HW Top 10 rankings ?

I hear you.
It is frustrating that the hype surrounding fading/faded fighters like Usyk, Fury, never mind Joshua and Wilder, over the past few years, and the inactivity of the 'belt holders' has resulted in so many contenders being frozen out of the top-flight fights.
If it wasn't for the Saudis, the heavyweight division would be dead. But even with the Saudis, the pace of the 'eliminators' has been slow over the past 12 months.
Fury is the main culprit. Going 18 months with only a 'non-title' 10 round fight against an MMA fighter was disgraceful. But Usyk's inactivity (which cannot all be pinned on Fury) has been a problem too. The 'two fight deal' between Usyk and Fury has messed a lot of stuff up too.
The fact that Anthony Joshua kept getting placed at the front of the queue despite only faces second-raters was a problem too. I really doubt that will end either, despite him being thoroughly exposed again as a hype job last weekend.

 

You're looking from hindsight now. A lot of people gave Whyte chances against Fury.

 

Usyk
Fury
Zhang
Dubois
Parker
Joshua
Bakole
Wilder
Ruiz
Chisora
Hrgovic

Zhang was robbed against Parker. Don't forget.
Wilder still beats many contenders.

 

1. Oleksandr Usyk
2. Tyson Fury
3. Daniel Dubois
4. Joseph Parker
5. Agit Kabayel
6. Martin Bakole
7. Zhilei Zhang
8. Filip Hrgović
9. Anthony Joshua
10. Efe Ajagba

 

That's true, you're right about that.

My biggest issue with Fury is that he hasn't had a meaningful and decisive win over a legitimate top opponent since Klitschko—in fact, Klitschko is the only big name on his resume. While both Wilder and Whyte were technically considered top fighters, Wilder has always been a protected hype job who got exposed every time he stepped up from his usual level of beating part-timers. Even an ageing Ortiz boxed his ears off until he gassed out and Wilder was able to land on him. By 2022, Whyte was a shot fighter, especially following his devastating loss to an ancient Povetkin. His punch resistance was long gone by the time he fought Fury, who knocked him out with the very same shot that hurt Usyk but wasn’t nearly enough to even drop Usyk for an eight count.

Joshua was criticised for not beating a legitimate, young top opponent in their twenties. But the same criticism applies to Fury, whose last 24 months looked like this: Chisora cash grab, Ngannou controversy, loss to Usyk. Underwhelming, to say the least.

As of now, September 2024, neither Fury nor Joshua are in my top 5. The top 2 are arguably Usyk and Dubois, followed by Parker, Zhang, and Kabayel, not necessarily in that order.

 

Robbed my backside. He barely threw any punches and Parker outpointed him.

 

I'm not sure they did. Not really, or not on here anyway by the time Whyte's shot at a title eventually came round. Many didn't see him as "deserving" the shot because he was KO'd by Povetkin, before very begrudgingly recognizing him as a top 5 opponent who had earnt his chances at a title shot over the years. Even then, I think those who gave Whyte much of a hope would have been very much wishful thinking. His style was made to measure for Fury. Even so, it was still a top 5 win.

 

Hindsight is 20/20. Fury defeated Wilder when he was considered a major threat and he's remained top ten up until his last fight. Also has a solid win against Whyte though you're right he should have done more.

It's all subjective and I respect your view. For me Fury still holds #2 because I believe head to head he beats everyone else bar Usyk.

 

I can see where you are coming from, yes. I think Fury has not fulfilled his potential, and I agree that in his prime, he beats everyone in the division bar Usyk. Maybe a focused and prepared Ruiz or Hunter could cause him problems due to their height and style but that's about it.

 

You can argue he lost every round that he didn't drop Parker in.

 

Sorry bro, that's not what ratings are limited to.

 

I can understand that they have to do it by committee, and that takes a little time.... but, boy do they move kinda slow at The Ring: They've still got AJ at #2 and Dubois at #6....

https://www.ringtv.com/ratings/?weightclass=272

 

How many rounds you give Zhang?

 

They usually update their rankings before the weekend after the fight. But you can look at TBRB or ESPN to see how Ring ratings may look.

 

I didn't say they were and made that clear but that isn't the point

The point was how many years does a fighter get a pass or live off wins from years back
So tell me the issue with below in your opinion

Below repeated
If (and I know they aren't necessarily so, but giving an example) ratings were based on the last 3 fights

Dubois - Joshua, Hrgovic, Miller
Fury - (loss) Usyk, Ngannou, Chisora

Or if based on years, how many?
Take the last 2 years or so, say beginning of September 2022 to make a whole month

Dubois - Joshua, Hrgovic, Miller, (loss) Usyk, Lerena
Fury - (loss) Usyk, Ngannou, Chisora

I would rate Dubois above at this time
Parker and Zhang had better performances against Wilder than Fury, but I wouldn't put Zhang above though based on last 3 fights or last 2 years but could have Parker rated above