Devin Haney is the undisputed lightweight champion, after defeating George Kambosos Jr. to win all four major belts in June. The 23-year-old also has earned victories over Joseph “JoJo” Diaz, Jorge Linares and Yuriorkis Gamboa, making him the man at the top of our annual top 25 fighters under 25.
Behind Haney is Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, 22, who jumped into stardom just this year, with dominating victories over former champions Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai to win the WBC junior bantamweight title. On Saturday, Rodriguez scored another impressive victory to make him 3-0 for the year so far.
The top 10 is packed with talent, including Vergil Ortiz, Ryan Garcia, Xander Zayas, Sebastian Fundora and Isaac Cruz. Gabriela Fundora and Yamileth Mercado are two of the rising stars in the women’s ranks and find themselves inside the top 20.
Former two-division champion and current ESPN boxing analyst Timothy Bradley Jr., unified lightweight champion Mikaela Mayer, boxing writers Mike Coppinger, Nick Parkinson, Ben Baby and Michael Rothstein, boxing analysts Crystina Poncher and ESPN boxing editor Andres Ferrari offer up their picks for the future of the sport.
23 years old
2021 rank: No. 3
The fighter: Haney possesses a unique blend of athletic ability, sharp technique and ring smarts that belies his 23 years and earned him the top spot in the rankings. Already, he’s on the cusp of the pound-for-pound list. He owns one of the best jabs in the sport and is also one of box
