Pound for Pound: 2029 – The Ring

After Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez’s efficiency in opposition to Juan Francisco Estrada on Saturday evening, we thought it will be a great time to repost Tom Grey’s speculative story from the latest problem of The Ring Journal, the July 2024 version. In it, Grey took on the duty of making a pound-for-pound checklist from the attitude of any individual in 2029. (And bear in mind, this was written earlier than Bam flattened Estrada.) What do you assume the P4P checklist will seem like in 5 years?

THE RING JUMPS FIVE YEARS INTO THE FUTURE TO IMAGINE THE POUND-FOR-POUND STARS OF TOMORROW

When a very particular fighter reaches the head of boxing by pulling off an array of fistic miracles, their lofty place atop the legendary pound-for-pound checklist can appear unassailable. They’re so good that you just simply can’t think about the game with out them in it.

From 1994 till 2004, the good Roy Jones Jr. was the consensus alternative for biggest fighter on the planet. The super-skilled dynamo from Pensacola captured world championships from middleweight to heavyweight and his efficiency stage put him on one other dimension. Jones was arguably essentially the most proficient fighter who has but lived, however he made the deadly mistake of overstaying his welcome.

Shortly after Jones started his dramatic descent, Floyd Mayweather Jr. emerged as his pound-for-pound successor. From 2005 till 2015, with a short retirement within the center, the artist previously often known as “Fairly Boy” turned “Cash” … and he made loads of it. Emulating Jones as a multi-weight world champion, the Grand Rapids technician ended his profession as the perfect fighter on this planet with an immaculate 50-0 document.

Whether or not boxing forces a fighter off the pound-for-pound throne or whether or not the king willingly abdicates, there are at all times replacements on the prepared.

At present, there’s much more debate over who guidelines the pound-for-pound panorama. Naoya Inoue, Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk have all established themselves as double undisputed champions, and none of them has ever tasted defeat. Nevertheless, like Mayweather and Jones earlier than them, all three might be compelled to exit the elite stage ultimately.

Who will step in to exchange “The Monster,” “Bud” and the present heavyweight king once they depart the pound-for-pound scene? 

Let’s think about the whole lot we all know proper now, in mid-2024, and look 5 years into the long run. What follows is an earnest try at predicting the highest 10 greatest fighters on this planet and the way they acquired there.

The 12 months is 2029 …

10 ZHANIBEK ALIMKHANULY
Document: 25-0 (20 KOs)
Titles: Reigning IBF/WBO middleweight

Quickly after Gennadiy Golovkin retired from the game, one other rampaging middleweight from Kazakhstan started slicing a swathe by the 160-pound division.

Alimkhanuly has been so dominant on this weight class that securing additional unification fights has confirmed to be unattainable for years now. He has gained his final 10 fights by way of knockout and none of his opponents have gone over 9 rounds.

Having posted 12 profitable defenses at middleweight, Alimkhanuly will quickly be knocking on the door of a number of the division’s greats. Nevertheless, to carve out a permanent legacy of his personal, he wants signature wins to be in comparison with his predecessors. There was a time period, in 2025 and 2026, when Alimkhanuly held out hope for a megafight with Terence Crawford, however the American star by no means made the foray into the middleweight division, as a substitute retiring after unifying 154-pound titles.

9 DAVID MORRELL
Document: 20-0 (18 KOs)
Titles: Reigning WBA gentle heavyweight

Cuban lefty David Morrell has been extremely touted since turning skilled in 2019. A chronic stint because the WBA “common” tremendous middleweight champ stunted his progress as a result of poor opposition, and he initially went the identical route at gentle heavyweight.

Nevertheless, since being upgraded to 175-pound full champion in 2027, Morrell has gained six extra title defenses and his performances have been terrific. The 31-year-old has scored shutout wins over Christian Mbilli and Diego Pacheco, and it nonetheless seems to be like there are extra gears to undergo.

Having competed in Canada, New York and Saudi Arabia, Morrell has constructed a considerable fan following. His fast palms, aggressive type and thudding energy make him an thrilling tv fighter, and he’s now headlining again in his residence base of Minneapolis. 

The most important battle within the division could be in opposition to No. 1-ranked 175-pounder David Benavidez, who holds two items of the sunshine heavyweight puzzle. With Morrell at No. 2, if they’ll get that battle made, then the winner will maintain the Ring belt and would solely want the WBO title to be anointed undisputed champion.

8 DAVID BENAVIDEZ
Document: 38-0-1 (31 KOs)
Titles: Former two-time WBC tremendous middleweight, reigning IBF/WBC gentle heavyweight

Following a fruitless wait to face then-undisputed tremendous middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, Benavidez had no alternative however to show his consideration to the sunshine heavyweight division full-time.

