Boxing: Shakur Stevenson and Bam Rodríguez Ascend in the P4P Ranking

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Boxing Ranking: Usyk Remains on Top, Rodríguez Rises

The boxing world continues to vibrate with exciting fights, and the most recent rankings reflect the performance of the most outstanding pugilists. Three fighters in the top 10 starred in electrifying actions since the last update, demonstrating their worth in the ring. Oleksandr Usyk, consolidated his number one position with a resounding victory over Daniel Dubois in their rematch at Wembley Stadium, London. Usyk exerted constant pressure, knocking down Dubois twice in the fifth round, which forced the referee to stop the fight. With this victory, Usyk became the undisputed heavyweight champion, solidifying his claim as the best boxer of the last 25 years. On Saturday, from the Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, Texas, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez demonstrated his superiority by defeating Phumelela Cafu by technical knockout in the tenth round, unifying the WBC and WBO super flyweight titles.

“I feel like it was a good performance,” Rodriguez stated after the fight. “Probably my best performance to date, against my toughest opponent, my hardest fight yet. [Cafu] was a lot tougher than I thought, but we got the job done no matter what.”

Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez
Since 2022, Rodríguez has maintained an impeccable record, with 7 victories and 5 knockouts in title fights, allowing him to move up one place in the ranking, placing him at number 5, ahead of Artur Beterbiev. On July 12, Shakur Stevenson delivered a masterful performance against William Zepeda, achieving a unanimous decision victory at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. Stevenson, known for his defensive style, incorporated more offense to overcome Zepeda with scores of 118-110, 118-110, and 119-109. Stevenson outlanded Zepeda in total punches (295 to 272) and power punches (199 to 153). “He came, he pressed me,” Stevenson said of Zepeda after the fight. “He pushed me to another level.” Stevenson’s performance allows him to advance three positions, placing him at number 7. These are the results as of July 23rd.
  • OLEKSANDR USYK
RECORD: 24-0, 15 KOs
DIVISION: Heavyweight (undisputed champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (KO5) Daniel Dubois, July 19th
NEXT FIGHT: To be announced Usyk is solidifying his position as the best heavyweight of the century with a definitive victory over Dubois, once again securing the undisputed title. With two victories over Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Dubois, there don’t seem to be many pending challenges for Usyk. – Andreas Hale
  • NAOYA INOUE
RECORD: 30-0, 27 KOs
DIVISION: Super bantamweight (undisputed champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (TKO8) Ramon Cardenas, May 4th
NEXT FIGHT: September 14th vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev Inoue continues to demonstrate his dominance and excitement in every fight. His recent match with Ramon Cardenas in Las Vegas solidified his superstar status. A September showdown with Murodjon Akhmadaliev in Japan is expected, and he could consider moving up to featherweight or facing his compatriot Junto Nakatani in 2026. – Hale
  • TERENCE CRAWFORD
RECORD: 40-0, 31 KOs
DIVISION: Super welterweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Israil Madrimov, August 3rd
NEXT FIGHT: September 13th vs. Canelo Álvarez The lack of activity is the only argument against Crawford being number 1. After a year, his pause will come to an end when he moves up to super middleweight to face Canelo Álvarez. Crawford will seek to become the only boxer in the four-belt era to be undisputed in three weight classes. – Hale
  • DMITRY BIVOL
RECORD: 24-1, 12 KOs DIVISION: Light Heavyweight (Unified Champion) LAST FIGHT: W (MD12) Artur Beterbiev, February 22nd NEXT FIGHT: To be announced Bivol avenged his only defeat by defeating Artur Beterbiev on February 22nd. He will avoid David Benavidez (for now) and will likely face Beterbiev in a rematch. If he is victorious, he could have an expected showdown with “The Mexican Monster” in 2026. – Hale
  • JESSE RODRIGUEZ
RECORD: 22-0, 15 KOs DIVISION: Super flyweight (unified champion) LAST FIGHT: W (TKO10) Phumelela Cafu, July 19 NEXT FIGHT: To be announced At 25 years old, Rodriguez continues to be underestimated despite his pound-for-pound status. He added another world title by knocking out Phumelele Cafu in the tenth round. He could face WBA champion Fernando Martinez in November, which could make him a candidate for boxer of the year. – Hale
  • ARTUR BETERBIEV
RECORD: 21-1, 20 KOs
DIVISION: Light Heavyweight
LAST FIGHT: L (MD12) Dmitry Bivol, February 22nd
NEXT FIGHT: To be announced Beterbiev suffered the only defeat of his professional career in a rematch against Dmitry Bivol on February 22, but still proved his worth against a pound-for-pound boxer. He is likely to have a rematch opportunity later this year. Despite turning 40, Beterbiev continues to perform at an elite level. – Hale
  • SHAKUR STEVENSON
RECORD: 24-0, 11 KOs
DIVISION: Lightweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) William Zepeda, July 12th
NEXT FIGHT: To be announced Stevenson finally had the opponent that the fans were asking for and, once again, he came out victorious, adding a little more aggressiveness to his impeccable tactical style. He dominated William Zepeda on July 12 in New York in an exciting performance. Stevenson used a body jab, uppercuts and effective combinations to slow down Zepeda. – Hale
  • CANELO ALVAREZ
RECORD: 63-2-2, 39 KOs DIVISION: Super Middleweight (Undisputed Champion) LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) William Scull, May 3rd NEXT FIGHT: September 13th vs. Terence Crawford The biggest star in boxing disappointed in his most recent fight against William Scull, despite becoming undisputed champion again at 168 pounds. However, Canelo needed to get past that fight to prepare for what could be the biggest fight of the year when he accepts Terence Crawford’s challenge at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on September 12. – Hale
  • DAVID BENAVIDEZ
RECORD: 30-0, 24 KOs
DIVISION: Light Heavyweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) David Morrell, February 1st
NEXT FIGHT: November 22nd vs. Anthony Yarde

For some reason, nobody wants to fight Benavidez. Now he finds himself in a similar position at light heavyweight, as Dmitry Bivol vacated the WBC title. With wins over Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade, and David Morrell on his resume, it’s only a matter of time until “The Mexican Monster” gets tested against the biggest names in the sport. – Hale

  • JUNTO NAKATANI
RECORD: 31-0, 24 KOs DIVISION: Bantamweight (unified champion) LAST FIGHT: W (TKO6) Ryosuke Nishida, June 8 NEXT FIGHT: To be announced The other Japanese pound-for-pound boxer on this list unified the bantamweight titles on June 8 against Ryosuke Nishida. “Big Bang” is exciting to watch and has won his five bantamweight fights by knockout since moving up from super flyweight last February. – Hale The rankings are based on a descending points system, where a first-place vote awards 10 points, a second-place vote awards nine points, and so on. A tie favors the boxer with the highest ranking, then the one with the most votes in that ranking. Others who received votes: Teofimo Lopez Jr. (5), Gervonta Davis (5), Janibek Alimkhanuly (1).
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