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Top 10 Boxing Pound For Pound Rankings May 2026 · Gil I Am

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  Speaker 1: Today, we're stepping into the squared Circle to analyze the
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  Speaker 1: gill Im Podcast's massive breakdown of the twenty twenty six
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  Speaker 1: Ring Magazine Pound for Pound Top ten rankings. You know,
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  Speaker 1: boxing is a sport of absolutes, but it's also a
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  Speaker 1: sport of intense end list debate, and honestly, nothing sparks
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  Speaker 1: more debate than trying to rank the absolute best fighters
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  Speaker 1: on the planet. Before we get into the actual rankings,
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  Speaker 1: let's just frame the debate for a second. If every
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  Speaker 1: boxer were the exact same size, who would be the
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  Speaker 1: absolute best? Stripping away weight classes to judge pure talent
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  Speaker 1: is literally boxing's ultimate proving ground. It forces us to
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  Speaker 1: look strictly at skill rather than physical advantages, and that
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  Speaker 1: brings us to the true definition of pound for pound.
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  Speaker 1: For this Gilliam Podcast breakdown, greatness isn't just about raw power.
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  Speaker 1: It's about ring iq technique, conditioning, and execution. That is
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  Speaker 1: what genuinely separates the best from the rest. All right,
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  Speaker 1: let's dive into the lower top ten featuring Navarte Colaso,
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  Speaker 1: and we're starting off incredibly strong here. This initial group
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  Speaker 1: features one of the busiest champions in the sport at
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  Speaker 1: number ten, an underrated technical wizard at number nine, and
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  Speaker 1: a defensive mastermind holding down number eight. Opening the list
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  Speaker 1: at number ten, we've got Immanuel Norvarette. This guy brings
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  Speaker 1: an awkward style and a relentless pace, throwing punches from
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  Speaker 1: completely unusual angles. It really proves that fearlessness still matters.
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  Speaker 1: He's an aggressive pressure fighter who's captured world titles in
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  Speaker 1: multiple weight classes. His willingness to fight literally anyone, anywhere
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  Speaker 1: has earned him massive respect. Mostly his opponents simply can't
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  Speaker 1: seem to solve his chaotic rhythm. Coming in at number
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  Speaker 1: nine is Puerto Rico's Oscar Colaso. He's been dominating the
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  Speaker 1: minimum weight division with exceptional timing accuracy and ring iq. Now,
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  Speaker 1: casual fans might not know his name just yet, mainly
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  Speaker 1: because he fights in one of boxing's lightest divisions, but
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  Speaker 1: hardcore fans they know Klaso is one of the sport's
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  Speaker 1: purest technical talents. He's living proof of our core concept
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  Speaker 1: today that true greatness isn't measured by physical size. And
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  Speaker 1: at number eight we have Devin Haney. He's an undisputed
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  Speaker 1: lightweight champion whose technical mastery makes him incredibly difficult to
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  Speaker 1: hit cleanly. He built his entire reputation on elite defense,
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  Speaker 1: razor sharp jobs and championship level discipline. Critics might occasionally
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  Speaker 1: question his knockout power, but absolutely nobody can question his
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  Speaker 1: pure boxing ability and ring intelligence. Moving right along to
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  Speaker 1: the middle pack, here we have Nakatani, Bevel, and Benevidez.
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  Speaker 1: The skill level jumps from incredible to truly breathtaking. In
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  Speaker 1: this tier we find a rising Japanese superstar at number seven,
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  Speaker 1: a master of fundamentals at six, and the widely feared
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  Speaker 1: Mexican monster at number five. Securing the number seven spot,
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  Speaker 1: Undefeated Junto Nakatani brilliantly uses his reach and devastating fight
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  Speaker 1: ending knockout power. He honestly looks like a future pound
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  Speaker 1: for pound king. Standing taller than many opponents in his division,
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  Speaker 1: he maximizes that leverage to perfection. Every single time he
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  Speaker 1: steps into the squared circle, he puts on a masterclass,
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  Speaker 1: and many experts believe he's going to climb even higher
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  Speaker 1: up this list very soon. Number six is Dmitri Bovol,
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  Speaker 1: the complete master boxer who proved his monumental victory over
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  Speaker 1: Canelo Alvarez was no. Fluke. His flawless footwork, his timing, defense,
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  Speaker 1: and punch selection make him one of the most complete
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  Speaker 1: fighters on the planet. He doesn't always chase that viral
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  Speaker 1: highlight reel knockout, but he consistently and methodically produces victories.
