Where do former champions Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua stand in the division as they were once the dominant forces?
Continued debate rages about where the top four heavyweights land in the ratings, especially as the top two remain clear.
Both are coming off the back of losses, and both have been out of form since 2019. However, they are still considered significant players in the top division.
Wilder owned the heavyweight crown from 2015 to 2020. He made a spate of defenses for the World Boxing Council.
For his part, AJ had three titles and also made mandatories and also-ran defenses to his credit.
But according to one former world champion, it’s the manner of their most recent defeats that defines where each falls behind current kings Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury is indisputably number one after beating Wilder twice. Usyk comes in at number two due to his dominant win over Joshua in 2021
DEONTAY WILDER
Ishe Smith, a former member of Floyd Mayweather’s Money Team, explained why Wilder is third on the heavyweight list.
“He [Deontay Wilder] lost to the number one guy [Tyson Fury], dropping him four times in three fights.
“One of the best trilogies in the history of the sport,” he added.
ANTHONY JOSHUA
On his Brit rival, Smith stated: “Joshua got dominated and TKO’ed against [Andy] Ruiz the first fight [June 2019].
“[He then] played it safe against and out of shape Ruiz the second [December 2019], and lost to a cruiserweight [Usyk] who hadn’t looked good prior.”
Strong words from Smith on where the snow falls in the glamor division are hard to argue with during the current climate.
Joshua is in danger of falling out of the top five if he loses to Usyk again, with Joe Joyce, Joseph Parker, and Andy Ruiz Jr. waiting in the wings if they continue to win fights.
The trio stands in the top five behind Wilder with the WBC. The governing body is yet to allow Joshua into the rankings due to his ties to the other three organizations.
As the Londoner has a rematch clause, he will remain off the WBC list until those contracts expire. If Usyk does him again, Joshua should subsequently rank with the WBC accordingly.
Where – Who knows?
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN us on Twitter @WorldBoxingNews.
