After Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury created a classic in their undisputed world heavyweight title fight, you wondered if they were in a league of their own.
In a thrilling fight, Usyk (22-0, 14 KO) won a split decision after coming close to stopping Fury (34-1-1, 24 KO) in a tumultuous ninth round on Saturday night at the Kingdom Arena in Riyad. Saudi Arabia. Fury, who was counted out in round 9, had his moments and controlled the early rounds.
Former world champion Anthony Joshua leads the pack chasing Fury and Usyk in terms of form, stature and profile, but who are the heavyweight contenders to watch out for who could be fighting for titles soon?
Some of the top names in the division have suffered recent setbacks or have looked far from dominant in recent fights. Meanwhile, some emerging players are climbing the ranks.
Here are the fighters in the title fight, starting with the rising Joshua.
Top contender
Joshua (28-3, 25 KO) is probably in the best shape of any fighter on this list. The 34-year-old recovered from consecutive decision losses to Usyk (2021 and 2022) and a stoppage defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. (2019) to prepare for what is expected to be a breakthrough for the vacant IBF title on September 21.
Joshua looked cautious and nervous during his unanimous decision victory over Jermaine Franklin Jr. following a second loss to Usyk, but he has continued to improve in each of his last three fights, culminating in a vicious second-round KO of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis. Ngannou in March. Ngannou was a two-fight novice to professional boxing, but he defeated Fury by split decision last October.
The two-time heavyweight champion is in hazardous form and his confidence has seemingly been fully restored. Ngannou’s knockout was one of the best finishes of his professional career, which began after winning a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics.
And all the biggest fights in the heavyweight division, apart from the Fury vs. Usyk rematch, involve Joshua. Joshua vs. Fury, after previous attempts to match their English rivals had failed when both were champions; Joshua vs. Usyk III and Joshua vs. former champion Deontay Wilder.
However, Joshua, who reigned as champion from 2016-2019 and then 2019-2021, will first focus on regaining his world title before taking on one of the bigger names.
Middle of the pack
While Joshua, who was at ringside on Saturday, is climbing to the top, the others at the front have fallen. Former interim champion Joe Joyce is in the process of rebuilding his career after being stopped in back-to-back fights by Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KO), a 41-year-old from China who seemed to be on the edge of the world fighting for the title , until he lost a majority decision to Joseph Parker in March.
Zhang isn’t the most mobile in the ring, but his punches are deceptively damaging, as we saw in his match against Joyce. But he could be an effortless target for the extremely striking Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KO), a former WBC champion who insists he has rediscovered his motivation for boxing. Wilder and Zhang will meet on June 1, and both need to win to ensure they remain in the frame for huge fights and huge paydays.
Wilder was at the top of the heavyweight division for some time during his five-year reign until Fury stopped him in seven rounds in 2020, a rematch of a draw in December 2018. Fury knocked out Wilder again in 2021, and the 38-year-old American has since he fought only twice during that time, defeating Robert Helenius in a round, but then looked terrible in a one-sided decision loss to Parker in December.
Like Joshua, Parker (35-3, 23 KO) has recently returned to form. The 32-year-old Modern Zealander disarmed Wilder’s explosive power and won by unanimous decision. The victory brought Parker, a former WBO champion, back into contention and as a top contender for the WBO title, he can expect a chance to fight whoever wins the title next year.
Parker, a good friend of Fury’s who trains with the “Gypsy King” in Morecambe, England, has looked great in his last two fights and has now recorded five straight wins. Joshua overtook Parker in 2018 and a rematch could be on the cards if Joshua vs. Fury doesn’t happen soon.
Agit Kabayel will also play a role in title fights over the next 18 months after impressively stopping Frank Sanchez with seventh-round body shots in a WBC title eliminator on the Fury vs. Usyk.
Kabayel (25-0, 17 KO), of Germany, dropped Sanchez (24-1, 17 KO), 31, first with a two-punch combination to the body and then with a left jab for the knockout. However, Sanchez posed a confined threat and there are better players in the league than 31-year-old Kabayel.
