Boxing P4P Rankings: Latest top 10 in May 2026 as ‘Mexican Monster’ runs riot and Inoue rules in Japan

On the same day in Japan, the mighty Naoya Inoue beat fellow P4P star Junto Nakatani in an enormous domestic matchup. Their Tokyo Dome showstopper was hailed as the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history and took place at the same venue where 42/1 betting rag Buster Douglas shocked the world by knocking out the then undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in the 10th round back in 1990.

Here is the Furyjoshua.com take on the current top 10 best fighters in boxing:

P4P Rankings: Current top 10

1 Oleksandr Usyk (Ukraine)

• Record: 24-0 (15)
• Titles: WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight champion
• Next Fight: vs Rico Verhoeven (May 23)

At heavyweight, where subtlety is too often buried beneath brute force, the inimitable Usyk has introduced angles, rhythm and a southpaw’s geometry. That said, the decision for the ‘pound-for-pound’ king to fight Dutch boxing novice Verhoeven for the WBC title has certainly caused a stir.

Verhoeven is a legend in kick-boxing but just 1-0 (1) as a pro boxer and this crossover fight - in the unlikely setting of the Egyptian pyramids - is unlikely to do much in terms of enhancing Usyk’s legacy.

After the circus event in Giza, Usyk will hopefully return to more serious matters and box Agit Kabayel 27-0 (19). The undefeated Kurdish-German is a real handful, and it would be interesting to see how Usyk, who is now 39 years old, does against his marauding style.

He gets a pass for Verhoeven here as long as he faces a top-five heavyweight after he defends against Rico, and the signs are that he will.

2 Naoya Inoue (Japan)

• Record: 33-0 (27)
• Titles: WBC, IBF, WBA and WBO world super-bantamweight champion
• Next Fight: TBC

The brilliant Inoue confirmed he is the best Japanese fighter of his era - and one of the best little men of all-time regardless of nationality - with a unanimous decision win against fellow Japanese puncher Junto Nakatani.

Inoue, a four-division world champion and undisputed in two weight classes, dominated early and adjusted late against the previously undefeated Nakatani, who was a three-division champ himself.

The penultimate round was key in Tokyo, when after three straight Nakatani rounds Inoue found another gear - like all the greats tend to. The momentum of the fight had seemed to be shifting in Nakatani’s favour but Inoue won the 11th big, and nobody could grumble with the final scores (116-112 twice and 115-113).

It was another big win for ‘The Monster’ and one which cements his legacy. Wherever this amazing fighter, who couples concussive power with an operating physician's precision, goes next his place in the history books is already assured.

3 Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (USA)

• Record: 23-0 (16)
• Titles: WBC, WBA and WBO world super-flyweight champion
• Next Fight: vs Antonio Vargas (June 13)

Ring junior-bantamweight champion 'Bam' will step up to bantamweight to challenge WBA champion Antonio Vargas on June 13 in Glendale, Arizona, live on DAZN.

To watch the brilliant Rodriguez is to witness a brand of surgical violence which seems almost too sophisticated for the raw, bruising reality of the professional boxing ring. At the tender age of just 25, he operates with the chilling composure of a veteran who has already solved the ring’s most complex riddles, leaving us fans to wonder if we are watching the ascent of another all-time great talent?

We always thought he has the frame to move up to bantamweight and he will start as a healthy favourite with the bookies to topple Vargas.

4 Shakur Stevenson (USA)

• Record: 25-0 (11)
• Titles: WBC world lightweight champion
• Next Fight: v TBC

Shakur (25-0, 11 KOs) had promised to make his January 31 fight with Teofimo Lopez look easy and did just that with all three judges scoring the bout 119-109. It was an absolute clinic and, in the process, Stevenson became the fastest fighter in history to become a four-division champion.

Want to know what's scary? It feels like Stevenson has barely even broken a sweat on his journey so far. In the chill glare of NYC, Shakur conducted a schooling so meticulous that Lopez might have mistaken it for an exam he had never revised for. There was no thunder to it, no crowd-pleasing wreckage, only the steady erosion of ambition by intellect. The American is a mega, mega talent.

5 David Benavidez (USA)

• Record: 32-0 (26)
• Titles: WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion
• Next Fight: TBC

Benavidez - the biggest mover on our latest P4P list - was too good for Ramirez in Las Vegas, and he created a bit of history to boot. By claiming that TKO victory in round six, the ‘Mexican Monster’ became the first fighter in history to win world titles at super-middleweight, light-heavyweight, and cruiserweight.

