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The Tennessean is ranking the best boxers in the world, regardless of weight class, to determine who is the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet.
Call it our boxing power rankings.
While subjective, pound-for-pound rankings take into account a number of factors in trying to determine the 10 best boxers across all weight classes.
The simplest, but perhaps the most important, criteria is performances in the ring; how has a boxer looked and performed in recent fights? Another is quality of opponent. To be ranked, a fighter must defeat credentialed opponents within his division.
Also taken into account are titles won and historical success. Pound-for-pound rankings hinge on recent performances, but long-held championship pedigree also factors into determining the rankings.
A fighter is no longer eligible for The Tennessean's pound-for-pound rankings after 18 months of inactivity, barring injury.
Here are The Tennessean's pound-for-pound boxing rankings for February 2026.
In the aftermath of Terence Crawford's recent retirement, Usyk maintains his hold on the title of pound-for-pound king. Usyk last fought in July, scoring the most destructive stoppage of his heavyweight reign as he knocked out former IBF champion Daniel Dubois with a thundering left hook. Having twice defeated Dubois, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, the division possesses few, if any, challengers capable of testing Usyk. He was widely linked to a bout against Deontay Wilder, who's since signed on to face Derek Chisora.
Titles held: WBC, WBA, IBF heavyweight titles
Last fight: Win − Fifth-round knockout vs. Daniel Dubois, July 19, 2025
Next fight: TBD
More: Tyson Fury retirement ends with fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov in April
Inoue picked up his fourth victory of 2025 just days before the turn of the calendar, cruising to a unanimous decision win over Alan David Picasso on Dec. 27. With the win, Inoue improved to 27-0 in world title fights while defending his undisputed junior featherweight titles for a sixth time. He's defeated each of the division's top champions and challengers, many with ease, and it seems next up could be a blockbuster showdown against fellow countryman Junto Nakatani, who made his 122-pound debut on the same December card. With a win over Nakatani in 2026, Inoue may just leap over Usyk into the top spot.
Titles held: WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF junior featherweight titles
Last fight: Win − Unanimous decision vs. Alan David Picasso, Dec. 27, 2025
Next fight: TBD
More: Terence Crawford retiring from boxing, closes career 42-0. Here's why
Bivol has been out of the ring since February due to a back injury, but remains toward the top of the pound-for-pound rankings having most recently avenged his lone career defeat against Artur Beterbiev, claiming the undisputed light heavyweight titles. He's since vacated the WBC belt and looks no closer to a purported rubber match against Beterbiev, but his manager did reveal to The Ring in December that Bivol is targeting a spring tune-up before likely setting his sights on Beterbiev once again.
Titles held: WBO, WBA, IBF light heavyweight titles
Last fight: Win − Majority decision vs. Artur Beterbiev, Feb. 22, 2025
Next fight: TBD
Rodriguez added yet another title in November, putting on a virtuoso performance as he stopped formerly unbeaten champion Fernando Martinez in the 10th round to unify the WBA title with his WBC and WBO belts. It seems there are few divisional foes capable of providing a test for Rodriguez, but he could still set his sights on an undisputed title fight against IBF champion Willibaldo Garcia.
Titles held: WBC, WBO, WBA junior bantamweight titles
Last fight: Win − 10th round knockout vs. Fernando Martinez, Nov. 22, 2025
Next fight: TBD
More: Ryan Garcia set to challenge Mario Barrios for world title on Feb. 21
Shakur Stevenson moves up two spots after a dominant display in his divisional debut against lineal junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez on Jan. 31. Stevenson won 11 of 12 rounds on all three scorecards, hardly cracking a sweat as he convincingly beat down Lopez to become a four-division world champion. In a curious move by the WBC, Stevenson was stripped of his lightweight title on Feb. 4, but there remains a handful of big matchups for Stevenson between 140 and 147 pounds.
Titles held: WBO junior welterweight title
Last fight: Win − Unanimous decision vs. Teofimo Lopez, Jan. 31, 2026
Next fight: TBD
While Beterbiev has remained without a fight since his February 2025 defeat to Bivol, that does little to diminish his dominance in recent years. A year ago, it was Beterbiev who held the title of undisputed at 175 pounds after a decision win over Bivol, which followed a run of nine straight knockout victories in title fights. He can hardly be knocked for the closely contested defeat to Bivol in the rematch, but Beterbiev will need to schedule his next fight sooner rather than later.
Titles held: None
Last fight: Loss − Majority decision vs. Dmitry Bivol, Feb. 22, 2025
Next fight: TBD
Benavidez continued an impressive run of victories in November, as he secured his first stoppage at light heavyweight, defeating top contender Anthony Yarde by seventh-round TKO. An undisputed showdown against Dmitry Bivol is no doubt the fight fans are hoping for, but with Bivol still recovering from injury, Benavidez announced he'll move up in weight to face unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez in May. A win over Ramirez would secure Benavidez's status as a three-division world champion, but that'll be no easy task in his divisional debut.
