If there’s a blueprint on how to handle oneself while being heavily avoided by top opponents in boxing, unbeaten light heavyweight David Benavidez is doing things the right way.
Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs), the 28-year-old “Mexican Monster,” did all he could to try and land a bout against Mexican icon and unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. But Benavidez never lingered in his disappointment of coming up empty and has, instead, positioned himself as one of the biggest breakthrough stars in the sport and one of its pound-for-pound best.
After successfully moving up to light heavyweight in 2024 by outpointing former titleholder Oleksandr Gvozdyk (despite injuries to both hands), Benavidez returned healthy in January to score his most consequential victory to date when he scored a unanimous decision win against unbeaten David Morrell Jr. in their pay-per-view clash in Las Vegas.
By staying active while matching himself against as difficult a variety of style matchups as he could find in recent years, Benavidez now finds himself the mandatory opponent for the winner of the Feb. 22 undisputed light heavyweight title rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
A win could potentially launch Benavidez into the stratosphere of global stardom and, even though he hasn’t fully given up on the idea of fighting Alvarez, Benavidez continues to prove that he doesn’t need him, either, to accomplish everything he has set out to do.
A former two-time super middleweight titleholder who never lost a title inside the ring, Benavidez has improved leaps and bounds ever since a 2017 split-decision win over Ronald Gavril made him the younger 168-pound champion in history at the age of 20.
For a stalking bully who often squares up in front of his opponents while looking to deal out violent power shots, Benavidez remains an incredible responsible defensive presence and a truly creative offensive force. He has also built up his stamina to the point where, like against Morrell, he can go 12 hard rounds at a high pace against anyone in the world.
Since 2022, Benavidez is riding a streak of five consecutive wins against current or former world champions and each of them — including David Lemieux, Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade — brought distinctly different styles into the ring against him.
Morrell turned out to be the toughest and most talented foe Benavidez has faced to date yet he took Morrell’s best shots and both outboxed and outslugged him in a thrilling 12-round fight.
While the jury is still out as to whether Benavidez can become a one-punch threat at 175 pounds, the accumulation of his power shots and the high pace he operates with continue to be a problem for every opponent he has stepped into the ring against. Nobody in boxing fights meaner than Benavidez and few are riding the type of momentum he continues to build.
Using a criteria that takes into account everything from accomplishments to current form, let’s take a closer look at the top fighters inside the ring. Below is the latest Pound for Pound rankings update after Usyk’s win in December.
Pound-for-Pound Rankings
1. Oleksandr Usyk
Undisputed heavyweight champion (23-0, 14 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 1
Usyk’s professional run has been as decorated as it has been perfect. The former undisputed cruiserweight champ, who reached similar status as a four-belt champion at heavyweight in his split-decision win over Tyson Fury in May, was even better in their December rematch. Usyk solidified himself as one of the best boxers in division history by efficiently outworking Fury, despite giving up 55 pounds, to claim a unanimous decision.
2. Naoya Inoue
Undisputed junior featherweight champion (26-0, 24 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 2
The four-division champion, who has reached undisputed status in two different weight classes, continued his legendary takeover of the sport in January when he finished late replacement Ye Joon Kim in four rounds in Tokyo. “The Monster” is expected to return to fight in the U.S. in the spring before making his Saudi Arabia debut later this year.
3. Terence Crawford
WBA junior middleweight champion (40-0, 29 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 3
In his long-awaited return from his dismantling of Errol Spence Jr. last summer, Crawford moved up to 154 pounds to narrowly hold off WBA champion Israel Madrimov. Up next, Crawford is rumored to be entering the toughest test of his pro career against unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez this September in Las Vegas.
4. Artur Beterbiev
Undisputed light heavyweight champion (21-0, 20 KOs) | Previous ranking: 4
Beterbiev turned away any whispers that he was getting old by dismantling former 168-pound champion Callum Smith in January. With his mandatories out of the way and knee surgery behind him, Beterbiev finally faced unbeaten Dmitry Bivol in the division’s first four-belt, undisputed clash. Beterbiev came away with a disputed majority decision as fans eagerly await an immediate rematch on Feb. 22.
5. Dmitry Bivol
Light heavyweight (23-1, 12 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 5
Talk about bad luck. Bivol appeared to land the cleaner, defining shots in an undisputed light heavyweight clash against Artur Beterbiev which showcased some of the best combined skill in boxing today. But the native of Russia was forced to settle for a disputed loss via majority decision in a thrilling and close fight. The only thing next which makes sense for both fighters (and the sport, at large) is an immediate rematch set for Feb. 22.
6. Canelo Alvarez
Unified super middleweight champion (62-2-2, 38 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 6
The former P4P king is still a unified champion at 168 pounds and he proved just that by scoring decision wins in 2024 over Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga. That doesn’t mean Alvarez hasn’t stopped receiving criticism for avoiding David Benavidez. Currently, the Mexican star is rumored to be seeking fights with Jake Paul in May and Terence Crawford in September.
7. Gervonta Davis
WBA lightweight champion (30-0, 28 KOs) | Previous ranking: 7
Davis’ body-shot knockout of Ryan Garcia in their superfight last April looks even better now that “King Ryan” became the first boxer to drop and defeat former undisputed lightweight king Devin Haney. With a 2023 jail sentence behind him, “Tank” returned in June to obliterate unbeaten Frank Martin. Davis was expected to return in December against Lamont Roach Jr. but the fight was rescheduled for March.
8. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez
Flyweight, junior bantamweight titleholder (20-0, 13 KOs) | Previous ranking: 8
The 24-year-old phenom from San Antonio landed just shy of 50% of his power shots to dismantle 115-pound titleholder Juan Francisco Estrada in July. Rodriguez returned in November to defend his junior bantamweight title by stopping Pedro Guevara in Philadelphia.
9. David Benavidez
Interim light heavyweight titleholder (29-0, 24 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 10
Frustrated with waiting around for his shot at undisputed 168-pound king Canelo Alvarez, “El Monstro” moved up in weight to outclass former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk last year. In January, he took on unbeaten David Morrell Jr. and delivered a thorough performance to continue his star turn. Benavidez is now slated to possibly face the winner of the Feb. 22 undisputed rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
10. Shakur Stevenson
WBC lightweight champion (22-0, 10 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 9
Even though he was nearly booed out of the arena — in his hometown, no less — while defending his title against Artem Harutyunyun in July, Stevenson limited his opponent to just 17% of punches landed overall and single digits in all but one round. The three-division champion, now promoted by Matchroom Sport, will return on Feb. 22 versus unbeaten prospect Floyd Schofield Jr.
Dropped out: None
Honorable mention: Tyson Fury, Teofimo Lopez Jr., Junto Nakatani, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Devin Haney