Usyk Boxing King P4P: Inoue Ascends, López in the Top 10

Oleksandr Usyk Tops the Ranking of Best Boxers

Following Terence Crawford’s retirement last month, the top of the men’s boxing rankings has changed hands. Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk now ranks number one. Usyk, who will turn 39 on Saturday, previously held the second spot in the rankings. His rise comes after a dominant technical knockout victory in the fifth round against Daniel Dubois in July. The second place in the ranking is held by Naoya Inoue, undisputed super bantamweight champion. Inoue secured his position after defeating David Picasso on December 27 by unanimous decision, which could lead to an expected fight with his compatriot Junto Nakatani in 2026, a fight that could mark a milestone in the history of Japanese boxing. Crawford’s exit also opened up space for new faces in the top 10. Teofimo Lopez Jr., WBO super lightweight champion, has made it into the list. Lopez will face Shakur Stevenson, WBC lightweight champion and currently in eighth place, in an anticipated fight on January 31. The Alofoke Deportes expert panel, made up of prominent analysts, shared their votes to determine the positions in the ranking.

Detailed Ranking

Below, we present the top 10 best boxers of the moment, according to the Alofoke Deportes ranking, with data updated to January 15, 2026.

1. OLEKSANDR USYK

RECORD: 24-0, 15 KOs
DIVISION: Heavyweight (unified champion)
LAST FIGHT: Won by KO in the 5th round against Daniel Dubois, July 19
NEXT FIGHT: To be confirmed Terence Crawford’s retirement propels Usyk to the top of the rankings. Despite his age, Usyk continues to demonstrate his excellence, as seen in his victory over Dubois in July. He has defeated Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Daniel Dubois twice, and is looking for a new opponent for his next fight, possibly Deontay Wilder.

2. NAOYA INOUE

RECORD: 32-0, 27 KOs
DIVISION: Super Bantamweight (undisputed champion)
LAST FIGHT: Won by unanimous decision against David Picasso, on December 27th
NEXT FIGHT: To be confirmed Inoue closed 2025 with his fourth victory of the year, demonstrating his relentless pace. His victory over Nakatani could take him to the top spot.

3. DMITRY BIVOL

RECORD: 24-1, 12 KOs DIVISION: Light Heavyweight (unified champion) LAST FIGHT: Won by majority decision against Artur Beterbiev, on February 22nd NEXT FIGHT: To be confirmed Bivol has been inactive since his rematch with Beterbiev due to surgery. He is expected to return in early 2026, possibly against Michael Eifert, before a third fight with Beterbiev.

4. JESSE RODRIGUEZ

RECORD: 23-0, 16 KOs
DIVISION: Super Flyweight (unified champion)
LAST FIGHT: Won by KO in the 10th round against Fernando Martinez, November 22nd
NEXT FIGHT: To be confirmed Rodriguez dominated Martinez, demonstrating his talent and youth. He is one of the most exciting boxers at the moment.

5. ARTUR BETERBIEV

RECORD: 21-1, 20 KOs DIVISION: Light Heavyweight LAST FIGHT: Lost by majority decision against Dmitry Bivol, on February 22nd NEXT FIGHT: To be confirmed Beterbiev, after his defeat against Bivol, is looking for a new opponent. At 41 years old, he has several options, including a rematch with Bivol or a fight with David Benavidez.

6. DAVID BENAVIDEZ

RECORD: 31-0, 25 KOs
DIVISION: Light Heavyweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: Won by technical KO in the 7th round against Anthony Yarde, November 22nd
NEXT FIGHT: May 2nd against Gilberto Ramirez After defeating Yarde, Benavidez plans to move up to cruiserweight to fight “Zurdo” Ramirez. If he wins, he could return to light heavyweight to face Beterbiev or Bivol.

7. SHAKUR STEVENSON

RECORD: 24-0, 11 KOs DIVISION: Lightweight (champion) LAST FIGHT: Won by unanimous decision against William Zepeda, July 12 NEXT FIGHT: January 31 against Teofimo Lopez Jr. Stevenson, after his victory over Zepeda, faces Lopez Jr. in a fight that could propel him to the top of the ranking.

8. JUNTO NAKATANI

RECORD: 32-0, 24 KOs
DIVISION: Bantamweight (unified champion)
LAST FIGHT: Won by unanimous decision against Sebastian Hernandez, December 27th
NEXT FIGHT: To be confirmed Nakatani, despite a controversial victory over Hernandez, secured his place for the clash with Inoue. He will have the opportunity to prove his worth against Inoue.

