Checking in on the Heavyweights… Where Do We Stand in Q4?
By Eddie Sanchez
The heavyweight division in boxing has long been the ‘glory’ division. From the onset of the 20th century, the biggest and brightest stars have always been the big-boys. Those weighing in at a minimum of 200 pounds that is!
There have always been superstars in the other weight classes. Think Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar de la Hoya to name a few. It wasn’t until the tail-end of De la Hoya’s career, when he passed the ceremonial torch to Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, that saw boxing operating in a world with stars of comparable size to the common man. For the better part of the quarter century, this has remained the case, with Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez staking claim to the throne as the cash-cow of the sport.
If activity and excitement could be measured by mere relevance however, the heavyweight division is the strongest it has been since Mike Tyson’s glory days. Globally, the division undoubtedly houses the most universally recognizable names.
With the current Lightweight and Light Heavyweight divisions following closely behind, the top of the Heavyweight divisional rankings are ripe for an onslaught of action.
Following the Ring Magazine Rankings, while acknowledging the two-headed monster at the top of the division, the current heavyweight rankings include the following beasts.
(c) Oleksandr Usyk (WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles)
(c) Tyson Fury (WBC heavyweight title)
1 – Deontay Wilder
2- Anthony Joshua
3 – Joe Joyce
4 – Andy Ruiz Jr.
5 – Dillian Whyte
The potential for high-action bouts is present throughout this list. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are rumored to be discussing a potential unification bout for early-March 2023. If this takes place and a victor is crowned, the Heavyweight division will own its first Undisputed Champion since Lennox Lewis. There is still much to be discussed, but the signs are positively trending towards the bout we all want to see happening.
Deontay Wilder is fresh off a first round knockout victory over Robert Helenius which saw him walk away with the record for the fewest punches necessary to knockout his opponent at three.
Wilder’s mindest is as sharp as ever following back-to-back defeats at the hands of Fury, and he has Andy Ruiz Jr. waiting in the wings following the WBC’s decision to order their potential bout as a mandatory semi-final for the WBC belt. Even with this issuing from the WBC, Wilder has made his intentions clear that he would much rather prefer a more lucrative bout against Anthony Joshua, though Joshua is likely to take a soft-touch in his next fight following his presently defeated mentality at the hands of two losses to Usyk.
The division is TOUGH, and the big fish are fighting each other, which bodes well for an action packed 2023. If a bout between Joe Joyce and Dillian Whyte can be secured, the fans can find themselves with a four man rotation of contenders to take place in a round robin-esque scheduling of bouts to crown an absolute no-doubter of an Undisputed Champion.
As fans, we should be happy with the division, and trust that our patience will be rewarded in due time.
