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Daniel Dubois: IBF heavyweight champion

The Heavyweights: Ranking the best big men in boxing today

By furyjoshua.com

Boxing

Mon September 23, 2024 · 3M ago

Boxing’s marquee division is in rude health currently, with some serious talent atop the heavyweight pecking order. Crucially, these men are keen to meet each other - and when the best fight the best, there is still no spectacle quite like it.

Here furyjoshua.com assesses the landscape and ranks the best big men around.

Boxing’s heavyweight division is red-hot as we head deeper into the final months of 2024, with Oleksandr Usyk now very much at the top of the pile. And Daniel Dubois riding high as the new kid on the block.

The Ukrainian genius Usyk was sensational again as he handed Tyson Fury a first career defeat in an epic showdown in Saudi Arabia in May. Everything boxing fans desired, and then some.

Dubois then topped that incredible show by blasting out Joshua in an astonishing fight at Wembley Stadium - stunning stuff.

Let’s look at how all the major recent fights have impacted our heavyweight rankings, and how things may pan out in the coming months.

Our 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. Oleksandr Usyk (22-0)

The brilliant Ukrainian proved that nothing is beyond his incomparable skills as he outpointed Fury in a thrilling fight to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Usyk now holds all of the world titles after turning round a fight that he appeared to be losing conclusively seven rounds in. The 37-year-old showed incredible skill and cojones to score the fight’s only knockdown in Round 9 as he held sway over the second half of the bout. Next up is the rematch against Fury, set for December this year.

Next fight: Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2 (December 21, 2024)

2. Tyson Fury (34-1-1)

Fury suffered the first defeat of his storied professional career in that brilliant fight against Usyk, but he lost little in defeat. ‘The Gypsy King’ boxed brilliantly for the first half of the bout, and then showed his trademark powers of recovery to somehow survive that traumatic beatdown, and knockdown, in Round 9. Next up is the rematch in December.

Next fight: Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk 2 (December 21, 2024)

3. Daniel Dubois (22-2)

Dubois produced a quite astonishing performance to knock out Anthony Joshua in front of 96,000 stunned fans at Wembley Stadium to prove beyond doubt that he is now for real. The critics who called him ‘a quitter’ after those losses to Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk have been forced to eat their words in spectacular style in the last 12 months with Dubois defeating Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and now Joshua - all inside the distance. Dubois was sensational against Joshua - putting the two-time heavyweight champion on the deck in four of the five rounds as he successfully retained his IBF world heavyweight title. Massive fights now await - with the first a potential rematch against AJ.

Next fight: tbc

4. Anthony Joshua (28-4)

Joshua is again at the crossroads of a glittering career after a devastating loss to Dubois in his bid to become a three-time world heavyweight champion. AJ was in trouble early and never really recovered from a heavy knockdown at the end of the first round. He was on wobbly legs and eating leather for most of a quite incredible evening as Dubois landed bomb after bomb. AJ somehow managed to survive to Round 5, but was then floored for the last time by a brutal Dubois counter and counted out by referee Marcus McDonnell. Eddie Hearn says his man will likely invoke the rematch clause, but the road back will again be a long one - this was the most emphatic of defeats.

Next fight: tbc

5. 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

6. Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1)

Zhang bounced back in style from that decision loss to Joseph Parker with a convincing demolition job on the fading force that is Deontay Wilder in Riyadh. The Chinese giant came in nine pounds lighter than he had against Parker, and he dominated ‘The Bronze Bomber’ en route to a fifth-round stoppage victory. With a pair of wins over Joe Joyce and now one over Wilder, ‘Big Bang’ should be set for another huge fight next as he bids to move closer to a world title shot.

Next fight: tbc

7. Agit Kabayel (25-0)

Kabayel has been the division’s biggest revelation in the last six months - claiming upset wins in Saudi over giant Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov and now Cuban slickster Frank Sanchez. His brilliant knockout of Sanchez on the Fury vs Usyk undercard earned him the spot as mandatory contender for the WBC heavyweight title, and it was richly deserved. In both of those terrific wins Kabayel has been punch-perfect, executing the ideal gameplan on both occasions. He is tough and technically sound, and adept at mixing attacks to body and head beautifully.

Next Fight: tbc

8. Martin Bakole (21-1)

The man from Congo who resides in Scotland looked like the second coming of one George Foreman as he burst the bubble of hot prospect Jared Anderson on that massive Riyadh Season card in Los Angeles in August. The performance was utterly conclusive, and now Bakole says he’s happy to go to China to fight Zhang. We’d love to see that slugfest.

Next fight: tbc

9. Bakhodir Jalolov (14-0)

The ‘The Big Uzbek’ could be the next big thing in heavyweight boxing - once he decides to go all in on the pro game. And that should be now after the man who has already built a 14-0 record in the paid ranks claimed a second Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024. We await his next assignment with much anticipation.

Next Fight: tbc

10. Andy Ruiz (35-2-1)

The former unified heavyweight king has fought only three times since losing his titles to Joshua in their Saudi rematch in late 2019. Inactivity has cost the Californian what was once a top-five spot in our rankings, but he is in the top 10 thanks to the exits of Wilder and Hrgovic following their damaging defeats on that Hearn vs Warren card in Riyadh in June. There are still questions to be answered by Ruiz though after he failed to impress in fighting out a draw with Jarrell Miller in Los Angeles in August. We may have to wait a while to see him again as well after he suffered a hand injury in that bout.

Next Fight: tbc