Hall of Famer Frank Warren revealed his top five heavyweight fighters in the current climate, but sadly, was way off when it came to two former champions.
Warren’s list, which features three of his fighters like any promoter should do, leaves out both Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua.
By Warren’s estimations, Joshua and Wilder must be sixth and seventh in the world. Not so.
It’s a bit of a kick in the guts for both Wilder and Joshua, who were the number one and two in the division just two years ago.
Former unified ruler Andy Ruiz Jr. also got omitted from the list despite holding a clutch of titles and only having lost to AJ in recent years.
Explaining his decision, Warren told BT Sport: “I put Tyson at number one as he’s head and shoulders above all of them.
“He’s a magnificent champion, and he would be up there with the greats from all eras. He stands with them.
“I’ll be a bit biased, and we promote Joe Joyce, who’s the WBO number one, and we are also involved with Daniel Dubois, who is the number one in the WBA.
“Then you’ve got Usyk, so we saw what he did with Anthony Joshua, and then you’ve got Dillian Whyte.
“So, if you want me to put them in order, Tyson is number one, Usyk number two, and I think the other three, you can [put] all them joint as far as I see it.
“I don’t think Dillian has the beating of the other two guys. We made offers for him to fight them, which he didn’t take. Anthony Joshua, I think he comes in at number six now.”
There’s no disputing that Fury is the top dog. While Usyk is certainty second, Wilder, for his performance alone against Fury, should be at number three after securing his legacy in the top division.
Joshua is undisputedly next for his achievements as a two-time world heavyweight champion. Ruiz, who shocked the world against the Briton, has done nothing to warrant being overtaken by Joyce, Dubois, or Whyte.
The great thing about the list is that all the WBN five could meet someone from the list over the next twelve months.
HEAVYWEIGHT TIMELINE
Usyk vs. Joshua 2 – 2022
Fury vs. Usyk or Joshua – late 2022
Wilder vs. Ruiz – late 2022
FRANK WARREN TOP 5 @ HEAVYWEIGHT
1 Tyson Fury
2 Oleksandr Usyk
3= Joe Joyce
3= Daniel Dubois
5 Dillian Whyte
WBN TOP FIVE @ HEAVYWEIGHT
1 Tyson Fury
2 Oleksandr Usyk
3 Deontay Wilder
4 Anthony Joshua
5 Andy Ruiz Jr
The views expressed in this article are opinions of Phil Jay.
