The ring entrances lasted longer than the fight between former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou on March 8. AJ was punch-perfect in a shuddering second-round knockout that left the UFC star’s boxing dreams in tatters.
As a result, Joshua maintains his No. 3 position and is poised to face the winner of the May 18 undisputed clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. However, if that bout is followed by a direct rematch, then Joshua may opt for a shot at the vacant IBF title against mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic.
On the undercard in Riyadh, former WBO heavyweight champ Joseph Parker survived two knockdowns to score a deserved 12-round split decision over Zhilei Zhang. Having come off an upset win over Deontay Wilder in December, the 32-year-old Parker is in the form of his life. The New Zealander moves into the No. 4 spot, switching places with Zhang, who drops to No. 5.
Heavyweight rankings: The Sporting News’ top 12
| Rank | Fighter | Titles | Record | Movement (March 8) |
| 1 | Oleksandr Usyk | IBF, WBA, WBO, Ring | 21-0 (14 KOs) |
– |
| 2 | Tyson Fury | WBC | 34-0-1 (24 KOs) |
– |
| 3 | Anthony Joshua | 27-3 (24 KOs) |
– | |
| 4 | Joseph Parker | 34-3 (22 KOs) |
+1 | |
| 5 | Zhilei Zhang | 26-1-1 (21 KOs) |
-1 | |
| 6 | Filip Hrgovic | 17-0 (14 KOs) |
– | |
| 7 | Deontay Wilder | 43-3-1 (42 KOs) |
– | |
| 8 | Joe Joyce | 15-2 (14 KOs) |
– | |
| 9 | Frank Sanchez | 23-0 (16 KOs) |
– | |
| 10 | Martin Bakole | 20-1 (15 KOs) |
– | |
| 11 | Agit Kabayel | 24-0 (16 KOs) |
– | |
| 12 | Jared Anderson | 16-0 (15 KOs) |
– |
The best in the world at heavyweight: Oleksandr Usyk
As Ukrainian wizard Oleksandr Usyk was cutting a swathe through the cruiserweight division, the undisputed champ was soon tipped to achieve big things at heavyweight. He didn’t disappoint, scoring two memorable points triumphs over Anthony Joshua.
Due in large part to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Usyk had been extremely inactive. However, the 36-year-old technician returned to action in August and battered Britain’s Daniel Dubois to a ninth-round stoppage defeat.
A mainstay on any pound-for-pound list worth reading, Usyk will finally square off against WBC counterpart Tyson Fury in Riyadh on May 18. Should Usyk prevail, then he will make history for his country and rubberstamp his status as an all-time great.
The ring genius moved to No.1 in our heavyweight rankings in November 2023, following Fury’s poor showing against novice Francis Ngannou, which saw the Brit fall one spot.
The Sporting News’ Boxing Ratings
Rules | Men’s P4P | Women’s P4P
Heavyweight | Cruiserweight | Super Middleweight | Super Lightweight | Lightweight | Super Featherweight | Featherweight | Light Flyweight | Minimumweight