9. DEVIN HANEY

RECORD: 33-0, 1 NC, 15 KOs
DIVISION: Welterweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: Won by unanimous decision against Brian Norman Jr., on November 22
NEXT FIGHT: To be confirmed Haney, after dominating Norman, demonstrates his skill and positions himself in the ranking.

10. TEOFIMO LOPEZ JR.

RECORD: 22-1, 13 KOs
DIVISION: Super Lightweight (champion)
LAST FIGHT: Won by unanimous decision against Arnold Barboza Jr., on May 2
NEXT FIGHT: January 31 against Shakur Stevenson Lopez has shown his ability to perform at the highest level. His fight against Stevenson could be one of the best of his career.

Ranking Methodology

The ranking is based on a descending points system, where first place awards 10 points, second place 9, and so on. In case of a tie, the boxer with the highest ranking is prioritized, and then the one with the most votes in that position.

Expert Voting

The individual votes of the Alofoke Deportes experts are detailed below:

Hale: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Bivol, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Benavidez, 7. Stevenson, 8. Haney, 9. Nakatani, 10. Lopez
Atlas: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Bivol, 4. Benavidez, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Stevenson, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Nakatani, 9. Haney, 10. Davis
Tessitore: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Beterbiev, 5. Bivol, 6. Benavidez, 7. Nakatani, 8. Stevenson, 9. Lopez, 10. Haney
Parkinson: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Bivol, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Haney, 6. Benavidez, 7. Beterbiev, 8. Stevenson, 9. Nakatani, 10. Lopez
Raskin: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Bivol, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Stevenson, 7. Benavidez, 8. Alvarez, 9. Nakatani, 10. Ortiz
Osuna: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Bivol, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Stevenson, 6. Nakatani, 7. Beterbiev, 8. Benavidez, 9. Haney, 10. Lopez
Rodriguez: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Bivol, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Benavidez, 7. Nakatani, 8. Stevenson, 9. Alvarez, 10. Lopez
Woodyard: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Bivol, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Stevenson, 6. Benavidez, 7. Beterbiev, 8. Nakatani, 9. Haney, 10. Lopez
Moynihan: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Bivol, 4. Beterbiev, 5. Rodriguez, 6. Benavidez, 7. Stevenson, 8. Alvarez, 9. Davis, 10. Nakatani
Pilatti: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Benavidez, 5. Bivol, 6. Haney, 7. Stevenson, 8. Nakatani, 9. Beterbiev, 10. Iglesias
Zirolli: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Stevenson, 4. Bivol, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Rodriguez, 7. Lopez, 8. Benavidez, 9. Nakatani, 10. Haney
Mascaro: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Bivol, 5. Nakatani, 6. Benavidez, 7. Beterbiev, 8. Stevenson, 9. Haney, 10. Lopez
Freeman: 1. Inoue, 2. Rodriguez, 3. Usyk, 4. Bivol, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Stevenson, 7. Nakatani, 8. Haney, 9. Benavidez, 10. Lopez
Lopez: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Bivol, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Beterbiev, 6. Benavidez, 7. Stevenson, 8. Nakatani, 9. Haney, 10. Alvarez
Delgado Averhoff: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Bivol, 5. Benavidez, 6. Bterebiev, 7. Stevenson, 8. Haney, 9. Lopez, 10. Nakatani

Expert Survey Results

The following is a summary of the expert survey results:

First place: Usyk (11), Inoue (4)
Second place: Inoue (11), Usyk (3), Rodriguez (1)
Third place: Bivol (7), Rodriguez (6), Usyk (1), Stevenson (1)
Fourth place: Bivol (6), Rodriguez (5), Beterbiev (2), Benavidez (2)
Fifth place: Beterbiev (7), Bivol (2), Stevenson (2), Rodriguez (1), Benavidez (1), Nakatani (1), Haney (1)
Sixth place: Benavidez (8), Stevenson (3), Rodriguez (1), Beterbiev (1), Nakatani (1), Haney (1)
Seventh place: Stevenson (5), Beterbiev (4), Nakatani (3), Rodriguez (1), Benavidez (1), Lopez (1)
Eighth place: Stevenson (4), Nakatani (4), Haney (3), Benavidez (2), Alvarez (2)
Ninth place: Haney (6), Nakatani (3), Lopez (2), Beterbiev (1), Benavidez (1), Alvarez (1), Davis (1)
Tenth place: Lopez (7), Nakatani (2), Haney (2), Alvarez (1), Davis (1), Ortiz (1), Igelsias (1)