{"id":657652,"date":"2026-05-09T06:43:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T06:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/657652\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T06:43:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T06:43:16","slug":"david-benavidez-finds-monster-status-in-boxing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/657652\/","title":{"rendered":"David Benavidez Finds \u2018Monster\u2019 Status in Boxing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cMonstro,\u201d David Benavidez bellowed into a microphone after his win over Gilberto Ram\u00edrez last weekend, and after a one-sided whipping of the once-beaten Ram\u00edrez there is no denying Benavidez\u2019s \u201cmonster\u201d status. In his first fight in the cruiserweight division<\/a>, Benavidez was brilliant, flashing his signature hand speed, crushing power and flair for a finish. Ram\u00edrez had been dropped once in his professional career, 15 years earlier. Against Benavidez he was dropped twice, declining to get up off a knee after a face-busting combination in the sixth round.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The win earned Benavidez three-division champion status and set him up for a mega fight later this year. If he goes down, there\u2019s Dmitry Bivol, the unified 175-pound champion. If he goes up, there\u2019s Oleksandr Usyk, the three-belt heavyweight champion who some very interested parties would like to see Benavidez fight next (more on that below). Either way, after years of chasing Canelo \u00c1lvarez, Benavidez finds himself in line for legacy-defining fights.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And a higher spot in Sports Illustrated\u2019s latest pound-for-pound rankings, which is headlined by a new No. 1 and the debut of two new names on the list:<\/p>\n

1. Naoya Inoue<\/p>\n

Record:\u00a033\u20130\u2028
Previous Ranking:\u00a02\u2028
Last Fight:\u00a0UD win Junto Nakatani\u2028
Next fight:\u00a0TBD<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a new No. 1, which is what happens when you collect a win over a top 10 opponent in the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history<\/a>. On May 2, Nakatani settled the debate over who was Japan\u2019s top fighter, outpointing Nakatani to defend his 122-pound titles. A quiet fight early picked up in the second half and while Nakatani surged in the final rounds, Inoue\u2019s power and punch output were enough to seal the decision. Inoue says he plans to take a long break, while a showdown with Jesse \u201cBam\u201d Rodriguez looms in early 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2. Oleksandr Usyk<\/p>\n

Record:\u00a024\u20130\u2028
Previous Ranking:\u00a01\u2028
Last Fight:\u00a0KO win Daniel Dubois\u2028
Next fight:\u00a0May 23 vs. Rico Verhoeven<\/p>\n

Usyk\u2019s heavyweight reign rolled along\u00a0last summer\u00a0with a decisive win over Dubois that (temporarily) reestablished Usyk as the undisputed heavyweight champion. Usyk\u2019s heavyweight r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is impressive: two wins over Anthony Joshua, two over Tyson Fury and two over Dubois. Usyk, 39, relinquished one of his titles last fall but will defend one of them in a crossover fight with kickboxing legend Verhoeven in May. \u00a0<\/p>\n

3. Shakur Stevenson<\/p>\n

Record:\u00a025\u20130\u2028
Previous Ranking:\u00a03\u2028
Last Fight:\u00a0UD win Teofimo Lopez\u2028
Next fight:\u00a0TBD<\/p>\n

Stevenson\u2019s win over Lopez was a masterclass, with Stevenson, 28, sticking Lopez with a stiff jab, leaping out of range of his counters and outclassing the top fighter at 140-pounds. Stevenson\u2019s skills are sublime, a blend of accuracy and defense not seen since Floyd Mayweather. The WBC stripped Stevenson of his 135-pound title after the fight but Stevenson has shown interest in facing IBF titleholder Raymond Muratalla in the weight class.\u00a0<\/p>\n

4. Jesse Rodriguez<\/p>\n

Record:\u00a023\u20130\u2028
Previous Ranking:\u00a04\u2028
Last Fight:\u00a0KO win Fernando Mart\u00ednez
Next fight:\u00a0June 13 vs. Antonio Vargas<\/p>\n

Rodriguez\u2019s meteoric rise<\/a> continued in Riyadh last November, with \u201cBam\u201d stopping Mart\u00ednez to claim a third version of the 115-pound title. It was Rodriguez\u2019s fourth consecutive knockout since returning to the super flyweight division. Rodriguez has eyes on undisputed but with the final belt occupied, Bam will move up to 118-pounds next month to face Vargas and the chance to become a three-division world champion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

