The new WBC heavyweight rankings make interesting reading, while they also make for bad news for former heavyweight champ Andy Ruiz Jr, and good news for unbeaten puncher Arslanbek Makhmudov. Ruiz, inactive since last September’s win over Luis Ortiz, is now down at #5, while Makhmudov, who last fought in July, with the Russian giant picking up a stoppage win over Raphael Akpejiori, is now up at #3.
Here are the full rankings:
Champ – Tyson Fury
1: Deontay Wilder
2: Anthony Joshua
3: Arslanbek Makhmudov
4: Frank Sanchez
5: Andy Ruiz Jr
6: Jared Anderson
7: Efe Ajagba
8: Dillian Whyte
9: Martin Bakole
10: Joseph Parker
11: Filip Hrgovic
12: Daniel Dubois
13: Agit Kabayel
14: Otto Wallin
15: Bakhodir Jalolov
You may or may not find yourself in agreement with these rankings. Surely Hrgovic is too low, while Sanchez, yet to really beat anyone of true note, is too high? That’s just my opinion. As far as champ Fury goes, he will as we know fight Francis Ngannou in a non-title affair next. After that, it could be that the WBC will order him to fight the winner of a Wilder-Joshua fight, if this one can actually be made, that is. But Fury has said recently he has “zero interest” in a fourth fight with Wilder. And we all know how difficult it has been making a Fury-Joshua fight! Might Fury find himself being stripped of the WBC title before too long?
Really, although not trying to be pessimistic, there are not too many obvious and exciting big heavyweight fights to be made if we go by the WBC rankings. Some fans would perhaps even say the division is at an all-time low. The only heavyweight title fight we all really, absolutely want is Fury against Oleksandr Usyk, for the undisputed crown. But no-one is holding their breath on that fight any longer.
Maybe the best thing for we fans would be for a young gun like an Anderson or a Makhmudov (who is already 34 but is fresh at 17-0) to take over the division. Who knows how long Fury (age 35) Usyk (age 36), Wilder (age 38 next month) and Joshua (age 33) have left?
It might be time for a shake-up at heavyweight. But how far can Anderson, 16-0(15) and Makhmudov go?