Over the past few years, the lower weight classes have become the most compelling in boxing. Even some of the higher weight classes have seen long-awaited fights come together, consistently forcing star depth divisions around the lightweight and junior welterweight divisions.
The 135 and 140-pound divisions benefit from a variety of unique personalities that draw attention beyond their elite boxing skills. From Gervonta “Tank” Davis arguably emerging as the face of boxing to Ryan Garcia’s eccentric behavior mixed with his talent for creating completely unique situations, the segments never fail to provide entertainment.
As we head into the final few months in 2024, CBS Sports boxing experts sat down to look at the current state of the top names in lightweight and junior welterweight, as well as what might be next for each fighter.
Lightweight
Gervonta “Tank” Davis (WBA Lightweight Champion): Davis, along with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, established himself as the “face of boxing.” He did this mainly through carefully crafted matchmaking. After being promoted to full champion status in November when Devin Haney Jr. moved up to welterweight, Davis defended his title against Frank Martin. The Martin fight was Davis’ first world title fight since October 2020, but his style and personality have made him a bigger star than a constant stream of world title fights. Davis wants to move forward with any options. While there has been a lot of talk about a fight with Shakur Stevenson, it seems like a fight that won’t happen until at least mid-to-late 2025. If not, Stevenson is set to fight Joe Cordina on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dimitri Bivol. Negotiations for a fight with Vasily Lomachenko fell in Davis’ favor, leaving Denis Berinchik as the only other fighter to hold a world title in the weight class if Davis were to chase more gold. — Brent Brookhouse
Shakur Stevenson (WBC Lightweight Champion): Whether or not the three-division champion deserved to be kicked out of the building during July’s dominant decision victory over Artem Harutyunyan (in his hometown, no less), his prodigious boxing talent brought out countless suitors for his next free agency period after his divorce from the top ranks. . The flamboyant southpaw, who won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics, has finally signed a multi-fight deal with Matchroom Sport, making him a favorite of Turki Alashikh, who controls Saudi Arabia’s huge financial investment in the sport. Stevenson will defend his 135-pound title against Joe Cordina in October (in the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitri Bivol co-main event) with the possibility of a 2025 bout against undefeated lightweights William Zepeda and Gervanta Davis. Stevenson’s heel turn on social media after the Harutyunyan fight also went a long way to raising his profile, which is important for a high-stakes opponent like him who can attract big names who can put his elite skills on full display. — Brian Campbell
Vasily Lomachenko (IBF Lightweight Champion): As mentioned, Lomachenko was in talks for a fight with Davis that fell through. It felt like something of an act after Davis wasn’t interested in fighting earlier in his career. Lomachenko beat George Kambossos Jr in May to win his first IBF title since a hotly contested decision to Devin Haney a year ago. When Davis broke off the talks, Lomachenko’s team said he was “not in the mood” or “motivated” for the fight at the moment and said he would return to the ring in 2025. The rest of the year sets up options for Lomachenko when he decides to return to action. As the elder statesman at 135 pounds, Lomachenko is at the end of his career, but still has elite skills and is a threat to beat anyone in the division until those skills fade. — Brookhouse
Isaac Cruz: The past five months have been wild for “Pitbull,” whose status as a rising Mexican star has seen him strike a chord with fans, whether he’s in the main event or not. The 26-year-old Cruz knocked out Rolando Romero in March to claim the 140-pound title, which he later lost to the much taller and taller Jose Valenzuela in August. The good news for Cruz is that given his lanky frame, he’s much better suited at lightweight, while a big money rematch with Garvonta Davis looms on the horizon after “Pitbull,” who fought on late notice, pushed “Tank.” ” A close decision loss away in 2021. Cruz is both exciting and all business once he steps into the ring and now boasts a large enough fan base to make him an attractive target for any fighter in and around the 135-pound division. — Campbell
The rest of the champions: Unlike junior welterweight, which has multiple belts held by men who are not top stars at the weight, Denis Berinchyk is the only world champion who is not a known superstar. Berinchik won the vacant WBO title with a split decision over Emmanuel Navarrete in May. Berinchyk’s next move is still unclear but if Stevenson or Davies want to go in the hunt for the belt, the Ukrainian fighter will be the one they call upon. — Brookhouse
