Women’s boxing pound-for-pound rankings: Baumgardner closes in on top 5 with winAlycia Baumgardner, left, defeated Bo Mi Re Shin on April 17 to retain the IBF, WBA and WBO junior lightweight titles. Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty ImagesESPNMultiple AuthorsApr 23, 2026, 07:48 AM ET
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Alycia Baumgardner retained her IBF, WBA and WBO junior lightweight titles with a unanimous decision win over Bo Mi Re Shin on Friday at the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
While the fight was more competitive than the scorecards of 98-92, 98-92 and 99-91 suggested, Baumgardner was never in serious trouble in the 10-round bout, contested with three-minute rounds.
“When we talk about legacy and development, these are the types of fights I need,” Baumgardner reported during the postfight news conference. “They test my skills and my mentality. Physically, I have it, but mentally, it’s another level to reach.”
With the win, Baumgardner moves up in the ESPN pound-for-pound rankings and now shares the No. 6 spot with Mikaela Mayer. She now turns her attention to a bigger challenge — likely at a higher weight — as she targets a showdown with IBF, WBA and WBO junior welterweight champion Katie Taylor.
“When we talk about Katie Taylor, we’re talking about someone just as skilled,” Baumgardner reported. “I believe in my abilities, and I’m sure she believes in hers. At the highest level of women’s boxing, she’s the perfect opponent.”
Here’s the current top 10.
Note: Results are current through April 23.
1. CLARESSA SHIELDS
RECORD: 18-0, 3 KOs
DIVISION: Undisputed heavyweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Franchon Crews-Dezurn, Feb. 22
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Shields’ historic career continued in February with a wide unanimous decision win in a rematch with Franchon Crews-Dezurn to retain the undisputed heavyweight championship. Shields, undisputed champion of an unprecedented three weight classes and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, remains the most decorated athlete in men’s and women’s boxing. She has yet to meet her match in the ring and could challenge herself by moving down in weight to face current unified junior middleweight champion Mikaela Mayer.
2. KATIE TAYLOR
RECORD: 25-1, 6 KOs
DIVISION: Unified junior welterweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (MD10) Amanda Serrano, July 11, 2025
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Taylor put on a tactical performance to defeat Amanda Serrano by majority decision last July and go 3-0 in the trilogy. The two-division undisputed champion has reported she has one more fight left in her career and hopes to fight at home in Dublin, Ireland. An opponent for that final fight has not been validated, but she could look to regain the WBC title held by Sandy Ryan, who claimed the belt in February after Taylor vacated last September. Taylor could also move up to 147 pounds to face unified welterweight champion Lauren Price or book a rubber match with the only woman to defeat her, Chantelle Cameron.
3. GABRIELA FUNDORA
RECORD: 18-0, 10 KOs
DIVISION: Undisputed flyweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (KO6) Viviana Ruiz Corredor, March 14
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Fundora continued to torment the lighter weight classes with a fourth consecutive stoppage win in a one-sided drubbing of Ruiz Corredor on March 14. Her skill, 5-foot-9 frame and 69-inch reach have been showcased in her dominance of every fight. What makes her run even more frightening for the competition is that she’s discussed moving down in weight to challenge unified junior flyweight champion Evelyn Bermudez. Fundora has shown marked improvement each time out and is closing in on the top of this list.
4. AMANDA SERRANO
RECORD: 48-4-1, 31 KOs
DIVISION: Unified featherweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Reina Tellez, Jan. 3
NEXT FIGHT: May 30 vs. Cheyenne Hanson
Serrano bounced back from her trilogy fight loss to Katie Taylor with a one-sided unanimous decision win over Tellez in Puerto Rico to kick off 2026. Although she went 0-3 to Taylor in very close decisions, the seven-division champion, Serrano, can take solace in knowing that she helped change women’s boxing with those incredible fights. Serrano has hinted that 2026 could be her last year in boxing, and the unified featherweight champion unveiled on April 7 that she will be defending her belts against Cheyenne Hanson on May 30 in Texas.
5. CHANTELLE CAMERON
RECORD: 22-1, 8 KOs
DIVISION: Junior middleweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Michaela Kotaskova, April 5
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Cameron couldn’t land a rubber match with Katie Taylor and decided to move up two divisions to junior middleweight, where she became a two-division champion by beating Kotaskova for the vacant WBO title. Cameron, a former undisputed junior welterweight champion, remains the only fighter to have beaten Taylor in the pro ranks, but she may not be able to land a third fight before the Irishwoman retires. However, as a titleholder at 154 pounds, she could opt to unify belts against the other champions, Oshae Jones and Mikaela Mayer.
T-6. MIKAELA MAYER
RECORD: 22-2, 5 KOs
DIVISION: Welterweight champion; junior middleweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Mary Spencer, Oct. 30, 2025
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Mayer was brilliant while dismantling Spencer in October and has plenty of options for her next move after signing with Most Valuable Promotions in March. With world titles at welterweight and junior middleweight, Mayer could pursue undisputed status in either weight class with a fight against Lauren Price or Oshae Jones, respectively, but a possible showdown with Claressa Shields — if they can agree on weight — would be one of the biggest fights in women’s boxing.
