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By Barry Holbrook: In a big surprise to some, Anthony Joshua has been ranked No. 1 in Ring Magazine’s updated heavyweight rankings. IBF, WBA & WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk is the Ring Magazine champion in the division, and he can strengthen that position by defeating WBC belt holder Tyson Fury next year.
Former two-time champion Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) has lost his last two fights and three of his four fights, making him an unlikely fighter to claim the title. 1 in Ring Magazine’s heavyweight division rankings.
At the same time, the WBC champion Tyson Furywho is viewed by many boxing fans as the true #1 fighter in the division, was not listed in Ring Magazine’s top 10 list of heavyweights.
That said, Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) previously said he was retired, so it’s understandable why Ring Magazine chose not to list him in the heavyweight division.
Joshua was able to confirm his #1 ranking by defeating a top 20 fighter when he returned to the ring on December 17th.
Ring Magazine has updated its heavyweight rating
Champion: Oleksandr Usyk
1. Anthony Joshua
2. Deontay Wilder
3. Joe Joyce
4. Andy Ruiz Jr
5. Dillian Whyte
6. Luis Ortiz
7. Joseph Parker
8. Filip Hrgovic
9. Frank Sanchez
10. Zhilei Zhang
Like Joshua, the former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder He also lost his last two fights. Also, Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) has not won a fight since 2019 and is winless in his last three attempts.
For Ring Magazine to rate Wilder highly, they track his past performance during his best years before joining Fury.
Wilder fights Robert Helenius next week on October 15th, and his performance should shed some light on whether he deserves to be rated #2 by Ring Magazine.
Some boxing fans would argue that Joe Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) should be rated #1 above Joshua and Wilder after his close knockout of Joseph Parker.
The way Joyce looks at Parker and in his last 14 fights, you hardly see him defeating Joshua & Wilder. However, for Joyce to take the #1 spot in Ring Magazine’s heavyweight rankings, he will need to beat someone stronger than Parker, as Joshua & Dillian Whyte have already beaten him.
Andy Ruiz Jr he’s shaky at #4 because he’s looked poor in his recent wins over Luis Ortiz and Chris Arreola. #8 Filip Hrgovic he is definitely a better fighter than Ruiz and should be favored over him.
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