Junior Welterweight
Devin Haney (WBC Junior Welterweight “Retired Champion”): Haney is in one of boxing’s strangest positions as an undefeated world champion coming off a humiliating loss. Haney was beaten by Ryan Garcia after building up to a fight in which Garcia showed anything but discipline or seemingly normal mental health. Even with Garcia missing weight after not trying to cut 140 pounds and then failing a drug test twice, the loss was reversed in a contest. Honey is now seen as a damaged commodity after rising to the top of the game before moving up undisputed at lightweight and capturing the WBC junior welterweight title. Despite the reputational damage, Haney remains in position to become the unified champion at 140 pounds, and Matchchum is looking to book Haney vs. IBF champion Liam Paro in December. — Brookhouse
Ryan Garcia: We’re only eight months into 2024 and 26-year-old social media superstar Garcia has had enough twists and turns to last a lifetime. He scored the biggest victory of his career in April with his first loss to 140-pound titleholder Devin Haney, only to have it overturned as a no contest after Garcia’s failed drug test. But as Garcia sits idle for his one-year suspension, his caustic demeanor, substance-abuse problems and mental-health challenges can’t help but make headlines on a near-daily basis. Garcia, who said he was delaying entering rehab to continue his world tour after the Haney fight, still remains a household name despite the numerous controversies surrounding him. It’s hard to predict how seriously Garcia will take the game after he returns in 2025. But given his recent track record of chasing big fights (including Honey and Garvanta Davis), one can only hope that he’ll call up some very big names when the time comes. . However, due to Garcia’s weight issues these fights are more likely to come at 147 pounds and above as his body continues to fill out and grow. — Campbell
Teofimo Lopez (WBO Junior Welterweight Champion): Lopez is as polarizing a figure as anyone in boxing. When he’s at his best, Lopez is an offensive dynamo. Lopez has rarely looked at his best since losing three lightweight titles to George Kambossos Jr. in November 2021. Since that loss, Lopez has turned in disappointing performances against the likes of Sandor Martin, Jamaine Ortiz and Steve Claggett. Sandwiched into that stretch was an impressive win over Josh Taylor to win his current belt. Lopez blamed the flat performance on his opponents rather than his own skill gap — he showed a startling inability to cut the ring even against basic footwork — and announced his retirement from the sport in each fight. Lopez recently tried calling former undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford for a fight but Crawford, who recently moved up to junior middleweight, shot down the idea. It’s unclear what’s next for Lopez, but a move to 147 pounds could be next. — Brookhouse
Rolando Romero: Known simply as “Rolly” to most, the clown prince of boxing’s lightweight division may not have the skills of his champion contemporaries. But he more than compensates with both punching power and a unique ability to sell big fights on the microphone. Fresh off a devastating stoppage loss to Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in their March 140-pound title fight, Romero returned to the Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanger pay-per-view undercard in September against Manuel James in what amounts to a “recovery”. But with overwhelming star power at 135 and 140 pounds, Romero is always one win away from being called upon to play the villainous B-side role where he’ll always hold a puncher’s chance to wreak havoc. Because of that, Romero is the rare boxer of this era who has fought every big name available to him. — Campbell
The rest of the champions: Alberto Puelo was promoted from interim to full WBC champion while Devin Haney was named “retired champion”. At 23-0, Puelo has talent and his recent win over Gary Antoine Russell showed he has the potential to be a real player and his title makes him an interesting opponent for the division’s big names, even if Haney is really the top dog for the WBC. As mentioned above, Liam Paro holds the IBF title and will likely face Hani later in the year. Jose Valenzuela pulled off an upset win over Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz to win the WBA title and is now in a strong position to land the biggest fight of his career as others surely gun for his belt. If Lopez wants to stay at 140 pounds, a fight with Valenzuela would make sense but be too risky for Lopez. — Brookhouse
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