Boxing Pound-for-Pound Rankings: Canelo Alvarez continues backward slide; Naoya Inoue maintains with wild win

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At 34, Canelo Alvarez remains one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in boxing after reacquiring undisputed champion status last weekend at 168 pounds. But to say the Mexican superstar is trending in the right direction of late, as it pertains to the court of public opinion, would be an entirely different conversation. 

Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) has already been under a great deal of fire for his outright refusal to face two-time champion and unbeaten slugger David Benavidez after a series of excuses from Alvarez (and outright enabling from the sport’s sanctioning bodies) led to Benavidez moving up in weight after refusing to sit around. It was Alvarez’s return on May 3, however, that brought an even more immense amount of scrutiny in his direction.

After swerving YouTube influencer Jake Paul in the 11th hour to sign a four-fight deal with powerful adviser Turki Alalshikh earlier this year, Alvarez made his fighting debut on Saudi Arabia on May 3 in a Cinco de Mayo matchup against IBF titleholder William Scull that only came to be because Alvarez had refused to face the obscure mandatory challenger in late 2024 and was stripped of one of his four 168-pound world titles. 

Not only did the matchup fail to create any buzz after Alvarez was installed as high as a 40-to-1 betting favorite, the fight itself ended up in the history books for all of the wrong reasons after Scull (23-1, 9 KOs) refused to do anything but circle away and the frustrated Alvarez eventually gave up trying to chase him down. 

The fight, which was contested at 6 a.m. local in Riyadh in front of just 4,000 fans so it could be broadcast in prime time back in Mexico and the United States, broke a CompuBox record for the fewest combined punches over 12 rounds. Even worse, Alvarez set an individual record for futility in the same fight by attempting the least amount of punches in any 12-found bout ever tracked by the punch-tracking system that debuted in 1985.

Teofimo Lopez shines in battering Arnold Barboza to retain title, calls for fight with Jarron ‘Boots’ Ennis
Brian Campbell

Teofimo Lopez shines in battering Arnold Barboza to retain title, calls for fight with Jarron 'Boots' Ennis

This wasn’t the first time Alvarez faced a defensive-first boxer throughout his legendary career. But unlike earlier performances in title fights against the likes of Austin Trout or Erislandy Lara, this version of Alvarez couldn’t be bothered to do much more than complain after unsuccessfully attempting to cut off the ring and hurt Scull for the majority of the rounds.

After the fight, Alvarez continued his campaign against the hand-picked Scull by saying he hates fighting boxers with that style who don’t engage. It was a comment that was met with nothing but irony by Alvarez’s growing legion of critics who pointed out just how willing Benavidez is to fight in the Mexican style that Alvarez prefers.

Alvarez turned professional at the age of 15, all the way back in 2005, and has delivered a first-ballot HOF resumé through an incredible 67 fights. But it’s hard to hear anyone in 2025 talk about him without referencing either his slowly fading skill set or — even worse — how little he appears to want to match himself tough moving forward. 

Ever since a 2022 loss to light heavyweight king Dmitry Bivol, Alvarez has paired himself against a combination of undersized, past-their-prime or limited opponents after spending the previous decade establishing his legacy as that of an ambitious boxer who was willing to take on difficult challenges for even bigger purses. 

Sure, it can be explained that the selection of Scull as his May opponent was only so Alvarez could once again unify the four super middleweight world titles, thus making his September showdown against Terence Crawford even bigger as it gives Crawford, who will be moving up multiple weight divisions, the chance to become the first undisputed champion in three different weight classes during the four-belt era. But that doesn’t mean Alvarez did himself any favors by the uninspired way in which he navigated a fight that was already so void of excitement. 

The Crawford fight will undoubtedly be a big one, not just because it will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (likely on Netflix) but because it also signifies UFC president Dana White’s move into boxing through TKO, which Alalshikh has agreed to financially back in the hopes of launching a new and exclusive league. But it’s also a continuous step away from Alvarez fighting the best remaining opponents his own size and needs to be factored in when giving an honest grade as to where he still ranks amongst his peers from a P4P standpoint atop the sport. 

Not only has Alvarez seen better days as a boxer, so has his reputation. And that’s the most disturbing part of this scenario. 

Using a criteria that takes into account everything from accomplishments to current form, let’s take a closer look at the top fighters inside the ring. Below is the latest Pound for Pound rankings update after Alvarez’s win in May.