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  Speaker 1: Breaking into the top five is David Benavidez. The gil
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  Speaker 1: Im Podcast used a quote that perfectly captures the essence
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  Speaker 1: of the Mexican monster. He doesn't simply throw punches, he
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  Speaker 1: unleashes storms. He combines size, power and a relentless forward
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  Speaker 1: momentum that just breaks fighters down, and with his move
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  Speaker 1: to light heavyweight, he's only cemented his status as one
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  Speaker 1: of boxing's most dangerous champions. Now we enter the elite contenders,
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  Speaker 1: Rodriguez and Stevenson. We're in rare air now, guys, where
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  Speaker 1: the margins of greatness become razor thin. Spots four and
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  Speaker 1: three belong to two exceptionally gifted fighters who define modern
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  Speaker 1: boxing speed and defense. Both are widely considered the future
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  Speaker 1: of the sport, yet they're already dominating the present. Taking
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  Speaker 1: the fourth spot, Jesse Bam. Rodriguez already has victories over
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  Speaker 1: multiple world champions, and he's only in his mid twenties.
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  Speaker 1: It's all thanks to his breath taking speed and elite reflexes.
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  Speaker 1: But what really sets Bam apart is his remarkable ability
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  Speaker 1: to make real time adjustments during a fight. He reads
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  Speaker 1: his opponents, adapts instantly, and executes flawlessly. At number three,
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  Speaker 1: Olympic silver medallists Chakor Stevenson controls distance and pace with
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  Speaker 1: some of the best defensive abilities we've seen in decades.
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  Speaker 1: Like the podcast noted, when you watch Shakor fight, you're
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  Speaker 1: watching a master craftsman at work. If this ranking were
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  Speaker 1: based purely on technical defensive skill, many would argue Shakor
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  Speaker 1: belongs at number one opponents simply cannot land clean punches
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  Speaker 1: on him. He climbs the ranks through pure technical excellence,
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  Speaker 1: making world class fighters look ordinary. And finally, the pound
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  Speaker 1: for pound kings Usik and Enoe, we've arrived at the
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  Speaker 1: absolute pinnacle of the sport, the masters the Kings. Coming
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  Speaker 1: in at number two on the Gilliam countdown is the
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  Speaker 1: heavyweight king himself, Olexander Usik. What he's accomplished is something
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  Speaker 1: very few fighters in the long history of boxing have
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  Speaker 1: ever achieved. Osik's movement and conditioning are just unbelievable, routinely
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  Speaker 1: allowing him to defeat much larger men and cement his
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  Speaker 1: legacy among this generation's greatest. Remember, he first became the
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  Speaker 1: undisputed cruiserweight champion before moving up to conquer the heavyweights.
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  Speaker 1: He gives up significant size and weight in almost every
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  Speaker 1: single title fight, yet his boxing IQ and stamina allow
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  Speaker 1: him to completely outclass giants and taking the number one
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  Speaker 1: spot is the Ring magazine's pound for pound king. The
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  Speaker 1: monster noaya Enoe. Think about this number for a second.
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  Speaker 1: One hundred twenty two at just one hundred and twenty
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  Speaker 1: two pounds, a new way possesses fight ending power that
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  Speaker 1: seems completely impossible for his size. His knockout percentage for
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  Speaker 1: a lower weight fighter leaves fans and analysts in absolute awe.
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  Speaker 1: He doesn't just beat world champions, he completely dominates them
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  Speaker 1: with technically perfect punches in a killer instinct that's rarely
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  Speaker 1: seen in boxing history. The Japanese superstar combined speed, power, precision,
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  Speaker 1: and a ruthless finishing ability. Every single movement he makes
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  Speaker 1: has a purpose. Every fight feels like a generational showcase
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  Speaker 1: of greatness, and that is exactly why he reigns supreme
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  Speaker 1: on this list before we wrap up. The gil Im
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  Speaker 1: Podcast also noted some incredible honorable mentions who are always
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  Speaker 1: in the conversation. We're talking Terrence Crawford, Canelo Alvarez, Archer
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  Speaker 1: Bterbiev and Jervonta Davis. The fact that these legendary fighters
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  Speaker 1: are just outside or shifting around the top spots that
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  Speaker 1: tells you everything you need to know about the incredible
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  Speaker 1: era of boxing talent we're witnessing right now. But based
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  Speaker 1: on the incredible breakdown we just explored, we have to ask,
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  Speaker 1: do you agree with the no Way taking the crown
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  Speaker 1: or does Usik's heavyweight dominance overcoming those incredible sized disadvantages
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  Speaker 1: still make him your number one? It is the ultimate
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  Speaker 1: boxing debate and it's exactly what makes the sport so
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  Speaker 1: incredibly captivating. Thanks for joining me on this explainer and
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  Speaker 1: keep your hands up.