Alvarez Climbs to Ninth in Updated Boxing Rankings

Canelo Alvarez has returned to the top ten in the pound-for-pound rankings. The update reflects his October victory over Christian Mbilli. Alvarez now sits at number nine. He was previously unranked in this specific list.

The 36-year-old Mexican fighter defeated Mbilli by unanimous decision. The bout marked Alvarez's return after a 13-month absence. He had been sidelined by elbow surgery. The fight also followed his loss to Terence Crawford. Alvarez controlled the second half of the contest against the undefeated WBC champion.

Naoya Inoue remains at the top of the list. The 33-year-old undisputed junior featherweight champion is 33-0 with 27 knockouts. He defeated Junto Nakatani in May in Tokyo. That fight drew 55,000 spectators. It became the largest boxing event in Japanese history.

Jesse Rodriguez holds the second position. The 26-year-old unified junior bantamweight champion is 24-0 with 17 knockouts. He won the WBA bantamweight title in 2026. This victory gave him a championship in his third weight class. He moved up from 115 pounds to 118 pounds for that fight.

David Benavidez is third. The 29-year-old unified cruiserweight champion is 32-0 with 26 knockouts. He defeated Gilberto Ramirez in a knockout victory. This win made him the first boxer to hold titles at 168, 175, and 200 pounds. Benavidez is scheduled to fight Michael Cieslak on December 12.

Shakur Stevenson ranks fourth. The 29-year-old junior welterweight titleholder is 25-0 with 11 knockouts. He defeated Teofimo Lopez Jr. in January. Stevenson won 11 rounds on all three scorecards. He has been inactive since leaving Zuffa Boxing in October.

Oleksandr Usyk is fifth. The 39-year-old heavyweight is 25-0 with 16 knockouts. He vacated his heavyweight titles in June. He is preparing a retirement bout. Usyk also defeated Rico Verhoeven by TKO in May.

Dmitry Bivol sits at number six. The 35-year-old unified light heavyweight champion is 24-1 with 12 knockouts. He won a decision against Michael Eifert in May. Bivol underwent elbow surgery in July. He will fight Callum Smith on December 12.