Men’s pound-for-pound rankings: Where does Opetaia land after another KO win?

Men's pound-for-pound rankings: Where does Opetaia land after another KO win?. Skip to main content Skip to navigation Men's boxing pound-for-pound rankings: Where does Opetaia land after another KO win?

What happened

Jai Opetaia continues to make his case as one of the best boxers in the world. Here are the latest ESPN pound-for-pound rankings. 7dBrett OkamotoConor Benn timeline: Family, controversies, Eddie Hearn fallout to Ryan Garcia fight6dNick ParkinsonConor Benn: Ryan Garcia's 'fast hands,' brutal weight cut, Dana White put ego aside9dJames ReganCatterall, Benn, Itauma, more: Ranking British boxers by likelihood of winning a title7dNick ParkinsonBoxing schedule16hESPNAsian Games: Philippine boxers looking to end gold medal drought1dNissi IcasianoRyan Garcia: Biography, record, fights and more2dESPNBoxing champions list3dMark Magsayo stumbles against Andres Cortes in second Zuffa outing5dNissi IcasianoEumir Marcial's Asian Games bid comes with four-day problem6dNissi IcasianoRyan Garcia-Conor Benn: Picks, predictions, more8dAndres FerrariCruiserweight Jai Opetaia keeps moving up in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings.

Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa Boxing via Getty ImagesESPNMultiple AuthorsSep 17, 2026, 07:49 AM ETEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsJai Opetaia is a fighter without a major world title, but he continues to climb ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings. 19hWomen's boxing pound-for-pound rankings: With Taylor retired, who moves into the top 10? More ESPN rankings: Divisional rankings and women's pound-for-pound rankings. Opetaia has said he wants to unify all four major belts at 200 pounds, and a fight against Benavidez could be one of the biggest cruiserweight matchups the 200-pound division has seen in years.

1 in NBA future power rankings? (1:47)NBA InsidersMultiple AuthorsSep 16, 2026, 07:10 AM ETEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsHow does your NBA team look heading into the 2026-27 season?

The wider picture

Detroit PistonsThree-year outlook: The Pistons deserve considerable benefit of the doubt after landing the top seed in the East last season, and they still have plenty of draft capital to cash in if they want to chase another star. The US has also raised the matter of land expropriation without compensation as another thorny issue. 2dESPNBoxing divisional rankings: Ryan Garcia is No. 5dJames ReganRound-by-round: Ryan Garcia demolishes Conor Benn in two rounds5dBrett Okamoto and James ReganQueensberry win Sheeraz, Alimkhanuly purse bid2dJames ReganEx-UFC champ Cejudo set to box 'Euphoria' actor3dBrett OkamotoGarcia backs up talk, TKO's Benn in second round to retain WBC title5dBrett OkamotoOpetaia rocks Mikaelian by 9th-round TKO, faces off in ring with Benavidez5dBrett OkamotoVargas Jr. , son of retired ex-champ, arrested on suspicion of DUI6dLaguna, two-time champ and HOFer, dies at 839dZuffa says Opetaia-Mikaelian will go on despite DKP's complaint9dBrett OkamotoCan Ryan Garcia become this generation's face of boxing?

Opetaia defeated then-WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian by ninth-round TKO on Saturday, but Mikaelian's title was not at stake. The WBC declined to sanction the bout after Mikaelian chose to face Opetaia rather than his mandatory challenger, David Benavidez. Opetaia, who signed with Zuffa Boxing in January, was the IBF cruiserweight champion when he faced Brandon Glanton in March, but the IBF stripped him after he chose to fight for the Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight title instead.

It was the second time Opetaia had been stripped of the IBF title.

What has been reported

Regardless of the titles, Opetaia continues to demolish his opponents. Opetaia won the secondary WBA "regular" title and, after the fight, made clear his desire to face WBA champion David Benavidez, who got into the ring for a faceoff. With the victory, Opetaia moves up one spot to No. NAOYA INOUERECORD: 33-0, 27 KOs DIVISION: Junior featherweight (undisputed champion) LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Junto Nakatani, May 2 NEXT FIGHT: TBAA champion in four weight classes and undisputed in two, "Monster" Inoue is the definition of a pound-for-pound fighter.

If that fight doesn't happen next, Inoue has said he plans to move up in weight looking to become a champion in a fifth division. JESSE RODRIGUEZRECORD: 24-0, 17 KOs DIVISION: Bantamweight (champion) LAST FIGHT: W (KO6) Antonio Vargas, June 13 NEXT FIGHT: TBA"Bam" Rodriguez became a champion in a third division by stopping Fernando Vargas in his first fight at 118 pounds. "It doesn't matter how much money they show us out there, one more fight is what we need," Garcia said.

His next fight could be a unification bout against newly appointed WBC champion Michal Cieslak, but a matchup with Jai Opetaia, who holds the WBA "regular" title, should crown the best cruiserweight in the world.

What happens next

His one-sided victory over Lopez puts Stevenson in a strong position to unify belts at 140 pounds or even move up to welterweight, where Lopez, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Liam Paro, all champions, compete. JAI OPETAIA Previous ranking: 10RECORD: 31-0, 24 KOs DIVISION: Cruiserweight LAST FIGHT: W (TKO9) Noel Mikaelian, Sept. 12 NEXT FIGHT: TBAOpetaia has been stripped of the IBF title twice for failing to face his mandatory challengers, and the WBC declined to sanction his fight against its champion, Noel Mikaelian.

Regardless of the titles, Opetaia remains the top-ranked cruiserweight in the division, and Benavidez, the WBA and WBO champion, could be the fighter standing in his way. JUNTO NAKATANI Previous ranking: 9RECORD: 32-1, 24 KOs DIVISION: Bantamweight LAST FIGHT: L (UD12) Naoya Inoue, May 2 NEXT FIGHT: TBANakatani has climbed the rankings, winning world titles in three divisions before facing fellow Japanese champion Inoue. He is expected to remain at 122 pounds for his next fight. The formulaThe rankings are based on a descending points system, with a first-place vote awarding 10 points, a second-place vote awarding nine points and so on.

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across espn.com, bbc.co.uk, sabcnews.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.