Boxing divisional rankings: Bivol reclaims top spot at light heavyweight

          Dmitry Bivol returned from a 15-month layoff to beat Michael Eifert by unanimous decision. Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images
          • Andreas HaleJun 6, 2026, 05:01 PM 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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          Dmitry Bivol returned to the rankings after a 15-month absence, reclaiming the No. 1 spot at light heavyweight with a dominant performance against Michael Eifert.

          The fight was less about the opponent and more about Bivol knocking the rust off with a one-sided victory that was never in doubt. After knocking down Eifert in the opening round with a left hook, Bivol remained in control to retain the WBA and IBF light heavyweight titles by unanimous decision.

          Also on Saturday, O'Shaquie Foster pulled away from Raymond Ford with a strong second half of the fight to retain his WBC junior lightweight title with a hard-fought majority decision. With the victory, Foster holds his spot at No. 2 in the division, while Ford performed well enough to remain at No. 4.

          On Friday, Murodjon Akhmadaliev moved up to featherweight and earned a fourth-round stoppage against Hegly Mosqueda. Akhmadaliev takes the No. 5 spot in the 126-pound division.

          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: Light heavyweight | Super middleweight | Featherweight | Junior featherweight | Junior bantamweight

          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)