Boxing P4P rankings March 2025

February was a brilliant month for boxing – we saw plenty of our top ten pound for pound boxers in action, as well as several others who are currently knocking on the door.

There are no new entries in the rankings this month. Despite this, fighters such as Keyshawn Davis and Arnold Barboza Jr. have entered the conversation thanks to their strong recent showings. 

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the top ten best boxers in the world from this month.

10. Shakur Stevenson

Shakur Stevenson did little to attract new fans when he defeated Josh Padley by TKO on February 22. While he didn’t do anything wrong, it was an unspectacular display in a fight where he was heavily favoured. 

He remains above domestic rival Gervonta Davis in our rankings, though. Davis’ stock took a major hit when he failed to beat Lamont Roach, whereas Stevenson has roughly remained in the same position. 

A marquee victory would be just what the doctor ordered for the Olympic silver medallist. He has had plenty of decent wins – but he needs a career-defining statement to truly make his mark. 

9. Jai Opetaia

Jai Opetaia doesn’t have a fight scheduled at the time of writing, following his brutal knockout of David Nyicka earlier in the year. 

The undefeated Australian maintains his spot in our rankings nonetheless. Without a doubt the best Cruiserweight on the planet, he seems to have his sights set on Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez next. 

Should he win that, there would be little left for Opetaia to do at Cruiserweight. Some have suggested that he should move up to Heavyweight – though it remains to be seen if his frame will sustain a Heavyweight build. 

8. Junto Nakatani

Junto Nakatani dismantled David Cuellar with ease in his last fight, earning him a boost up to eighth position in our rankings. 

A three-weight world champion, the sky’s the limit for the 28 year old. At 5ft 8, he has a solid base on which he can rise through the weight classes – he certainly has the talent to do so. 

A move up to Super Bantamweight, where he could forge a fight with Naoya Inoue, would be the fan-favourite option – but it is unlikely to take place any time soon. 

7. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez

Canelo will return to action on Cinco de Mayo weekend to take on undefeated Cuban William Scull. This is a step up from his recent opposition, most of whom have been criticised for being beneath the legendary Mexican. 

Canelo’s position in these rankings won’t move far without a statement win, but Scull shouldn’t be overlooked. It is a potentially dangerous fight and Canelo should be commended for taking it – though we’d all much prefer him to fight David Benavidez. 

Let’s hope for a few more fights like this from the super middleweight champion before he eventually retires – the last few years have not been kind to his legacy. 

6. Artur Beterbiev

Artur Beterbiev has seen his position fall by a couple of places after he was defeated by Dmitri Bivol in their highly anticipated rematch. It was a brilliant contest – but Bivol was the smarter fighter on the night. 

Indeed, this could be the beginning of Beterbiev’s decline. He didn’t look quite as sharp as he did in the first fight – additionally, he appeared to tire faster, as he looked to cause a stoppage in the early rounds. 

This gave the more mobile Bivol the edge later on, as he cleverly picked off his aging opponent. Will we see a third bout with a definitive outcome later this year?

5. Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez

Bam Rodriguez maintains his spot as the fifth best boxer in the world on our list. He hasn’t been especially active recently, however – he also doesn’t have a fight scheduled. 

Nevertheless, despite being the youngest fighter on the list at just 25 years of age, he has already put an excellent resume of elite wins together.

It’s exciting to see what he will do next – Bam always provides entertainment in his fights and avoids no one. 

4. Dmitri Bivol

Dmitri Bivol righted the wrongs of his first fight with Artur Beterbiev by winning a decision against his domestic adversary in their February 22 rematch. 

Bivol looked sharper and more confident this time around. He weathered the earlier storm, then calmly outmanoeuvred the 40-year-old for the remainder of the fight. 

It seems a clash with David Benavidez is up next for Bivol – a win for his opponent in that one could see him burst into the rankings after a few months in the periphery.  

3. Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford

Terence Crwford remains outside the top two – despite his talents, he is held back by his inactivity and thin resume. 

Granted, his last two wins, over Israil Madrimov and Errol Spence Jr., were very impressive. Still, he doesn’t have many marquee wins to brag about – especially in comparison to the two fighters above him. 

Nevertheless, a win over Canelo in September – something we are not expecting to happen – could elevate Crawford to our coveted number one spot. 

2. Naoya Inoue

Naoya Inoue remains in the number two spot, having done nothing to improve his station since our last list. Despite this, he is still one of the most dangerous fighters around and boasts a resume most could only dream of. 

His last fight, which saw him easily dismantle Kim Ye-joon, didn’t do much to bolster his position – but he can only beat what is put in front of him. He was largely held up in the latter half of 2024, owing to Sam Goodman’s inability to be ready on fight night. 

It is unclear what 2025 holds for the Japanese superstar. He will face Ramon Cardenas in May – perhaps a long-awaited clash with Murodjon Akhmadaliev could take place afterwards in September?

1. Oleksandr Usyk

Oleksandr Usyk remains at the top of the pile. It will take a monumental effort from anyone to unseat him from the number one position – even for those just below him in the list.

A rematch with Daniel Dubois seems to be on the horizon for Usyk at the moment. In truth, it is a fight that does little for him, as he dominated the Englishman in their first encounter. The low blow ‘controversy’ was little more than a storm in a teacup, but it was seemingly enough to warrant a second bout between the two. 

Usyk only wants to fight twice more, with the second of the two being a proposed non-title fight against the UFC’s Alex Peirera. There isn’t much for Usyk to do now – he has already beaten everyone worth fighting.