What's up everyone, Dan here and I know I've been out for a while life has been busy but I'm here and I'm doing something different this time around. I love sports and I love boxing so I'm giving you guys my Top 10 Heavyweight Boxer rankings of 2024. To me, Heavyweight is it's own separate class since the range in Heavyweight is literally unlimited so I'll post my Rankings for the Heavyweights now and sometime later I'll post my P4P (pound for pound) rankings later.
DISCLAIMER: This is solely my opinion based on the matches I've seen this year and I do my best to be impartial giving every boxer here a fair shake. I look at many things including Activity, Wins/Loses in the year, quality of the wins, quality of opponents they faced and overall record in their careers. With all that said, let us begin.
10. Fabio Wardley 18-0-1 (17 KO)
Wardley is a rising British boxing star and his recent victory over another British boxing star in Frazier Clarke. Those two went at it twice this year with their first match ending in a split decision draw back in March and their October rematch was even crazier as Wardley came in and obliterated Clarke in the first round literally breaking his jaw with a beautiful right hand and literally gashing Clarke's head. This was a great year for Wardley and that rematch gave me no choice but to put him in my top ten. Now the reason I have him at 10 is because so far his most notable win was against Clarke who himself has just as much to prove as Wardley. His other wins against David Adeleye and Nathan Gorman were good but not like top five good. Wardley still has a long ways to go but I feel he'll be climbing into the top 5 in no time, maybe even a mandatory or elimination fight to compete for a title. Wardley is ranked in all the sanctioning bodies (WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF) top 10 including RING Magazine. But for now, he sits firmly at 10.
9. Derek Chisora 35-13-0 (23 KO)
Now real boxing fans and hardcore enthusiasts might look at me and think I'm mental for putting Chisora of all people in the top ten or even putting him over boxers like Wardley. To that I say that Chisora has had a major impact on boxing and has always fought the best of the best in the Heavyweight division and has always gave the fans an entertaining fight no matter the outcome. He has fought four out of the nine guys on this list, three of them are in the top five, and two of them are in the top three. Chisora may have had one fight this year but his one fight came over Joe Joyce. A guy who at one point was considered the boogeyman of the heavyweight division, A fighter who had beaten two of the current top three guys at one point and Chisora dropped him in a fight he was expected to lose. Chisora also has victories over contenders such as Kubrat Pulev where he won in their rematch and defeated Carlos Takam who was another gatekeeper in the division and smashed him. Chisora has always been a wild card and we love him for it. He deserves to be in the top ten since he's had a more notable victory over other guys this year and I'm sure with the new talent coming up we'll see Chisora slowly wind down in the rankings. The WBO has him at 14 but the IBF has him at 8 so we will see him in some great fights still. He has an upcoming fight against another contender in Otto Wallin so we'll see if Chisora can get another note worthy win or if we'll see his career come to an end. Either way, I'll be sad to see him hang up the gloves one day but for now, I have him at 9 and rightfully so.
8. Martin Bakole 21-1-0 (16 KO)
Now were really gonna start seeing some heavy hitters starting off with Bakole. I only really started knowing about him this past year and so far, I am not disappointed in what I'm seeing. He has shown he's a real problem in the division and has power in both hands. He's only had one fight this year as well but it came over the rising contender Jared Anderson who was undefeated and was suppose to beat Bakole, instead we were given such a one sided beatdown from Bakole and it derailed Andersons rise to the top. It was considered an upset and made Bakole a true contender again. He's had great victories over rising prospect Tony Yoka and the aforementioned gatekeeper Carlos Takam. Whenever you think he can't win, he proves us all wrong. I would like to see him in the ring against guys like Wardley or Clarke because I feel that would be a super entertaining brawl. He's ranked not only top ten in all the sanctioning bodies, but he is ranked top five in four out of the five and top three in three out of the five including being ranked number one in the WBA so he will find himself in a mandatory fight or in an eliminator sooner than later.
7. Agit Kabayel 25-0-0 (17 KO)
Coming in at lucky 7 right here is Agit Kabayel, a new force to be reckoned with and an unexpected surprise to come out in the last year. This guy is another relentless power puncher where he's not quite as explosive as Bakole or Wardley, but makes up for it as a high volume puncher than breaks their opponents down making them crumble to the ground. In his last two fights where he beat Arslanbek Makhmudov down to the ground in round four and destroyed Frank Sanchez who was considered another top ten guy until Kabayel broke him down in round seven. He has beaten back to back power punchers and is arguably one of the biggest power punchers in the division and he will have another chance to prove that again in February against Zhilei Zhang, a top five heavyweight. Kabayel is also one of the four boxers on this list to be the aforementioned Derek Chisora in a close contest where he won a majority decision. Kabayel is on the rise and it shows in his rankings in the sanctioning bodies where he ranks top five in four out of the five (IBF doesn't have in ranked at all which is strange) including being ranked number two in the WBC. I feel if he can beat Zhang, he will find himself ranked number one in the WBC and will finally get him an opportunity to fight for the WBC title. That's if he does beat Zhang so we'll just have to wait and see. Either way, I'm looking forward to watching him fight again.
