ESPN updated its pound-for-pound list on May 8, four days ago. On the February 5th update earlier this year, David Benavidez made his top 10 debut. Since then, he has been steadily climbing up, much to the dismay of Canelo Alvarez. The No.1 spot for Oleksandr Usyk remained unchanged. And Naoya Inoue, the undisputed super bantamweight champion, also managed to keep his place above Terence Crawford in the second spot. However, the recent shuffle in the rankings has mirrored last weekend’s mega bouts featuring Canelo Alvarez.
As for the undisputed super middleweight champion, things do not look so good. The Mexican superstar was dropped down one spot consecutively in the last two pound-for-pound list refreshes. Though he managed to reclaim his IBF super middleweight title, becoming the undisputed champion once again, his performance was not as appealing. “Canelo falls on my list due to the subpar quality of his recent opponents. Either he’s favoring financial security over legacy, or he is simply slowing down,” the ESPN boxing writer Andreas Hale said, explaining his reasoning. So what are the other changes?
Big changes for Canelo Alvarez
During the bout with El Indomable in the Cinco de Mayo weekend, the Cuban was trying to survive Canelo more than trying to win. After trying to land punches on the mobile 32-year-old, Alvarez grew frustrated and let the bout run to its full length. At the end, it was the judges’ scorecards at 115-113, 116-112, and 119-109, declaring Cinnamon victorious. The IBF title, which was stripped from him for choosing to fight Edgar Berlanga in September last year, returned to Alvarez, making him a two-time undisputed champion in the division. Yet, the performance was seen as lackluster by many, with Canelo only landing 56 punches, almost the same as Scull’s 55. In total, he threw only 152 punches while Scull threw 293 punches, setting a new record for the fewest punches thrown in a 12-round fight according to CompuBox.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – MAY 03: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez punches William Scull on the Fatal Fury City of Wolves card at ANB Arena on May 03, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
So, Canelo Alvarez ranked 7th on ESPN’s pound-for-pound list, one below his earlier ranking of sixth. Meanwhile, the day after Canelo’s fight, Naoya Inoue threw a promising showdown for the crowd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sure, fans skipped a heartbeat when he fell on the canvas in the second round, but what happened later is a story to remember, unlike Canelo’s bout. The knockout artist got back up and continued the fight to finish off his opponent in the eighth round.
Now, the fighter’s KO streak stands at 11 for title fights, and the kind of skill he showcases inside the ring is something fans want to keep witnessing. This explains why he has consistently maintained his pound-for-pound standing. But, what about Terence Crawford?
Where do Terence Crawford, Gervonta Davis, and Shakur Stevenson rank?
In the rankings, the unified heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, retained his spot at the No.1 pound-for-pound, followed by Inoue and Crawford. The light heavyweight stars Dimitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, too, held on to their spots at 4th and 5th, respectively. Though the person who trumped Canelo Alvarez was none other than Jesse Rodriguez, who moved up one space to swap places with Canelo’s 6th. And again, David Benavidez, Junto Nakatani, and Shakur Stevenson followed as usual in the last three spots, in that particular order.
But what about Gervonta Davis?
The man who held the No.8 spot back in February saw a dip soon after. Thanks to his dismal showing against Lamont Roach Jr., the fight ended in a draw, and Tank was subsequently kicked off in the March update of ESPN’s list. Though a rematch has been scheduled, the misery continues for Gervonta Davis, who finds no place in the rankings despite being one of the most well-known names in boxing at the moment. Shakur Stevenson’s continued presence should only add to Tank’s dismay.
So, now you know all the drama with the rankings and why fighters are where they are right now. Moving forward, it seems like Naoya Inoue’s position is likely cemented for a long time on the list. While Canelo and Crawford will see a massive change in their ranks after their fight in September. What do you think about that? Will Canelo Alvarez come out stronger? Or will it be Terence Crawford’s chance to rise up and take Usyk’s No. spot?
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