Top 10 Heavyweights in Boxing

Before the year began, 2026 looked like a hopeful year for Heavyweight boxing. Who would Oleksandr Usyk defend his titles against next? Would Agit Kabayel finally be given his crowning moment? Could we finally have that highly-anticipated showdown between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury?

Well, we got all of that, but in an unfortunate ‘monkey paw’ fashion. Usyk defended his belts against kick-boxer Rico Verhoeven and was almost defeated in humiliating fashion. Likewise, Agit Kabayel did win the gold, but only after it was made vacant.

Likewise, a clash between Joshua and Fury looks likely, but they both look like shadows of their former selves. As an additional kick in the teeth, it might not even take place in the UK.

Nevertheless, the Heavyweight landscape rages on. We’ve seen plenty of excellent fights in the division this year, but who are the top ten fighters in the weight class at the moment?

Here are some of our previous lists for the months of March, April, May and June. Without any further ado, let’s begin!

10. Justis Huni

Justis Huni is one of the most skilled Heavyweights on the planet today. Sadly, he is held back by two crucial factors – his punch power and his punch resistance.

Huni’s head movement, footwork and shot selection are all brilliant. Case in point, his fight with Fabio Wardley. He was comfortably out-boxing the British slugger and looked to be cruising to a decision, only to succumb to a massive right hand late on.

He has been hurt before, too. Notably, Kevin Lerena – who isn’t the biggest puncher in the world – had him in trouble after a counter-shot in their 2024 encounter. Nevertheless, at 27, Huni has plenty of room for growth. Definitely a potential future world champion in our eyes.

9. Murat Gassiev

Murat Gassiev makes it into this top ten almost by proxy. Despite arguably not being a top ten Heavyweight, he does hold one of the four major world titles. As such, we couldn’t really exclude him, his limitations aside.

A durable fighter with devastating power, especially in his left hook, Gassiev is often let down by his slow feet and low output. He stopped Peter Kadiru without too much effort, but Kaduri probably shouldn’t have been in there to begin with.

A loss to Otto Wallin in 2023 is a damning black mark on his resume, especially when Wallin’s form following that bout is taken into consideration. Nevertheless, if Gassiev is allowed to land clean, it’s likely he’ll knock his opponent out.

8. Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury’s inclusion in this list is bound to cause controversy. ‘The Gypsy King’ looked decidedly turgid against an ancient Mariusz Wach last time out, despite winning by seventh-round corner retirement.

He looked a little better in his return bout against Arslanbek Makhmudov, winning practically every round, but Makhmudov has never been a particularly talented fighter. Ultimately, Fury is a boxer who tends to fight to the level of his opponent – it should come as no surprise, then, that his best performances came against Oleksandr Usyk and Wladimir Klitschko.

Will Fury beat Anthony Joshua if their highly-anticipated bout finally comes to fruition? At this stage, it looks likely. Fury didn’t look great against Wach, but still has enough about him to be classified as one of the top ten Heavyweights in the world. Joshua, meanwhile, showed that his punch-resistance is all-but gone – one clean punch from Fury could put him away for the ten count.

7. Frank Sanchez

Frank Sanchez spent quite a few years outside of the Heavyweight boxing zeitgeist, but roared back into it with an impressive win over rising contender Richard Torrez Jr.

In fairness, Sanchez has always been underrated. His defeat against Agit Kabayel was given far too much attention, in our eyes. Not only is Kabayel one of the best Heavyweights in the world, Sanchez was also reportedly injured going into that bout.

A tricky fighter with devastating power and excellent technical ability, Sanchez is a problem for almost any fighter in the division on his day.

6. Moses Itauma

We decided to move Moses Itauma down a slot from our last set of Heavyweight rankings. Yes, the eye test implies that he could be ranked higher, but he doesn’t have the record to prove it at this stage of his career.

With that said, Itauma is one of the most exciting prospects the Heavyweight landscape has seen in decades. From what we have seen thus far, one can’t really find a weakness. His power is unbelievable, as is his hand speed, footwork and shot selection.

It’ll be very interesting to see how he reacts to getting truly put under pressure, though. His upcoming bout with Filip Hrgovic will be very telling – if he deals with the Croatian in the same fashion as his last few opponents, we’d feel comfortable in bumping up into the top three.

5. Filip Hrgovic

Filip Hrgovic is the betting underdog going into his fight with Moses Itauma – some outlets are giving him a mere 7/1 chance of emerging victorious [via Oddschecker].

Is this fair? To tell you the truth, we’re not awfully sure. Hrgovic is very hittable, but his output, range and overall toughness could give the 21-year-old no end of issues.

On top of this, his resume is far superior. Wins over the likes of Joe Joyce, Zhilei Zhang and David Adeleye are all impressive names to have on his record. He is clearly talented, but has sometimes been let down by a lack of discipline and a deeply pregnable defence.

4. Fabio Wardley

Probably the hardest puncher in Heavyweight boxing today, Fabio Wardley is a bit of a throwback. He’s a real warrior who leaves everything in the ring whenever he fights, but can become unglued against more technically skilled fighters.

Against Daniel Dubois, he finally ran into a brick wall that he could not burst through. Dubois took Wardley’s best punches and responded in kind with many more of his own. It was one of the greatest Heavyweight fights in recent memory nonetheless – you’re always guaranteed entertainment when Wardley is around.

Despite absorbing a tremendous amount of punishment, Wardley never left his feet. Imagine if Huni had his power and durability? You’re looking at one of the best Heavyweights of all time if such a fighter existed.

3. Agit Kabayel

Agit Kabayel finally got his crowning moment when he was awarded the vacant WBC Heavyweight title back in June, but it didn’t happen in the way he probably would’ve wanted. He had been calling out Oleksandr Usyk for years – instead of prying the belt from the Ukrainian’s hands, it was gifted to him after Usyk vacated his titles.

Still, Kabayel is most certainly a top three Heavyweight at the moment. A ferocious body puncher with an indomitable engine, he is a nightmare for anyone to face in the current landscape.

He has his weaknesses, though. The propensity of his come-forward style makes him a somewhat easy target to hit, but his chin and powers of recovery usually circumvent this. What lets him down the most is his inactivity – he has fought just three times since the start of 2024.

2. Daniel Dubois

Daniel Dubois became a two-time Heavyweight world champion when he defeated Fabio Wardley in an all-time classic. Shedding the ‘quitter’ label that had been slapped on him by certain people (including a few who should’ve known better), he is now arguably the man to beat in boxing’s marquee division.

Dubois’ style isn’t pretty. To the untrained eye, he looks rigid and raw, but he brings a discipline to the ring that few can match. On top of this, despite not being the sharpest tool in the shed, his fighting IQ is very high.

Need we mention his power? Dubois’ right hand is the stuff of nightmares, but his jab is the real danger. An absolute ramrod of a punch, one must find a way to deal with it – if you can’t, ‘DDD’ will constantly stuff it in your face.

1. Oleksandr Usyk

Some might criticise this placement. To be fair, those people would have valid reasons to do so. Oleksandr Usyk is now no longer a champion, is clearly on a downward trajectory and looked scarily ordinary against Rico Verhoeven – a kickboxer – in his last fight.

That aside, for us, Usyk is still clearly number one. One poor performance doesn’t shatter a legacy, especially one of his calibre. On top of this, he still won, albeit in controversial circumstances.

Usyk wants one last payday in the sport, then he’ll be gone. Until then, he remains our pick for the best Heavyweight on the planet. Wins over Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua speak for themselves.