2 weeks Ago By Nick Sutherland
GIVEMESPORT have ranked the 10 greatest heavyweights on the planet right now. Unsurprisingly, unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk takes top spot. A total of four Brits make the list, alongside former WBC Heavyweight Champion, Deontay Wilder.
While every weight division in boxing is capable of delivering action-packed fights, there's something especially mesmerising about seeing two giants go to battle for the right to call themselves one of the baddest men on the planet. Right now, that overall title belongs to Ukrainian star Oleksandr Usyk, although there are no shortage of contenders ready to step up and challenge him for supremacy. Below, we've taken a look at the 10 best heavyweights on the planet right now - and each of these warriors certainly pack a punch.
Overall record Titles Ability in the ring Top 10 Greatest heavyweights in the world right now Rank Name Professional Record 1 Oleksandr Usyk 22-0 (16 KOs) 2 Tyson Fury 34-1-1 (24 KOs) 3. Anthony Joshua 28-3 (25 KOs) 4. Daniel Dubois 21-2 (20 KOs) 5.
Joseph Parker 35-3 (23 KOs) 6. Agit Kabayel 25-0 (17 KOs) 7. Zhilei Zhang 27-2-1 (22 KOs) 8.
Martin Bakole 22-1 (16 KOs) 9. Michael Hunter 26-1-2 (16 KOs) 10. Deontay Wilder 43-4-1 (42 KOs) 10 Deontay Wilder He may have lost four of his last five fights, but Wilder's incredible record prior to that slump sees him retain a spot in the top 10.
Before his recent setbacks, the 'Bronze Bomber' reigned as the WBC Heavyweight Champion for more than five years, until his defeat to Tyson Fury in February 2020. Every fighter that the American has lost to since features further up in these rankings, meaning that he's hardly been losing to journeymen. Wilder has been crowned by GIVEMESPORT as the hardest puncher in heavyweight history - and with good reason.
The man has dynamite in his fists and could still likely take out anyone in the division if he caught them cleanly. 9 Michael Hunter The second American to make the list, Hunter has never tasted defeat as a heavyweight. His sole career loss came down at cruiserweight to Oleksandr Usyk and he is widely recognised as the best heavyweight in the US currently.
'The Bounty Hunter' was absent from the ring for a spell of nearly two years between December 2021 and September 2023 due to a mix of injury and promotional issues, but has since bounced back with a string of three wins, including two stoppages. 8 Martin Bakole The Scotland-based Bakole announced himself as a major contender at heavyweight in August when he demolished highly-touted American prospect Jared Anderson inside five rounds. That landmark win followed victories over respected veterans Mariusz Wach, Kevin Johnson and Carlos Takam.
Slill young in heavyweight terms, Bakole sole career defeat came at the hands of Michael Hunter back in October 2018. It would no surprise to see him try to avenge that loss at some point as he looks to build his resume against the world's best at heavyweight. 7 Zhilei Zhang No heavyweight on the planet may be as avoided as Chinese giant Zhang.
'The Big Bang' derailed the world title hopes of Joe Joyce with two stoppage wins and - despite being the wrong side of 40 - can still cause problems for the division's best. His awkward style and granite chin mean that he is a tough opponent to put a dent in. Even when Zhang has lost, it's been at the hands of world-level contenders such as Joseph Parker and Filip Hrgovic.
Following his most recent defeat [to Parker], he returned by knocking Deontay Wilder senseless to send a warning to the rest of the weight class that he is far from done. 6 Agit Kabayel One of the few fighters on this list to have never suffered a defeat, Kayabel has won all of his 25 professional fights. Despite having a lack of recognisable names on his record at present, he has made a habit of picking up titles throughout his career, winning the WBC-NABF, WBO-NABO, WBC Continental Americas, and WBA Inter-continental heavyweight titles.
Most recently, he defeated Frank Sanchez on the undercard of Fury vs Usyk in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A win on such a high-profile card will have done plenty for the reputation of the talented 31-year-old German. 5 Joseph Parker Parker has enjoyed a remarkable career resurgence since being knocked out by Joe Joyce in September 2022.
At a point where the New Zealander might have been tempted to consider his future in the sport, he instead rallied to put together a five-fight win streak that has seen him defeat the likes of Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder. The former WBO Heavyweight Champion has long sought a rematch with the man who beat him for that title, Anthony Joshua. While he has yet to bag that particular fight, Parker's form over the past two years is certainly deserving of another world title opportunity.
4 Daniel Dubois The hard-hitting Brit lost out to Oleksandr Usyk last August in a barnstorming affair. Dubois dropped Usyk in the fifth round, which was controversially ruled to be a low blow by referee Luis Pabon. Had Usyk not been given the five minutes to recover, the outcome of the fight could have been very different.
Although he was desperately disappointed by the setback, Dubois returned to action before the end of the year, upsetting Jarrell Miller by stoppage to bounce back in style. His outstanding performance was enough to earn him a crack at Filip Hrgovic for the interim IBF Heavyweight Championship. Again the underdog, 'Dynamite' showed his class by taking the Croatian out to win the title.
Shortly afterwards, the 27-year-old was upgraded to full world champion by the IBF, after the governing body stripped Oleksandr Usyk of the title. Dubois will make his first defence of the gold against fellow Brit Anthony Joshua on Saturday night, looking to once again shock the world. 3 Anthony Joshua After losing to Oleksandr Usyk for a second straight time in August 2022, Joshua's dreams of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion lay in tatters.
However, to the Watford-born man's credit he has rebuilt his career well since. 'AJ' followed up a decision win over Jermaine Franklin with three consecutive stoppage wins [over Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou]. That rich run of form was enough to convince the IBF to make Joshua the top contender for their heavyweight championship.
The 34-year-old has the chance to become a world titleholder for a third time when he meets Dubois this weekend and could revive his undisputed championship aspirations with victory. 2 Tyson Fury Fury went into the biggest fight of a generation against Usyk with an undefeated record in May. He came out as the loser on that occasion, but that result should not detract from his pedigree as one of the best heavyweights of modern times.
'The Gypsy King' is still one of the most feared fighters in world boxing and gave the Ukrainian a tough night, coming up just short on the judges' scorecards. If he can rediscover the form that saw him dominate Deontay Wilder across their engrossing trilogy of bouts, then the Brit could easily reverse the result with Usyk when the pair meet for a second time on the 21st of December. 1 Oleksandr Usyk Usyk’s reputation precedes him when it comes to being the very best in heavyweight boxing today.
His victory against Fury was the crown jewel of his career thus far, embodying the role of David as he felled the British Goliath. Despite being stripped of the IBF's version of the gold shortly after the fight, he still reigns as a unified world heavyweight champion and has made most of his fights in the division look easy since moving up from cruiserweight, where he was also an undisputed world champion. 'The Cat' outclassed former world title challenger Derek Chisora in just his second bout at heavyweight, before going on to dethrone Anthony Joshua for the top prize in the sport.
Usyk outpointed 'AJ' in their rematch and then stopped Daniel Dubois in his next defence. His much-anticipated showdown with Fury was next, where he confirmed himself as the ruler of the division. It will take a big effort to knock him off that perch.
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