Over the past few years, the lower weight classes have been the most compelling in boxing. Even as some of the higher weight classes have seen long-awaited fights come together, the depth of stars around the lightweight and junior welterweight divisions make the divisions consistently compelling.
The 135 and 140-pound divisions also benefit from a variety of unique personalities that draw attention beyond their elite boxing skills. From Gervonta “Tank” Davis emerging as arguably the face of boxing to Ryan Garcia’s bizarre behavior mixing with his talent to create entirely unique situations, the divisions never fail to provide entertainment.
As we head into the final handful of months in 2024, the CBS Sports boxing experts sat down to look at the current status of the top names at lightweight and junior welterweight, as well as what could be next for each fighter.
Lightweight
Gervonta “Tank” Davis (WBA lightweight champion): Davis, along with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, has established himself as the “face of boxing.” He has done so mainly through carefully constructed matchmaking. After being elevated to full champion status in November when Devin Haney moved up to junior welterweight, Davis defended his title against Frank Martin. The Martin fight was the first world title fight for Davis since October 2020, but his style and personality has made him a bigger star than a constant stream of world title bouts could ever have. Davis has any option he desires moving forward. While there has been much talk of a fight with Shakur Stevenson, that feels like a fight that isn’t going to happen until at least mid to late 2025, if at all, with Stevenson set to fight Joe Cordina on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol. Negotiations for a fight with Vasiliy Lomachenko fell through for Davis, which leaves Denys Berinchyk as the only other fighter with a world title in the weight class if Davis is looking to chase more gold. — Brent Brookhouse
Shakur Stevenson (WBC lightweight champion): Whether or not the three-division champion deserved to be booed out of the building (in his hometown, no less) during a dominant July decision win over Artem Harutyunyan, his subsequent free agency period following a divorce from Top Rank brought out numerous suitors for his sublime boxing talent. The slick southpaw, who captured a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics, ultimately signed a multi-fight deal with Matchroom Sport, which also saw him become a favorite of Turki Alashikh, who controls Saudi Arabia’s sizable financial investment in the sport. Stevenson will defend his 135-pound title against Joe Cordina in October (in the co-main event of Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol) with the possibility of 2025 bouts against unbeaten lightweights William Zepeda and Gervonta Davis. Stevenson’s heel turn on social media following the Harutyunyan fight also went a long way in raising his profile, which is important for a high risk opponent such as himself to attract the type of big names that can put his elite skills on full display. — Brian Campbell
Vasiliy Lomachenko (IBF lightweight champion): As mentioned, Lomachenko was in negotiations for a fight with Davis that fell through. That felt something like karma after Davis wasn’t interested in a fight earlier in his career. Lomachenko beat George Kambosos Jr. in May to win the IBF title in his first fight since a hotly-contested decision loss to Devin Haney one year prior. When the Davis negotiations broke down, Lomachenko’s team said he “wasn’t in the mood” or “motivated” for a fight at the moment and said he would return to the ring in 2025. It’s likely that how the division plays out over the remainder of the year sets up the options for Lomachenko when he decides to return to action. As the elder statesman at 135 pounds, Lomachenko is toward the end of his career but still has elite skills and is a threat to beat anyone in the division until he shows those skills have faded. — Brookhouse
Isaac Cruz: The past five months have been wild for “Pitbull,” whose status as a rising Mexican star has seen him pack arenas with adoring fans, regardless of whether or not he was in the main event. The 26-year-old Cruz knocked out Rolando Romero in March to claim a 140-pound title that he subsequently lost via upset to the much taller and longer Jose Valenzuela in August. The good news for Cruz is that given his diminutive statue, he’s much more suited for lightweight, where a big-money rematch with Gervonta Davis continues to dangle upon the horizon after “Pitbull,” who took the fight on late notice, pushed “Tank” the distance in a close decision defeat in 2021. Cruz is both exciting and all business once he enters the ring and now can boast 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 aren’t the top stars at the weight, Denys Berinchyk is the only world champion who isn’t a known superstar. Berinchyk won the vacant WBO title with a split decision win over Emanuel Navarrete in May. Berinchyk’s next move isn’t yet clear but if Stevenson or Davis want to go belt hunting, the Ukrainian is the fighter they will likely call. — Brookhouse