6. Anthony Joshua 28-4-0 (25 KO)
Now were getting into elite territory so brace yourselves, Anthony Joshua the former two time unified heavyweight champion is number six in my rankings. Oh how the mighty have fallen, five years ago this guy right here was considered a top three and arguably the best heavyweight in the world at one point. Now he's no longer considered even top five in most people's rankings. There is so much debate around AJ and what his legacy is, I have my opinions on him over the years and to me, he was a good champion but was so overrated. I thought this back then and I still stand by that take although with some nuance in between. He was part of the last heavyweight era from 2015-now along with Deontay Wilder (who was my favorite out of the trio) and Tyson Fury. Those three were the top three for years despite AJ not facing either Fury or Wilder and remained the top guys at the division up until this last year. Each of those guys suffered a lose this year and now were seeing that era of heavyweight boxing coming to an end. AJ was definitely the most popular out of the three and he had some solid fights over the years. His best wins came over Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, Dillian Whyte, Otto Wallin and even his rematch win over Andy Ruiz in their rivalry. The Ruiz rivalry is where we started to see AJ's decline and that was back in 2019 and it was made even worse when he lost his two matches against Oleksandr Usyk. He was making a comeback in 2023 where he had three straight wins and this year was suppose to be his time to rise again. Sadly for AJ that didn't happen as he won against Francis Ngannou (an MMA fighter not even a real boxer) and would get knocked out by Daniel Dubois in a fight for the IBF title. People wanted to believe AJ could reclaim the crown a third time but we all saw the writing on the wall. He faced inferior opposition (outside of Wallin), he underestimated Dubois and it cost him. I don't think AJ will get another title opportunity anytime soon and even though he is still ranked top ten in most of the sanctioning bodies (WBA doesn't have him ranked which is strange since he was their champion twice), I doubt he wants to face the upcoming contenders such as Wardley, Kabayel or even Bakole. I feel he only has two options at this points, create a big time showdown against either Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder. Both would generate a huge payday for all parties involved and would finally treat fans to fights that should have happened when these three were at the top of the division. I don't know what will happen next year, but hopefully we'll get a proper last dance type of fight for AJ in the form of Fury or Wilder. If neither one happens then maybe it is time for AJ to hang them up as he's had a decorated career. I'll be crossing my fingers for one of those two fights to happen and to see AJ go out like a real champ.
5. Tyson Fury 34-2-1 (24 KO)
Now were getting into top five territory, I may get a lot of flack for putting Tyson Fury in number five where I'm sure people will argue he's still top three. Don't get me wrong, Fury is still a great fighter and his story overcoming addiction and his mental health struggles is truly inspiring, but his recent moves as a boxer has been disappointing and I feel after this year, he is no longer top three but is still top five and a major player in the division. At one point, I considered him the best heavyweight in the world, He was the unofficial undisputed heavyweight champion of the world since he had won all the titles at different points (WBA, IBF, WBO and lineal in 2015 then vacated them the next year and WBC in 2020) and never lost them in the ring as well as having a claim to the lineal championship. I considered Fury the best of the trio from the last era since he had an exciting trilogy against Deontay Wilder to become champion again as WBC champion and beat other notable names such as Dillian Whyte, Derek Chisora (three times), Otto Wallin, and ended the long reign of the previous king Wladimir Klitschko ushering in the new era in 2015. Fury dominated the division and could/should have continued to reign as champ. However, his ego was his downfall as he started cherry picking and lost a lot of fans these last couple of years for not living up to his Gypsy King name. He outpriced himself out of major fights, he didn't stay disciplined and he nearly lost to Francis Ngannou in Ngannou's profession boxing debut. It wasn't until Fury finally agreed to face Oleksandr Usyk back in May for the undisputed heavyweight showdown we've all been waiting for in nearly twenty five years where we got excited for his fights again. The first Usyk vs Fury fight was unforgettable and was a tactical chess match where it could have gone either way until Usyk dropped Fury in round 9 securing a split decision win and handing Fury his first professional loss. The two would meet again this past weekend where it was another tactical chess match but would ultimately be in Usyk's favor outworking Fury winning a unanimous decision handing Fury his second loss this year. Fury may have lost twice this year, but that doesn't mean he's out of the picture just yet. Like I said about AJ, I want to see Fury vs Joshua. That fight makes sense for both fighters and would be a major pay day for them as well as capping off their careers in an all British showdown. As I also mentioned, Fury losing a second time this year along with AJ and Wilder means that their era from 2015 to now has finally come to an end. Fury might still be willing to fight guys like Kabayel, Bakole or even Wardley especially since Fury ranks top three in most sanctioning bodies (IBF doesn't have him ranked) including being number two in the WBA and number one in the WBC, WBO and RING, but they would have to give Fury a fat piece of the pie for that to happen so I think AJ makes the most sense for Fury. It was a wild ride for this era and I'll once again pray to the boxing gods that we finally get Fury vs Joshua.
