The two best heavyweights in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury. The best heavyweight in the world is Usyk — for at least another week, until Usyk either reasserts his status in their December 21 rematch in Riyadh or Fury regains the throne he lost in that same city by a narrow margin in May.
What, then, comes next? And who?
Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) turns 38 in January. Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) is 36. They are at the top for now. The winner will enter 2025 with a number of fighters who want their spot.
There are the older contenders and the younger prospects.
There are the fighters who’ve fallen short before but are somehow still around, and there are the fighters who’ve not yet had their chance at the championship.
And there are the obligations — although Usyk is no longer the undisputed champion, the victor on Saturday will leave Kingdom Arena with three world title belts to defend.
This is what may await, not just for Usyk and Fury, but for the heavyweight division in general in the years to come:
The Champions and Titleholders
Usyk-Fury 3: Depending on what happens in the second fight, there may be a third. Especially if it remains the most lucrative option. And especially if boxing financier Turki Alalshikh continues to bankroll their bouts.
The biggest obstacles are the mandatory challengers who are standing in line. We’ll get to them later. But those obstacles are not insurmountable. As we’ve seen with all except the IBF, the sanctioning bodies tend to go with whatever will make the most money.
Sometimes that also aligns with the greater interest, allowing the best to fight the best. If Alalshikh wants a third fight between Usyk and Fury next, and the two boxers want the same, then the WBA, WBC and WBO will of course want their percentage share of the millions.
Daniel Dubois-Joseph Parker winner: Speaking of the IBF: Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) won its interim heavyweight title in June, two weeks after Fury-Usyk 1, stopping Filip Hrgovic in eight rounds on cuts. The winner of Fury-Usyk 1 had been ordered to face the winner of Dubois-Hrgovic.
But Usyk and Fury had already agreed to a rematch; Usyk vacated the IBF belt on June 25 and Dubois was promptly upgraded.
Dubois’s first defense was his sensational drubbing of Anthony Joshua in September in London. Up next for him is former heavyweight titleholder Joseph Parker on the February 22 undercard of Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol 2.
The winner will have plenty of momentum and a compelling case for challenging for the undisputed heavyweight championship.
Dubois’ last loss was to Usyk and included some controversy. Usyk stopped Dubois in the ninth round in August 2023. But four rounds prior, Dubois put Usyk on the canvas with what some felt was a legal body shot on the beltline, while others (including the referee) saw it as an accidental foul that veered low. To this day, replay footage hasn’t settled the debate. For those who believe it was a legal blow, they note that Usyk remained on the canvas for some time and argue that Dubois was robbed of a victory.
It’s wholly plausible that Usyk could have responded differently and beaten the count had the ref not called it a low blow. It’s also possible that he might not have. And even if Usyk had beaten the count, he wouldn’t have received the benefit of the nearly four minutes of recovery time, first on the mat and then on his feet, before the fight resumed.
Since then, Dubois has beaten Jarrell Miller, Hrgovic and Joshua. A victory over Parker would cap a run that didn’t seem imaginable after Dubois lost to Joe Joyce in 2020 and then to Usyk.
Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) has also resuscitated his career. He held the WBO belt from 2016 until 2018, when he lost a unification bout to Joshua. A second defeat came four months later against Dillian Whyte. Parker responded with six straight victories and then was dispatched by Joe Joyce via 11th-round knockout in 2022.
That could’ve ended Parker’s time as a contender. It didn’t. He’s won five in a row and taken full advantage of Riyadh Season making so many heavyweight matches. Parker won a unanimous decision over Deontay Wilder in December 2023 and a majority decision over Zhilei Zhang in March. If Parker beats Dubois, he will have regained a heavyweight title nearly seven years after he last held one.
The Mandatory Challengers
Zhilei Zhang-Agit Kabayel winner: This fight, on the same February 22 undercard as Dubois vs. Parker, is for the WBC’s interim title.
Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) was already in line for a shot given the WBO interim title he held following his two knockouts of Joyce. He lost that belt to Parker in March but rebounded three months later with his knockout of Wilder. Zhang is 41 years old. He has peaked at an older age, but that doesn’t mean his window isn’t closing. If Zhang defeats Kabayel, he will want to go for a major world title before the signs of Father Time become evident.
Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs) is nearly a decade younger, at 32 years old, and is coming off two victories against previously undefeated contenders, also on Riyadh Season shows. A year ago, Kabayel stopped Arslanbek Makhmudov in four rounds. And on the undercard of Fury-Usyk 1, Kabayel put away a hobbled Frank Sanchez in seven. A win over Zhang would give Kabayel the biggest name yet on his record.
Kubrat Pulev: Pulev (32-3, 14 KOs) was on the outside after losses to Wladimir Klitschko in 2014, Joshua in 2020 and Derek Chisora in 2022. Now he’s somehow back in the picture after defeating Mahmoud Charr earlier this month for Charr’s WBA’s “regular” heavyweight title.
It’s silly to have the privilege that title provides given how little Charr had also accomplished. Depending on what the WBA wants, Pulev will either be in position to challenge the Usyk-Fury 2 winner, or his existence will provide the winner of the Usyk-Fury rematch with a buffer. In the past, there have been times where the WBA “super” champion is allowed to take other matches while the “regular” titleholder must deal with the other mandatory challengers. Right now, the WBA has Martin Bakole in its first slot. That could change because of our next entry:
Martin Bakole-Efe Ajagba winner: Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs) shined while breaking down Jared Anderson in August en route to a fifth-round knockout. As noted above, the 32-year-old is ranked first by the WBA, but he’s just been ordered by the IBF to take on Ajagba in an elimination bout. It remains to be seen whether the WBA would keep Bakole in its rankings were he to go forward with the IBF’s desires.
Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs) has notched five consecutive wins since losing a decision to Sanchez in October 2021. Two came against undefeated opponents (Stephan Shaw, Zhan Kossobutskiy) and two against foes who’d lost once before (Joseph Goodall, Guido Vianello). But none of them had come close to Bakole’s accomplishments. Ajagba hasn’t exactly done anything overly notable to earn this elimination bout, but a win over Bakole would certainly merit a title shot.
It’s just a matter of when that title shot would come. The winner of Bakole vs. Ajagba is in line for the winner of Dubois vs. Parker. Except the winner of Dubois vs. Parker may have the option of vying for the winner of Usyk-Fury 2.
Demolished But Not Yet Departed
Anthony Joshua: Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) hasn’t held a heavyweight title since his first loss to Usyk in September 2021. He was just obliterated by Dubois a few months ago and declined to enforce his contractual right to a rematch. Joshua’s time at the top of boxing looks to be a thing of the past. Despite that, his star power hasn’t necessarily gone all the way down the drain just yet.
Joshua could still headline in the United Kingdom against any of a number of opponents. Many of those contenders are also British and would desperately want the torch passed to them by AJ, or rather seized by force from him. And if Fury beats Usyk this week, a fight with Joshua would remain a box office extravaganza, even if there’s far less luster after Joshua’s losses.
Deontay Wilder: It’s been even longer since Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) was a titleholder, dating back to his defeat in the Fury rematch in February 2020. It was fair to wonder whether Wilder would call it a career given his two recent losses, when he was out-boxed and unable to pull the trigger against Parker, and then, against Zhang, on the receiving end of the kind of knockout that Wilder himself had typically been the one delivering.
The 39-year-old is continuing on, though. Boxing has a history of trotting out fighters long past their best days because their names still are marketable, whether on their own or to help create new stars. And that means we’ll be watching whatever he does next, and against whomever, with our eyes peering out from between our fingers to see if Wilder can once again land that one big shot or if his fairytale career has truly reached its end.
Most of these names are fighters who are still in development and whose future potential is not yet known. One is a recent arrival with one bout at heavyweight and who hasn’t yet tested himself in the division. And one is a former champion who retired years ago and may or may not return to the sport.
(This is of course only a partial list; there may be additional names whose progress should also be monitored in the coming years.)
