Tyson Fury has announced his retirement from boxing five times -- some pauses brief, others more prolonged -- but each return has ended the same way: with a win. That trend continued Saturday in London, where Fury scored a unanimous decision victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Fury (35-2-1, 24 KOs) has long been a fixture on pound-for-pound lists when active, but this latest comeback didn't carry enough weight to push him back into the top 10. While the win reinforced his place as one of the division's elite -- he is ESPN's No. 2 heavyweight -- it lacked the statement needed to get him back in the fold.
To reenter the pound-for-pound conversation, Fury will likely need a more definitive performance against a higher-caliber opponent. He has already called for a fight against No. 7 heavyweight Anthony Joshua later this year, and that fight that would offer an opportunity for Fury to return to the rankings.
Cruiserweight Jai Opetaia debuts at No. 10 in the pound-for-pound rankings following his unanimous decision win over contender Brandon Glanton in his Zuffa Boxing debut in March.
Our panel of Andreas Hale, Joe Tessitore, Teddy Atlas, Nick Parkinson, Eric Raskin, James Regan, Bernardo Osuna, Eric Woodyard, Bernardo Pilatti, Charles Moynihan, Salvador Rodriguez, Jim Zirolli, Michael Mascaro, Aladdin Freeman, Victor Lopez and Damian Delgado Averhoff shares its votes.
More ESPN rankings: Divisional rankings and women's pound-for-pound rankings.
RECORD: 24-0, 15 KOs DIVISION: Heavyweight (unified champion) LAST FIGHT: W (KO5) Daniel Dubois, July 19, 2025 NEXT FIGHT: May 23 vs. Rico Verhoeven
The retirement of Terence Crawford elevates Usyk to the top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings. Although he is almost 39 years old, he remains elite with no signs of slowing down, as evidenced by his one-sided knockout win in a rematch with Dubois last July. He has defeated Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Dubois twice each. It appeared that Usyk would face former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder next. However, Wilder secured a fight with Derek Chisora, and Usyk announced on Feb. 27 that he will defend the WBC heavyweight title against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. -- Andreas Hale
RECORD: 32-0, 27 KOs DIVISION: Junior featherweight (undisputed champion) LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) David Picasso, Dec. 27, 2025 NEXT FIGHT: May 2 vs. Junto Nakatani
Inoue completed his four-fight year in 2025 by notching his fourth win with a wide unanimous decision against Picasso. After completing a blistering pace not typically seen from fighters of his stature, Inoue will take some time off before his mega fight with fellow Japanese champion Junto Nakatani, set for May 2 at Tokyo Dome. -- Hale
RECORD: 23-0, 16 KOs DIVISION: Junior bantamweight (unified champion) LAST FIGHT: W (KO10) Fernando Martinez, Nov. 22, 2025 NEXT FIGHT: TBA
"Bam" Rodriguez took care of business in dominant fashion against Martinez to add the WBA title to his collection at junior bantamweight. It wasn't just that he won, it was how easy he made it look. Martinez was undefeated heading into the fight, yet he was made to look like a novice as Rodriguez had his way before securing the finish in the 10th round. At 25, Rodriguez is the youngest fighter on the pound-for-pound list and will have plenty of time to crack the top spot. Rodriguez is one of the best fighters in the world as well as one of the most entertaining to watch. -- Hale
RECORD: 25-0, 11 KOs DIVISION: Junior welterweight (champion) LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Teofimo Lopez Jr., Jan. 31 NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Stevenson shoots up the pound-for-pound list after pitching a near shutout against Teofimo Lopez Jr. to win a major world title in a fourth weight class. But it's not just that he's winning fights. Stevenson, 28, is operating on a different plateau, dominating the opposition and barely conceding rounds against fellow world champions. He has plenty of options moving forward as he could look to unify at 140 pounds or 135. Or, he could climb up another weight class to 147 pounds. He's knocking at the door of the top spot. -- Hale
RECORD: 31-0, 25 KOs DIVISION: Light heavyweight (champion) LAST FIGHT: W (TKO7) Anthony Yarde, Nov. 22, 2025 NEXT FIGHT: May 2 vs. Gilberto Ramirez
