Top 10 boxers in the world right now

If there were still any lingering questions about just how good former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney is, boy did the 25-year-old rising star send definitive statement to his critics last Saturday.

In his debut at 140 pounds, Haney headlined a pay-per-view card in his home city of San Francisco, sold out the Chase Center with more than 16,000 strong, and delivered nothing short of a virtuoso performance in shutting out WBC junior welterweight champion Regis Prograis.

Haney didn't just dominate by the normal metrics of outlanding his foe or maintaining distance so perfectly that he made the hard-hitting Prograis look like an amateur who was out of his depth. Yes, there was plenty of that. In fact, Haney set a new CompuBox record for a 12-round fight by limiting Prograis to just 36 total punches landed, in all.

More importantly, Haney turned back just about all of the negative notions that his few remaining critics still had of him: He's too boring and safe. He doesn't have the chin or power to fight at 140 pounds. And, who has he actually beaten again?

Haney was as pinpoint accurate as he was devastating. He knocked Prograis down with a perfect right counter in Round 3 and badly wobbled twice over the second half. Haney also showed, after years of making a difficult weight cut down to 135 pounds, just how much the five-pound difference allowed his body to fill out muscularly while increasing his stamina and power.

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In fact, when you look back over the totality of 2023, with Haney packaging his destruction of the one-loss Prograis with his edging of former unified king Vasiliy Lomachenko in their May lightweight clash, it's clear that Haney used this calendar year to make a massive step forward into both legitimate stardom (as a PPV headliner in a sold-out arena) and from a critical standpoint on the P4P list.

Haney also teased a possible move up to welterweight in the near future, which makes sense considering how much bigger he looked on fight night than Prograis and how easily he pushed his opponent around. The only problem (which is a great one to have for both fighter and fans), is that junior welterweight currently houses some of the brightest young stars in the entire sport, from Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis to Teofimo Lopez Jr. and Subriel Matias.

Regardless of where Haney goes next, it's clear that he's only getting better with each passing day. Not only does Haney have all of the physical tools to be a problem in just about any division he chooses, he can pair it well with his high ring IQ and the kind of poise that boxers of his age rarely possess.

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 Haney's win in December.

Pound-for-Pound Rankings

1. Terence Crawford

Undisputed welterweight champion (39-0, 29 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 1

If you wondered how great Crawford really was, his dismantling of unbeaten Errol Spence Jr. in their long-awaited undisputed title bout provided the answers we so desperately coveted. Crawford wasn't just better than Spence, he proved he would be a handful for any welterweight in history. He also hasn't backed down from his interest in facing Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds.

2. Naoya Inoue

Unified junior featherweight champion (22-0, 20 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 2

How is it possible that the Japanese "Monster" could capture a title in a fourth weight division while dominating the unified champion Stephen Fulton Jr. and somehow lose his spot in the rankings? The answer is Terence Crawford. That doesn't mean Inoue hasn't succeeded in showing us he's a future all-time great in the making.

3. Canelo Alvarez

Undisputed super middleweight champion (60-2-2, 38 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 3

The former P4P king is still the undisputed champion of one of the sport's hottest divisions and he proved against Jermell Charlo in their September PPV that he's not done yet at 33. Now fully healthy, Alvarez redeemed himself from a trio of ho-hum performances over the past two years with a dominant decision win.

4. Oleksandr Usyk

Unified heavyweight champion (19-0, 13 KOs | Previous ranking: No. 4

Usyk's professional run has been as decorated as it has been perfect. The former undisputed cruiserweight champ scored a pair of resounding victories over Anthony Joshua to unify a trio of heavyweight titles. Following a stoppage of mandatory foe Daniel Dubois, Usyk now finally gets his undisputed, four-belt clash against WBC champion Tyson Fury in February.

5. Devin Haney

WBC junior welterweight champion (31-0, 15 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 6

The 25-year-old Haney has made a heck of a case for boxer of the year in 2023 after outpointing former P4P king Vasiliy Lomachenko in May at lightweight before moving up to 140 pounds and dominating Regis Prograis in a shutout to capture a second world title in as many divisions. Simply put: Haney can do it all.

6. Dmitry Bivol

WBA light heavyweight champion (21-0, 11 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 5

Following an incredible 2022, which included a victory over Canelo Alvarez and almost universal acclaim as the fighter of the year, Bivol has sat out most of this calendar year in hopes of facing unified champion Artur Beterbiev in a long-awaited undisputed fight. To stay busy, Bivol will return in December in Saudi Arabia against Lyndon Arthur.

7. Tyson Fury

WBC heavyweight champion (34-0-1, 25 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 7

This has been nothing short of a weird 2023 for the "Gypsy King." Fury was criticized heavily for delaying his undisputed fight against unified king Oleksandr Usyk, which will now take place in February. And he was lucky to hang on to his unbeaten record in his disputed decision win over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in October, which saw Fury hit the canvas against the novice pugilist.

8. Errol Spence Jr.

Welterweight (28-1, 22 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 8

The former unified welterweight king endured tremendous punishment in a disastrous undisputed title loss to long-time rival Terence Crawford. A full-time move up to 154 pounds is expected for the 33-year-old Spence, who recently activated his immediate rematch clause with Crawford.

9. Gervonta Davis

Secondary lightweight titleholder (29-0, 27 KOs) | Previous ranking: 9

It's about time "Tank" is finally getting his due as one of the most dangerous and well-rounded boxers on the planet. The efficient sniper finished unbeaten Ryan Garcia with a body shot in Round 7 of their April superfight. Recently free from prison, Davis is expecting an early 2024 return.

10. Shakur Stevenson

WBC lightweight champion (21-0, 10 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 10

Although Stevenson limited the hard-punching Edwin De Los Santos to a CompuBox-record over 12 rounds of just 40 punches landed, he was widely criticized for how boring his November victory was in their vacant 135-pound title bout. Stevenson, who appeared to have an injured left hand, won a title in a third weight division at just age 26 yet was criticized in full for not capitalizing offensively on openings.

Who has Canelo Alvarez lost to?

Despite his seemingly blinding stature, the Mexican superstar has already suffered defeats in his 17-year professional career. Of his 62 fights, Alvarez lost twice: first at the hands of Floyd Mayweather in 2013, followed by a shocking loss to Dmitry Bivol in May 2022.

Who is the richest boxer?

Richest boxers worldwide 2022, by net worth As of July 2022, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the world's richest boxer, with a total net worth of around 400 million British pounds. Boxer-turned-entrepreneur George Foreman ranked second, with a large share of his net worth coming from outside the sport.

Who has the most knockouts in boxing history?

The record-holder for the most knockouts in boxing's history belongs to UK's Billy Bird, who had 139 knockouts out of his 356 professional fights. Bird racked up 260 wins, 73 losses and 20 draws.

Is Canelo the best boxer?

Boxing record He is also known as a formidable body puncher. As of September 2023, Álvarez is ranked as the second best active boxer, pound for pound, by BoxRec. One of the highest-paid athletes in the world, he made Forbes list of the world's highest-paid athletes in 2019, 2022, and 2023.