In the end, the great man did what great fighters do and that is why Oleksandr Usyk heads boxing’s P4P rankings right now.
The Ukrainian master – now a three-time undisputed champion of the world – proved way too good for Daniel Dubois at Wembley on Saturday July 19 and underlined his incredible credentials yet again.
Dubois was in form heading into this one, a big puncher and a terrific fighter in his own right, but Usyk is a generational talent and underlined the fact that he is the best heavyweight in the world by some distance with an emphatic KO in round five.
In this kind of form, how can you ever bet against him? Afterwards people were saying Usyk is one of the 10 greatest heavyweights of all time. I’m not sure we can name five from history who could definitely beat him, such is his majesty in that ring.
READ MORE: Heavyweight rankings – the top 10 big men in boxing right now
Elsewhere this month, Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez showed he belongs inside any ‘P4P’ top 10 with another dominant performance, while Shakur Stevenson is back in the pound-for-pound ratings mix this month after a jaw-droppingly impressive performance against William Zepeda in New York.
Stevenson made fools of those who called his style boring by staying in the pocket for long spells and – at various points in the contest – outslugging a slugger. The speed and variety he showed against a quality fighter who brought a relentless offensive approach showed us that Shakur is the real deal. If Tank Davis can sort out his latest legal issues, then a fight with Shakur in the next 12 months would be one for the ages.
Here is our take on the current top 10 best fighters in boxing:
P4P Top 10 in July 2025
1 Oleksandr Usyk (Ukraine)
Record: 24-0 (15)
Titles: WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight champion
Next Fight: TBC
Usyk was simply brilliant last time out, with the genius from Ukraine stopping Dubois in the fifth round in a performance which belied the fact he is 38 years old. A 90,000-strong crowd at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium saw another vintage performance from a master of the sweet science.
In eight attempts now – Tony Bellew, Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua (twice), Dubois (twice) and Tyson Fury (twice) – British fighters have all so far failed to topple the Ukrainian maestro.
Afterwards the all-powerful Turki Alalshikh tweeted: “I want to see Usyk against [Moses] Itauma. This is the fight.” Yet regardless how eager the Saudi Arabian adviser and certain British promoters are to uncover a fighter who can beat Usyk, surely making Usyk versus Moses Itauma next would be a reckless move?
Usyk is only going to get older. Itauma is only going to get better.
For now, the world just needs to savour one of boxing’s great ring generals while he is still here. His legacy has long since been secured, and Usyk is one of the greatest technicians the division has ever seen.
2 Naoya Inoue (Japan)
Record: 30-0 (27)
Titles: WBC, IBF, WBA and WBO world super-bantamweight champion
Next Fight: vs Murodjon Akhmadaliev (September 14)
Naoya Inoue will put his undisputed super-bantamweight championship on the line against Murodjon Akhmadaliev on September 14. The date has been locked in and the Japanese superstar – one of the best and busiest champions in the sport – rolls on at the age of 32. A hard-hitting pressure fighter who doesn’t take a backwards step, Inoue is destined for the Hall of Fame when he finally hangs them up.
3 Terence Crawford (USA)
Record: 41-0 (31)
Titles: WBA world light-middleweight champion *WBC welterweight champion in recess
Next Fight: vs Canelo Alvarez (September 13)
The media campaign is well under way for Crawford’s superfight against Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas on September 13, when these two ‘pound-for-pound’ juggernauts will go at it in Sin City.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has been instrumental in bringing this megafight together, and ‘Bud’ will know this is the fight where he can solidify his claims to be one of the best of his era.
4 Dmitry Bivol (Russia)
Record: 24-1 (12)
Titles: IBF, WBO and WBA world light-heavyweight champion
Next Fight: TBC
The IBF have apparently ordered Bivol to face mandatory challenger – and their No. 1-ranked light-heavyweight contender – Michael Eifert next. No offence to Eifert but this is a fight nobody wants to see, with Bivol and Artur Beterbiev yet to take care of business by way of a trilogy fight. It looks like Eifert will get a shot at the IBF light heavyweight title, though it’s unlikely he’ll fight Bivol, with his next move yet to be formally announced.
5 Artur Beterbiev (Russia)
Record: 21-1 (20)
Titles: N/A
Next Fight: TBC
We were told a few weeks ago that the trilogy fight between Bivol and Beterbiev was originally planned for a Riyadh Season event in November 2025, but both light-heavyweights preferred to stage the decider in their home country of Russia (with different organizers).