Ruiz (35-2, 22 KO) and Jarrell “Gigantic Baby” Miller, who will clash in a heavyweight bout on Aug. 3, have also fallen in the rankings. Ruiz, a former WBA, IBF and WBO champion, returns from a nearly two-year hiatus after failing to capitalize on a shock stoppage of Joshua five years ago. Miller was retained by Daniel Dubois in December and similarly faded from prominence.
Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KO), a 31-year-old from Zagreb, Croatia, is another fighter who has failed to convince recently. Perhaps he was treading carefully as he waited as the mandatory challenger for the IBF world title. He was part of a nap fight last August against Demsey McKean, then barely broke a sweat against veteran Mark de Mori. His decision to win over Zhang in 2022 was also controversial. However, if Hrgovic can handle Dubois, he could fight Joshua in September and establish himself as one of the main players in the division.
The next generation
Jared Anderson (17-0, 15 KO), perhaps the best hope for a future American to hold the world heavyweight title, has yet to arouse enthusiasm and wide-scale interest. Anderson, from Toledo, Ohio, is only 24 years antique and in the top five in the rankings with three of the world’s four governing bodies, so a world title shot is no longer in the distant future. His program for next year will probably include a fight with a bigger name opponent.
Dubois (20-2, 19 KO) showed weakness in losses to Joyce and Usyk, but showed hazardous strength. The 26-year-old is younger than the likes of Joyce, but he too will lose momentum and status if he is beaten in Saudi Arabia on June 1 by the more experienced Hrgovic.
Moses Itauma (9-0, 7 KO), who also took part in the action in Riyad, is a prospect of the distant future. The 19-year-old Englishman defeated Ilja Mezencev in two rounds in a heavyweight fight. He recorded six of his nine wins by first-round KO and it was another display of his quick hands and strength.
English rivals Fabio Wardley (17-0-1, 16 KO) and Frazer Clarke (8-0-1, 6 KO) recently achieved a brilliant draw, but they are still out of the fight for the world title. Efe Ajagba (20-1, 14 KO), from Nigeria but living in Texas, is another fighter who is still learning his craft and trying to establish himself in a crowded division. He needs more time before he can fight for world titles.
Long shot
Dillian Whyte (30-3, 20 KO) also needs to make up for lost ground and it is unlikely that he will appear in a title fight soon. The Londoner recorded an effortless victory in March, which was his first fight since clearing himself of doping charges. He was scheduled to face Joshua in August 2023, but the fight was canceled after the 36-year-old returned a “negative” doping test result. Whyte, from south London, is in the top 10 rankings of four major governing bodies. Fury comfortably stopped Whyte in 2022, and the boxer’s best hope for a huge fight may be a rematch with Joshua.
World Boxing News can reveal that Manny Pacquiao Jr. he is training to be able to compete in professional ranks in the future.
According to coach Marvin Somodo Manny Jr. he will follow in the footsteps of his legendary father Manny Pacquiao and become a prize fighter. Junior currently splits his time between home and Wild Card Gym under the tutelage of Somodo and Freddie Roach.
A former boxer, Roach rose to fame as Pacquiao Sr.’s trainer, earning him numerous world championships and a Hall of Fame career that may not be over yet. Despite being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in a ceremony scheduled for the summer, Pacquiao still hopes to face Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight crown in July.
WBN understands that Manny Jr. could appear on the undercard if the fight goes according to plan.
Discussing Junior’s progress, Somodo spoke exclusively to World Boxing News.
“Manny Jr. I just train every day, just like my other professional players,” Somodo explained to WBN. We hope to get him a fight soon, but the most significant thing is to keep improving him in the gym every day. The plan for him is to turn pro in the future and when I see he is ready. The plan is for him to become a professional boxer, but you never know.