He is a wicked combination puncher, but beneath the brutality lies an elite technician who can fight in the pocket or at mid-range. Future fights against Jai Opetaia, Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev would all be huge events, but a throw down with one-time P4P king Canelo Alvarez is the fight most Latino fight fans want to see next.

6 Dmitry Bivol (Russia)

• Record: 24-1 (12)
• Titles: IBF, WBO and IBO world light-heavyweight champion
• Next Fight: vs Michael Eifert (May 30)

Bivol is scheduled to return to the ring on May 30 against IBF mandatory challenger Michael Eifert. Eifert is 13-1(5) and has not boxed since August 2024. Quite how much of a test he will prove to the elite Bivol remains to be seen, but the Russian is returning after back surgery.

The IBF, WBO and IBO world light-heavyweight titles will be on the line and the bout will take place at the UGMK Arena in Yekaterinburg, marking Bivol's first fight in his home country since 2021.

Dmitry is 35 years old now but fights with the adaptability of a man who seems to learn in real time. Aggressor or counterpuncher, this is a fighter who can do the lot.

7 Artur Beterbiev (Russia)

• Record: 21-1 (20)
• Titles: N/A
• Next Fight: TBC

As per Beterbiev’s trainer Marc Ramsay, he is in Russia and he is training in the mountains. It’s been a frustrating break as Artur has been on ice since that February 2025 rematch with Bivol. ‘The Beast from the East’ turned 41 in January so he needs to be active and hopefully he can get a fight signed that will get his competitive juices flowing as soon as possible.

We feel it is a diabolical liberty that this fighter - who cuts off the ring with quiet intelligence before unleashing ruin - has been kept out of the ring for so long at this stage of his career.

8 Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (USA)

• Record: 35-0 (31)
• Titles: WBA interim super welterweight title
• Next Fight: vs Xander Zayas (June 27)

Watching this Philly fighter work is a masterclass in calculated destruction. The fight with Vergil Ortiz Jr - arguably the best fight that can be made in America - is no nearer to being signed but his next fight will be a real test and looks intriguing.

Xander Zayas is unbeaten, and the pair throw down for the WBO and WBA World super-welterweight titles on June 27 in Brooklyn. 23-year-old Puerto Rican Zayas is the youngest active unified world champion in the sport.

9 Canelo Alvarez (Mexico)

• Record: 63-3-2 (39)
• Titles: N/A
• Next Fight: TBC

The 35-year-old Alvarez hasn’t fought since his conclusive defeat at the hands of Terence Crawford in Las Vegas last year, but the word on the street is he will be back on September 12 in Saudi Arabia as part of a Riyadh Season show.

Eddy Reynoso, the long-time trainer-manager of the Latino boxing superstar, told Ring Magazine recently that the plan is to stay at super-middleweight when he said, “The division is heating up, and we can really stay busy there for the foreseeable future”.

The head movement may not quite be what it once was, but his body attacks are as punishing as ever and his ring generalship is still suffocating.

10 Junto Nakatani (Japan)

Record: 32-1 (24)

Titles: WBC/IBF world bantamweight champion

Next Fight: vs TBC

Nakatani pushed Inoue all the way and did not lose much in defeat. The 28-year-old - who has held world titles in three divisions - suffered a cut above his left eye from an accidental clash of heads in the 10th round. It was cruel on Nakatani - who was riding some real momentum prior to that having banked the previous three rounds. However, we feel he is young enough and good enough to come again.

Pushing for inclusion

Abdullah Mason might be the next gen star of the sport. Mason used razor-sharp accuracy, and some brutal body attacks, to beat England’s Sam Noakes’ and become the youngest champion in men’s boxing at 21, replacing the aforementioned Zayas who was 22 at the time he captured the WBO super-welterweight world title in July of last year.

Mason has since turned 22 himself and is scheduled to defend his WBO lightweight title against former champ Joe Cordina on July 4 in Cleveland, Ohio. His ceiling is sky high.

WBO welterweight world champion Devin Haney is yet to fight this year and remains on the lookout for an opponent in a first defence of his 147lb crown.

Elsewhere Rafael Espinoza is a huge talent, and we are told a showdown with Brandon Figueroa is in the works for a potential unification, which would be a cracker if it comes off.

Jai Opetaia has now joined Zuffa but will need bigger tests than Brandon Glanton - who he beat by unanimous decision in March in Las Vegas - if he is to crack the P4P top 10.

NB - Boxing's mythical ‘pound-for-pound’ list has been and always will be a subjective minefield, as fighters in different weight classes often do not compete directly against each other - which makes ratings difficult to compile.

The ‘P4P’ criteria - while not an exact science - is assembled upon fair analysis of fight records, boxers’ skills, strengths and weaknesses and recent title achievements.