4. Zhilei Zhang 27-2-1 (22 KO)
Would any of you believe me that a forty one year old boxer is not only in the top five, but ranked at number four in some rankings?! I don't blame anyone because this man is an anomaly to science. Then again they say the heavyweight division is an old man division. Zhang has really busted onto the scene these last few years starting out as a sideshow for DAZN and really made a name for himself as a top contender. Because of his age and stamina issues, he's so wildly mixed. He had a draw against Jerry Forest, lost a close fight to Filip Hrgovic where he should have won and beat Joe Joyce handing him his first and second professional loss. This year reflects that opinion as well as he lost to Joseph Parker via Majority decision despite knocking Parker down twice and knocked out Deontay Wilder in round five. As mentioned earlier, he has an upcoming fight against Agit Kabayel and the winner of that fight could be in line for a title shot. Zhang is so unpredictable but that's also what makes him exciting. He a knock out machine with a poor gas tank so its a race against time to see if he can get a knock out or if he goes the distance. He's ranked in most sanctioning bodies top ten (IBF does not have him ranked....why is the IBF so picky?) including being top five in three sanctioning bodies and being top three in two sanctioning bodies so he's definitely close to a title shot but we'll have to wait until the Zhang vs Kabayel fight to see.
3. Joseph Parker 35-3-0 (23 KO)
If there is anyone on this list that I need to apologize to, it is Joseph Parker. This man has proven me wrong time and time again. I thought he was nothing more than a title holder who just got lucky but not seeing him rise through the rankings again and the way he has done it, I'm glad to have been wrong. I thought this man was done after the Joe Joyce loss in 2022, but I couldn't have been more wrong. He went on a three fight win streak in 2023 and won the fight against Deontay Wilder at the end of last year in a major upset. and earlier this year won against Zhilei Zhang in a fight where he was floored twice and still won. Strangely enough he's not ranked in any sanctioning bodies (except RING at number four) despite being a mandatory for the WBO. Doesn't matter for him because he's going to fight for the IBF title against Daniel Dubois in February. This man defied all the odds and is in a position to become champion again. I tip my hat off to you Joseph Parker you're a true warrior of the sport and I look forward to seeing you fight again.
2. Daniel Dubois 22-2-0 (21 KO)
Here he is, The Daddy. Daniel Dubois the new IBF champion of the heavyweight division. This man has been through hell and back. Being labelled a quitter after losing to Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk. Then coming back and going on a three win run where he beat undefeated Jarrell Miller, defeated undefeated Filip Hrgovic to become IBF interim titlist before becoming the new IBF champion and knocking out Anthony Joshua in dominant fashion! He's gonna fight Joseph Parker in February and put his IBF belt on the line again and I can't wait! Dubois is part of the new era and I'm all for it! I don't know what the future holds for the division but I can't wait to see Dubois in this part of his career. I know he's gonna be a part of some great matchups! He might even get a crack at undisputed later on. Thank you for the excitement you've brought Daniel Dubois, you really are the Daddy
- Oleksandr Usyk 23-0-0 (14 KO)
The Undisputed Heavyweight champion of the world. What more is there to say? I know he's no longer undisputed but he is still the king of the division. This man became Undisputed at cruiserweight, then went up to heavyweight and defeated all the champions and took their belts in an era where none of them wanted to fight each other (outside of the Fury vs Wilder trilogy). He beat Derek Chisora, Daniel Dubois, Tony Bellew, Mairis Briedis, Anthony Joshua twice and Tyson Fury twice. Only Evander Holyfield achieved what he did and right now Usyk is among not only the best heavyweight but also the best Pound for Pound boxer of his generation. He is a hero amongst his home of Ukraine in a dark time of his country's life and remains an inspirational influence in the world of boxing. At this point, Usyk could retire and no one would complain, he ahs earned it and shown time and time again what a class act he is. Usyk is among the best heavyweights of all time and I thank him for bringing life into a division where no one wanted to fight each other and risk it all. I don't know what he is planning on next, but I'll be ready to tune in and be excited for our new king.
There is my top 10 list of the heavyweight division for 2024, I'll do my P4P rankings soon before the years over and I hope you guys have a great day!