In the aftermath of Oleksandr Usyk’s win over Daniel Dubois last month, the boxing world has been playing games of what-if.
What if … Usyk faced Lennox Lewis, the top heavyweight of the early aughts, who powered his way to the top of the division behind a stiff jab and a concussive right hand?
What if … Usyk squared off against Mike Tyson, whose heavy hands terrorized the division in the late 1980s?
What if … Usyk had a chance to fight Muhammad Ali, whose G.O.A.T status was earned by fast feet and blurring speed and whose résumé is more impressive than Usyk’s?
That we are even having those debates speaks to the greatness of Usyk, who earned two-time heavyweight undisputed status (and three-time undisputed overall) with a decisive knockout win over Dubois last month. Usyk silenced whatever skeptics lingered after his first win over Dubois with a one-sided beat down in the rematch. After cleaning out the top names at cruiserweight, Usyk has notched wins over nearly every ex-champion at heavyweight. And, at 38, is showing no signs of slowing down.
On to Sports Illustrated’s latest pound-for-pound list.
1. Oleksandr Usyk
Record: 24–0
Last Ranking: 1
Last Fight: KO win vs. Daniel Dubois
Next Fight: TBD
Usyk is No. 1. Period. Full stop. Undisputed cruiserweight champion, a pair of wins over Tyson Fury, two over Anthony Joshua and two stoppages of Dubois, the last a more conclusive knockout than the first one. Debate Usyk’s legacy all you want but few fighters in any weight class in any era have a résumé as densely populated with top opponents. Usyk claims he has one more fight left in him, with Joseph Parker, the last of this generation of top heavyweights Usyk has not beaten, the leading candidate.
2. Terence Crawford
Record: 41–0
Last Ranking: 2
Last Fight: UD win vs. Israil Madrimov
Next Fight: 9/13 vs. Canelo Álvarez
Speaking of résumés, Crawford has built one of boxing’s most impressive: Four-division world champion, two-division undisputed champion and reigning titleholder at 154 pounds, courtesy of a clean win over Madrimov last summer. Next month Crawford will put his talent to the test when he leaps up two weight classes to face Álvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion who remains a fixture on most pound-for-pound lists.
3. Naoya Inoue
Record: 30–0
Last Ranking: 3
Last Fight: TKO win vs. Ramon Cardenas
Next Fight: 9/14 vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
It still feels disrespectful to place an undefeated, two-division undisputed champion third, but such is the state of the top of the sport. Inoue is 2–0 in 2025, with back-to-back knockout wins over Ye Joon Kim and Cardenas. In September, Inoue will face a stiffer test when he takes on Akhmadaliev, the former unified 122-pound champion. Another win will further build the anticipation for showdowns with the likes of Junto Nakatani and Jesse Rodriguez, the two dominant fighters at 118 and 115 pounds, respectively.
4. Dmitry Bivol
Record: 24–1
Last Ranking: 7
Last fight: MD win vs. Artur Beterbiev
Next fight: TBD
In a must-win fight against Beterbiev last February, Bivol, 34, delivered, surging in the second half to pull away with a clean win. Now what? A rubber match seems like it may have to wait. Bivol has been ordered to defend one of his titles against Michael Eifert, a fight Bivol’s team may be inclined to accept—if they can find someone willing to pay for it. Either way, a third fight with Beterbiev is inevitable.
5. Jesse Rodriguez
Record: 22–0
Last Ranking: 5
Last Fight: TKO win vs. Phumelela Cafu
Next Fight: 11/22 vs. Fernando Martínez
Rodriguez continues to shine against top competition. In July, “Bam” stopped Cafu, an undefeated titleholder, to unify his second weight division. Rodriguez is 6–0 at 115-pounds, with four of the wins coming by knockout. The stiff tests keep coming: In November, Bam will head to Riyadh to attempt to unify a third title when he takes on Martínez.
6. Shakur Stevenson
Record: 24–0
Last Ranking: 9
Last Fight: UD win vs. William Zepeda
Next Fight: TBD
For years, Stevenson has been calling for stiff tests. When he got one, he shined, scoring a lopsided decision win over Zepeda in July. Stevenson was brilliant, countering the relentlessness of Zepeda with power and pinpoint accuracy. It was a reminder that Stevenson, a former Olympic silver medalist and three-division champion, has the potential to be an all-time great. Stevenson continues to call out top names (Gervonta Davis, Teofimo Lopez) and the performance against Zepeda will make landing one more likely.
7. Canelo Álvarez
Record: 63-2-2
Last Ranking: 6
Last Fight: UD win vs. William Scull
Next Fight: 9/13 vs Terence Crawford
Canelo critics were out in force last May after Álvarez sleepwalked through a lackluster win over Scull, a lightly regarded titleholder who forced Álvarez to chase him all fight. Was Álvarez, 35, slowing down? Álvarez has not had a knockout since 2021 and hasn’t defeated an elite opponent since ’22, when he completed his trilogy with Gennadiy Golovkin. A lot of questions will be answered in September, when Álvarez faces Crawford in the most anticipated fight of the year.
8. Junto Nakatani
Record: 31–0
Last Ranking: 10
Last Fight: RTD win vs. Ryosuke Nishida
Next Fight: TBD
In June, Nakatani unified the 118-pound titles, blitzing Nishida en route to a sixth-round stoppage. Nakatani blends size (5’8”, large for the lower weight classes), crushing power (24 knockouts) and a desire to rumble with his opponents; he has knocked out all five of his bantamweight challengers inside seven rounds. Nakatani wants more unification fights, but the real showdown is a division north, at 122, where countryman Naoya Inoue is waiting.
9. David Benavidez
Record: 30–0
Last Ranking: 8
Last Fight: UD win vs. David Morrell
Next Fight: 11/22 vs. Anthony Yarde
The Mexican Monster has arrived in the light heavyweight division. In February, Benavidez outworked Morrell, besting one of boxing’s boogeymen to solidify his spot just behind Bivol and Beterbiev at 175 pounds. While the biggest names continue to elude—or avoid—Benavidez, the two-division champion is putting together a nice résumé, with wins over Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade and Morrell. He’ll get another name in November when he headlines in Riyadh against Yarde, a rugged ex-title challenger.
10. Artur Beterbiev
Record: 21–1
Last Ranking: 7
Last Fight: MD loss to Dmitry Bivol
Next Fight: TBD
Was the loss to Bivol the beginning of the end for Beterbiev? While the fight was competitive, Beterbiev wasn’t able to find that extra gear to close Bivol out. At 40, age isn’t on Beterbiev’s side. Beterbiev is anxious to get his lick back, but a trilogy-completing fight will likely have to wait until 2026, when Beterbiev will be 41. It’s fair to wonder if, after more than a decade of dominance, Beterbiev’s best days are behind him.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Oleksandr Usyk Emphatically Maintains Top Spot in Pound-for-Pound Rankings.