The heavyweight landscape has changed drastically over the last year, with Daniel Dubois seizing the IBF crown while Deontay Wilder’s best days continue to dwindle.
At one stage, it looked as though Tyson Fury was destined to reign supreme, until former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk rubber-stamped his greatness, toppling the ‘Gypsy King.’
Then, disaster struck for Anthony Joshua who, following his crushing defeat to Dubois, has now dropped to seventh place in the Ring Magazine’s updated ratings.
And so, with the heavyweight division remaining one of the most subjective in boxing, Bloody Knockout brings you ten of the best big men in 2024.
10. Andy Ruiz Jr
Andy Ruiz Jr shocked the world when he became the unified world heavyweight champion, stopping Joshua in the seventh round.
After failing to retain his jewelry in the rematch, though, the 35-year-old swiftly began to lose his momentum, fighting on just three occasions since 2019.
But now, coming off a contentious draw against Jarrell Miller, Ruiz Jr has the opportunity to catapult his name back into the mix.
9. Derek Chisora
With the British public still firmly behind him, Derek Chisora can take a great deal of confidence from his recent stoppage victory over Joe Joyce.
But still, it is no secret that the 40-year-old has seemingly been on the brink of retirement for the best part of five years.
And yet, despite having a staggering 13 losses etched on his record, Chisora still continues to somehow prove his doubters wrong.
8. Agit Kabayel
After remaining at European level for far too long, it seemed as though Agit Kabayel was at risk of fading into obscurity.
But then, all of a sudden, the German bruiser burst onto the scene with a brutal finish over Aslanbek Makhmudov, before cementing his status as a formidable, unbeaten contender with an upset victory over Frank Sanchez.
7. Martin Bakole
No one can take anything away from Martin Bakole’s career-best win over Jared Anderson – a talented prospect who may still achieve great things in the sport.
And now, with the wind firmly back in his sails following an early defeat to Michael Hunter, Bakole looks to take on Dubois, believing that he has what it takes to rule the division.
6. Zhilei Zhang
Perhaps more commonly known as ‘Big Bang’ Zhang, the 41-year-old does exactly what his moniker suggests: switch his opponent’s lights out with one, pulverizing shot.
And while he comes off a close defeat to Joseph Parker, Zhang has joined every other heavyweight contender by demanding a showdown with Dubois.
5. Joseph Parker
Joseph Parker could be the most in-form heavyweight at this moment of time as, with back-to-back wins over Zhang and Wilder, he looks set to challenge for a world heavyweight title once again.
But, instead of lining himself up for a shot at the winner of Fury and Usyk’s rematch on December 21, Parker looks to secure a clash with Dubois.
4. Anthony Joshua
The Ring Magazine, clearly, has Joshua much further down on their list.
However, given his decorated resume – including wins over the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Parker and Ruiz Jr – it would be a particularly bold move to push him out of the top five, let alone down in seventh place.
With that being said, Joshua still needs to prove that he remains in this spot following his fifth-round stoppage loss to Dubois.
3. Daniel Dubois
Finally, the man on every heavyweight’s hit list!
Some would have counted Dubois out of the picture after his early loss to Joyce, and most would have ruled him out of ever becoming a world champion when he was stopped in the ninth round by Usyk.
But the 27-year-old’s story just shows that, more often than not, a fighter’s success is defined by how they respond to setbacks.
2. Tyson Fury
With comprehensive wins over both Klitschko and Wilder, Fury is undeniably one of the most elite heavyweights of his era.
For now, the 36-year-old must resume his place behind unbeaten king Usyk but, when the pair finally lock horns at the end of this year, the coveted number one spot will be up for grabs once again.
1. Oleksandr Usyk
After dominating the world scene at cruiserweight, and now parading the land of the giants as a bona fide, pound-for-pound star, it must be said that Usyk has done more than enough to deserve the number one spot.
With his wins over Fury, Joshua and Dubois, the Ukrainian displayed his dominance against the division’s fiercest combatants and, for that reason, Usyk may well be remembered as one of the greatest of all time.