Andreas HaleMay 5, 2026, 07:58 AM ETCloseAndreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas’ free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM’s Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z’s Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film “Bridges” in 2024.Follow on XMultiple Authors
There was plenty of movement across multiple weight classes after a weekend where three of ESPN’s top 10 pound-for-pound fighters were in action.
Inoue holds firm as the No. 1 junior featherweight while Nakatani’s performance moves him up one spot to No. 2.
Inoue’s younger brother, Takuma, moves up one spot to No. 4 in the bantamweight rankings with a decision win over Kazuto Ioka to retain the WBC title. He replaces Yoshiki Takei, who debuted at No. 8 in the junior featherweight rankings with a majority decision win over DeKang Wang.
Jamie Munguia resurfaces in the super middleweight rankings at No. 5 after thoroughly outclassing Jose Armando Resendiz for the WBA title. Resendiz falls to No. 9 following the lopsided loss.
ESPN’s divisional boxing rankings highlight the best in the sport in every weight class. Rankings will change based on recent results and performances. Fighters who have announced they are moving to a different weight class will be ranked in that new division, if warranted, only once they fight in that weight class. Fighters who currently own titles in two divisions can be ranked in both.
Fighters who haven’t competed in the past 12 months — and don’t have a fight scheduled — will be dropped from the rankings until they fight again. Any fighter who tests positive for a performance-enhancing substance will also be removed. That boxer will be eligible to reenter the rankings after his next bout.
For a list of the current champions in all weight classes, click here. For ESPN women’s divisional rankings, click here.
Jump to weight classes with changes: Cruiserweight, super middleweight, welterweight, junior featherweight and bantamweight
In Tokyo, Naoya Inoue got off to a fast start and held his ground during a late surge to outpoint Junto Nakatani in defense of his undisputed junior featherweight titles. The highly anticipated Japanese showdown was a tactical battle, but Inoue used his speed and ring IQ to pile up points early. Nakatani cranked up the aggression in the middle rounds to claw back into the fight, highlighted by an impressive Round 10. But Inoue seized control in the end to keep his unbeaten record intact with scores of 116-112, 116-112 and 115-113.
Andreas HaleMay 5, 2026, 07:58 AM ETCloseAndreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas’ free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM’s Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z’s Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film “Bridges” in 2024.Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseAndreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas’ free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM’s Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z’s Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film “Bridges” in 2024.Follow on X
Rolando “Rolly” Romero falls out of the welterweight rankings due to inactivity.