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WBC Light Heavyweight Boxing Rankings — May 2026

Official Light Heavyweight rankings for May 2026 from the WBC.

Presented as a historical snapshot for that month. Use the weight-class arrows to move up or down divisions, the month controls to jump between updates, and click any fighter's name to see their ranking history with the WBC.

Division
Period
Org
RankWBCMay 2026
🏆United States flagDavid Benavidez
Champion

1Canada flagArtur Beterbiev
2United Kingdom flagBen Whittaker▲+1
3United Kingdom flagJoshua Buatsi▼-1
4United Kingdom flagWilly Hutchinson
5Australia flagImam Khataev
6Serbia flagRadivoje Kalajdzic
7Türkiye flagMehmet Unal
8United Kingdom flagZach Parker
9United Kingdom flagCraig Richards
10United States flagNajee Lopez
11United Kingdom flagConor Wallace
12United Kingdom flagAnthony Yarde
13Cuba flagArlen Lopez
14Austria flagUmar Dzambekov
15Ukraine flagDaniel Lapin
16Romania flagRonald Gavril
17Ukraine flagOleksandr Gvozdyk
18United Kingdom flagJerome Pampellone
19United Kingdom flagLewis Edmondson
20United States flagRichard Rivera▲+2
21United States flagJesse Hart▼-1
22Poland flagKajetan Kalinowski▼-1
23Colombia flagJuan Carrillo
24New Zealand flagAustin Aokuso▲+5
25Poland flagRobert Parzeczewski▼-1
26United States flagAtif Oberlton▼-1
27United States flagLawrence King▲+6
28Poland flagPawel Stepien▼-2
29United States flagDante Benjamin▼-2
30Australia flagPaulo Aokuso▲+1
31Angola flagConstantino NangaNEW
32Kazakhstan flagAli Akhmedov▼-4
33China flagSaipaier Rouzi▼-3
34United Kingdom flagBradley Rea▼-2
35China flagMaxim Xu▼-1
36Albania flagAlban Bermeta▼-1
37Germany flagBadien Hasso▼-1
38United Kingdom flagEzra Taylor▼-1
39United Kingdom flagJack Scott▼-1
40Argentina flagPablo Ezequiel Corzo

Source: WBC

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About the Light Heavyweight Division

Weight Limit: 168-175 lbs (76.2-79.4 kg)

Light Heavyweight is one of boxing's classic divisions, featuring fighters who combine speed, power, and technical skill. The division has a rich history dating back to the early 20th century.

Division Characteristics

Light Heavyweights are known for their balance of speed and power. Fighters in this division are typically athletic and skilled, capable of both technical boxing and explosive knockouts.

Notable Facts

The Light Heavyweight division has been home to many legendary fighters, including Archie Moore, Bob Foster, and more recently, fighters like Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev.

Historical Context

Light Heavyweight has long been considered one of boxing's premier divisions, consistently producing competitive matchups and memorable fights throughout boxing history.

Learn more about how boxing rankings work or explore current world champions across all divisions.

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Month-over-month changes since April 2026

Biggest risers

  • US flag
    Lawrence KingUp 6 places to #27
    ▲+6
  • NZ flag
    Austin AokusoImproved from #29 to #24
    ▲+5
  • US flag
    Richard RiveraNow ranked #20 (was #22)
    ▲+2

Biggest fallers

  • KZ flag
    Ali AkhmedovDropped from #28 to #32
    ▼-4
  • CN flag
    Saipaier RouziNow #33 after #30 last month
    ▼-3
  • PL flag
    Pawel StepienDown to #28 from #26
    ▼-2

WBC Light Heavyweight Title History

Champions who have held each belt, from oldest to most recent. Title history only goes back as far as our earliest WBC monthly rankings (December 2022).

WBC Light Heavyweight — Champion

United States flagDavid Benavidez
April 2025 — Current
1 year 3 months
Russia flagDmitry Bivol
March 2025 — April 2025
2 months
Canada flagArtur Beterbiev
December 2022 — March 2025
2 years 4 months

WBC Light Heavyweight — Interim Champion

United States flagDavid Benavidez
July 2024 — April 2025
10 months