Titles held: WBC light heavyweight title
Last fight: Win − Seventh round technical knockout vs. Anthony Yarde, Nov. 22, 2025
Next fight: May 2 vs. Gilberto Ramirez
Nakatani was taken to his limits in his junior featherweight debut on Dec. 27, defeating Sebastian Hernandez by unanimous decision in a bout far more competitive than the result indicated. Nakatani had looked near unbeatable in his run as bantamweight champion, but now questions have arisen over whether or not his power has translated to 122 pounds. It doesn't look like Nakatani will waste much time growing into the division though, with a super fight against Inoue expected to come at some point in 2026.
Titles held: None
Last fight: Win − Unanimous decision vs. Sebastian Hernandez, Dec. 27, 2025
Next fight: TBD
Haney entered into the pound-for-pound rankings after cruising to a unanimous decision victory over formerly undefeated world champion Brian Norman Jr. in his welterweight debut this past December. The bout was viewed as a 50-50 affair entering fight night, but Haney quickly proved to be a level above Norman Jr., sending him to the canvas in the second round before boxing his way to a clear victory on the cards. Haney claimed the WBO welterweight title with the victory and could now turn to a unification bout against the winner of Ryan Garcia vs. WBC champion Mario Barrios, which is set for Feb. 21.
Titles held: WBO welterweight title
Last fight: Win − Unanimous decision vs. Brian Norman Jr., Nov. 22, 2025
Next fight: TBD
Alvarez sits on the edge of the pound-for-pound rankings following a defeat at the hands of Terence Crawford last September. Alvarez had previously reigned as undisputed super middleweight champion for the better part of four years, before Crawford made history jumping up two weight classes to defeat him. While Alvarez is no doubt on the back nine of his career, a closely contested defeat to Crawford doesn't erase his previous dominance in the division, defeating the likes of Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Munguia as recently as 2024. Alvarez is expected to return to the ring in September after undergoing elbow surgery and could potentially reclaim one of Crawford's since vacated titles.
Titles held: None
Last fight: Loss − Unanimous decision vs. Terence Crawford, Sept. 13, 2025
Next fight: TBD
Harrison Campbell covers combat sports for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @hccamp.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Boxing pound-for-pound rankings: Oleksandr Usyk leads top 10
Continue reading...
Call it our boxing power rankings.
While subjective, pound-for-pound rankings take into account a number of factors in trying to determine the 10 best boxers across all weight classes.
The simplest, but perhaps the most important, criteria is performances in the ring; how has a boxer looked and performed in recent fights? Another is quality of opponent. To be ranked, a fighter must defeat credentialed opponents within his division.
Also taken into account are titles won and historical success. Pound-for-pound rankings hinge on recent performances, but long-held championship pedigree also factors into determining the rankings.
A fighter is no longer eligible for The Tennessean's pound-for-pound rankings after 18 months of inactivity, barring injury.
Here are The Tennessean's pound-for-pound boxing rankings for February 2026.
Top 10 pound-for-pound boxing rankings
1. Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs)
In the aftermath of Terence Crawford's recent retirement, Usyk maintains his hold on the title of pound-for-pound king. Usyk last fought in July, scoring the most destructive stoppage of his heavyweight reign as he knocked out former IBF champion Daniel Dubois with a thundering left hook. Having twice defeated Dubois, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, the division possesses few, if any, challengers capable of testing Usyk. He was widely linked to a bout against Deontay Wilder, who's since signed on to face Derek Chisora.
Titles held: WBC, WBA, IBF heavyweight titles
Last fight: Win − Fifth-round knockout vs. Daniel Dubois, July 19, 2025
Next fight: TBD
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More: Tyson Fury retirement ends with fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov in April
2. Naoya Inoue (32-0, 27 KOs)
Inoue picked up his fourth victory of 2025 just days before the turn of the calendar, cruising to a unanimous decision win over Alan David Picasso on Dec. 27. With the win, Inoue improved to 27-0 in world title fights while defending his undisputed junior featherweight titles for a sixth time. He's defeated each of the division's top champions and challengers, many with ease, and it seems next up could be a blockbuster showdown against fellow countryman Junto Nakatani, who made his 122-pound debut on the same December card. With a win over Nakatani in 2026, Inoue may just leap over Usyk into the top spot.
Titles held: WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF junior featherweight titles
Last fight: Win − Unanimous decision vs. Alan David Picasso, Dec. 27, 2025
Next fight: TBD
You must be registered for see images
More: Terence Crawford retiring from boxing, closes career 42-0. Here's why
3. Dmitry Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs)
Bivol has been out of the ring since February due to a back injury, but remains toward the top of the pound-for-pound rankings having most recently avenged his lone career defeat against Artur Beterbiev, claiming the undisputed light heavyweight titles. He's since vacated the WBC belt and looks no closer to a purported rubber match against Beterbiev, but his manager did reveal to The Ring in December that Bivol is targeting a spring tune-up before likely setting his sights on Beterbiev once again.
