We are just eight short days away from Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk, but what do the heavyweight rankings tell us ahead of the big night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia?
On May 18 Fury (34-0-1) and Usyk (21-0) will meet to (hopefully) give the sport a first undisputed ruler in its marquee weight class since Lennox Lewis all the way back in 1999. We say ‘hopefully’ because a draw is always possible – remember that first Lewis vs Holyfield fight?
There are four recognised heavyweight titles of course – this is a complicated sport with complicated political machinations. Fury is the WBC king while Usyk holds the IBF, WBA and WBO belts. We won’t even get into Ring magazine and lineal titles for now.
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The WBC has released its latest rankings ahead of the big unification showdown, in the knowledge the landscape is about to change once again. Potentially in a seismic manner.
Fury of course sits atop the WBC list as champion while Usyk does not figure as why would he? He isn’t a factor in the battle to get to that spot as mandatory contender.
Latest WBC rankings
So, who fills the top 15 spots for fighters bidding to fight for the belt? Well Anthony Joshua is #1 right now after those blistering demolition jobs on Otto Wallin last December and Francis Ngannou in March. It is worth bearing in mind though that AJ is also likely not a WBC title factor right now as he is likely to fight for the vacant IBF strap in September.
The next intriguing storyline has Cuban flash Frank Sanchez (24-0) and German star Agit Kabayel (24-0) at #2 and #3. Intriguing because they are set to fight each other in a WBC final eliminator on that Fury vs Usyk undercard on May 18.
Nigerian star Efe Ajagba (20-1) is #4 on the WBC list after coming through against the gallant Guido Vianello in Texas last month, while Top Rank stablemate Jared Anderson (17-0) is #5 after outpointing Ryad Merhy on the same Corpus Christi card.
Britain’s Daniel Dubois (20-2) is next with American knockout artist and former WBC champion Deontay Wilder (43-3-1) at #7. Then it is much feared Croat Filip Hrgovic (17-0), Chinese giant Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1) and Martin Bakole (20-1) rounding out the top 10.
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Britain’s Joe Joyce (16-2), who made a winning return in March after back-to-back losses to Zhang in 2023, is at #11 with ‘The Big Uzbek’ Bakhodir Jalolov (14-0) coming in at #12. Jalolov will become a much bigger factor in the pro ranks later this year AFTER his bid for amateur glory at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Britain’s Fabio Wardley is #13 on the list following his thrilling draw with domestic rival Frazer Clarke in March, while giant Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-1) is #14. The top 15 is completed by Cuban vet Luis Ortiz (34-3).
The latest WBC heavyweight rankings for May 2024 are as follows:
Champion: Tyson Fury
- 1. Anthony Joshua (28-3)
- 2. Frank Sanchez (24-0)
- 3. Agit Kabayel (24-0)
- 4. Efe Ajagba (20-1)
- 5. Jared Anderson (17-0)
- 6. Daniel Dubois (20-2)
- 7. Deontay Wilder (43-3-1)
- 8. Filip Hrgovic (17-0)
- 9. Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1)
- 10. Martin Bakole (20-1)
- 11. Joe Joyce (16-2)
- 12. Bakhodir Jalolov (14-0)
- 13. Fabio Wardley (17-0-1)
- 14. Arslanbek Makhmudov (18-1)
- 15. Luis Ortiz (34-3)
If you want to check out how the WBC list compares to the other governing bodies, we have you covered with the latest updates from the IBF, the WBA and the WBO. We also have The Ring magazine rankings plus our very own take on the top 10 heavyweights in the sport.
