Via Gav Duthie: We all know the situation could change, but for now, Tyson Fury’s future is in the dark, Oleksandr Usyk is 35 years old, his country is at war, and Anthony Joshua will be struggling. to come back after another loss at the top end of the sport.
Deontay Wilder is back, but will he be? This era isn’t over yet, but it’s definitely in the twilight. Over the years, we’ve heard that Joshua is just another Frank Bruno, that Fury was just a big afterglow after he fought John McDermott, that Wilder couldn’t box but not the time. before all simply appreciate how great this is. The era of heavyweight boxing has been.
Ok, it could be better; Still have time. Will we get the undisputed big showdown between Fury and Usyk of the UK? Can Wilder take down Usyk or AJ? We may never know, but we’ve had some great nights, so let’s not complain about what didn’t happen, what could have happened, and appreciate what we do. seen in the last ten years or so.
Here is my compiled list of the top 20 fights of this era between boxers now or at one point in the past ten years.
List
Note: I have omitted Wladimir Klitschko despite being active in this period, as he is considered the king of the previous era.
(20) Anthony Joshua v Joseph Parker
(2018, Joshua UD12)
A bit disappointing in terms of action. These two were simultaneously considered the division’s best prospects. Parker was the first to win the world championship, then Joshua beat Charles Martin and Klitschko. Parker can sometimes box well but seems content with surviving. The referee stopped any internal action from happening, so it ended up as a tirelessly comfortable decision for AJ. It still has to rank as one of his best wins, albeit on paper.
(19) Tyson Fury v Dillian Whyte
(2022, Fury TKO 6)
Over 1000 days in the making and Whyte never actually showed up. Fury didn’t let him inside and took control of Whyte at the end of the stabbing throughout the night. Still, it was a great uppercut to end the show. It could have ended any heavyweight fight in history.
(18) Usyk v Joshua 2
(2022, Usyk SD 12)
A much better performance from AJ, but still not enough. It was as if AJ had screwed up in round 9, Usyk had come back stronger and more clinical in the final three rounds. This really defines Usyk as the heavyweight king in the absence of Fury.
(17) Anthony Joshua v Kubrat Pulev
(2020, Joshua KO 9)
Once again, a fight turned out to be a lot easier for Joshua than I had anticipated. Pulev is a senior boxer with a high IQ and good fighting skills but can’t face AJ tonight. This fight, more than any other for me, shows how good boxer Joshua is, just not good enough to play chess against Oleksandr Usyk. AJ closed the show with a great 1-2 combo.
(16) Fury v Wilder 2
(2020, Fury TKO 7)
Not the best in terms of how it goes one way, but it’s unbelievable to see how optimistic Fury is. No one could believe how different he was from the first fight and how he dismayed Wilder made him walk on hind legs. It was a blow from one side that was intercepted just in time by Mark Breland, who threw the towel in.
(15) Joseph Parker v Andy Ruiz
(2016, Parker MD 12)
An interesting match with an unclear decision. Ruiz started fast and landed some great combos but slowed his output as the fight went on. Parker received the nod to win the vacant WBO world title following Tyson Fury’s first sabbatical due to his mental health following his bout with Klitschko.
(14) Anthony Joshua v Andy Ruiz 2
(2019, Joshua UD 12)
A great boxing performance by Joshua, but Andy Ruiz didn’t do himself any favors. He enjoyed his previous success compared to the big man who was too much and too overweight and not healthy enough. Joshua didn’t participate but controlled the fight with a stab and side move.
(13) Joe Joyce v Daniel Dubois
(2020, Joyce KO 10)
A little uncomfortable. Frank Warren promoted both of them, but his golden goose was definitely Dubois. Daniel started strong and delivered big punches early; the difference was that Joyce was a much thicker tree than Dubois had ever cut down. Joyce hit Dubois with a jab all night. This fight would have been higher had it not been for the ending that most people felt Daniel had given up on. However, Dubois has come back well since then.
(12) Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua
(2021, Usyk UD 12)
One for the purest. I feel like boxed AJ is better than most, but Usyk is better. Joshua hit the wrong one, and even though many rounds were over, Usyk seemed to only get one or two better punches per round to knock it down. Hopefully AJ will fight differently this weekend to make the spectacle better to watch.