After wiping out Yarde in November, Benavidez announced that he would move up to cruiserweight to challenge "Zurdo" Ramirez, the unified champion. The fight is set to take place during Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas, with Benavidez looking to become a three-division champion. Should Benavidez emerge victorious, his options will be plentiful, as a move back down to light heavyweight for the right fight (Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol) is still in his plans. "The Mexican Monster" is primed to have a massive 2026 between his crowd-pleasing style and a bevy of quality opponents. -- Hale
RECORD: 32-0, 24 KOs DIVISION: Bantamweight (unified champion) LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Sebastian Hernandez, Dec. 27, 2025 NEXT FIGHT: May 2 vs. Naoya Inoue
Despite narrowly escaping with a controversial win over Hernandez, Nakatani still secured his end of an all-Japanese showdown with Naoya Inoue set for May 2 at Tokyo Dome. The performance against Hernandez was far from Nakatani's best, but a move to a new weight class and a tougher-than-expected opponent likely contributed to a fight many expected him to cruise through. Off nights happen, and they're forgivable. Even though his stock took a minor hit, Nakatani will have the opportunity to silence any doubts by defeating Inoue. -- Hale
RECORD: 33-0, 1 NC, 15 KOs DIVISION: Welterweight (champion) LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Brian Norman Jr., Nov. 22, 2025 NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Haney defeated the biggest puncher at welterweight with relative ease as he dominated Norman to become WBO champion. Comments about Haney's demise after the Ryan Garcia fight were grotesquely exaggerated, and he silenced the naysayers by brilliantly outboxing a fighter with even bigger punching power than Garcia. A three-division champion who just turned 27, Haney cracks the list with his impressive skill set and instincts. -- Hale
RECORD: 35-0, 31 KOs DIVISION: Interim junior middleweight champion LAST FIGHT: W (TKO1) Uisma Lima, Oct. 11, 2025 NEXT FIGHT: June 27 vs. Xander Zayas
Ennis' talent is undeniable as "Boots" has mowed down the opposition since debuting a decade ago. The only question has been his opposition, as Ennis has yet to face an elite fighter. He's passed the eye test thus far and arrives on the pound-for-pound list due to his brilliant switch-hitting ability and boxing IQ. He needs to be tested, and a long-anticipated showdown with Vergil Ortiz Jr. has been teased for the past few years. Just when it felt like it was close to happening, legal issues came between the two fighters. Ennis will move on -- for now -- to challenge WBO and WBA junior middleweight champion Zayas. -- Hale
RECORD: 63-3-2, 39 KOs DIVISION: Super middleweight LAST FIGHT: L (UD12) Terence Crawford, Sept. 13, 2025 NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Canelo returned to the pound-for-pound rankings by virtue of elimination. Although he lost to Crawford last September, there's no shame in losing to arguably the best boxer of the generation. But all eyes will be on Canelo's next move as he prepares to return from elbow surgery in September. The super middleweight division is wide open with Crawford's retirement, and Canelo could try to reclaim the titles he lost. -- Hale
RECORD: 30-0, 23 KOs DIVISION: Cruiserweight LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Brandon Glanton, March 8 NEXT FIGHT: TBA
The undefeated Australian make his debut on American soil with a one-sided throttling of Brandon Glanton in March to claim the inaugural Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight championship. However, the most compelling story had to do with the IBF title, which Opetaia would be later stripped of for a second time. There's no doubt that Opetaia is the best cruiserweight in the world, but the real question will surround how Zuffa Boxing manages to help him fulfill his dream of becoming the undisputed champion. -- Hale
The rankings are based on a descending points system, with a first-place vote awarding 10 points, a second-place vote awarding nine points and so on. A tie goes to the fighter with the highest ranking, then the one with the most votes at that ranking.
