Boxing’s heavyweight division is red-hot as we head deeper into 2024, with Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk still holding all the major titles.
Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker both registered impressive wins in Riyadh last Friday night, and it’s time to see how those results impacted our rankings once the dust settled in the desert.
Here, furyjoshua.com assesses the landscape and ranks the best big men around.
Heavyweight rankings
Such is the influence of the sanctioning bodies in the sport, which sadly often defy logic to push their own agendas, it has never been an easy task to impartially rank the heavyweights. Our list ignores the so-called ‘alphabet’ ratings in favour of a non-partisan system which ranks fighters based purely on their skillset, ring achievements, title victories and potential.
1=. Tyson Fury (34-0-1)
Fury is still unbeaten and still at the top of our rankings, but he is no longer alone. Last time out, ‘The Gypsy King’ struggled desperately to get the better of boxing novice Francis Ngannou on a shocking night in Saudi Arabia in October 2023. Fury was down in the third round and only claimed a controversial split-decision victory by a whisker. Next up – at last – is that eagerly-awaited unification match vs Oleksandr Usyk, with the rescheduled date set for May 18 as Fury recovers from that cut eye sustained in sparring.
Next fight: Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk (May 18, 2024)
1=. Oleksandr Usyk (21-0)
The brilliant Ukrainian is now alongside Fury at the top of the heavyweight mountain, without lacing up a glove in anger since August. Many boxing pundits were shocked by what happened in Fury vs Ngannou, and you can add us to a very long list. Usyk moved up to 1= on our list with an unblemished pro record which includes an impressive stint at heavyweight already. Two wins over Anthony Joshua showed that Usyk could hang with the big boys, and he retained his belts with that stoppage of Daniel Dubois in August 2023. Next up is Fury in May, for ALL of the marbles.
Next fight: Usyk vs Tyson Fury (May 18, 2024)
3. Anthony Joshua (28-3)
Joshua made it four wins from four fights since those back-to-back Usyk losses as he blasted out the aforementioned Ngannou inside two rounds in Riyadh. AJ, having his second fight with Ben Davison heading up his corner, was back to the devastating finisher we saw earlier in his career as he put the former UFC star on the deck three times inside two rounds. The finish was a highlight-reel right hand which had referee Richard Gonzalez waving the fight off before Ngannou hit the canvas, and it signalled that Joshua is once again for real. A date with the winner of Fury vs Usyk beckons, but before that he could end up facing Filip Hrgovic if the IBF title becomes vacant in May.
4. Joseph Parker (35-3)
The former WBO champion continued his renaissance by recovering from two knockdowns to outpoint the giant Chinese star Zhilei Zhang on that Joshua vs Ngannou show in Riyadh. Parker was again smart and sharp as he boxed to the plan laid down by trainer Andy Lee, and he duly followed up that win over Deontay Wilder with another upset victory. There is a rematch clause, so Parker will need to beat Zhang for a second time to retain the title of mandatory contender for the WBO world heavyweight title.
Next fight: tbc
5. Deontay Wilder (43-3-1)
Wilder’s plans for that March 9 superfight with Joshua were destroyed in 36 uninspiring minutes as he lost pretty much every round to Parker in a one-sided defeat in December 2023. Deontay looked like a 38-year-old fighter who had been out of the ring for 14 months as he struggled to pull the trigger against an inspired opponent. Wilder’s post-fight interview left some doubt as to whether he’ll continue his career, but we would be surprised if he does not fight again and leaves on this sour note.
Next fight: tbc
6. Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1)
A lot of the good work Zhang did in battering Joe Joyce (twice) in 2023, was undone in Riyadh as he dropped a decision to Parker on the Joshua vs Ngannou card. ‘Big Bang’ did have Parker on the floor twice, but outside of that his workrate and punch output were woefully inadequate. Zhang appeared content just to rely on his punching power, and also appeared keen to conserve his stamina – a perceived weakness in the past. He will get another chance thanks to that rematch clause, but another loss to Parker would see him tumble down our list.
Next fight: tbc
7. Filip Hrgovic (17-0)
Hrgovic is the top-ranked contender for the IBF belt currently held by Usyk, and he is gradually moving up our list as he closes in on that title shot. The Croat’s latest win was hardly big news in isolation – he was a 1/66 shot to beat Mark De Mori, a man who had taught himself how to box by watching YouTube videos. De Mori was duly blasted out inside a round. It did not tell us much that we did not already know about the ‘El Animal’, who will be a big threat again to all in 2024. Next up could be a title shot against Joshua for the vacant IBF strap – if as expected it comes open after the first Fury vs Usyk fight.
Next Fight: tbc
8. Andy Ruiz Jr (35-2)
Ruiz is gradually falling down our list, mainly due to inactivity. He has fought only twice since that loss to Joshua in their world title rematch in Saudi in late 2019. Wins over Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz look okay on paper, but on both occasions Andy was pretty unimpressive for long periods and has something to prove. We’d love a Joshua trilogy or a Wilder match. In fact right now we’d love to see anything from Ruiz…
Next fight: tbc
9. Frank Sanchez (24-0)
Sanchez is a technically gifted fighter, one the purists will absolutely love. He showcased those talents once again with a seventh-round stoppage win over Junior Fa on the big Riyadh card. It took ‘The Cuban Flash’ a little time to get going, but once he did a trio of knockdowns followed to close the show in Saudi. A title shot at some stage soon surely beckons for this hugely talented Eddy Reynoso charge.
Next fight: tbc
10. Agit Kabayel (24-0)
Kabayel might have been the biggest surprise on that ‘Day of Reckoning’ show as he burst a giant bubble by taking the unbeaten record of giant Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov. The European champion was giving up a ton in terms of height, reach and weight but he fought the perfect fight. Agit worked his way into the bout after defusing those early Makhmudov bombs and then proceeded to break his opponent down with brutal body shots for a fourth-round stoppage victory.
Next Fight: tbc