Pound-for-Pound Rankings

1. Oleksandr Usyk

Undisputed heavyweight champion (23-0, 14 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 1

Usyk’s professional run has been as decorated as it has been perfect. The former undisputed cruiserweight champ, who reached similar status as a four-belt champion at heavyweight in his split-decision win over Tyson Fury in May, was even better in their December rematch. Usyk solidified himself as one of the best boxers in division history by efficiently outworking Fury. A rematch with IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois is on tap for July 19.

2. Naoya Inoue

Undisputed junior featherweight champion (27-0, 25 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 2

The four-division champion, who has reached undisputed status in two different weight classes, continued his legendary takeover of the sport in January when he finished late replacement Ye Joon Kim in four rounds in Tokyo. “The Monster” returned to the U.S. in May, when he got up off the deck to finish a brave Ramon Cardenas. Inoue is expected to close 2025 with two additional fights, including his debut in Saudi Arabia.

3. Dmitry Bivol

Undisputed light heavyweight champion (24-1, 12 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 3

Despite coming up just short against Artur Beterbiev via majority decision in their undisputed clash in October, Bivol turned the tables four months later in their February rematch. Saying he needed to simply “do more,” Bivol did just that by rallying in the second half and holding off Beterbiev in Round 12. A trilogy fight appears to be next.

4. Terence Crawford

WBA junior middleweight champion (40-0, 29 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 4

In his long-awaited return from his dismantling of Errol Spence Jr. in July 2023, Crawford moved up to 154 pounds to narrowly hold off WBA champion Israel Madrimov last summer. Up next, Crawford is set to take on the toughest test of his pro career when he moves up two weight classes to challenge undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez this September in Las Vegas.

5. Artur Beterbiev

Light heavyweight (21-1, 20 KOs) | Previous ranking: 5

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 rematch via majority decision. At 40, Beterbiev still showed enough of a motor to surge in Round 12 to cut Bivol, but he will need to wait for redemption in a trilogy bout expected for later this year. 

6. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez

Flyweight, junior bantamweight titleholder (20-0, 13 KOs) | Previous ranking: 8

The 24-year-old phenom from San Antonio landed just shy of 50% of his power shots to dismantle 115-pound titleholder Juan Francisco Estrada last July. Rodriguez returned in November to defend his junior bantamweight title by stopping Pedro Guevara in Philadelphia. A unification bout against South Africa’s Phumelela Cafu is next on July 19. 

7. Canelo Alvarez

Unified super middleweight champion (62-2-2, 38 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 6

Alvarez remains a lightning rod for criticism in ways that now go above his shameless avoidance of David Benavidez. The Mexican icon, who signed a four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh earlier this year, made his Saudi Arabia debut in May against unheralded IBF titleholder William Scull as the two turned in a woeful performance that was worse than a sparring match. The win set Alvarez up for a September showdown against Terence Crawford at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

8. David Benavidez

Interim light heavyweight titleholder (29-0, 24 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 8

Frustrated with waiting around for his shot at undisputed 168-pound king Canelo Alvarez, “El Monstro” moved up in weight to outclass former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk last year and unbeaten David Morrell Jr. in January. Benavidez was upgraded to full WBC titleholder at 175 pounds after unified champion Dmitry Bivol chose to pursue a trilogy bout against Artur Beterbiev. 

9. Junto Nakatani

WBC bantamweight champion (30-0, 23 KOs) | Previous ranking: 9

A two-division titleholder, the native of Japan has become a breakout star after moving up to 118 pounds and scoring four title wins with four knockouts. Nakatani made the third defense of his WBC title in February when he needed just three rounds to finish 28-0 David Cuellar. Superfights against Naoya Inoue or Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez could be in the exciting southpaw’s future. 

10. Gervonta Davis

WBA lightweight champion (30-0-1, 28 KOs) | Previous ranking: 10

A noticeably flat performance against former amateur rival and 130-pound titleholder Lamont Roach Jr. in March saw Davis lucky to settle for a disputed draw thanks to a blown knockdown call. Davis owns an immediate rematch clause and is expected to face Roach a second time this summer. Until then, “Tank” needs to come to terms with recent retirement talk to reactivate the competitive fire within him.

Dropped out: None
Honorable mention: Shakur Stevenson, Teofimo Lopez Jr., Tyson Fury, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Keyshawn Davis

This news was originally published on this post .

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