(11) Anthony Joshua v Alexander Povetkin
(2018, Joshua TKO 7)
A better teamfight than previous AJ wins as Povetkin had quite a bit of success with his leaping left hook. The Russian has wowed England fans with his previous takedown of David Price, and AJ is sure to take notice. However, Joshua closed the match brilliantly, letting Povetkin lose by first knockout.
(10) Dillian Whyte v Joseph Parker
(2018, Whyte UD 12)
Parker surprised when fighting this fight only 4 months after losing to Joshua. Personally I thought he was going to write to Whyte, but ‘Bodysnatcher’ made his intentions clear early on, knocking Parker out with his forearm, hinting that he would throw everything at the New Zealander. Parker came back late and eliminated Whyte in the final round. Whyte was stunned late in the game but managed to get a well-deserved win thanks to cards.
(9) Ruiz v Joshua
(2019, Ruiz TKO 7)
It was a shock. The first three rounds went on as usual. A beautiful top, left hook and bottom cut by Ruiz. Now to finish him off how wrong we were. AJ got caught up in the exchange and never really recovered fully. Ruiz stopped Joshua from stunning in the seventh round to become the world’s first Mexican-born heavyweight champion.
(8) Wilder v Ortiz 2
(2019, Wilder KO 7)
The Cubans made good adjustments from the first game beating Wilder in the first six innings. He was very much ahead at all cards until Wilder did what he did. A straight right hand knocked Ortiz down and he couldn’t get up.
(7) Whyte v Chisora 1
(2016, Whyte SD 12)
What an absolute barnstormer. Great action from start to finish. It goes back and forth all the time, every punch is thrown with bad intentions. I feel like Chisora has done enough, but both deserve to win. Whyte was given the nod and justified the victory by stopping Chisora in the ensuing rematch.
(6) Joshua v Whyte
(2015, Joshua TKO 7)
Part of me feels that even though Joshua is the better boxer in 2022, his 2015 version has a better chance of beating Usyk. AJ was once aggressive to the point of recklessness. He has moved forward in most of this fight with no respect for what Whyte can do. Joshua was injured for the first time in this bout, but he was a ruthless fighter and scored a great KO after an engaging fight.
(5) Hunter v Bakole
(October 2018, Hunter TKO 10)
A completely random fight between an American boxer and a Congolese at York hall in England. It was a big-risk, low-reward fight for both of them, with Hunter having just moved up to heavyweight. Bakole has improved considerably since that day, having recently beaten Tony Yoka, but Hunter boxed really well in a great game with a good save in the final round.
(4) Fury v Wilder 1
(2018, draw 12)
It seemed like a long time after three years and two warm-ups that Fury would agree to take on Wilder, but he did and beat him. Wilder, to his credit, never stopped and managed to score a stunning point in round 12. Fury somehow got up after looking down and put it on Wilder in a stunning final round. The match was scored in a draw, but Fury got his revenge in the next two fights.
(3) Whyte v Povetkin 1
(2020, Povetkin KO 5)
This number is too high for a knockout. It was one-sided with Povetkin looking at him at 40. Whyte failed him twice and completely dominated. They say power is the last thing to go and Povetkin took a beautiful butt out of nowhere to destroy Whyte.
(2) Wilder v Ortiz 1
(2018, Wilder TKO 10)
In recognition of Wilder’s credit, everyone avoided Ortiz, but he went up against King Kong, and the man the department called the boogeyman. It was a great fight when Wilder saw his feet in the 7th round. He rallied to stop Ortiz in 10th, but it was still interesting.
(1) Fury v Wilder 3
(2021, Fury TKO 11)
What a way to end a rivalry. It was a trio that few asked for after the second war was one-sided. It gets in the way of Fury v Joshua, but it’s worth it. It looked like it was going to play out like the second fight with Fury dominating, but in round 4 he went straight into a right hand and paced back and forth. Wilder said in the final battle he wanted to go out with his shield, and that’s exactly what happened. Fury knocked Wilder in his face to retain his title in his first defense.
