Boxing’s marquee division is booming right now, and our heavyweights rankings are designed to help you navigate a complicated landscape.
Our fully updated rankings give you an idea of how the division currently shapes up as we head deeper into the boxing year.
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The latest update comes ahead of two massive fights in the next three months, which are set to shake up the division further.
Heavyweights rankings: World top 10
Our rankings are based on achievement and analysis, and they ignore the current ratings of the sport’s alphabet sanctioning bodies. And they will be updated after all major fights affecting our top 10:
1 Oleksandr Usyk (23-0)
Usyk proved his unquestionable greatness by again overcoming Fury in their rematch in Riyadh on December 21. The Ukrainian superstar once again dug deep to dominate the second half of a gripping bout which didn’t quite have the fireworks of their first meeting. Now, at aged 37, this incredible talent is the master of all he surveys at heavyweight – just as he once was at cruiser. What a fighter.
Next Fight: tbc
READ MORE: Moses Itauma vs Demsey McKean results, scorecards and analysis
2 Tyson Fury (34-2-1)
Fury is no longer a world heavyweight champion and now has back-to-back losses on his CV after that agonising second defeat by Usyk on December 21. He came in 19lbs heavier than for their first meeting, and used that bulk to control the first half of the fight on the front foot, smothering Usyk when necessary. But he perhaps tired a little in the championship rounds as Usyk came on strong to claim another close decision. Now at the age of 36, with a ton of money in the bank, Fury must decide what comes next. A trilogy with Usyk or that long-awaited Anthony Joshua showdown would appear to be the front runners.
Next Fight: tbc
Dubois is now riding high in the top three after an ASTONISHING fifth-round knockout victory over Anthony Joshua. He successfully defended his IBF heavyweight title by absolutely obliterating AJ in front of 96,000 stunned fans at London’s Wembley Stadium. He dominated from the first and had Joshua down at the end of the first. In reality Joshua never really recovered from that and was down in Rounds 3, 4 and then 5 as Dubois continued to dominate. It’s some renaissance from Dubois, who has defeated Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and now Joshua in the last 12 months – all inside the distance. Next up he will defend his belt against tough Kiwi Joseph Parker in February in Saudi.
Next fight: Dubois vs Joseph Parker (February 22, 2025)
READ MORE: Anthony Joshua IGNORED Eddie Hearn advice after Dubois defeat
4 Anthony Joshua (28-4)
Joshua appeared to be right back to his best heading into his IBF world title challenge against Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium – on the back of four straight wins and with his partnership with new trainer Ben Davison humming. But everything fell apart in the most astonishing of circumstances. He never looked right as Dubois dominated early, and never really recovered from a heavy knockdown at the end of the first. It was a quite shocking humbling for the two-time heavyweight king. And while Eddie Hearn says the rematch clause will likely be activated, there will be disbelief in the Matchroom camp at what happened in Riyadh Season’s first UK card.
Next Fight: tbc
READ MORE: Carl Froch delivers BRUTAL Anthony Joshua post-fight verdict
5 Joseph Parker (35-3)
Parker once again proved he is here to stay in the top five after recovering from two knockdowns to outpoint Zhilei Zhang, also on that Joshua vs Ngannou show in Saudi Arabia. Joseph showed great cojones as ever to recover from those two Zhang shots, and stuck to the gameplan to outwork and ultimately outsmart a giant but tiring opponent. Next up Parker will get the world title shot he has been craving when he challenges Daniel Dubois for the IBF strap in Saudi in February.
Next Fight: Parker vs Daniel Dubois (February 22, 2025)
6 Agit Kabayel (25-0)
The German star is now the mandatory contender for the WBC heavyweight title held by Usyk following a brilliant beatdown of the previously unbeaten Cuban Frank Sanchez on the Fury vs Usyk undercard in Riyadh. Kabayel followed up his impressive demolition of the fearsome Arslanbek Makhmudov with an equally noteworthy performance to break down Sanchez inside seven rounds in the desert. Once again he was strategically brilliant, mixing powerful attacks to the body and head to break the will of the slick Sanchez.
Next Fight: tbc
7 Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1)
The Zhang hype train is well and truly back on the tracks after that demolition job on the fading force that is Deontay Wilder on that Hearn vs Warren 5 on 5 card in June. The giant Chinese star had been disappointing during his points defeat by the excellent Joseph Parker in March – but this was more like it as he used his huge size advantage to bully and bludgeon ‘The Bronze Bomber’ to a convincing loss.
Next Fight: tbc
READ MORE: Tyson Fury pays MASSIVE compliment to exciting heavyweight Moses Itauma
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 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
You can also check out heavyweight rankings from official sanctioning bodies:
