World Boxing Council (WBC) champion
Tyson Fury has been ranked as the best heavyweight boxer in the world by Ring Magazine ahead of rival Anthony Joshua.
Fury won the WBC and ‘The Ring’ heavyweight titles after knocking out former American champion Deontay Wilder back in February and has dethroned his British rival at the top of the division.
The ‘Gypsy King’ is also scheduled to face Joshua in two heavyweight battles in 2021 in one of the most highly-anticipated fights in British boxing history.
Promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed the news in June of this year, though the coronavirus pandemic has meant that both Fury and Joshua’s 2020 schedules have been put on hold.
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In the Ring Magazine’s rankings, Joshua has slipped down to second place after losing his unbeaten boxing streak in 2019.
Joshua suffered a shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019, but regained the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO titles following a successful rematch in December last year in Saudi Arabia.
Below Joshua in the rankings is Dillian Whyte, who has replaced Wilder in third spot. The British boxer beat Oscar Rivas and Mariusz Wach 2019 and is set to take on Russian Alexander Povetkin in August.
Wilder, meanwhile, is set to take on Fury for a third time in December which could significantly benefit his position in the rankings.
Cuban boxer Luis Ortiz, who lost to Wilder last November, is ranked in fifth spot while Povetkin is just behind him in sixth.
Joseph Parker, Michael Hunter and Oscar Rivas are next in line in Ring Magazine’s rankings, while Joshua’s next opponent, Kubrat Pulev, is in tenth spot.
Joshua was meant to take on the Bulgarian in June of this year at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the bout was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