Others receiving votes: Oscar Collazo (11), Vergil Ortiz Jr. (10), Rafael Espinoza (5), Sebastian Fundora (5), Raymond Muratalla (3), Osleys Iglesias (2), O'Shaquie Foster (2), Tyson Fury (1), Emanuel Navarrete (1), Ryan Garcia (1)
Hale: 1. Usyk, 2. Stevenson, 3. Inoue, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Nakatani, 8. Ortiz, 9. Ennis, 10. Fundora
Atlas: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Nakatani, 8. Ennis, 9. Muratalla, 10. Ortiz
Tessitore: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Nakatani, 6. Benavidez, 7. Haney, 8. Opetaia, 9. Ennis, 10. Alvarez
Parkinson: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Stevenson, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Haney, 6. Benavidez, 7. Nakatani, 8. Opetaia, 9. Alvarez, 10. Garcia
Raskin: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Alvarez, 8. Ortiz, 9. Nakatani, 10. Espinoza
Regan: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Stevenson, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Nakatani, 8. Ennis, 9. Alvarez, 10. Fury
Osuna: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Nakatani, 6. Benavidez, 7. Haney, 8. Ennis, 9. Collazo, 10. Espinoza
Rodriguez: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Benavidez, 5. Stevenson, 6. Nakatani, 7. Alvarez, 8. Collazo, 9. Haney, 10. Navarrete
Woodyard: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Stevenson, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Benavidez, 6. Nakatani, 7. Haney, 8. Collazo, 9. Ortiz, 10. Ennis
Moynihan: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Stevenson, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Benavidez, 6. Nakatani, 7. Alvarez, 8. Ennis, 9. Haney, 10. Opetaia
Pilatti: 1. Inoue, 2. Usyk, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Nakatani, 8. Collazo, 9. Iglesias, 10. Muratalla
Zirolli: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Stevenson, 4. Rodriguez, 5. Benavidez, 6. Nakatani, 7. Haney, 8. Opetaia, 9. Ennis, 10. Ortiz
Mascaro: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Nakatani, 6. Benavidez, 7. Haney, 8. Ennis, 9. Espinoza, 10. Fundora
Freeman: 1. Inoue, 2. Rodriguez, 3. Usyk, 4. Stevenson, 5. Haney, 6. Nakatani, 7. Benavidez, 8. Ennis, 9. Foster, 10. Espinoza
Lopez: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Nakatani, 8. Alvarez, 9. Ennis, 10. Opetaia
Delgado Averhof: 1. Usyk, 2. Inoue, 3. Rodriguez, 4. Stevenson, 5. Benavidez, 6. Haney, 7. Nakatani, 8. Alvarez, 9. Ennis, 10. Opetaia
Second place: Inoue (12), Usyk (2), Rodriguez (1), Stevenson (1)
Third place: Rodriguez (9), Stevenson (5), Usyk (1), Inoue (1)
Fifth place: Benavidez (10), Nakatani (3), Haney (2), Stevenson (1)
Sixth place: Haney (7), Nakatani (5), Benavidez (3), Alvarez (1)
Seventh place: Nakatani (7), Haney (5), Alvarez (3), Benavidez (1)
Eighth place: Ennis (6), Opetaia (3), Collazo (3), Ortiz (2), Canelo (1),Fundora (1)
Ninth place: Ennis (5), Haney (2), Alvarez (2), Nakatani (1), Ortiz (1), Collazo (1), Espinoza (1), Iglesias(1), Muratalla (1), Foster (1)
10th place: Opetaia (3), Espinoza (3), Ortiz (2), Fundora (2), Ennis (1), Alvarez (1), Muratalla (1), Garcia (1), Navarrete (1), Fury (1)
