Boxing P4P rankings January 2025

As January draws to a close, we have seen a generally uneventful month unfold, but this was to be expected after the scintillating December that we were treated with. 

Jai Opetaia and Naoya Inoue both picked up routine wins over David Nyicka and Kim Ye-Joon, respectively – no one else in our top ten pound-for-pound rankings has been in action. 

Nevertheless, here are our monthly P4P rankings – of course, with a huge show on February 22 on the way, these rankings could look drastically different in just a few short weeks. 

10. Junto Nakatani

We’ll start our list by introducing you to a fighter who you may not be familiar with – but make no mistake, Junto Nakatani is a truly elite fighter and an entertaining one at that. 

Featuring an unorthodox wide stance and a low guard, he draws comparisons to a young Roy Jones Jr in certain aspects. Already a three-weight world champion at the age of 27, high profile encounters are surely on the horizon for Nakatani. 

Furthermore, he also possesses great power to go with his sharp skillset. Check him out if you haven’t watched him before.

9. Shakur Stevenson

One of the slickest defensive fighters in the world today, Shakur Stevenson picks up a lot of criticism for being ‘boring’ – but that doesn’t mean he isn’t effective. 

Furthermore, he has plenty of good wins under his belt, unlike a few of his contemporaries. Robson Conceicao, Oscar Valdez and Jamal Herring are all excellent names to have on your record. 

Fans want to see Stevenson make the jump to the next level against someone like Gervonta Davis – but he can only beat what is put in front of him. 

8. Jai Opetaia

One of boxing’s fastest rising stars, Jai Opetaia is must-see TV whenever one of his fights is televised. Explosive, accurate and powerful, his no holds barred approach makes him a fearsome opponent for anyone in his class. 

Opetaia’s main problem is his lack of competition at cruiserweight. Should he beat Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, a fight that is expected to take place this year, he would have no competition left at his natural weight. 

Nevertheless, outside of two battling displays by wily veteran Mairis Briedis, Opetaia is on a mountain unto his own at cruiserweight. Perhaps a move up to heavyweight could be what he needs in the future?

7. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez

Boxing’s biggest star lands the seventh spot on our list. While still being a high level operator, it has been a while since Canelo has faced a genuine challenge.

An upcoming fight with Terence Crawford will do little for Canelo’s legacy, as he will gain few plaudits for beating a naturally smaller man – and plenty more jeerers if he loses. 

Despite this, you can’t have a top ten pound for pound list without Canelo on it. He routinely puts away his opponents in style and remains one of the best counter-punchers in the game.

6. Dmitri Bivol

Perhaps the most technically sound boxer in the world at the moment, Dmitri Bivol’s recent loss against Artur Beterbiev means we can’t put him any higher than 6th – though his position will rise considerably if he wins the rematch. 

Bivol’s cautious approach can frustrate both his opponents and his fans – but he has begun to open up on his opposition more frequently in recent years.

Had the decision against Beterbiev gone the other way (and it certainly could’ve), Bivol would likely be in 4th or even 3rd place – let’s see what their second bout on February 22 holds. 

5. Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez

Jesse Rodriguez is one of boxing’s fastest rising stars. Impressive stoppage wins over the likes of Sunny Edwards, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Juan Francisco Estrada have made him the talk of the lower weight classes. 

Dubbed the ‘legend killer’ for his wins over established superstars, Rodriguez has achieved an awful lot in a very short space of time – it is easy to forget he is only 25 years old. 

At just 5ft 4, he may struggle to progress through the weights – but whatever he decides to do, his excellent footwork and deceptive power will take him far. 

4.  Artur Beterbiev

Arguably the most intimidating man in boxing at the moment, Artur Beterbiev picks up the number four spot following his win over Dmitri Bivol. 

A relentless pressure fighter with ungodly power in both hands, Beterbiev may be on the decline – but only in theory. Even after multiple injuries and at the age of 39, he looks as fresh as ever. 

Will Beterbiev win the rematch over his compatriot? Should he do so, he would surely cement himself as the greatest light heavyweight of his era – and one of the best of all time. 

3. Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford

It feels like we have only recently begun to see the true capabilities of Terence Crawford. Consistently held back by mismanagement, his wins over Errol Spence Jr. and Israel Madrimov must feel very vindicating for him and his loyal fanbase. 

He is scheduled to take on Canelo in September – in many ways, this is a win-win for Bud. Should he lose, people will nonetheless congratulate him for daring to be great. However, if he wins, it will go down as one of boxing’s all-time greatest victories. 

Perhaps the best counter-puncher in the game today, no one has been able to handle the intelligent pressure that Crawford puts on his opponents. 

2. Naoya Inoue

Naoya Inoue is the perfect boxer. Combining brutal power with sniper-esque accuracy and an underrated defensive acumen, the ‘Monster’ simply has no weaknesses. 

His talents have not quite been on full display over the last year, which is why he doesn’t take the top spot. Nevertheless, he still delivered one of 2024’s best fights when he rose from the canvas to stop Luis Nery. 

The only question for Inoue now is this – how far can he go? He continues to move up weights and has yet to show any sort of problems with acclimatising – let’s see what 2025 has in store. 

1. Oleksandr Usyk

Only one man can take the number one spot – after two legendary victories over former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk is the obvious (and correct) choice as the current pound-for-pound king. 

While his bouts with Fury were close, he looked excellent in both of them – routinely dealing with the Gypsy King’s near-limitless bag of tricks. 

His achievements over the last year simply cannot be understated. He has answered every question thrown at him and has laughed in his detractors’ faces – with two divisions now completely cleared out, there is nothing left for Usyk to prove in the sport of boxing.