Titles held: WBO, WBA, IBF light heavyweight titles
Last fight: Win − Majority decision vs. Artur Beterbiev, Feb. 22, 2025
Next fight: TBD
4. Jesse Rodriguez (23-0, 16 KOs)
Rodriguez added yet another title in November, putting on a virtuoso performance as he stopped formerly unbeaten champion Fernando Martinez in the 10th round to unify the WBA title with his WBC and WBO belts. It seems there are few divisional foes capable of providing a test for Rodriguez, but he could still set his sights on an undisputed title fight against IBF champion Willibaldo Garcia.
Titles held: WBC, WBO, WBA junior bantamweight titles
Last fight: Win − 10th round knockout vs. Fernando Martinez, Nov. 22, 2025
Next fight: TBD
You must be registered for see images attach
More: Ryan Garcia set to challenge Mario Barrios for world title on Feb. 21
5. Shakur Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs)
Shakur Stevenson moves up two spots after a dominant display in his divisional debut against lineal junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez on Jan. 31. Stevenson won 11 of 12 rounds on all three scorecards, hardly cracking a sweat as he convincingly beat down Lopez to become a four-division world champion. In a curious move by the WBC, Stevenson was stripped of his lightweight title on Feb. 4, but there remains a handful of big matchups for Stevenson between 140 and 147 pounds.
Titles held: WBO junior welterweight title
Last fight: Win − Unanimous decision vs. Teofimo Lopez, Jan. 31, 2026
Next fight: TBD
6. Artur Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs)
While Beterbiev has remained without a fight since his February 2025 defeat to Bivol, that does little to diminish his dominance in recent years. A year ago, it was Beterbiev who held the title of undisputed at 175 pounds after a decision win over Bivol, which followed a run of nine straight knockout victories in title fights. He can hardly be knocked for the closely contested defeat to Bivol in the rematch, but Beterbiev will need to schedule his next fight sooner rather than later.
Titles held: None
Last fight: Loss − Majority decision vs. Dmitry Bivol, Feb. 22, 2025
Next fight: TBD
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7. David Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs)
Benavidez continued an impressive run of victories in November, as he secured his first stoppage at light heavyweight, defeating top contender Anthony Yarde by seventh-round TKO. An undisputed showdown against Dmitry Bivol is no doubt the fight fans are hoping for, but with Bivol still recovering from injury, Benavidez announced he'll move up in weight to face unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez in May. A win over Ramirez would secure Benavidez's status as a three-division world champion, but that'll be no easy task in his divisional debut.
Titles held: WBC light heavyweight title
Last fight: Win − Seventh round technical knockout vs. Anthony Yarde, Nov. 22, 2025
Next fight: May 2 vs. Gilberto Ramirez
8. Junto Nakatani (32-0, 24 KOs)
Nakatani was taken to his limits in his junior featherweight debut on Dec. 27, defeating Sebastian Hernandez by unanimous decision in a bout far more competitive than the result indicated. Nakatani had looked near unbeatable in his run as bantamweight champion, but now questions have arisen over whether or not his power has translated to 122 pounds. It doesn't look like Nakatani will waste much time growing into the division though, with a super fight against Inoue expected to come at some point in 2026.
Titles held: None
Last fight: Win − Unanimous decision vs. Sebastian Hernandez, Dec. 27, 2025
Next fight: TBD
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9. Devin Haney (33-0, 15 KOs)
Haney entered into the pound-for-pound rankings after cruising to a unanimous decision victory over formerly undefeated world champion Brian Norman Jr. in his welterweight debut this past December. The bout was viewed as a 50-50 affair entering fight night, but Haney quickly proved to be a level above Norman Jr., sending him to the canvas in the second round before boxing his way to a clear victory on the cards. Haney claimed the WBO welterweight title with the victory and could now turn to a unification bout against the winner of Ryan Garcia vs. WBC champion Mario Barrios, which is set for Feb. 21.
Titles held: WBO welterweight title
Last fight: Win − Unanimous decision vs. Brian Norman Jr., Nov. 22, 2025
Next fight: TBD
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10. Canelo Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs)
Alvarez sits on the edge of the pound-for-pound rankings following a defeat at the hands of Terence Crawford last September. Alvarez had previously reigned as undisputed super middleweight champion for the better part of four years, before Crawford made history jumping up two weight classes to defeat him. While Alvarez is no doubt on the back nine of his career, a closely contested defeat to Crawford doesn't erase his previous dominance in the division, defeating the likes of Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Munguia as recently as 2024. Alvarez is expected to return to the ring in September after undergoing elbow surgery and could potentially reclaim one of Crawford's since vacated titles.
Titles held: None
Last fight: Loss − Unanimous decision vs. Terence Crawford, Sept. 13, 2025
Next fight: TBD
Harrison Campbell covers combat sports for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @hccamp.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Boxing pound-for-pound rankings: Oleksandr Usyk leads top 10
Continue reading...
