What is the best weight class in boxing right now? And what’s better: A dominant champion defending against all-comers or an uncertain hierarchy that requires a round robin to crown the best? As 2025 reaches the end of its first quarter, this is one man’s tour through boxing’s 17(!) – not including the ridiculous bridgerweight – weight classes to provide a decidedly subjective and non-definitive assessment. By this observer's reckoning, six are on fire, seven are simmering and four are in need of some serious heat.

The best of the best:

Junior middleweight (154lbs) 

Top dog: One of the elements that makes this the most exciting weight division right now is the fact that there are several contenders to the throne.

Vergil Ortiz Jnr looks like he may be the class of the division, but Sebastian Fundora holds two alphabet belts and Bahkram Murtazaliev is the latest Big Bad after disposing of Tim Tszyu.

The chasing pack: Tszyu is looking to rebuild after back-to-back losses, and will begin that task against Joey Spencer on April 6. Jesus Ramos Jnr is already rebuilding after dropping a close decision to Erickson Lubin, who has been inactive since defeating Ramos but will return in May in an eliminator against Ardreal Holmes. Yoenis Tellez is a fast riser, while Callum Walsh is staking a claim for the future, Xander Zayas is ready for a title shot now and is a mandatory for Fundora, Josh Kelly is looking for an opportunity, Serhii Bohachuk remains a dangerous contender, and Charles Conwell oozes class.

Heavyweight (200lbs and above) 

Top dog: Oleksandr Usyk is the clear No. 1 and a future Hall of Famer, with two victories apiece over Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua and one over Daniel Dubois.

The chasing pack: Dubois is the champion-in-waiting, and seems to be first or second in line for an attempt to avenge his loss to Usyk. Joseph Parker is on a strong late-career run and may get a shot himself. Joshua insists he isn’t finished yet, and although Fury claims to be retired, he’s said that before. But whereas those two and Deontay Wilder represented the best of the big men for several years, a new generation is making its move. The likes of Agit Kabayel and Fabio Wardley can’t be too far from a title shot. We will have to see whether Martin Bakole has suffered any damage from jumping in to face Parker at the last minute and being knocked out. Meanwhile, the likes of Frank Sanchez, Efe Ajagba, Justis Huni, Richard Torrez and possibly Jared Anderson remain relevant contenders, while Moses Itauma is giving off major “next big thing” vibes.

Lightweight (135lbs)

Top dog: Until a couple of weeks ago, the consensus answer would probably have been Gervonta Davis, but after he was held to a draw by Lamont Roach Jnr in a fight Roach feels (with some validity) he should have won, that now comes with an asterisk. For now, consider Davis and Roach joint top.

The chasing pack: Most of these would dispute the notion that they are in the chasing pack and might insist they’re top dog, most notably Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda. Keyshawn Davis is coming hard along the rails with Abdullah Mason not too far behind, Andy Cruz and Floyd Schofield are already being spoken of as possible future champions, Zaur Abdullaev and Raymond Muratalla are about to do battle for who’s next in line, Lucas Bahdi is making noise, and veterans such as Tevin Farmer aren’t ready to roll over yet. And then there’s future Hall of Famer Vasiliy Lomachenko, who may or may not be retired.

Featherweight (126lbs)

Top dog: Several names – Stephen Fulton, Nick Ball, Rafael Espinoza and Angelo Leo – can lay claim to top spot. There is no consensus pick, but while the 5ft 2in Ball and 6ft 1in Espinoza will have their backers, former 122lbs titlist Fulton is probably the man to beat.

The chasing pack: Despite losing to Fulton for a second time recently, Brandon Figueroa has looked impressive against most of the rest of his opposition. Luis Nery, Robeisy Ramirez and T.J. Doheny are still in contention despite recent losses, while Bruce Carrington, coming off a third-round KO win, may be the leader of a new guard that also includes Keisuke Matsumoto, Mirco Cuello and Omar Trinidad.

Bantamweight (118lbs)

Top dog: After holding belts at 112 and 115lbs, Junto Nakatani is now the best of a very good bunch at 118.

