and WBO champion. His next fight will be a unification bout against Cieslak, the WBC champion. 5. SHAKUR STEVENSON RECORD: 25-0, 11 KOs DIVISION: Junior welterweight (champion) LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Teofimo Lopez Jr., Jan. 31 NEXT FIGHT: TBA Stevenson could be higher on this list, and at 28 years old, he has plenty of time to keep climbing. His defensive skills are unmatched, and his underrated power has carried over as he has moved up in weight. Already a champion in four weight classes, Stevenson is rarely in trouble inside the ring. His one-sided victory over Lopez puts Stevenson in a strong position to unify belts at 140 pounds or even move up to welterweight, where Lopez, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Liam Paro, all champions, compete. 6. DMITRY BIVOL RECORD: 25-1, 12 KOs DIVISION: Light heavyweight (unified champion) LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Michael Eifert, May 30 NEXT FIGHT: Dec. 12 vs. Callum Smith Bivol has been slowed by injuries and has fought just twice in the past two years, but the former undisputed light heavyweight champion remains the best fighter in the division. He went the distance against Eifert in his return after more than a year away and has not fought since. Bivol will face Smith, his WBO mandatory challenger, on Dec. 12 in Russia. 7. DEVIN HANEY RECORD: 33-0, 1 NC, 15 KOs DIVISION: Welterweight (champion) LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Brian Norman Jr., Nov. 22, 2025 NEXT FIGHT: TBA Haney's most recent fight was a dominant victory over Norman in November to win the WBO welterweight title. After his loss to Ryan Garcia in April 2024 -- a result later changed to a no-decision after Garcia tested positive for a banned substance -- Haney has won two consecutive fights. Haney has been public about wanting a rematch with Garcia, which never materialized after their first meeting. 8. JARON "BOOTS" ENNIS RECORD: 36-0, 32 KOs DIVISION: Junior middleweight (unified champion) LAST FIGHT: W (TKO7) Xander Zayas, June 27 NEXT FIGHT: TBA Ennis' victory over Zayas was exactly what the former welterweight champion needed to move his career forward. Zayas called for the fight, but Ennis dropped him three times before stopping him in Round 7 to win the WBO and WBA junior middleweight titles. A potential mega fight between Ennis and WBC interim champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. has been in the works for months, but disagreements between Ortiz and his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, have stopped the fight from happening. Ortiz is set to fight Keith Thurman in December, leaving Ennis potentially facing IBF junior middleweight champion Josh Kelly in a three-belt title unification bout early next year. 9. JAI OPETAIA RECORD: 31-0, 24 KOs DIVISION: Cruiserweight LAST FIGHT: W (TKO9) Noel Mikaelian, Sept. 12 NEXT FIGHT: TBA Opetaia has been stripped of the IBF title twice for failing to face his mandatory challengers, and the WBC declined to sanction his fight against its champion, Noel Mikaelian. Mikaelian was supposed to face mandatory challenger David Benavidez. Regardless of the titles, Opetaia remains the top-ranked cruiserweight in the division, and Benavidez, the WBA and WBO champion, could be the fighter standing in his way. While Opetaia has said he wants to unify all four major belts at 200 pounds, a potential fight at heavyweight against former champion Deontay Wilder has been rumored for later this year. 10. CANELO ALVAREZ Previous ranking: NR RECORD: 64-3-2, 39 KOs DIVISION: Super middleweight (champion) LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Christian Mbilli, Oct. 31 NEXT FIGHT: TBA Alvarez returns to the rankings after a dominant victory over Mbilli to reclaim the WBC super middleweight title. He showed he remains one of boxing's elite fighters, using his footwork and upper-body movement to neutralize Mbilli's offense. Alvarez is interested in rematches against Terence Crawford and Dmitry Bivol, but he could also try to unify titles against IBF champion Osleys Iglesias or face WBC mandatory challenger Lester Martinez. 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: O'Shaquie Foster (10), Ryan Garcia (6), Junto Nakatani (5), Rafael Espinoza (3), Oscar Collazo (3). How our writers voted Atlas: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Benavidez, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Stevenson, 6. Bivol, 7. Ennis, 8. Haney, 9. Alvarez, 10. Garcia Tessitore: 1. Inoue, 2. Rodriguez, 3. Usyk, 4. Stevenson, 5. Benavidez, 6. Opetaia, 7. Haney, 8. Ennis, 9. Garcia, 10. Nakatani Parkinson: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Benavidez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Rodriguez, 6. Bivol, 7. Haney, 8. Opetaia, 9. Ennis, 10. Espinoza Regan: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Benavidez, 5. Stevenson, 6. Bivol, 7. Haney, 8. Ennis, 9. Alvarez, 10. Opetaia Rodriguez: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Bivol, 5. Benavidez, 6. Stevenson, 7. Ennis, 8. Collazo, 9. Opetaia, 10. Foster Woodyard: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Stevenson, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Benavidez, 6. Bivol, 7. Haney, 8. Ennis, 9. Opetaia, 10. Alvarez Pilatti: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Stevenson, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Foster, 8. Bivol, 9. Ennis, 10. Opetaia Zirolli: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Stevenson, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Ennis, 8. Opetaia, 9. Bivol, 10. Alvarez Mascaro: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Benavidez, 5. Stevenson, 6. Haney, 7. Bivol, 8. Ennis, 9. Espinoza, 10. Foster Freeman: 1. Inoue, 2. Rodriguez, 3. Stevenson, 4. Usyk, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Bivol, 8. Foster, 9. Nakatani, 10. Espinoza Lopez: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Benavidez, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Bivol, 6. Stevenson, 7. Ennis, 8. Haney, 9. Nakatani, 10. Opetaia Delgado Averhof: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Benavidez, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Bivol, 6. Stevenson, 7. Ennis, 8. Hanney, 9. Alvarez, 10. Opetaia Garcia: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Benavidez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Rodriguez, 6. Ennis, 7. Alvarez, 8. Garcia, 9. Bivol, 10. Foster ESPN experts' poll First place: Inoue (11), Usyk (3) Second place: Usyk (9), Inoue (2), Rodriguez (2) Third place: Benavidez (5), Stevenson (4), Rodriguez (3), Usyk (1) Fourth place: Rodriguez (6), Stevenson (3), Benavidez (2), Usyk (1), Bivol (1) Fifth place: Benavidez (6), Stevenson (3), Rodriguez (2), Bivol (2) Sixth place: Bivol (4), Haney (4), Stevenson (3), Ennis (1), Opetaia (1) Seventh place: Ennis (5), Haney (4), Bivol (2), Alvarez (1), Foster (1) Eighth place: Ennis (4), Haney (3), Opetaia (2), Bivol (1), Foster (1), Garcia (1), Collazo (1) Ninth place: Alvarez (3), Bivol (2), Ennis (2), Opetaia (2), Nakatani (2), Garcia (1), Espinoza (1) 10th place: Opetaia (4), Foster (3), Alvarez (2), Espinoza (2), Garcia (1), Nakatani (1)