T-6. ALYCIA BAUMGARDNER 
Previous ranking: 7
RECORD: 18-1, 7 KOs
DIVISION: Unified junior lightweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Bo Mi Re Shin, April 17
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Baumgardner retained her unified titles with a grueling decision win over Shin, but she was forced to weather the storm from a hard charging Shin in the middle rounds until she let her skills take charge in the final third of the fight. With another defense out of the way, Baumgardner has plenty of options for her next fight. Although she desires a fight with either junior welterweight champion Katie Taylor or featherweight champion Amanda Serrano, the prospect of a clash with lightweight champ Caroline Dubois feels more significant and realistic. Baumgardner’s incredibly talented and is ready to take the next step in her career, but needs the right opponent to push her to new heights.
8. LAUREN PRICE
RECORD: 10-0, 2 KOs
DIVISION: Unified welterweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Stephanie Pineiro, April 4
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Price won a bloody affair over Pineiro to retain her WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight titles. In just 10 pro fights, the Welsh boxer has already beaten top fighters such as Natasha Jonas, Jessica McCaskill and Pineiro. Although it originally appeared that she was on a collision course with Mikaela Mayer to determine an undisputed champion, she found herself staring eye to eye with Claressa Shields following her recent win. Price appears to have plenty of options to push her way up the P4P list.
9. ELLIE SCOTNEY
RECORD: 12-0, 0 KOs
DIVISION: Undisputed junior featherweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Mayelli Flores, April 5
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Scotney became the youngest undisputed women’s champion in U.K. history with a thoroughly entertaining unanimous decision win over Flores. Scotney, 28, has impressed since her pro debut in 2020 and has earned wins over current undisputed bantamweight champion Cherneka Johnson and former WBC junior featherweight champion Yamileth Mercado. She could hold down the fort in her division with contenders such as Skye Nicolson and Erika Cruz lingering, or move up to featherweight where Amanda Serrano, Dina Thorslund and Tiara Brown would present strong challenges.
10. CAROLINE DUBOIS
RECORD: 13-0-1, 5 KOs
DIVISION: Unified lightweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Terri Harper, April 5
NEXT FIGHT: TBA
Dubois was excellent in picking apart Harper in the inaugural MVPW card in London. After figuring Harper out, Dubois put her down with a left hand in Round 6 and dominated the rest of the fight. Dubois, 21, is angling hard for a fight with Alycia Baumgardner — who is a weight class below her — but a possible unification fight with the winner of the May 30 rematch between Stephanie Han and Holly Holm seems more likely. Dubois is supremely talented and could be knocking at the door near the top of this list in a year or two.
The formula
The rankings are based on a descending points system, with a first-place vote receiving 10 points, a second-place vote receiving nine points and so on.
Others receiving votes: Yokasta Valle (4), Cherneka Johnson (4), Hyun Choi (1).
How our experts voted
Andreas Hale: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Fundora, 4. Serrano, 5. Cameron, 6. Baumgardner, 7. Mayer, 8. Price, 9. Scotney, 10. Dubois
Nick Parkinson: 1. Shields, 2. Fundora, 3. Taylor, 4. Serrano, 5. Cameron, 6. Mayer, 7. Price, 8. Dubois, 9. Baumgardner, 10. Scotney
Salvador Rodriguez: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Serrano, 4. Fundora, 5. Mayer, 6. Baumgardner, 7. Price, 8. Johnson, 9. Scotney, 10. Valle
James Regan: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Fundora, 4. Cameron, 5. Serrano, 6. Mayer, 7. Baumgardner, 8. Scotney, 9. Price, 10. Dubois
Bernardo Pilatti: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Cameron, 4. Fundora, 5. Baumgardner, 6. Price, 7. Serrano, 8. Mayer, 9. Scotney, 10. Dubois
Andres Ferrari: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Fundora, 4. Serrano, 5. Cameron, 6. Baumgardner, 7. Mayer, 8. Scotney, 9. Price, 10. Dubois
Charlie Moynihan: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Serrano, 4. Fundora, 5. Cameron, 6. Mayer, 7. Baumgardner, 8. Valle, 9. Price, 10. Choi
Damian Delgado Averhoff: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Cameron, 4. Serrano, 5. Fundora, 6. Baumgardner, 7. Mayer, 8. Scotney, 9. Dubois, 10. Johnson
ESPN experts poll
First place: Shields (8)
Second place: Taylor (7), Fundora (1)
Third place: Fundora (3), Serrano (2), Cameron (2), Taylor (1)
Fourth place: Serrano (4), Fundora (3), Cameron (1)
Fifth place: Cameron (4), Fundora (1), Serrano (1), Mayer (1), Baumgardner (1)
Sixth place: Baumgardner (4), Mayer (3), Price (1)
Seventh place: Mayer (3), Baumgardner (2), Price (2), Serrano (1)
Eighth place: Scotney (3), Mayer (1), Price (1), Dubois (1), Valle (1), Johnson (1)
Ninth place: Price (3), Scotney (3), Baumgardner (1), Dubois (1)
10th place: Dubois (4), Scotney (1), Valle (1), Johnson (1), Choi (1)
