My Top 10 Heavyweights Part 2:

My Top 10 Heavyweights Part 2:

By Joe Jessup

5 – Joseph Parker (24-2)

There were question marks over the New Zealander when he arrived in the UK to fight Hughie Fury and more so when he left. After fighting almost exclusively in his native land as a professional, Parker defeated the lesser known Fury on points but wasn’t overly impressive. Together with a questionable display against Andy Ruiz, people started to think the WBO title holder was somewhat over-hyped. Since his last aforementioned victory over Fury, Joseph Parker has lost his last two fights – to Anthony Joshua and most recently, Dillian Whyte. Against Joshua, Parker was outsmarted and frustrated. He showed heart and a good enough defense, but never looked big enough or strong enough to stop AJ boxing him from distance. In becoming the first man to go the full distance with Joshua though, he did show at least that he was better than people assumed.

Going in to the Whyte bout, Parker was a slight betting favourite. A close fight saw both fighters touch the canvas and a genuine war play out, with Parker very nearly ending things in the final round. Parker started well, showed great hand speed but allowed the bigger man to bully him and make the bout ugly. Had the Aborigine fighter showed a bit more aggressive endeavour himself, it is highly likely that an AJ rematch would be on the cards next up. He can count a phantom knockdown in round 2 as the reason he lost on the cards, but the fight was lost largely by his own naivety. Parker beats almost everyone above him on this list in my opinion, but a period of rebuilding needs to start sharply if he is to regain a once promising reign at the top of the division.

4 – Dillian Whyte (24-1)

Another one on the list who divides opinion, the Jamaican-British heavyweight ensured his pantomime villain tag during a hostile build up to a British title fight with long time rival Antohny Joshua. Having beaten AJ in the amateur ranks, Whyte relentlessly goaded and trash-talked the Watford native until his ice cool persona cracked. What ensued was a titanic dust-up, which saw Joshua hurt for the first time in his pro career and Whyte evenutally stopped by a huge uppercut in the seventh. The ‘Body Snatcher’ earned accolades for his performance and is now known for being in almost exclusively exciting fights.

Wins against Allen, Chisora, Helenius and a spectacular knockout of Lucas Browne earned Whyte a chance once again to prove his level against Joseph Parker this past Saturday. In a somewhat seesaw bout Dillian emerged victorious via a unanimous decision, earning his biggest win to date. His chin, punching power, inside strength and heart were on full warrior display over 12 rounds and he fully deserves the next title shot coming his way. Whether it is a rematch with Joshua next or a long-awaited shot against Deontay Wilder, expect the Champion to be fully tested by an ever improving Dillian Whyte.

3 – Luis Ortiz (29-1-2NC)

Luis Ortiz may be close to 40 years old, but no one watching him can deny the quality of the Cuban boxer-banger. He posses all the technical class of a typical Cuban, iron fist power and a strong physique which make him a terrifying opponent; there is a reason why he is labelled the bogeyman of the division. A failed drugs test in 2014 is a constant black mark on his resume, with another in 2017 the result of treating high-blood pressure and not widely believed to have been performance enhancing at all. Despite this, a string of impressive knockouts did little to entice dancing partners and it wasn’t until earlier this year that he landed the shot he’d craved for years.

Ortiz took on WBC king Wilder under the New York lights in what was a barnstormer of a bout. Ortiz displayed his full range of skills, soundly outboxing the unorthodox American for the majority of the fight and almost ending the champion’s reign in the seventh. Wilder somehow survived the onslaught to stop the Cuban in ten, having previously dropped him in the fifth. Despite the loss, which was as much down to advancing years as anything else, Ortiz showed how good a fighter he is. The fact that all 3 judges had Wilder ahead on the scorecards is bewildering given that Ortiz consistently beat his foe to the punch, whilst largely stating out of range. Ortiz probably doesn’t have long left at the top, so the rush for big fights is now a priority.

2 – Deontay Wilder (40-0)

The Bronze Bomber holds a formidable record of 40 wins without defeat and only one fight going the distance. At a glance this is the result of an incredibly good fighter but in reality, Wilder has built a resume of hugely overmatched opponents. It is only in the last couple of years that Wilder has began to prove himself against better guys, establishing himself as arguably the best heavyweight in the world. He holds impressive knockout victories over Malik Scott, Eric Molina, Chris Arreola, Gerald Washington, Bermane Stiverne and Luis Ortiz, with Stiverne the only man to take Wilder the full distance in their first bout back in 2015.

When Wilder hits, people get hurt. He may have an unorthodox style, he may look as wild as his name suggests, but the Bronze Bomber really holds the ultimate neutraliser in both hands. It’s this power that has people believing he is the man to beat Anthony Joshua if the unification ever takes place, regardless of whether he lacks the fundamentals. In his fight against Luis Ortiz, the Alabama native showed an incredible chin as well – staying alive and coming back to win after a disaster of a seventh round. Most fighters would have been finished on their feet after Ortiz’s onslaught, but Wilder somehow took it all and came back to stop the heavy-handed Cuban. Next up, if reports are to be believed, is a glamour clash against former Lineal champ Tyson Fury. The two were mooted to fight before Fury’s hiatus from boxing in 2016, where the British giant would have been the favourite. It’s 2 years later however and the tables have surely turned.

1 – Anthony Joshua (21-0, 20 kos)

Number one on this list should come as no surprise to fans of the sweet science. Since his hyped up debut in 2013, the British sensation has gone on to win three of the four major belts and sell out arenas with great regularity. Joshua is a promoters dream – charismatic, good-looking, hard-working and big, very big. Like Wilder, his record is daunting for foes and his punching power is famed as much as his bodybuilder frame. Joshua holds several good wins – Kevin Johnson, Dillian Whyte, Dominic Breazeale, Eric Molina, Wladimir Klitschko, Carlos Takam and Joseph Parker – and all but one by stoppage. His scrap with divisional legend Klitschko at Wembley was one of the best heavyweight fights seen for some years, with both climbing off of the canvas from big knock downs. AJ would win the fight via tenth round stoppage and in doing so, became the undisputed number one boxer in his division.

Whilst people across the pond argue Wilder is the true champion, it isn’t difficult to see why many experts fancy AJ when the fight gets made. Wilder arguably punches harder than Joshua, but that’s where the advantages end. Joshua moves better, jabs, is stronger, quicker and can box when he needs to. His resume is better so far and in only half the fights. The only reason there appears to be question marks is due to AJ’s last 2 performances: a questionable stoppage over Takam and a wide decision over Parker. Joshua wasn’t overly impressive in either fight but still won comfortably, which is the sign of a great fighter. Next up is a potential banana skin against Alexander Povetkin, but I’d expect to see the Russian stopped for the first time in his career. It’s then onwards and upwards, hopefully to Las Vegas to clash with Deontay Wilder for all the belts.