When asked about Junior’s development, Somodo replied: “He’s doing really well. His work ethic is really good. You see him every day at the gym and you never complain. We spar with world-class players and he does well. His future depends on his performance once he turns pro. I believe he will cope, but time will tell,” he concluded.
Pacquiao Jr. he achieved mixed results in amateur competitions and suffered four defeats in a row. But his game may be better suited to professional fighters if he’s anything like his dad, an eight-weight world titleholder.
23-year-old Pacquiao Jr. time is running out and he must make a move within the next six months. This decision will coincide perfectly with the return of Pacquiao Sr. and will allow the pair to make history by fighting for the same stakes this summer in Las Vegas.
World Boxing News wishes all its readers, boxing fans and supporters of this sport a Merry Christmas.
The year 2024 was great again, with many huge fights and massive events taking place in the sport. Oleksandr Usyk ruled the year with two wins over Tyson Fury and won the WBN Fighter of the Year award for the second time in three years.
Saudi Arabia continued to be a force in the sport as streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime increased competition for DAZN’s original streamers.
Next year promises to be another essential year. Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 and David Benavidez .vs. David Morrell has already been confirmed to play in the spring. Mexican star Canelo Alvarez will review his Cinco De Mayo plans next month and add more to the schedule.
Boxing fans have a lot to look forward to, and WBN aims to bring you all the most essential news as we celebrate our fifteenth year in 2025. WBN will take a miniature break until December 27, when we will return to continue the work we started in 2010.
We wish everyone a special time during the holiday season and see you when the weekend begins.
Take care of yourself – Phil Jay, WBN editor-in-chief.
Before we come back, read some of our latest headlines.
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The UFC heavyweight flop, having lost two of his three fights in the company, made a spectacular return to the win column.
Cuban Robelis Despaigne, who caused disappointment among boxing fans by signing a contract with Dana White, may return to the market. Despaigne moved on to Karate Combat on December 19 and continued his astonishing KO record.
Before entering White’s octagon earlier this year, Despaigne scored his fourth consecutive MMA knockout victory in 37 seconds. “Substantial Boy” sent shockwaves through the striking side of combat sports, and it was expected that Despaigne would sign a contract with a boxing promoter to see how far his strength would take him.
The 36-year-old has little time to prove his worth in any other code after the UFC grabbed a ponderous hitter and then fired him. Despaigne won his UFC debut against Josh Parisian in just 18 seconds and went to the ground.
At six-foot-seven with an 86-inch reach, Despaigne had the longest arms in UFC history and was tipped to be a UFC title contender. There was hope then that Despaigne could follow Ngannou into boxing and make an impact.
However, his UFC career fell apart when he faced opponents with above-average preparation work. Two defeats to Austen Lane in October and Waldo Cortes-Acosta in May made White wash his hands of Despaigne.
WBN then speculated that a promoter from the United States could get Despaigne and accelerate his boxing career. Weeks passed and it seemed that Despaigne was damaged goods. Last week, he signed a contract with Dominik Jędrzejczyk at the Karate Combat 51 gala in Miami, Florida, still looking for an opportunity to make mega money.
Getting back to winning ways was imperative and Despaigne did not disappoint. He knocked out Jedrzejczyk within seconds, giving his last six KO victories in a total of 59 seconds. Despaigne landed one kick and one punch to achieve an unreal triumph in just four seconds. The knockout was the fastest in the history of Karate Combat.
Despaigne could push the boundaries of the sport if a boxing company is willing to take the risk, and perhaps he can do what Francis Ngannou did. Ngannou earned $30 million in two fights against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Oddly enough, the PFL may now be interested in fielding Despaigne against Ngannou next year. PFL’s gain would then be boxing’s loss.
Looking back at Kimbo Slice and his boxing performances, there was concern among boxing promoters. However, Despaigne could fight six or seven times a year to raise his profile and become a phenomenon. That is, if he can do what he has done in other combat sports, similar to boxers who also train.
It’s up to lesser-known promoters to make the decision, as no one at the top of the sport will want to get burned like the UFC.
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