We knew former two-time heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua would take a hit rankings-wise after his cataclysmic KO defeat at the hands of Daniel Dubois on September 21st, but it’s possible a few fans will be surprised to see how low AJ now sits in the new Ring Magazine top 10 heavyweight rankings. Joshua, courtesy of the fifth round KO loss, has been demoted to seventh place in the new top 10, this the lowest he has been ranked in years.
Dubois, meanwhile, is now the third best big man on the planet according to the folks at “The Bible of Boxing.”
The new top 10 reads as follows:
Champ: Oleksandr Usyk
1: Tyson Fury
2: Daniel Dubois
3: Joseph Parker
4: Zhilei Zhang
5: Agit Kabayel
6: Martin Bakole
7: Anthony Joshua
8: Filip Hrgovic
9: Efe Ajagba
10: Justis Huni
So, what do you think to the new top 10? Has Joshua been too severely punished in being dropped as far as he has been dropped in the new rankings, or not? It’s almost certain no fan will have any problem with the new top three, Usyk, Fury, Dubois, but the remainder of the new rankings may well stir up some debate.
One thing is certain, of the guys who are currently ranked between fourth and tenth place, there are some potentially thrilling, pretty much 50-50 fights that could be made. Imagine, for one matchup, Zhang against Bakole! Or how about Kabayel against Hrgovic (who needs to rebuild after his own stoppage loss to Dubois)? Or Bakole against Parker?
The top three guys will likely be pretty busy over the coming months, with Usyk and Fury to get it on again in December, and with Dubois possibly fighting Joshua again in February, but the other guys, who are all looking for a shot at a world title, could get busy fighting each other. Let’s hope so, anyway.
As for Joshua, it’s clear the experts feel he really does need a big win if he’s to climb back up to the top, or to near the top, of the heavyweight pile.
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