Turki Alalshikh – after financing the first two fights – was evidently okay with this but with August 2025 looming we are still no closer to an announcement. The wait must be a frustrating one for Beterbiev – who will turn 41 in January – but hopefully the fight can be signed off soon.
6 Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (Mexico)
Record: 63-2-2 (39)
Titles: WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO world super-middleweight champion
Next Fight: vs Terence Crawford (September 13)
He may be slowing down – his last fight with William Scull broke the record for the fewest combined punches thrown over 12 rounds – but the Mexican legend knows all will be forgiven if he can roll back the years and see off Crawford in September.
He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, but there is a feeling he needs this win to cement his legacy as one of the greats.
7 Shakur Stevenson (USA)
Record: 24-0- (11)
Titles: WBC world lightweight champion
Next Fight: TBC
Shakur takes the place of Gervonta Davis in our July list. In the same month Shakur retained WBC lightweight title with an impressive win over William Zepeda, ‘Tank’ was arrested on domestic violence charges.
Stevenson was masterful against Zepeda, a useful opponent who came to fight. In a performance that was obviously influenced by Turki’s infamous “Tom and Jerry” tweet, Shakur stood in the pocket more and showed that he is a very precise, clean puncher when in the mood. The fight still went the full 12 rounds, but nobody could accuse Stevenson of running as he won via unanimous decision. Great win over a quality foe, and credit to Zepeda for bringing the best out of him.
8 Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (USA)
Record: 22-0 (15)
Titles: WBC and WBO world super-flyweight champion
Next Fight: TBC
Rodriguez put on a clinic in a 10-round stoppage of Phumelela Cafu on July 19 at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
Bam’s skills are on another level, and Rodriguez unified the WBC and WBO super flyweight titles with the win. Cafu was no joke, but Rodriguez walked him down and cut off the angles using educated pressure, finally closing the show in R10.
After another thrilling performance, Rodriguez’s promoter Eddie Hearn believes that there’s only one man above Bam in pound-for-pound terms.
“We really saw the two best fighters in the world on DAZN tonight,” the Matchroom Boxing chairman told Uncrowned, in an obvious reference to Usyk’s stoppage win over Dubois earlier in London.
“You saw Oleksandr Usyk, who is pound-for-pound number one. Then you saw “Bam” Rodriguez, who — in my opinion – is number two.”
We are not entirely sure about that, Eddie, but there can be no doubt that Rodriguez now must feature in any serious P4P list.
9 Junto Nakatani (Japan)
Record: 31-0 (24)
Titles: WBC/IBF world bantamweight champion
Next Fight: TBC
A three-division world champion and the current unified WBC and IBF bantamweight world king,Nakatani is the real deal.It could be Inoue next for him in 2026, in a fight which couldn’t be anything other than a good old-fashioned tear-up.
10 David Benavidez (USA)
Record: 30-0 (24)
Titles: WBC world light-heavyweight champion
Next Fight: vs Anthony Yarde (November 22)
The rumours were true and it’s Anthony Yarde next for ‘The Mexican Monster’, who will throw down in a light-heavyweight fight that looks certain to ignite. Benavidez vs Yarde will take place on November 22 at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and pits two tremendous athletes who like to leave it all in the ring. Props again to Yarde for stepping up, but it is going to take a seismic effort to derail Benavidez, who is on a roll right now and has still not given up hope of a megafight with Canelo.
<h3>Pushing for inclusion</h3>
Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and Jai Opetaia are knocking on the door for pound-for-pound inclusion, while Kenshiro Teraji also deserves a mention. The exciting Japanese star is the unified flyweight champion, having held the WBC title since October 2024, and WBA belt since March 2025.
‘The Amazing Boy’ is known for his speed, accuracy, and a high work rate, and he will defend his unified WBC and WBA flyweight titles next against the useful Ricardo Sandoval.
NB – Boxing’s mythical ‘pound-for-pound’ list has been and always will be a subjective minefield, as fighters in different weight classes often do not compete directly against each other – which makes ratings difficult to compile.
The ‘P4P’ criteria – while not an exact science – is assembled upon fair analysis of fight records, boxers’ skills, strengths and weaknesses and recent title achievements.
READ MORE: Moses Itauma gets ‘disaster’ warning as Turki Alalshikh pitches INCREDIBLE superfight
