B/R Pound-for-Pound Boxing Rankings: March 2025
Well, we're certainly off to a good start in the ring, no?
Though 2025 is barely two months old, it's already featured an undisputed title change at light heavyweight, a successful defense by another undisputed champion at 122 pounds, and the scheduling of a dream match between another pair of former four-belt kingpins.
One thing's for sure: If the final 10 months of the year are as good as the first two, it'll be a series of happy gatherings for the B/R combat team, which digested the recent action and compiled an updated set of pound-for-pound rankings while consulting other respected sources along the way as well.
Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.
10. Shakur Stevenson
1 of 10
Weight Class: 135 pounds
Major Titles Held: WBC
It's a hard knock life for the underappreciated Stevenson, who's unbeaten in 23 fights, has held belts at three weights and seems in his prime at age 27.
He was set for a defense at 135 against Floyd Schofield but had no-hoper Josh Padley dumped in his lap as a sub and was forced into a no-win situation that ended predictably when the Englishman's corner surrendered in Round 9.
If ever there was a guy in need of a career definer, it's Stevenson.
9. David Benavidez
2 of 10
Weight Class: 175 pounds
Major Titles Held: None
It's not the fight he wanted or the one everyone else suggested he deserved, but Benavidez made the most of a spotlight opportunity against David Morrell with a punishing decision that made him a man to be dealt with at 175 pounds.
Finally content with the prospect of a Canelo Alvarez fight never happening, the "Mexican Monster" is a fascinating next challenge for the two biggest players at light heavyweight, Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev.
His size, tenacity and gas tank would make him a tough out for either.
8. Gervonta Davis
3 of 10
Weight Class: 135 pounds
Major Titles Held: WBA
The second of two lightweight title claimants on our list, Davis is the power-punching complement to Stevenson's sublime skill and artistry.
Presuming the Baltimore-based "Tank" passes an interim test in the form of chatty WBA title challenger Lamont Roach this weekend in Brooklyn, you can expect the drumbeat for a fight with his fellow 135-pound elitist to grow in volume.
"Even if Tank did not possess his shocking punching power," said Jim Lampley, who'll be part of the Davis-Roach live stream fight coverage on PPV.com, "he would be an elite lightweight on the basis of his crafty boxing, southpaw style advantage, clever footwork and visible killer instinct. But it is pure power that really sets him apart."
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
7. Jesse Rodriguez
4 of 10
Weight Class: 115 pounds
Major Titles Held: WBC
Could Rodriguez be the latest in an intermittent line of Americans to draw attention to the extreme lighter weights? Well, it'd be foolish to suggest it's not deserved.
The 25-year-old was a legitimate candidate for 2024's fighter of the year based on KOs of championship-level foes in Juan Francisco Estrada and Pedro Guevara, and we're not ashamed to be calling loudly for a date with Naoya Inoue.
Call it a "Battle of the Little Giants" for a new generation, and feel free to drop us a finder's fee when the contracts are signed.
6. Canelo Alvarez
5 of 10
Weight Class: 168 pounds
Major Titles Held: WBA, WBC, WBO
Just when it looked like he was finally going to call Jake Paul's bluff and given the "Problem Child" a viral beating, the man known simply as "Canelo" pivoted to finalize what's sure to be one of the year's most talked-about and fascinating bouts.
Fellow four-division champ Terence Crawford provides a challenge unlike any Alvarez has faced, but there's work do in the meantime with dubious IBF title claimant William Scull, who "earned" his belt after the Mexican star was stripped.
The 2025 agenda: Beat the pretender, regain undisputed status, and top off an already enviable resume with a win over another first-ballot Hall of Famer.
5. Artur Beterbiev
6 of 10
Weight Class: 175 pounds
Major Titles Held: None
The second title-less light heavyweight on our list, Beterbiev only joined the belt-free ranks upon losing his undisputed status in the weight class by majority decision to Dmitry Bivol in their high-profile Saudi Arabian rematch on Feb. 22.
Now 40, Beterbiev started fast and slowed down the stretch to allow a Bivol rally, completely flipping the script of their first fight last October and setting the stage for a trilogy between two of the generation's most intense rivals.
A series-clinching win could yield Canelo, Benavidez or a move toward bigger quarry, while a loss would put an unsightly dent in the legacy after a 20-0, 20 KO start.
4. Dmitry Bivol
7 of 10
Weight Class: 175 pounds
Major Titles Held: IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO
The first of two undisputed champions on our list, Bivol waited for months for a chance at revenge against Beterbiev and delivered down the stretch with a stirring rally after he'd looked out of his element at the fight's midway point.
The now-34-year-old proved his worth on the big stage with a technical undressing of Alvarez three years ago and backed it up with the Beterbiev win, his 24th in 25 fights.
As if the trilogy prospects alongside his own possible duels with Benavidez and Alvarez weren't enough, Bivol suggested at the post-fight news conference that he could be cajoled to move up to cruiserweight, too.
3. Terence Crawford
8 of 10
Weight Class: 154 pounds
Major Titles Held: WBA
Seems Crawford isn't a guy who likes to leave a bad impression.
The 37-year-old was pushed to the limit for the first time in forever while wresting the WBA's 154-pound strap from Israil Madrimov last summer, so rather than simply slogging it out he stepped back onto the superstar side of things.
The duel with Alvarez later this year is a monumental challenge for Crawford, but his underrated strength and ever-present tenacity figure to make it a far more compelling encounter than simple physical dimensions might imply.
2. Naoya Inoue
9 of 10
Weight Class: 122 pounds
Major Titles Held: IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO
The beat goes on into 2025 for the Japanese "Monster," who opened his calendar year with a fourth-round demolition of sub Ye Joon Kim in late January after fighting a grand total of 13 rounds while notching a pair of wins in 2024.
It's hard to imagine he's 31 and his next fight will be his 30th, given that he's been a champion in one form or another since grabbing the WBC's belt at 108 pounds in 2014, in just his sixth pro fight.
The B/R-endorsed match with Rodriguez would be legendary and a showdown with countryman Junto Nakatani gives Inoue a chance at a worthwhile rivalry, too.
1. Oleksandr Usyk
10 of 10
Weight Class: Heavyweight
Major Titles Held: WBA, WBC, WBO
The Ukrainian is the man who's beaten the relevant men at heavyweight and cruiserweight, picking up undisputed status in both classes before the IBF nonsensically stripped him in favor of a guy he'd already stopped in nine rounds.
Another chance to beat Daniel Dubois and regain four-belt status was delayed when the Brit pulled out of a defense with Joseph Parker, though it could leave Usyk with a chance to meet Parker, who's reinvented himself with six straight wins.
Regardless, Usyk says it won't be long no matter who draws in next.
"I think two years, one and a half [left in boxing]," he told SkySports. "I feel great myself. I feel I have two fights to prepare [for], not more. Just two."
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
