Canelo's Pound-for-Pound Top Five Leaves Out One Obvious Name

Canelo Alvarez just handed out his pound-for-pound rankings, and the most telling pick was the one he didn't make. Speaking to DAZN Boxing, the four-division champ listed Oleksandr Usyk, Naoya Inoue, Dmitry Bivol, Shakur Stevenson and Gervonta Davis as the five best active fighters on the planet — and left his own 63-2-2 (39 KO) record off entirely.

That's a notable bit of humility from a man who many fans had installed as the P4P number one between 2019 and 2022. The 36-year-old is now beltless after defeats to Bivol and Terence Crawford, and he heads to Saudi Arabia at the end of the month to challenge Christian Mbilli for a world title. Leaving yourself off the list reads differently when you're the one chasing the belt.

The Case For Each Pick

Usyk and Inoue topping the conversation surprises nobody — they sit at one and two on most credible lists. Bivol's inclusion is well earned: he's the man who first ended Canelo's run and now carries the IBF and WBO light-heavyweight straps at 25-1 (12 KO), with a December defense against Callum Smith (31-2, 22 KO) already booked. Stevenson, meanwhile, looks pointed toward a showdown with Devin Haney, the unbeaten 33-0 WBO welterweight titlist.

Davis is the eyebrow-raiser. 'Tank' hasn't fought since March 2025, when a controversial draw with Lamont Roach left more questions than answers. Including an inactive fighter coming off a disputed non-win is a choice — one that says Canelo rates ceiling over recent form.

What It Means For Canelo

The timing matters. Canelo built his legend by climbing divisions, famously dethroning Sergey Kovalev at light heavyweight in November 2019 before sweeping all four super-middleweight belts in an 11-month blitz to become the division's first undisputed champion. That version of Canelo doesn't name five other fighters ahead of himself.

Now he's a top contender trying to prove he still belongs. Beating Mbilli won't automatically crack his own top five — but it's the first step back toward the list he just declined to put himself on.