Ever since he first captured the WBA interim title in 2016, Dmitry Bivol was seen as a smart, technical boxer with potential to become one of the best in the light heavyweight division over the next decade.
Nine years later, however, we are trying to figure out instead where the future Hall-of-Famer might sit in the overall hierarchy of the division’s long and decorated history.
Bivol (24-1), a 34-year-old Russian who was born in Kyrgyzstan, has not only ascended the 175-pound thrown with his majority decision victory over undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev in their rematch last Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he is making a similar move up the pound-for-pound rankings.
Just four months ago, Bivol landed the bigger shots yet faded in the championship rounds and was forced to settle for a majority decision loss in a fight in which many felt he had deserved the nod. Even though Bivol had succeeded in becoming the first man to go the distance with Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs) in their first meeting, he was left with the feeling that he didn’t do enough.
Fast forward 123 days and Bivol came back with improved stamina, more variety to his offensive attack and a renewed sense of purpose to narrowly edge Beterbiev after 24 rounds of incredible theater that produced 24 of the most technical and high-paced rounds between any elite boxers in recent memory.
Bivol now adds Beterbiev to an incredible light heavyweight resume that includes victories over former champions Canelo Alvarez, Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, Joe Smith Jr. and Jean Pascal. Even more, Bivol has made an incredible transition over the past decade from a safety first defensive boxer to one of the most skilled fighters in the game with a potent enough offensive attack to hurt and best the mighty Beterbiev.
Where Bivol goes from here will be interesting as, not only is he expected to fight Beterbiev a third time in 2025, he has plenty of interest from the likes of Alvarez (in a rematch) and David Benavidez. Bivol has also talked about the possibility of moving up to cruiserweight where his former foe Ramirez is a current titleholder, as is the exciting Jai Opetaia.
Bivol has battled injuries and a bitter public divorce outside of the ring in recent years after being named 2022’s fighter of the year. But his response to the close defeat against Beterbiev in their first meeting only speaks to his greatness that he was able to dial up to an even higher level to get the job done in their rematch.
From a technical standpoint, few can match Bivol, whether it comes to punch placement or footwork. But his hand speed remains elite, his stamina is incredible and he has learned how to utilize his power as much more of a weapon.
Bivol might not have the kind of charisma to become a matinee idol but his game speaks for itself as Bivol has proven to be a generational boxer who isn’t quite done adding to his growing legacy.
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 Bivol’s win in February.
Pound-for-Pound Rankings
1. Oleksandr Usyk
Undisputed heavyweight champion (23-0, 14 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 1
Usyk’s professional run has been as decorated as it has been perfect. The former undisputed cruiserweight champ, who reached similar status as a four-belt champion at heavyweight in his split-decision win over Tyson Fury in May, was even better in their December rematch. Usyk solidified himself as one of the best boxers in division history by efficiently outworking Fury, despite giving up 55 pounds, to claim a unanimous decision.
2. Naoya Inoue
Undisputed junior featherweight champion (26-0, 24 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 2
The four-division champion, who has reached undisputed status in two different weight classes, continued his legendary takeover of the sport in January when he finished late replacement Ye Joon Kim in four rounds in Tokyo. “The Monster” is expected to return to fight in the U.S. in the spring before making his Saudi Arabia debut later this year.
3. Dmitry Bivol
Undisputed light heavyweight champion (24-1, 12 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 5
Despite coming up just short against Artur Beterbiev via majority decision in their undisputed clash in October, Bivol turned the tables four months later in their February rematch. Saying he needed to simply “do more,” Bivol did just that by rallying in the second half and holding off Beterbiev in Round 12. A trilogy fight appears to be next.
4. Terence Crawford
WBA junior middleweight champion (40-0, 29 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 3
In his long-awaited return from his dismantling of Errol Spence Jr. last summer, Crawford moved up to 154 pounds to narrowly hold off WBA champion Israel Madrimov. Up next, Crawford is rumored to be entering the toughest test of his pro career against unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez this September in Las Vegas.
5. Artur Beterbiev
Light heavyweight (21-1, 20 KOs) | Previous ranking: 4
Four months after narrowly defeating Dmitry Bivol to become the first four-belt undisputed champion in 175-pound history, Beterbiev came up just short in their February rematch via majority decision. At 40, Beterbiev still showed enough of a motor to surge in Round 12 to cut Bivol, but he will need to wait for redemption in a trilogy bout expected for later this year.
6. Canelo Alvarez
Unified super middleweight champion (62-2-2, 38 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 6
The former P4P king is still a unified champion at 168 pounds and he proved just that by scoring decision wins in 2024 over Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga. That doesn’t mean Alvarez hasn’t stopped receiving criticism for avoiding David Benavidez. After signing a four-fight deal with Saudi Arabia, which includes a Terence Crawford clash in September, Alvarez returns in an undisputed clash against unheralded IBF titleholder William Scull in May.
7. Gervonta Davis
WBA lightweight champion (30-0, 28 KOs) | Previous ranking: 7
Davis’ body-shot knockout of Ryan Garcia in their superfight last April looks even better now that “King Ryan” became the first boxer to drop and defeat former undisputed lightweight king Devin Haney. With a 2023 jail sentence behind him, “Tank” returned in June to obliterate unbeaten Frank Martin. Davis was expected to return in December against Lamont Roach Jr. but the fight was rescheduled for March.
8. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez
Flyweight, junior bantamweight titleholder (20-0, 13 KOs) | Previous ranking: 8
The 24-year-old phenom from San Antonio landed just shy of 50% of his power shots to dismantle 115-pound titleholder Juan Francisco Estrada in July. Rodriguez returned in November to defend his junior bantamweight title by stopping Pedro Guevara in Philadelphia.
9. David Benavidez
Interim light heavyweight titleholder (29-0, 24 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 10
Frustrated with waiting around for his shot at undisputed 168-pound king Canelo Alvarez, “El Monstro” moved up in weight to outclass former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk last year and unbeaten David Morrell Jr. in January. Benavidez was slated to face the winner of Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol II for the undisputed title but now wait for their trilogy.
10. Junto Nakatani
WBC bantamweight champion (30-0, 23 KOs) | Previous ranking: NR
A two-division titleholder, the native of Japan has become a breakout star after moving up to 118 pounds and scoring four title wins with four knockouts. Nakatani made the third defense of his WBC title in February when he needed just three rounds to finish 28-0 David Cuellar. Superfights against Naoya Inoue or Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez could be in the exciting southpaw’s future.
Dropped out: Shakur Stevenson
Honorable mention: Stevenson, Tyson Fury, Teofimo Lopez Jr., Vasiliy Lomachenko, Keyshawn Davis
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