ESPN's pound-for-pound boxing rankings have undergone significant changes with Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev dropping out due to inactivity. The two undefeated light heavyweight champions last fought in February 2025, making them ineligible for the current rankings. Their absence has opened two spots for new contenders.

Jaron 'Boots' Ennis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. have entered the rankings at No. 8 and No. 10 respectively. Ennis, undefeated with a first-round knockout of Uisma Lima in October, captured the vacant WBA interim junior middleweight title. Ortiz secured the WBC belt with a second-round TKO of Erickson Lubin in November. Despite Ryan Garcia's dominant victory over Mario Barrios to claim the WBC welterweight title on February 21, he failed to gain enough voter support to crack the top 10.

Oleksandr Usyk remains at the top of the rankings after Terence Crawford's retirement, maintaining his elite status with victories over Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Daniel Dubois. The 39-year-old unified heavyweight champion is seeking his next opponent after Deontay Wilder's scheduled fight with Derek Chisora. Meanwhile, Naoya Inoue, Jesse Rodriguez, and Shakur Stevenson round out the top five, with Stevenson's recent shutout victory over Teofimo Lopez Jr. solidifying his position as one of boxing's most dominant fighters.