Boxing divisional rankings: 'Bam' Rodriguez soars atop bantamweight rankings

          Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez, right, defeated Antonio Vargas on Saturday to claim the WBA bantamweight world title. Cris Esqueda/Matchroom Boxing
          • Andreas HaleJun 16, 2026, 07:33 AM ET
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              Andreas 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.
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          Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez continues to be one of the most dominant and exciting fighters in all of boxing. He crafted another work of art with a sixth-round knockout of Antonio Vargas to collect a world title in a third weight class.

          Rodriguez expertly carved up Vargas with phenomenal footwork and pinpoint accuracy to add the WBA bantamweight title to his portfolio. His debut at 118 pounds went better than even he could have expected, dropping Vargas with an overhand left in Round 4 and putting him down for good with a straight left in Round 6.

          With the victory, Rodriguez ascends to the top of the bantamweight division and must now decide if he plans on staying at 118 pounds or moving to 122 pounds to challenge Naoya Inoue in one of the biggest fights that can be made in all of boxing.

          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.

          HEAVYWEIGHT (UNLIMITED)

          CRUISERWEIGHT (UP TO 200 POUNDS)

          LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (UP TO 175 POUNDS)

          SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT (UP TO 168 POUNDS)

          MIDDLEWEIGHT (UP TO 160 POUNDS)

          JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT (UP TO 154 POUNDS)

          WELTERWEIGHT (UP TO 147 POUNDS)

          JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT (UP TO 140 POUNDS)

          LIGHTWEIGHT (UP TO 135 POUNDS)

          JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT (UP TO 130 POUNDS)

          FEATHERWEIGHT (UP TO 126 POUNDS)

          JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHT (UP TO 122 POUNDS)

          BANTAMWEIGHT (UP TO 118 POUNDS)

          JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHT (UP TO 115 POUNDS)

          FLYWEIGHT (UP TO 112 POUNDS)

          JUNIOR FLYWEIGHT (UP TO 108 POUNDS)

          STRAWWEIGHT (UP TO 105 POUNDS)