Boxing: Who Would Benefit from Moving Up in Weight? Canelo and More

Boxers Who Could Move Up a Weight Class for Big Fights

Terence Crawford dares to greatness by moving up two weight divisions to challenge undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Álvarez on September 13 in Las Vegas. If he succeeds, Crawford could establish himself as one of the best boxers of this generation.

Who else in sports could benefit from moving up a category to face bigger challenges? Here we present seven boxers who could gain a lot by changing divisions to seek more lucrative opportunities.

Canelo Álvarez

Current category: 168 pounds Possible new category: 175 pounds

If Canelo overcomes Crawford’s challenge, he wouldn’t have much left to do at 168 pounds, except for a fight against Hamzah Sheeraz, where the risk doesn’t outweigh the reward. He already dared to be great in 2022, when he tried to become a light heavyweight champion, losing to Dmitry Bivol. However, the light heavyweight division has become more interesting with the arrival of David Benavidez. A fight against Benavidez would be a great matchup between Mexican boxers and would silence many critics.

Jai Opetaia

Current category: 200 pounds Possible new category: Heavyweight Opetaia has dominated the cruiserweight competition. If the Australian boxer wants to make a splash, he could move up to heavyweight, as Oleksandr Usyk did, where opponents are more attractive. Fights with Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker, and Andy Ruiz Jr. would be interesting, but what about a match with Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion and current undisputed heavyweight champion? That could be a fight Usyk would accept before retiring.

Teofimo López

Current category: 140 pounds Possible new category: 147/154 pounds López is one of the best pound-for-pound boxers when he is focused. Moving up to 147 pounds could lead him to a fight with the winner of Brian Norman Jr. vs. Devin Haney. But, why stop at 147 pounds? López could move up two weight classes to fight Jaron “Boots” Ennis. He called out Ennis after dominating Arnold Barboza Jr. in May, and with “Boots” moving to 154 pounds, López could pursue that challenge.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis

Current category: 135 pounds Possible new category: 147 pounds

“Tank” is one of boxing’s biggest stars, but he has yet to face a renowned opponent. Moving up from 135 to 147 pounds makes a lot of sense, considering the names that would await him. Although a fight with the winner of Norman vs. Haney would be tempting, the real draw would be a showdown with the legendary Manny Pacquiao. A fight between these boxing legends would be a huge event.

Shakur Stevenson

Current Category: 135 pounds Possible new category: 140 pounds Stevenson’s brilliance has made it difficult for him to get matchups with prominent names in his weight category. A move up to 140 pounds would open doors against Lopez, Richardson Hitchins, and Subriel Matias. Stevenson will need to move to get the recognition he deserves against some of the big names in boxing.

Junto Nakatani

Current category: 118 pounds Possible new category: 122 pounds

This move is the most likely to happen. Nakatani could move up to 122 pounds to challenge Naoya Inoue, in a battle between ESPN’s number 10 and number 2 pound-for-pound boxers, respectively. The two fighters have already verbally agreed to face each other in 2026.

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez

Current Category: 115 pounds Possible new category: 122 pounds Rodriguez, 25 years old, is the number 5 boxer in the world in ESPN’s pound-for-pound ranking. If “Bam” were to move up from 115 to 122 pounds, he could face Inoue. With a combined record of 52-0 with 42 knockouts between them, it would be an action-packed fight that could be a candidate for Fight of the Year.