The 'Day of Reckoning' megacard in Riyadh sparked a whole host of changes to the Sporting News' heavyweight rankings, with Anthony Joshua the big winner.
Former two-time unified champion Joshua looked excellent in dispatching Swedish lefty Otto Wallin in five rounds and moved up one spot to No.3.
He replaces the former WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder, who was expected to blast through New Zealand's Joseph Parker but found himself on the end of a one-sided points loss. Subsequently, Wilder drops four places to No.7 while a rejuvenated Parker moves up four spots to No.5.
The unbeaten Filip Hrgovic stayed on course for a world title shot with a first-round stoppage of the hapless Mark De Mori. Through attrition, the Croatian lefty moves up four places to No.6. Hrgovic is set for an IBF title shot, likely for a vacant belt following the upcoming Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk undisputed showdown.
Unbeaten contender Frank Sanchez looked impressive in dispatching Junior Fa in five rounds and moved up two places to No.9. Agit Kabayel put forth one of the best performances of the night, crushing the previously unbeaten Arslanbek Makhmudov in four rounds. He debuts in the ratings at No.11.
Exiting the ratings due to inactivity are Andy Ruiz and Luis Ortiz. This made room for the aforementioned Kabayel, as well as unbeaten American Jared Anderson, who comes in at No.12.
Heavyweight rankings: The Sporting News' top 12
| Rank | Fighter | Titles | Record | Movement (Dec. 27) |
| 1 | Oleksandr Usyk | IBF, WBA, WBO, Ring | 21-0 (14 KOs) | - |
| 2 | Tyson Fury | WBC | 34-0-1 (24 KOs) | - |
| 3 | Anthony Joshua | 27-3 (24 KOs) | +1 | |
| 4 | Zhilei Zhang | 26-1-1 (21 KOs) | +1 | |
| 5 | Joseph Parker | 34-3 (22 KOs) | +4 | |
| 6 | Filip Hrgovic | 17-0 (14 KOs) | +4 | |
| 7 | Deontay Wilder | 43-3-1 (42 KOs) | -4 | |
| 8 | Joe Joyce | 15-2 (14 KOs) | - | |
| 9 | Frank Sanchez | 23-0 (16 KOs) | +2 | |
| 10 | Martin Bakole | 20-1 (15 KOs) | +2 | |
| 11 | Agit Kabayel | 24-0 (16 KOs) | NEW | |
| 12 | Jared Anderson | 16-0 (15 KOs) | NEW |
The best in the world at heavyweight: Oleksandr Usyk
As Ukrainian wizard Oleksandr Usyk was cutting a swathe through the cruiserweight division, the undisputed champ was soon tipped to achieve big things at heavyweight. He didn't disappoint, scoring two memorable points triumphs over Anthony Joshua.
Due in large part to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Usyk had been extremely inactive. However, the 36-year-old technician returned to action in August and battered Britain's Daniel Dubois to a ninth-round stoppage defeat.
A mainstay on any pound-for-pound list worth reading, Usyk will finally square off against WBC counterpart Tyson Fury in Riyadh on February 17. Should Usyk prevail, then he will make history for his country and rubberstamp his status as an all-time great.
The ring genius moved to No.1 in our heavyweight rankings in November 2023, following Fury's thoroughly poor showing against novice Francis Ngannou, which saw the Brit fall one spot.
The Sporting News' Boxing Ratings
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