5. Dmitry Bivol<\/p>\n

Record:\u00a024\u20131\u2028
Previous Ranking:\u00a05\u2028
Last Fight:\u00a0UD win Artur Beterbiev\u2028
Next fight:\u00a0May 30 vs. Michael Eifert<\/p>\n

In February 2025, Bivol evened the score with Beterbiev, outpointing him in a rematch of boxing\u2019s top-two light heavyweights. Back surgery kept Bivol on the shelf the rest of the year but he will return this month in a mandatory title defense against Eifert. There are big fights waiting after: Beterbiev is clamoring for a trilogy while Benavidez has absorbed one of the belts that Bivol vacated and has declared Bivol to be his top target.<\/p>\n

6. David Benavidez\u00a0<\/p>\n

Record:\u00a032\u20130\u2028
Previous Ranking:\u00a09\u2028
Last Fight:\u00a0KO win Gilberto Ram\u00edrez
Next fight:\u00a0TBD<\/p>\n

Benavidez, 29, picked up his biggest win to date, a one-sided knockout win over Ram\u00edrez to become the unified cruiserweight champion\u2014and the first fighter ever to win titles at 168-, 175- and 200-pound divisions. Fighting at a career-high weight, Benavidez\u2019s speed and power didn\u2019t miss a beat, as he overwhelmed the durable Ram\u00edrez, dropping his former sparring partner twice before the fight was stopped in the sixth round. Benavidez has identified Bivol as his top target. Turki Alalshikh has other plans: The Saudi Arabian power broker would like to match Benavidez and Usyk at heavyweight later this year \u00a0<\/p>\n

7. Devin Haney<\/p>\n

Record:\u00a033\u20130\u2028
Previous Ranking:\u00a07\u2028
Last Fight:\u00a0UD win Brian Norman Jr.\u2028
Next fight:\u00a0TBD<\/p>\n

After a lackluster win over Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez in May 2025, Haney, 27, rebounded with a wide decision win over Norman Jr. in November. The win established Haney as a three-division world champion and burnished his credentials as one of the 10 best fighters in the world. Haney continues to chase big fights but the biggest remains a rematch with\u00a0Ryan Garcia<\/a>, who picked up a 147-pound title of his own in February.<\/p>\n

8. Emanuel Navarrete\u00a0<\/p>\n

Record: 40-2-1
Previous Ranking: NR
Last fight: TKO win vs. Eduardo N\u00fa\u00f1ez
Next fight: TBD<\/p>\n

Navarrete, 31, experienced a career revival in February, shaking off an uninspired performance against Charly Suarez to dominate N\u00fa\u00f1ez and unify a pair of 130-pound titles\u2014the first time Navarrete has held two belts in one weight class. Working with a nutritionist for the first time, Navarrete looked healthy at the weight, outworking N\u00fa\u00f1ez in the early rounds and battering him late. Navarrete owes a rematch to Suarez but the bigger fight is a unification against the winner of O\u2019Shaquie Foster\u2013Raymond Ford, who will square off later this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

9. Jaron Ennis<\/p>\n

Record:\u00a035\u20130\u2028
Previous Ranking:\u00a0NR\u2028
Last Fight:\u00a0KO win Uisma Lima
Next fight:\u00a06\/27 vs. Xander Zayas<\/p>\n

The shake-up in the rankings opens the door for Ennis, the former unified 147-pound champion who burst into 154 with a first-round knockout win over Lima. Ennis\u2019s sublime skills are complemented by crushing power, with all but four of his wins coming by knockout. After negotiations for a fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. collapsed, Ennis pivoted to a showdown against Zayas, a unified 154-pound titleholder. That fight stands as one of the most anticipated matchups of 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a010. Junto Nakatani\u00a0<\/p>\n

Record:\u00a032\u20131\u2028
Previous Ranking:\u00a06\u2028
Last Fight:\u00a0UD loss Naoya Inoue\u2028
Next fight:\u00a0TBD<\/p>\n

Nakatani came up short in his all-Japanese showdown with Inoue, losing a unanimous decision. Nakatani was competitive but a slow start and issues with Inoue\u2019s speed and accuracy resulted in his first professional loss. A rematch is unlikely, but with Inoue eyeing a move to 126-pounds there could be opportunities for Nakatani to win titles at 122 in the near future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

More Boxing from Sports Illustrated\"\"Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cMonstro,\u201d David Benavidez bellowed into a microphone after his win over Gilberto Ram\u00edrez last weekend, and after a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":657653,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-657652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=657652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/657652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/657653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=657652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=657652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=657652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}