Junior welterweight
Devin Haney (WBC junior welterweight “champion in recess”): Haney is in maybe the strangest position in all of boxing as an undefeated world champion who is coming off a humiliating loss. Haney was thrashed by Ryan Garcia after a build to the fight that saw Garcia showing anything but discipline or seemingly normal mental health. Between Garcia missing weight after appearing to not even try to cut to 140 pounds and then twice failing drug tests, the loss was overturned to a no contest. Haney is now viewed as damaged goods after rising to the top of the sport by going undisputed at lightweight before moving up and capturing the WBC title at junior welterweight. Despite the reputation hit, Haney is in position to become a unified champion at 140 pounds with Matchoom looking to book Haney vs. IBF champ Liam Paro in December. — Brookhouse
Ryan Garcia: We are only eight months into 2024 and Garcia, the 26-year-old social media superstar, has had enough twists and turns for a lifetime. He scored the biggest victory of his career in April by handing 140-pound titleholder Devin Haney his first defeat, only for it to be overturned as a no contest following Garcia’s failed drug test. But as Garcia continues to sit idle serving out his one-year suspension, he can’t help but make constant headlines on almost a daily basis due to his caustic behavior, substance-abuse issues and mental-health challenges. Garcia, who said he was delaying entering rehab to continue his world travel tour following the Haney fight, has become a household name despite the numerous controversies that still surround him. It’s difficult to predict how seriously Garcia will take the sport upon his return in 2025. But given his recent track record of chasing huge fights (including Haney and Gervonta Davis), one can only expect him to call out some very big names when it’s time. Although, it’s more likely those fights come at 147 pounds and above given Garcia’s weight issues 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’s best seems to appear rarely since losing three lightweight titles to George Kambosos 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 in that stretch was a fantastic win over Josh Taylor to win his current belt. Lopez tends to blame flat performances on his opponents rather than his own skill gaps — he’s shown a shocking inability to cut off the ring against even basic footwork — and announces his retirement from the sport every other fight. Lopez recently tried to call out former undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford for a fight but Crawford, who recently moved up to junior middleweight, has brushed off the idea. It’s unclear what comes next for Lopez, but a move to 147 pounds could well be next. — Brookhouse
Rolando Romero: Known to most as simply “Rolly,” boxing’s clown prince of the lower weight divisions may not have the skill of his champion contemporaries. But he more than compensates with both punching power and a unique ability on the microphone to sell big fights. Fresh off of a destructive stoppage loss to Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in their March title bout at 140 pounds, Romero returns in September on the pay-per-view undercard of Canelo Alvarez-Edgar Berlanga, in what amounts to a “get well” bout against Manuel James. But given the overwhelming star power at 135 and 140 pounds, Romero is always one win away from getting the call to play the role of villainous B-side where he will always hold a puncher’s chance of causing chaos. Because of that, Romero is the rare boxer in this era who may go on to have fought every big name available to him. — Campbell
The rest of the champions: Alberto Puello was promoted from interim to full WBC champion when Devin Haney was named “champion in recess.” At 23-0, Puello has talent and his most recent win over Gary Antuanne Russell showed potential for him to be a real player and his title makes him an attractive opponent for the big names in the division, even if Haney is really the top dog for the WBC. As mentioned above, Liam Paro hold the IBF title and is likely to face Haney toward the end of the year. Jose Valenzuela scored an upset win over Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz to win the WBA title and now holds a power position where he can land the biggest fight of his career as others will certainly be gunning for his belt. If Lopez wants to remain at 140 pounds, a fight with Valenzuela would be sensible but potentially too risky for Lopez. — Brookhouse
