Boxing Pound-for-Pound Rankings: Gervonta Davis begins his climb up the top 10; Canelo Alvarez slips down

Fourteen months away from the sport has done nothing but sharpen lightweight superstar Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ focus.

The 29-year-old Davis, whose career-long layoff included a 44-day jail sentence for violating the terms of his house arrest, looked much more mature inside the ring as he patiently shook off an admitted “rusty” start. take down and submit undefeated contender Frank Martin with a vicious left cross in the eighth round of their pay-per-view clash last Saturday in Las Vegas.

There was never much doubt about Davis’ ability, or where he could fit in when compared to his pound-for-pound contemporaries. The only thing that held “Tank” back in the eyes of its critics was its combination. But after a knockout of Ryan Garcia last April and a complete dismantling of Martin, Davis is finally starting to break into the top 10.

The best news to come out of Davis’ victory was that he only wants champion and crossover names from now on, which makes for an interesting debate about which opponent will be next when considering his main options: rematch with Garcia or current 140-pound champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, or unification fights against current lightweight champions Shakur Stevenson or Vasiliy Lomachenko.

All four fights would be unmissable and would attract great interest from the boxing public. But it’s the Stevenson and Lomachenko fights, in particular, that would do the most for Davis from a critical standpoint moving forward.

Already in the conversation for the title of “the face of boxing” from a commercial point of view, Davis relied heavily on his still underrated IQ and technique to prepare and finish a determined opponent in Martin. Always an efficient counterpuncher, Davis landed an absurd 53% of his power shots and 44% of his punches overall, while using pressure and body shots to take away Martin’s jab before routinely trapping him in the corner.

While there is much more to Davis’ overall game than he gets credit for, his calling card remains his power. And once Davis was able to routinely touch Martin, his opponent’s production began to decline.

Davis’ most dangerous opponent remains himself outside the ring. But I hope the dynamic southpaw has his priorities in order, because every fight from here on out, as he navigates his physical prime, has the potential to be a big one.

Using criteria that takes into account everything from achievements to current form, let’s take a closer look at the best fighters in the ring. Below is the latest update to the Pound for Pound rankings following Davis’ victory in June.

Pound for Pound Ratings

1. Oleksandr Usyk

Undisputed Heavyweight Champion (22-0, 14 KOs) | Previous Ranking: #1

Usyk’s professional career was as decorated as it was perfect. The former undisputed cruiserweight champion scored two resounding victories over Anthony Joshua to unify a trio of heavyweight titles before finally landing his undisputed showdown against WBC champion Tyson Fury in May. A thrilling split decision victory made Usyk just the third male boxer to become undisputed two-division champion during the four-belt era.

2. Naoya Inoue

Undisputed junior featherweight champion (24-0, 22 KOs) | Previous ranking: #2

The four-division champion, who achieved undisputed status in two different weight classes, only continued his legendary conquest of the sport by rising from the screen to finish Luis Nery in the title fight in May at the Tokyo Dome. “The Monster” may have suffered a brief error, but he made up for it by scoring three thrilling knockdowns en route to a sixth-round knockout. Undefeated mandatory challenger Sam Goodman appears to be next.

3. Terence Crawford

Undisputed welterweight champion (39-0, 29 KOs) | Previous ranking: #3

If you wondered how great Crawford really was, his dismantling of Spence in their undisputed title fight provided those answers. Crawford, who has proven he would be a tough match for any welterweight in history, will move up to 154 pounds in August when he challenges WBA champion Israil Madrimov.

4. Artur Beterbiev

Unified light heavyweight champion (20-0, 20 KOs) | Previous rating: 5

Beterbiev dispelled any rumors that he was getting older by dismantling former 168-pound champion Callum Smith in January. With his principals out of the way, an undisputed showdown against WBA champion Dmitry Bivol was scheduled for June 1. But Beterbiev, 39, withdrew in May with a torn meniscus, moving the fight to October.

5. Dmitry Bivol

WBA Light Heavyweight Champion (23-0, 12 KOs) | Previous ranking: #6

After an incredible 2022 that included a victory over Canelo Alvarez and near-universal acclaim as fighter of the year, Bivol sat out most of 2023 in hopes of facing unified champion Artur Beterbiev. The undisputed title fight was scheduled for June 1, until Beterbiev suffered a serious injury, forcing Bivol to face substitute Malik Zinad, who he handled with ease.

6. Canelo Álvarez

Undisputed super middleweight champion (61-2-2, 38 KOs) | Previous ranking: #4

The former P4P king is still the undisputed champion of one of the sport’s hottest divisions and proved this by brilliantly overcoming compatriot Jaime Munguia in May. That doesn’t mean the Mexican icon is alone without criticism, as the boxing world continues to push for a superfight against two-time champion David Benavidez, who Alvarez is completely avoiding.

7. Gervonta Davis

WBA Lightweight Champion (30-0, 28 KOs) | Previous rating: 7

Davis’ knockout of Ryan Garcia in their superfight last April looks even better now that “King Ryan” has become the first boxer to knock down and defeat former undisputed lightweight king Devin Haney. With a 2023 prison sentence, “Tank” returned in June to destroy the undefeated Frank Martin. Davis wants champions from now on, which could mean unification fights against Shakur Stevenson or Vasiliy Lomachenko.

8. David Benavidez

Interim Light Heavyweight Holder (29-0, 24 KOs) | Previous ranking: #9

Frustrated by waiting for his chance against the undisputed king Canelo Alvarez, “El Monstro” moved up in weight to overcome former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June. Benavidez, who later revealed injuries to both hands during training camp (which may have prevented him from scoring a stoppage), said he is open to big fights in any division going forward.

9. Shakur Stevenson

WBC Lightweight Champion (21-0, 10 KOs) | Previous ranking: #8

Although Stevenson limited strongman Edwin De Los Santos to a CompuBox record 12-rounder of just 40 punches, he was widely criticized for how boring his November victory in the fight for the vacant 135-pound title was. Stevenson, who turns 27 in June, won the third weight class title and will defend it in July at home in Newark, New Jersey, against Artem Harutyunyan.

10. Tyson’s Fury

Heavyweight (34-1-1, 25 KOs) | Previous ranking: #10

Although he looked set to overtake Oleksandr Usyk in their historic and undisputed heavyweight title clash in May, Fury was dropped and nearly stopped in round 9. The “Gypsy King” lost a split decision in an instant classic and has now healed if before a rematch in December.

Give up: None
Honorable mention: Vasiliy Lomachenko, Teofimo Lopez Jr., Juan Francisco Estrada, Devin Haney, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez