Heavyweight boxing continues to be a compelling draw in the sport with two monster fights on the horizon as Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley rematch and Tyson Fury finally meets Anthony Joshua in the highly-anticipated bout between the two generational British fighters.
That fight, to bring an end to 2026, should set up a fascinating 2027 with a number of contenders, including newly-crowned champions Agit Kabayel and Filip Hrgovic. While super talent Moses Itauma will hope to regroup after a shock first defeat of his career.
Then there is the king of the division: Oleksandr Usyk, patiently waiting for one final payday and an attraction to showcase his exceptional skill on the way out of what has been a legendary career.
Honourable mentions should go out to Murat Gassiev, who holds the WBA regular belt, while Efe Ajagba, Justis Huni, Frank Sanchez, Bakhodir Jalolov and Deontay Wilder remain live contenders.
Here, Independent Sport glosses over the contenders and ranks the fighters on both credentials and their present ability in the ring, as the division takes shape and hurtles towards another unification bout in 2027.
A controversial selection, perhaps, the great Dutch kickboxer is ranked in the top 10 by the WBC and top 15 by the WBA after his impressive display to get on top of Oleksandr Usyk in Cairo, only to be ground down and stopped late, even if there was some debate over the premature nature of the stoppage. A fight with Deontay Wilder has been floated, on the undercard of Fury v Joshua, which would offer insight into Verhoeven’s ability to mix it with lesser competition in the sport. A rematch with the Ukrainian legend is surely a priority, yet Verhoeven against any of the fighters on this list would be compelling from a competition standpoint, which legitimises his presence in this list.
Rico Verhoeven and Oleksandr Usyk touch gloves (Getty)
After reports that Parker’s positive test for cocaine before his defeat to Fabio Wardley in October last year was caused by a nutritionist, Parker appears to be in the clear to fight again. And while he was exhausted and overpowered by the heavy-handed Wardley last time out, he held his own and showed his exceptional skill to box and move, piling up the rounds and moving to the brink of victory before that dramatic 11th round conclusion. If back and healthy, Parker will be a live opponent for anybody on this list.
The aforementioned Parker, rusty after a long lay-off, could make for a fine test for Itauma off the back of his stunning upset defeat to Filip Hrgovic. The promise and potential remain immense, but lessons must be learned, despite dominating the Croatian until his unfortunate and abrupt demise in the ninth round in August. A straight rematch appears too risky for a 21-year-old, but there’s no way back now and a big name to headline will be required next in a highly-anticipated comeback.
Finally set to mix it with great rival Tyson Fury in a fight that might be decided by who has more left in the tank. Joshua’s immense power could point to great hope, with the cliche that it is always the last asset to go for a fighter. The turmoil of that first round against Kristian Prenga casts doubt on ‘AJ’ and his stature in the division, yet his prowess and heart, let’s not forget from his gripping contest with Daniel Dubois in 2024, show how dangerous he remains.
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will be fighting in the early hours of the morning (PA Wire)
Rocketing up these rankings after a stunning win as a massive underdog to Itauma to snatch the IBF world title, Hrgovic is eager to snatch a world title in the coming months. Since a bloody loss to Dubois in 2024, Hrgovic dispatched Joe Joyce, David Adeleye and Dave Allen, with the patient, yet ruthless defeat of Itauma showing he is ready for another big test in the near future as the belt holder.
The WBC champion, undefeated, might consider himself unlucky not to be a little higher on this list, considering he dealt with Arslanbek Makhmudov in better fashion than Tyson Fury and then put away Frank Sanchez and the past-his-prime Zhilei Zhang before a soft win over Damian Knyba to pick up the interim belt before being elevated. Nelson Hysa might not convince the doubters yet, but Kabayel deserves a big unification fight in 2027, perhaps with the winner of Dubois v Wardley 2.
Finally in the ring with Joshua to conclude 2026, Fury will hope to shake off the rust displayed against Makhmudov and then again with the glorified sparring session with Mariusz Wach to tune up for ‘AJ’. The pedigree still warrants respect and there is less vulnerability than Joshua to ensure he holds a lofty ranking here. Fury is adamant he will fight Usyk once more, but he’ll need to look dominant in Cardiff to convince fans a third fight sets pulses racing.
Had Dubois hurt and in trouble on a few occasions before succumbing to the brutal, bruising nature of a heavyweight classic. Showed his power carries deep into fights, but a more cautious or slippery performance is surely needed to avoid another sickening end to the rematch. Maybe the most exciting heavyweight in the world and ready to prove doubters wrong as an “underdog” in the rematch.
An outstanding resume all of a sudden, despite two losses to Usyk. Stopped Hrgovic, who has since made that win look even better after stunning Itauma, then destroyed Joshua at Wembley before recovering from a second Usyk defeat to claim the WBO title with a crushing 11th round come-from-behind victory over Wardley. Another dominant display puts the division in an awkward position: does anybody want to see a third fight with Usyk? Does Usyk deserve one or two more showcase fights? If so, then Dubois is essentially the No 1 fighter in the division that remains active and open to all challengers.
Daniel Dubois suffered two stoppage losses to Oleksandr Usyk (Getty)
Usyk remains the king of the heavyweights, but for how much longer? Verhoeven perhaps showed the cracks or the inevitable signs of Father Time gradually imposing itself on the legendary Ukrainian. A rematch against the Dutch kickboxer? A trilogy with Fury? There doesn’t appear to be an obvious fight for Usyk left, even if he will gladly pick up one last payday.
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