Boxing divisional rankings: 'Boots' Ennis takes over at junior middleweight

          Jaron "Boots" Ennis beat Xander Zayas for the WBO and WBA junior middleweight titles. Evan Bernstein/Getty Images
          • Andreas HaleJun 30, 2026, 07:38 AM ET
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              Andreas Hale is a combat sports reporter at ESPN. Andreas covers MMA, boxing and pro wrestling. In Andreas' free time, he plays video games, obsesses over music and is a White Sox and 49ers fan. He is also a host for Sirius XM's Fight Nation. Before joining ESPN, Andreas was a senior writer at DAZN and Sporting News. He started his career as a music journalist for outlets including HipHopDX, The Grammys and Jay-Z's Life+Times. He is also an NAACP Image Award-nominated filmmaker as a producer for the animated short film "Bridges" in 2024.
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          Jaron "Boots" Ennis delivered a statement win on Saturday, knocking down Xander Zayas three times en route to a seventh-round stoppage to claim the WBO and WBA junior middleweight titles at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

          Ennis used his dynamic mixture of speed, power and accuracy to drop Zayas in rounds one, five and seven. But "Boots" had to endure a spirited rally from Zayas in Round 3 that turned a one-sided affair into a true battle. Ennis overcame the challenge, eventually overwhelming Zayas to become a two-division unified world champion.

          The win vaults Ennis into the top spot of the junior middleweight division while Zayas falls one spot to No. 4.

          Also this weekend, Ben Whittaker collected his fourth consecutive stoppage inside of two rounds with a second-round TKO of Richard Rivera. Whittaker was quick and precise, catching Rivera with a right hand that put him down at the end of Round 1 and uncorked a beautiful counter left hook in Round 2 to become the first fighter to stop Rivera. Whittaker makes his debut at No. 10 in the light heavyweight division.

          Earlier in the week, Liam Paro unseated Lewis Crocker for the IBF welterweight title in Australia. Paro was sharp in the opening round, picking off an aggressive Crocker with jabs and building a lead in the early rounds. But Crocker rallied late to put pressure on Paro, landing the heavier shots and eventually busting him open above the left eye in the final round. An exhausted Paro managed to make it to the final bell to have his hand raised with a unanimous decision win. Paro moves into the No. 4 spot at welterweight, while Crocker drops to No. 6.

          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 changes: Cruiserweight | Light heavyweight | Junior middleweight | Welterweight | Lightweight

          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)