The king of the division was Artur Beterbiev, whose crowning achievement was a dramatic, come-from-behind stoppage of Dmitry Bivol to turn into undisputed champion. A controversial draw in opposition to Beterbiev in 2025 was a bitter tablet to swallow for Benavidez, who scored two knockdowns within the battle. However since Beterbiev’s retirement, the Las Vegas-born stress fighter has gone from power to power.

“The Mexican Monster” is now on an eight-fight win streak and has picked up IBF and WBC titles at 175 kilos. His most spectacular victories have been knockout wins over Diego Pacheco and Jaime Munguia, neither of whom had been stopped earlier than.

The 32-year-old Benavidez is a veteran now however maintains the identical breakneck tempo and depth he did in his tremendous middleweight heyday. The objective now could be to lastly unify the complete gentle heavyweight division and retire on high.

7 KEYSHAWN DAVIS
Document: 25-0 (19 KOs)
Titles: Reigning Ring/WBO junior welterweight

Davis rapidly outgrew the light-weight division and got here of age with an in depth determination win over lingering junior welterweight champ Teofimo Lopez in 2026, after which Lopez referred to as it a profession. 

The fast-fisted phenom from Norfolk, Virginia, has made six defenses of his title and he’s been largely dominant. Nevertheless, regardless of all his success, there have been never-ending requires “The Businessman” to face light-weight titleholder Andy Cruz, who went 4-0 in opposition to him within the amateurs and defeated the American on the Tokyo Olympics.

A battle between these younger hotshots has been mentioned for over 5 years now, nevertheless it’s nonetheless no nearer to turning into a actuality. Promoter and community allegiances have prevented the battle from turning into a actuality, and Saudi Arabia has not proven any curiosity in fronting the cash required to make it occur.

The extra sensible possibility for Davis is a big unification matchup with WBA and WBC counterpart Abdullah Mason. Prime Rank promotes each fighters.

6 ANDY CRUZ
Document: 15-0 (9 KOs)
Titles: Reigning WBC light-weight

The skids had been greased for Cruz earlier than he’d even turned skilled. Unequalled glory within the amateurs noticed the Cuban sensation declare three World Championship gold medals earlier than signing off as Olympic champion at Tokyo 2020.

Cruz doesn’t have the signature triumphs of a few of his pound-for-pound contemporaries nevertheless it isn’t for a scarcity of making an attempt. The 33-year-old veteran chased Gervonta Davis for years when the favored American was nonetheless within the pound-for-pound rankings, however politics stored the light-weight standouts aside and Davis has since been feeding completely on sacrificial lambs.

Nevertheless, Cruz has handed the attention check with flying colours. His talent set and hand velocity are unbelievable, and there are occasions when his reflexes seem otherworldly. Cruz makes high contenders reluctant to throw a punch, and you can depend the variety of rounds he has misplaced on one hand.

His vacant world title got here courtesy of a dominant determination win over Edwin De Los Santos in 2025. Cruz has since made seven defenses, and his excessive exercise stage is a most important contributor to his pound-for-pound place, however the battle followers need to see continues to be marinating. A matchup with former newbie rival and Ring/WBO junior welterweight champ Keyshawn Davis stays one of the crucial engaging fights in world boxing.

5 ABDULLAH MASON
Document: 29-0 (24 KOs)
Titles: Former WBC light-weight, reigning WBA/WBC junior welterweight

Mason was born right into a combating household, and a profitable newbie run was bolstered by world-class sparring in opposition to elite gamers akin to Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney. When it lastly got here time for Mason to showcase his wares on the high stage, he didn’t disappoint, and the sky’s the restrict for this vivid younger star.

Whereas it was unlucky that the Ohio-born lefty outgrew the light-weight restrict, which dominated out a money-spinning matchup with Andy Cruz, Mason has been no much less spectacular at junior welterweight. In three fights, he has already unified two world titles with dominant wins over Raymond Muratalla and William Zepeda.

There’s already speak of Mason shifting north to 147 kilos, the place extra large fights can be found. Having now stuffed out and gained his man power, the two-weight world champ gained’t be intimidated by any of as we speak’s welterweights. If something, they need to be fearful about him.

4 JAI OPETAIA
Document: 32-0 (23 KOs)
Titles: Former undisputed cruiserweight, reigning IBF/WBA heavyweight

No sooner had undisputed heavyweight and former undisputed cruiserweight champ Oleksandr Usyk retired from the game than one other 200-pound king staked his declare on the heavyweight division.

