What happened: In an interview surfaced by Ariel Helwani, David Benavidez listed his top three pound-for-pound fighters as Oleksandr Usyk, Naoya Inoue, and himself. The ranking comes on the heels of his dominant stoppage win over Zurdo Ramirez. Benavidez placed the unified heavyweight champion Usyk first and undisputed super bantamweight king Inoue second.

Why it matters: Self-ranking on a pound-for-pound list is a confidence statement aimed at the broader boxing market, particularly as Benavidez angles for marquee fights. Putting himself alongside Usyk and Inoue signals he believes he has earned consideration with elite-tier names, useful leverage as he campaigns for showdowns with Canelo Alvarez or Jai Opetaia. It also frames how he views the current boxing landscape across weight classes.

What to watch: Watch whether rival camps — particularly Canelo's or Opetaia's — respond to the self-placement, and whether established P4P lists (Ring, ESPN, BoxRec) reflect Benavidez near the top after the Zurdo win.