Boxing divisional rankings: Garcia climbs to No. 2 at welterweight with one-sided win


Ryan Garcia scored an impressive second-round TKO victory over Conor Benn at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night to retain the WBC welterweight title.

Garcia (26-2, 1 NC, 21 KOs) used his powerful left hook to keep Benn at a distance in Round 1, before connecting with a right hand in Round 2 that sent Benn to the canvas. Benn managed to get back to his feet, but Garcia overwhelmed him with punches, forcing referee Thomas Taylor to stop the fight at 1 minute, 25 seconds of the round.

With the victory, Garcia makes a strong case to be the fighter to beat at 147 pounds. He moves up two spots to No. 2.

In the co-main event, Jai Opetaia solidified his No. 1 spot at cruiserweight with a ninth-round TKO over Noel Mikaelian to claim the vacant WBA “regular” title. The victory sets up a potential title unification bout against WBA and WBO champion David Benavidez in May 2027.

Mikaelian’s WBC title was not at stake, but he drops one spot to No. 6 in the cruiserweight division following the loss.

On Friday in Oceanside, California, Abass Baraou defeated Giovani Santillan by majority decision, keeping his hopes of reclaiming a junior middleweight title alive. The victory moves Baraou up one spot to No. 6 at 154 pounds.

Also on that card, former featherweight champion Luis Alberto Lopez defeated Daniel Lugo by third-round KO. It was Lopez’s third consecutive stoppage victory since moving up to junior lightweight in March 2025. The victory bumps him up to No. 9 at 130 pounds.

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 this week’s changes: Cruiserweight | Junior middleweight | Welterweight | Junior lightweight | Featherweight


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)



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