The chasing pack: Japan dominates this weight class, with undefeated rival title claimants like Ryosuke Nishida, Seiya Tsutsumi and Yoshiki Takei, as well as contenders like Takuma Inoue and Daigo Higa, with Tenshin Nasukawa coming up in the rear. Future Hall of Famer Juan Francisco Estrada also now competes at 118lbs, bringing star power to the division; for all the excellent potential matchups, however, the biggest is surely Nakatani stepping up one more weight class to face Naoya Inoue.

Light heavyweight (175lbs)

Top dog: Dmitry Bivol’s revenge over Artur Beterbiev leaves him as the clear alpha in the division, although Beterbiev can still legitimately lay claim to being 1A in the weight class. It seems likely that a third fight between these two will be next, after which the chasing pack can begin eyeing shots.

The chasing pack: David Benavidez obviously has brought star power and excitement to the division, and while his opening win at 175lbs, over Oleksander Gvozdyk, didn’t set the world alight, his recent victory over David Morrell was impressive. Callum Smith re-emerged as a leading contender following his win over Joshua Buatsi. The likes of Buatsi, Gvozdyk, Morrell and Anthony Yarde remain in contention, while Albert Ramirez is unbeaten and climbing the ranks; but while the combined quality of Bivol, Beterbiev and Benavidez keeps the 175lbers in the top flight, the ranks are starting to look a little thin below them.

Middle of the pack:

Super middleweight (168lbs)

Top dog: No question about this one: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez may not be the force he was, but he has turned back all-comers at 168lbs so far.

The chasing pack: Caleb Plant was stopped by Canelo and handily beaten by David Benavidez, but as his win over Trevor McCumby showed last year, he remains in the mix. Diego Pacheco and Christian Mbilli may be about to square off in a mouth-watering battle to determine the likely next division kingpin. Edgar Berlanga, Bektemir Melikuziev, Jaime Munguia and Bruno Sarace remain among the contenders in a division that is starting to lose its recent luster. It should still boast the biggest fight of the year, however, when Terence Crawford faces Alvarez in September.

Welterweight (147lbs)

Top dog: He may not be around the division for long, but Jaron “Boots” Ennis has found himself at the top of the pile after Terence Crawford abandoned the weight class and Errol Spence Jnr was left to contemplate his ring future when Crawford battered him in 2023. But if he arrived at his position almost by default, Ennis is a legitimate talent with the world seemingly at his feet. Unfortunately for fans of one of boxing’s traditional flagship divisions, those feet seem likely to take him to 154lbs soon.

The chasing pack: Before he can harbor any ambitions of success at junior middleweight or beyond, Ennis must first navigate the challenge of Eimantis Stanionis, which is by no means guaranteed. Mario Barrios remains a skilled but flawed contender, Brian Norman Jnr just underlined his quality with a destruction of Derrieck Cuevas, Paddy Donovan is looking to move past his recent DQ loss to Lewis Crocker, and who knows what the future holds for Conor Benn when he has completed his grudge match with Chris Eubank Jnr?

The division is about to become livelier, at least, with the ring return of Ryan Garcia, who is moving up a weight class to take on Rolando “Rolly” Romero in May. To say that Garcia and Devin Haney, also now competing at 147lbs, have unfinished business is putting it mildly.

Junior welterweight (140lbs) 

Top dog: Teofimo Lopez Jnr snatched the lineal title from Josh Taylor two years ago. Explosive at lightweight, Lopez hasn’t stamped his authority to the same extent on the bigger weight class.

The chasing pack: Arnold Barboza Jnr will attempt to dethrone Lopez in May and may have the style and ability to give him fits. Richardson Hitchens and Alberto Puello hold alphabet titles, as does Gary Antuanne Russell, who looked terrific in defeating Jose Valenzuela in March after losing to Puello his previous time out. As long as he retains his punching power, Subriel Matias can never be written off – and nor can the relentless Isaac Cruz. Meanwhile, Jamaine Ortiz is rebuilding after falling short against Lopez and Lomachenko. George Kambosos Jnr remains a big draw in Australia, where he just dispatched Jack Wyllie. Despite just dropping a split decision to Barboza, Jack Caterall remains very much in the mix. With the likes of Dalton Smith, Adam Azim and Andy Hiraoka waiting in the wings, this weight class could be about to take off.

