The 10 most underrated current world titleholders
By Lucas Ketelle
Who are the most underrated titleholders currently in boxing?
One of them – IBF lightweight titleholder Raymond Muratalla – will face unbeaten Cuban Olympian Andy Cruz on Saturday at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas in Nevada. It will be Muratalla’s first defense after winning the vacant belt against Zaur Abduallaev in May.
What makes someone underrated? Well, it is the exact opposite of someone who is overrated, as obvious as that may be.
Fighting in a lower-profile division where visibility is limited.
Having their spotlight dwarfed by a bigger star who overshadows their talents.
Making title defenses look easy, but lacking viral moments in the fight or even in interviews.
It isn’t necessarily one thing that makes a fighter underrated, but a combination of many factors. Let’s look at some of the current beltholders who might be getting overlooked:
10. Carlos Adames
Record: 24-1-1 (18 KOs)
Weight class: Middleweight
Title: WBC
The middleweight division has seemingly hit the pause button since Gennadiy Golovkin and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez left. Adames showed his merit by fighting to a draw with Hamzah Sheeraz, which some felt he should have won. Adames is unbeaten in seven fights and has held a form of the WBC title since 2022, and was elevated to its primary titleholder in 2024.
A physical puncher with good reflexes and an ability to set traps with his boxing skills, Adames is not always the first name you think of. This could be because of his inactivity, fighting once a year since 2022, but he has been rock solid and is showing longevity in the modern era. Adames will face Austin “Ammo” Williams on January 31. A win here, and we could argue that he is the best middleweight in the world.
9. Cherneka Johnson
Record: 19-2 (8 KOs)
Weight class: Bantamweight
Titles: Undisputed
Johnson, the undisputed bantamweight champion, has been on one of the better recent championship runs since her loss to Ellie Scotney at junior featherweight in 2023. Johnson defeated Nina Hughes twice, with the second fight being a stoppage. She followed that with a stoppage of IBF titleholder Shurretta Metcalf, and then defeated unbeaten Amanda Galle in an entertaining fight in December.
Johnson has a star quality, but also ability in the ring, and is one of the more exciting titleholders in women’s boxing who often gets overlooked by more high-profile fighters. Hopefully that will change in 2026.
8. Ricardo Sandoval
Record: 27-2 (18 KOs)
Weight class: Flyweight
Titles: WBA and WBC
Sandoval beat a potential Hall of Famer in Kenshiro Teraji to win the unified flyweight titles, yet the reception stateside has been muted. Partially, it is his weight class. Flyweight doesn’t move the needle, and you have to be truly special to get praise, especially for a fighter based out of the United States.
Beyond that, Sandoval is a blue-collar boxer. He can box and outwork you, but he wins through conditioning and determination as much as he does from one outstanding trait in the ring. Then factor in that he lost his fifth pro fight and suffered a majority decision loss to David Jimenez in 2022. People may have had preconceived notions about his ceiling, with him recently redefining how far he can go as an elite prizefighter. Sandoval has a little bit of a Daniel Roman to him, another Los Angeles fighter.
7. Nick Ball
Record: 23-0-1 (13 KOs)
Weight class: Featherweight
Title: WBA
At 5ft 2ins, Ball is easy to overlook in the featherweight division, because even at 126lbs he appears undersized. The muscular fighter has crafted a style around strength, toughness and will, which led to winning a title from Raymond Ford in May 2024. He has made three successful. While overcoming an inherent size disadvantage to his foes, Ball is one of the better featherweights, though with limited recognition for how special what he is doing truly is.
6. Raymond Muratalla
Record: 23-0 (17 KOs)
Weight class: Lightweight
Title: IBF
Muratalla, 28, is the victim of a great era of lightweight boxing. Despite backing from elite trainer Robert Garcia, Muratalla was stuck behind notable names such as Shakur Stevenson, Abdullah Mason and Keyshawn Davis. If Muratalla of Fontana, California, were in another weight class, he might get more attention, but the brilliant inside fighter, who cuts angles and can box with a stellar jab, isn’t as well-known as other titleholders.
Another aspect is Muratalla’s personality. He is soft-spoken. He is not going to give a notable interview answer, as he opts to do his talking in his ring. He faces Andy Cruz, 6-0 (3 KOs), this weekend. A win against the 30-year-old Cuban Olympic gold medalist will forever move him out of this list.
5. Richardson Hitchins
Record: 20-0 (8 KOs)
Weight class: Junior welterweight
Title: IBF
A jab is a helluva weapon, and Hitchins has one of the best jabs in the sport. Jabs don’t always lead to exciting fights, but they can dictate pace and control the action. Hitchins knows how to use his jab and his reach advantage at junior welterweight, and he is quietly becoming one of the best fighters in the world. If he hadn’t been in such a competitive fight with Gustavo Lemos in 2024, then Hitchins would probably be seen as a higher-profile titleholder. That said, Hitchins is one of the best – and could end up being the best.
4. Ellie Scotney
Record: 11-0 (0 KOs)
Weight class: Women’s junior featherweight
Title: IBF, WBC and WBO
We could make a case that Scotney is currently the best women’s boxer in the world. If we are talking right now, who is the closest to their prime, and who is the hardest to beat – it might be Scotney. Yet she has been overshadowed so far.
Some of that could be her lack of knockouts. Her wins are aging well, and if she can become an undisputed champion, that would cement her status. Scotney is a wonderful talent who could do everything except stop her opponents. Her wins over the Cherneka Johnson (now the undisputed bantamweight champion) and Yamileth Mercado are two of the best she could have among her available peers.
3. Bakhram Murtazaliev
Record: 23-0 (17 KOs)
Weight class: Junior middleweight
Title: IBF
Murtazaliev knocked out Tim Tszyu in 2024, only to disappear and not fight in 2025. He returns later this month in his first title defense against Josh Kelly on January 31. When talking about the beltholders who are dark horses to rule a division, Murtazaliev has to be a top choice. He has power and craft. Now Murtazaliev needs longevity as a titleholder to get to the next level. He had a great performance and disappeared. We have to see what his encore will be like. We also have to see how Murtazaliev handles boxers who move around and don’t just stand in front of him.
2. Oscar Collazo
Record: 13-0 (10 KOs)
Title: Strawweight
Weight: WBA and WBO
Collazo is a victim of his weight class. He is a pound-for-pound-level talent, with some referring to him as the next Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez. Given that Collazo is fighting at strawweight, most fans don’t have a strong connection or relationship with the fighters in that weight class. So when Collazo has a great performance, it is expected. If he has trouble against a talented fighter, it is a shock. Why? He is that good, and the division is not broadcast much, if at all, unless he fights. So, for now, it is hard to know just how good Collazo is.
1. Jai Opetaia
Record: 29-0 (23 KOs)
Weight class: Cruiserweight
Title: IBF
In 2025, it felt like Opetaia was left on the back burner for fans in the United States. He is a devastating power-puncher who holds the IBF cruiserweight title and seemed to be on his way to pound-for-pound status. Instead, he fought exclusively in Australia three times, with many U.S. fight fans overlooking his fights altogether. His final bout in December, a stoppage over Huseyin Cinkara, wasn’t shown on DAZN, but rather on UFC Fight Pass for U.S.-based fans. Opetaia’s visibility might change now that he has signed with Zuffa Boxing.
Opetaia also gets underrated for his style. He is a physical fighter who puts a lot of pressure on opponents, but he often doesn’t get credit for being skillful. Think of a technical operator like Vergil Ortiz Jnr, who doesn’t always get praise. Opetaia might hit hard, but there is more to him than that. With that said, being a physical fighter is also an elite trait that some underrate.
