Men's boxing pound-for-pound rankings: New No. 1; ...

Naoya Inoue, right, dominated fellow pound-for-pound fighter Junto Nakatani, and the victory earned him the top spot on ESPN's rankings. Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP via Getty Images ESPNMultiple Authors May 6, 2026, 07:48 AM ETEmail Print Open Extended Reactions Naoya Inoue makes his debut at No. 1 in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings following an emphatic victory over Junto Nakatani on May 2. Inoue was previously ranked second and Nakatani No. 6. Fighting in front of more than 55,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome, Inoue delivered a performance that reinforced his standing as the best fighter in the world.

What looked on paper like a very close fight for the undisputed junior featherweight championship ultimately turned into a showcase for Inoue's precision and control. While the official scorecards (116-112, 116-112 and 115-113) suggested a competitive fight, the action told a different story. Inoue established command early in the all-Japanese clash, sweeping the first four rounds on all three cards and dictating the pace throughout. Nakatani showed resilience and found moments of success in the middle rounds, but Inoue reasserted himself down the stretch, closing strong by taking the 11th and 12th rounds on two of the three scorecards.

With the win, Inoue overtakes unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for the No. 1 spot. Usyk is scheduled to face kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Giza, Egypt. Despite the loss, Nakatani slips just one position to No. 7, a testament to his quality at the elite level.