Fabio Wardley: Wardley (18-0-1, 17 KOs) went from co-starring in an enjoyable draw with fellow prospect Frazer Clarke in March to taking the lead role with a one-round TKO of Clarke in their October rematch. His next fight has not yet been scheduled. It would be wise for his team to capitalize and get the 29-year-old Wardley back in the ring soon, even if it’s just a keep-busy bout ending with another highlight-reel knockout. 2025 should otherwise be the year that Wardley seeks to establish himself as a legit contender.
Moses Itauma: Itauma (10-0, 8 KOs) has been heavily featured in his prospect years since turning professional at the start of 2023. Most recently, the 19-year-old took out long-faded former title challenger Mariusz Wach in two rounds in July. Itauma will perform on the Usyk-Fury 2 undercard, facing the 22-1 Demsey McKean, who was last seen getting knocked out in the 12th round by Hrgovic in August 2023.
Itauma is young and has plenty of time to grow and develop. He’s already rated in the top 15 by the IBF, WBA and WBO, but there shouldn’t be any rush to push him any faster than necessary. That doesn’t mean he can’t be built into a star while he’s being built into a contender.
Lawrence Okolie: Okolie (21-1, 16 KOs) is a former cruiserweight and bridgerweight titleholder, though most former cruiserweights who move up to heavyweight don’t typically arrive at nearly 261 pounds. That’s what the 31-year-old Okolie tipped the scales at for his one-round TKO of Hussein Muhamed earlier this month. It remains to be seen what Okolie’s best fighting weight will be on his 6-foot-5 frame and how he will fare against better opposition.
Bakhodir Jalolov: Jalolov (14-0, 14 KOs) has split time between the professional and amateur ranks in-between gold medal wins in the 2020/2021 Olympics and the 2024 Games. The 30-year-old has not yet faced anyone of note in the pros. He’s got good storylines awaiting him dating back to his amateur days. Jalalov lost to Joe Joyce in the 2016 Olympics, and he defeated Clarke and Richard Torrez Jnr in the 2020/2021 tournament. None of those matches are likely to happen in the year to come, but anyone significantly better than who Jalolov has been facing would be welcome.
Lenier and Dainier Pero: Lenier (11-0, 8 KOs) is the older brother at 32 years old. He competed in the 2016 Olympics, defeating Guido Vianello and then losing to Hrgovic in the quarterfinals. Lenier is ranked fourth by the WBA despite a distinct lack of recognizable names on his resume. Dainier (9-0, 7 KOs) is 25 years old. He also made it to the quarterfinals, losing to Torrez in the 2020/2021 Olympics. Both are still at the developmental level of their pro opposition.
Mourad Aliev: Another Olympian on this list is Aliev (13-0, 10 KOs), who was disqualified in his 2020/2021 quarterfinal fight with Clarke for what the referee deemed intentional head-butting. Aliev then protested the ruling. The 29-year-old has impressed a couple of my BoxingScene colleagues so far, particularly with his recent sixth-round TKO of the 6-0 Davide Brito.
Richard Torrez Jnr: Torrez (12-0, 11 KOs) captured silver in the 2020/2021 Olympics, losing to Jalolov in the finals. The 25-year-old is a regular on Top Rank’s undercards, and it’s time for him to step in against the next levels of opposition.
Jared Anderson: Once pushed as potentially the next great American heavyweight, Anderson (17-1, 15 KOs) has struggled both inside and outside of the ring, including his August loss via fifth-round knockout to Bakole. Was it a case of too much, too soon? Or has Anderson reached his ceiling? The answers will depend on what kind of opponents Anderson’s team put him in with next, and how he looks as he rebuilds.
Wladimir Klitschko: We hope that Klitschko, who turns 49 in March, isn’t tempted to return nearly eight years after his 2017 loss to Joshua. But we have to list him here anyway, because Alalshikh is making overtures, and Klitschko may feel the urge for non-financial reasons, including a personal challenge, an attempt at breaking George Foreman’s record of being the oldest heavyweight champion, and bringing attention to the ongoing war in Klitschko’s home of Ukraine. If Klitschko does make a return, it will only be against one of the names atop this article.
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