If you thought it would be impossible for Naoya Inoue, the sport’s defending pound-for-pound king, to be overshadowed on the same calendar day that he recorded a career-defining win in front of 55,000 people in Japan’s biggest boxing match in history, you haven’t met David Benavidez.
Headlining a Cinco de Mayo weekend pay-per-view card in Las Vegas, Benavidez moved up 25 pounds to cruiserweight last Saturday and became the first boxer in history to capture world titles at 168, 175 and 200 pounds when he knocked out unified champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in a sublime performance.
Earlier that morning, the 33-year-old Inoue further cemented his status as one of the greatest fighters in the sport’s history when he entered the Tokyo Dome to defeat unbeaten countryman Junto Nakatani by competitive decision. And while no one is attempting to downplay the impressive impact of what the Japanese “Monster” accomplished, there was something about the performance of “The Mexican Monster” that reverberated across the sport.
Benavidez, 29, not only became a three-division champion, he made his claim to being arguably the most exciting and must-see fighter in the game due to his ambitious climbing in weight and the old-school, brutal nature in which he brought the fight to the 48-1 Ramirez and brutally finished him off inside of six rounds.
With Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez, who has shamelessly ducked Benavidez for years, watching the co-main event on Saturday from ringside to cheer on teammate Jaime Munguia, rather than being in his typical spot of headlining boxing’s “Super Bowl” weekend, Benavidez might have also succeeded in becoming the new face of the annual event, continuing a lineage that included Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather and Alvarez.
Benavidez’s hand speed and variety of offensive attacks, all the while squaring up in front of a much larger opponent, gave visions that a future move to heavyweight isn’t out of the question. But after the victory, Benavidez maintained his desire to become the first boxer to simultaneously defend light heavyweight and cruiserweight titles despite the large weight gap between divisions.
The result could mean a future for Benavidez of superfights against light heavyweight kingpins and P4P greats Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, not to mention the possibility of a showdown against “Ring” cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia. Benavidez also made one final callout of Alvarez, who returns in September to challenge super middleweight titleholder Cristian Mbilli, for a light heavyweight showdown in 2027.
Inoue, a four-division champion, recorded an incredible eighth title defense at 122 pounds by holding off a second-half surge from Nakatani, the former bantamweight king, who suffered a broken orbital bone. A veritable rock star in his native Japan, Inoue continued to prove his standing in the conversation of best boxers of this century while Benavidez showed his overall ceiling could be much higher than any of us expected.
Pound-for-Pound Rankings
1. Naoya Inoue
Undisputed junior featherweight champion (33-0, 27 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 1
The four-division champion followed up a huge 2025, where he became the first boxer to defend the “Ring” title four times, by scoring a career-defining victory over countryman Junto Nakatani in May. The fight, which drew a sellout crowd of 55,000 inside the Tokyo Dome, was the biggest boxing event in Japanese history. The 33-year-old Inoue, who claimed a unanimous decision, further cemented his status as an all-time great.
2. Oleksandr Usyk
Unified heavyweight champion (24-0, 15 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 2
Usyk’s professional run has been as decorated as it has been perfect. The former undisputed cruiserweight champ reached a similar status at heavyweight for the second time in July when he knocked out Daniel Dubois in their rematch. At 39, the proud Ukrainian will return on May 23 when he faces kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven outside the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.
3. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez
Unified junior bantamweight champion (22-0, 15 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 3
The 26-year-old phenom from San Antonio continues to build his case for inclusion in the argument of best fighter in the world. Rodriguez showcased everything that makes him special in a July dismantling of unbeaten Phumelala Cafu to unify titles at 115 pounds. He returned in November to further unify belts when he stopped unbeaten Fernando “Puma” Martinez. A 2027 showdown with Inoue for P4P supremacy could be forthcoming.
4. David Benavidez
Light heavyweight/cruiserweight titleholder (32-0, 26 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 6
At 29, “The Mexican Monster” took a major step forward to boxing immortality when he moved up 25 pounds to cruiserweight and knocked out unified champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez. The victory made Benavidez the first boxer in history to win titles at 168, 175 and 200 pounds. Benavidez plans to also become the first boxer to simultaneously defend light heavyweight and cruiserweight titles moving forward.
5. Shakur Stevenson
WBO junior welterweight champion (25-0, 11 KOs) | Previous ranking: 4
After silencing two years of criticism by standing in the pocket to hand unbeaten William Zepeda his first loss last July, Stevenson finally shared the ring with a fellow top 10 pound-for-pound great in lineal 140-pound champion Teofimo Lopez Jr. in January. The result was one of the most lopsided performances against an elite fighter in modern history as the 28-year-old Stevenson won 11 rounds on all three scorecards in a masterful showing.
6. Dmitry Bivol
Unified light heavyweight champion (24-1, 12 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 5
Bivol followed up his majority decision win over Artur Beterbiev in their 2025 rematch by sitting out the next 15 months to recover from back surgery. In May, the 35-year-old will defend a pair of his 175-pound titles against mandatory challenger Michael Eifert in Russia. From there, Bivol could find himself on a collision course for an undisputed clash with titleholder David Benavidez.
7. Artur Beterbiev
Light heavyweight (21-1, 20 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 7
Four months after narrowly defeating Dmitry Bivol to become the first four-belt undisputed champion in 175-pound history, Beterbiev came up just short in their February 2025 rematch via majority decision. At 41, Beterbiev is still chasing big fights, whether that comes in the form of a Bivol trilogy or a showdown against titleholder David Benavidez.
8. Devin Haney
Welterweight titleholder (33-0, 1 NC, 15 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 9
For all of the criticism he absorbed over his last two fights, Haney reminded everyone of his P4P talent and ring IQ in November when he dropped and handled unbeaten WBO welterweight titleholder Brian Norman Jr. to become a three-division champion. Haney looked stronger and more sturdy at 147 pounds after years of difficult weight cuts. He enters the second half of 2026 in line for an eventual unification rematch with fellow titleholder Ryan Garcia.
9. Junto Nakatani
Junior featherweight (30-1, 23 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 8
A two-division titleholder, Nakatani moved up to 122 pounds and got acclimated before challenging countryman and P4P king Naoya Inoue in May. The historic clash, held in front of 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome, saw Nakatani surge in the second half before Inoue held on for a close decision. After the fight, Nakatani went to the hospital for a broken orbital bone.
10. Jaron Ennis
Junior middleweight (35-0, 31 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 10
The former unified welterweight champion made a spectacular debut at 154 pounds last October when he blew out Ulisma Lima in one round. The win set “Boots” up for a showdown with unbeaten and unified champion Xander Zayas in June at New York’s Madison Square Garden. A victory could catapult the slick and sublime native of Philadelphia into further contention among the P4P best in the game.
Dropped out: None
Honorable mention: Canelo Alvarez, Gervonta Davis, Keyshawn Davis, Vergil Ortiz Jr., Lamont Roach Jr.