Opetaia, like Usyk earlier than him, has the mobility, hand velocity and technical craft to render as we speak’s heavyweight behemoths inept. In consequence, the Australian lefty is simply two fights away from totally unifying the glamor division.

At heavyweight, Opetaia is incomes the respect and a focus he was denied at cruiserweight. Whereas his expertise and attributes had been clear to see throughout his rise, the 33-year-old technician was hidden away on Saudi Arabia undercards and largely missed.

Nevertheless, the shockwaves that Opetaia has despatched by the game since shifting up in late 2026 have been felt worldwide. Wins over Filip Hrgovic and Agit Kabayel noticed him turn into the unified champion, and he’s coming off a 12-round unanimous determination win over Daniel Dubois in London.

If he can declare the WBO and WBC crown from Moses Itauma and Jared Anderson, respectively, then the coveted Ring Journal championship might be his, and maybe even the No. 1 pound-for-pound spot could also be his for the taking.

3 JUNTO NAKATANI
Document: 37-1 (26 KOs)
Titles: Former WBO flyweight, former WBO junior bantamweight, former undisputed bantamweight, reigning undisputed junior featherweight

Japan’s Nakatani had some large footwear to fill when compatriot and former conqueror Naoya Inoue retired in 2027.

Inoue walked off into the sundown as a three-weight undisputed champion and one of many biggest fighters ever. His swansong, a superb Tenth-round TKO victory over Nakatani on New Yr’s Eve 2026, solidified his legend and showcased his successor’s qualities in equal measure.

The setback was a sink-or-swim second for Nakatani, who was crestfallen following his first skilled defeat. Having moved as much as 126 kilos for the Inoue bout, he returned to junior featherweight and added three extra world titles, in addition to the Ring championship, to his assortment to unify the complete division. Emulating Inoue’s run at 122, Nakatani seems to be pretty much as good as ever, and his pound-for-pound recognition has been earned the exhausting means.

Now out from beneath The Monster’s shadow, Nakatani is a double undisputed champion with the world at his ft. The 31-year-old lefty holds good wins over Fernando Martinez, Takuma Inoue, Yoshiki Takei, Stephen Fulton and Murodjon Akhmadaliev. 

2 JESSE RODRIGUEZ
Document: 26-0 (16 KOs)
Titles: Former IBF/WBO flyweight, reigning Ring/WBA/WBC/WBO junior bantamweight

“Bam” has been the noise of his ring moniker ever since he turned skilled. The Texas-based left-hander has additionally been blessed with a golden period of opposition, and his superiority within the decrease weight lessons has vaulted him up the legendary rankings.

After unifying the flyweight division on the expense of Sunny Edwards, Rodriguez moved north and took out a trio of genuine boxing legends at 115 kilos. Factors wins over Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez and Kazuto Ioka have assured “Bam” a first-ballot Corridor of Fame slot, and he’s displaying no indicators of slowing down.

Whereas Rodriguez has had a string of necessary obligations and a brief layoff as a result of harm, his achievements are past reproach. At 29 years outdated, he’s nonetheless recent and in his combating prime.

One battle away from securing undisputed standing at junior bantamweight, Bam insists that bantamweight can be in his future. If he turns into a three-weight world champion, his already-formidable repute will attain even better heights.

1 JARON “BOOTS” ENNIS
Document: 41-0 (36 KOs)
Titles: Former IBF/WBC welterweight, reigning WBA/WBC junior middleweight

Within the custom of the game’s most acclaimed and gifted practitioners, Jaron “Boots” Ennis has maintained a vice-like grip on pound-for-pound supremacy by a lot of the previous 5 years, and he’s now the face of boxing in 2029.

Aligning himself with Matchroom 5 years in the past, Boots has competed in opposition to the perfect and confirmed to be ranges above. After unifying titles at welterweight and junior middleweight, the 5-foot-10 Ennis is now looking for extra glory in a brand new division and intends to marketing campaign as a middleweight.

Will the 31-year-old boxer-puncher combine with the fearsome and long-reigning middleweight king Janibek Alimkhanuly? Time will inform.

Since turning skilled in 2016, the Philadelphia-born Ennis has showcased a stunning talent set and lights-out energy. Nevertheless, there may be a lot extra to the two-weight world champ, and he’s nonetheless bettering. His velocity, mixture punching, switch-hitting and precision have seen him in comparison with legendary pound-for-pound predecessors Roy Jones Jr. and Terence Crawford.

Signature wins have come in opposition to Richardson Hitchins, Errol Spence, Eimantas Stanionis, Tim Tszyu and Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Tom Grey is a former managing editor of The Ring Journal.
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