Junior lightweight (130lbs)

Top dog: Probably Emanuel Navarrete, who boasts a pair of wins over Isaac Dogboe and two victories over Oscar Valdez. O’Shaquie Foster, who recently avenged a controversial loss to Robson Conceicao, would challenge that assertion.

The chasing pack: Conceicao remains very much in the mix, despite being unable to get past Valdez or Navarrete (although the Valdez loss was controversial). After victories over Joe Cordina and Josh Warrington, Anthony Cacace will test himself against Leigh Wood in May; victory would catapult him to the front of the pack, if he isn’t there already. A clash later that month between Eduardo Nunez and Masanori Rikiishi should tell us which, if either of these two, can emerge as a clear contender and will add a new titlist to the mix. Albert Batyrgaziev, Ray Ford and Andres Cortes are very much in the hunt.

Junior featherweight (122lbs)

Top dog: Naoya Inoue is not just the best 122lber in the world, he is arguably the best pound-for-pounder in the world, too.

The chasing pack: Ramon Cardenas will get the next shot at Inoue, although Murodjon Akhmadaliev and Sam Goodman are probably the best of the rest, notwithstanding Akhmadaliev’s 2023 loss to Marlon Tapales. Akhmadaliev is a mandatory for one of Inoue’s belts, but it remains to be seen if “The Monster” will indulge him. David Picasso and Bryan Mercado are solid contenders, but the top of the division also includes several “They’re still fighting?” names such as John Riel Casemiro and, amazingly, Guillermo Rigondeaux. Tapales remains in the mix but will have to get back in line after a stoppage loss to Inoue last year.

Junior bantamweight (115lbs)

Top dog: Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez is an outstanding talent and, at age 25, the two-weight champ should be on and around pound-for-pound lists for some time.

The chasing pack: Phumelele Cafu holds an alphabet belt, but the chief rival to Rodriguez’s crown is probably Argentina’s Fernando Martinez, who recently defeated Kazuto Ioka and will rematch him in May. But lurking in the shadows is the ever-youthful Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, who, at 37, would like one last shot.

Cruiserweight (200lbs)

Top dog: Jai Opetaia has established himself as a first-rate titleholder since defeating Maris Breidis for a title in 2022.

The chasing pack: Cruiserweight just about stays out of the bottom rung courtesy of the quality of Opetaia and fellow titlist Gilberto Ramirez. Badou Jack looked reborn after an impressive win over Ilunga Makubu in 2023 but has been inactive since; he is returning against Ryan Rozicki in May. The best of the rest are probably Chris Billam-Smith and Arsen Goulamirian, who both lost to Ramirez last time out.

Their time will (hopefully) come

There have been periods when the smallest weight classes have provided some of the best matchups and highest quality competitors. This is not one of those periods. At strawweight (105lbs), Oscar Collazo is a genuinely quality champion, as highlighted by his demolition of Edwin Cano, pursued by contenders such as Melvin Jerusalem and Pedro Taduran. Long-time junior fly champ Kenshiro Teraji is the class of the 112lbs flyweight division, with fellow former 108lbs titlist Masamuchi Yabuki – who just emerged victorious from a bloodbath battle with Angel Ayala – a rival titlist and leading contender. Keep an eye out for Galal Yafai, who may be the goods. And then there is the junior flyweight division (108lbs). With no offense to any of the fine titlists and contenders, this is probably the worst weight division in boxing right now; Masamichi Yabuki was probably the best of the rival title claimants but has moved up a division. Sadly, the storied middleweight (160lbs) division has seen better days; Janibek Alimkhanuly is the best of a weight class that has been emptied out by retirements and fighters moving up in weight. As all the action just six pounds south shows, such a barren spell is likely to be fleeting.

Kieran Mulvaney has written, broadcast and podcast about boxing for HBO, Showtime, ESPN and Reuters, among other outlets. He presently co-hosts the “Fighter Health Podcast” with Dr. Margaret Goodman. He also writes regularly for National Geographic, has written several books on the Arctic and Antarctic, and is at his happiest hanging out with wild polar bears. His website is www.kieranmulvaney.com.