Boxing pound-for-pound rankings: Benavidez enters top 10

David Benavidez has earned a spot in ESPN’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings for the first time after his dominant victory over David Morrell Jr. on February 1st in Las Vegas.

The win was the most significant of Benavidez’s career so far and positions him for a potential shot at the undisputed light heavyweight title, which will be contested on February 22nd between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Benavidez’s rise knocked bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani out of the top 10, though Nakatani will have a chance to make his case again on February 24th when he defends his title against David Cuellar.

Naoya Inoue moved up one spot to tie Terence Crawford at #2 following his impressive 4th round KO win over Ye Joon Kim in January.

The rankings are determined by votes from a panel of boxing experts and journalists. Oleksandr Usyk remains the unanimous #1 pound-for-pound boxer.

Here is the full top 10 list:

1. Oleksandr Usyk
2. Terence Crawford
2. Naoya Inoue
4. Artur Beterbiev
5. Dmitry Bivol
6. Canelo Alvarez
7. Jesse Rodriguez
8. Gervonta Davis
9. Shakur Stevenson
10. David Benavidez

With his entry into the pound-for-pound rankings, Benavidez continues his rapid rise in the sport. At just 26 years old, he has the potential to climb even higher if he can secure marquee fights against the top light heavyweights.