Don't call it a comeback, because Canelo Alvarez has been at or near the very top of the sport of boxing for years. 

Last Saturday, in his return from elbow surgery, a 13-month layoff and a humbling loss to Terence Crawford, the 36-year-old Alvarez reminded fans of his legendary skills by dominating the second half of his unanimous decision win over unbeaten WBC super middleweight titleholder Christian Mbilli. 

One can never quite predict when an aging fighter (and even someone of Alvarez's legendary stature) might get old overnight. But despite standing firmly within his 21st year as a professional and competing in his 69th bout, Alvarez was everything he needed to be (and more) in order to discipline the typically hard-charging Mbilli away from exchanging with him as the fight wore on.

Alvarez's counterpunching was pinpoint accurate and heavy. His defense and head movement also remained on point as the Mexican superstar showcased his well-rounded game in his first fight since losing his undisputed super middleweight championship against Crawford, who had moved up multiple weight classes just weeks shy of his 38th birthday and scored a clear decision win before walking off into retirement last September. 

Whether or not Alvarez can secure coveted rematches against Crawford or current light heavyweight king Dmitry Bivol, which he has been vocal about wanting, he proved against Mbilli that he remains the class of the 168-pound division, where heavy hitters like Hamzah Sheeraz, Lester Martinez and former unified middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhabuly currently ply their trade. 

Alvarez's fight IQ is just as elite as ever and he has become an even more efficient fighter with age, which has been a key part of his sustained longevity.

Not bad for a fighter with less than 50 amateur bouts who turned pro at 15 and has arguably been the biggest star in the sport for more than a decade. This may not be the exact same Canelo who dominated the division to become undisputed champion in 2021 after reigning atop the P4P top 10 for three full years, but he proved against Mbilli that he still has it and -- save for the justified criticism he has received for openly avoiding unified cruiserweight king David Benavidez back when they fought in the same division -- still wants the smoke in a big way.  

Pound-for-Pound Rankings

1. Naoya Inoue

Undisputed junior featherweight champion (33-0, 27 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 1

The four-division champion followed up a huge 2025, where he became the first boxer to defend the "Ring" title four times, by scoring a career-defining victory over countryman Junto Nakatani in May. The fight, which drew a sellout crowd of 55,000 inside the Tokyo Dome, was the biggest boxing event in Japanese history. The 33-year-old Inoue, who claimed a unanimous decision, further cemented his status as an all-time great. 

2. Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez

Unified junior bantamweight champion (24-0, 17 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 2

The 26-year-old phenom from San Antonio continues to build his case for inclusion in the argument of best fighter in the world. After an incredible 2025 that made him a finalist for fighter of the year, Rodriguez moved up to 118 pounds to open 2026 and scored a sixth-round knockout of Antonio Vargas to claim the WBA bantamweight title and a belt in his third weight class. 

3. David Benavidez

Unified cruiserweight champion (32-0, 26 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 3

At 29, "The Mexican Monster" took a major step forward toward boxing immortality when he moved up 25 pounds to cruiserweight and knocked out unified champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez. The victory made Benavidez the first boxer in history to win titles at 168, 175 and 200 pounds. Benavidez returns on Dec. 12 in an attempt to further unify cruiserweight titles against WBC beltholder Michael Cieslak. 

4. Shakur Stevenson

Junior welterweight titleholder (25-0, 11 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 4

Stevenson opened 2026 by finally sharing the ring with a fellow top 10 pound-for-pound great in lineal 140-pound champion Teofimo Lopez Jr. in January. The result was one of the most lopsided performances against an elite fighter in modern history as the 29-year-old Stevenson won 11 rounds on all three scorecards in a masterful showing. Stevenson signed with Zuffa Boxing in July only to part ways just three months later and has remained idle. 

5. Oleksandr Usyk

Heavyweight (25-0, 16 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 5

Usyk's professional run has been as decorated as it has been perfect. But the former two-time undisputed champ chose to vacate his trio of heavyweight titles in June to give other fighters a chance while he focuses on a retirement bout. The 39-year-old Usyk is also fresh off of a major scare when he looked sluggish in a come-from-behind (and controversial) TKO of kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven in May. 

6. Dmitry Bivol

Unified light heavyweight champion (24-1, 12 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 6

Bivol followed up his majority decision win over Artur Beterbiev in their 2025 rematch by sitting out the next 15 months to recover from back surgery. In May, the 35-year-old claimed a wide decision over mandatory challenger Michael Eifert in Russia. Bivol underwent surgery on his elbow in July ahead of a Dec. 12 return against top contender Callum Smith. 

7. Jaron Ennis

Unified junior middleweight champion (36-0, 32 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 7

The former unified welterweight champion became the power player at 154 pounds in June when he scored a 7th-round TKO over unbeaten unified champ Xander Zayas. Not only did "Boots" prove his P4P level by executing a dynamic offensive attack, he was willing to stand in the trenches in order to break his opponent down. A long-hyped showdown with unbeaten Vergil Ortiz Jr. has still yet to come to fruition. 

8. Devin Haney

Welterweight titleholder (33-0, 1 NC, 15 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 9

For all of the criticism he absorbed, Haney reminded everyone of his P4P talent and ring IQ last November when he dropped and handled unbeaten WBO welterweight titleholder Brian Norman Jr. to become a three-division champion. Following a long layoff and multiple proposed bouts falling apart, Haney agreed to unify 147-pound titles against IBF titleholder Liam Paro in December. 

9. Canelo Alvarez

Super middleweight titleholder (64-3-2, 35 KOs) | Previous ranking: NR

At 36. Alvarez reminded just how skilled and smart he still is in October when he returned from a 13-month layoff and elbow surgery to regain a piece of the 168-pound title by outpointing Christian Mibilli to capture the WBC title. Alvarez made the right adjustments, dominated the second half and relied upon his stiff jab and hard counter shots to return to his elite form. Alvarez has been vocal about his desire for rematches against Terence Crawford and Dmitry Bivol. 

10. O'Shaquie Foster

Unified junior featherweight champion (26-3, 12 KOs) | Previous ranking: No. 10

One of boxing's best stories in recent years only got better in 2026 as the 33-year-old Foster put himself firmly within the debate of fighter of the year. Foster defended his WBC title in May by outpointing Raymond Ford in a hard-fought win and returned in October to author his most impressive performance to date by unifying a trio of 130-pound titles against decorated champion Emanuel Navarrete in a thrilling display of his skills as a boxer/puncher.