Joshua and Wilder move in opposite directions in the latest ranking as Nigerian may face Ngannou

Boxing’s WBA heavyweight rankings have undergone a big shakeup following that massive ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Saudi Arabia, and it has Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder moving in very different directions.

Joshua was extremely impressive as he made it three wins from three in 2023 by demolishing Sweden’s Otto Wallin in five rounds in Riyadh. But Wilder was stunned by Joseph Parker as he dropped a conclusive decision to the New Zealander.

Not only did that shock loss for Wilder (43-3-1) – the third of his career – see the dreams of a March 9 super fight vs Joshua go up in flames, but it also saw him disappear completely from the top 15 in the WBA’s latest rankings. He had been perfectly positioned at #1 ahead of events in the desert.

Martin Bakole moves up into the top contender spot previously held by Wilder, while AJ is up to #2 from #3 and Parker’s reward for that win over Wilder is a new entry at #3. Daniel Dubois is up to #4 from #7 after his impressive 10th-round stoppage win over Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller.

Another man moving up three spots after a ‘Day of Reckoning’ victory is ‘Cuban Flash’ Frank Sanchez, who goes to #5 from #8 after stopping Junior Fa in seven rounds.

Germany’s European champion Agit Kabayel was mightily impressive in stopping undefeated Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov in four rounds in Saudi, and he enters the list at #8 while Makhmudov (previously #3) exits completely like Wilder. Filip Hrgovic was the other ‘Day of Reckoning’ winner, rising to #10 from #12 after a first-round KO of overmatched Aussie Mark De Mori.

The WBA super title is of course still held by Oleksandr Usyk as he prepares for that February 17 unification showdown with Tyson Fury.

WBA Heavyweight Rankings

The latest rankings for the WBA, revealed on December 31, 2023, are:

 

Super Champion: Oleksandr Usyk (UKR) – 21-0 (14)

Champion: Manuel Charr (GER) – 34-4 (20)

1. Martin Bakole (COD) – 20-1 (15)
2. Anthony Joshua (GBR) – 27-3 (24)
3. Joseph Parker (NZL) – 34-3 (23)
4. Daniel Dubois (GBR) – 20-2 (19)
5. Frank Sanchez (CUB) – 24-0 (17)
6. Lenier Pero (CUB) – 10-0 (7)
7. Cassius Chaney (USA) – 23-1 (16)
8. Agit Kabayel (DEU) – 24-0 (16)
9. Fabio Wardley (GBR) – 17-0 (16)
10. Filip Hrgovic (HRV) – 17-0 (14)
11. Jarrell Miller (USA) – 26-1-1 (22)
12. Jared Anderson (USA) – 16-0 (15)
13. Jonathan Guidry (USA) – 20-1-2 (12)
14. Justis Huni (AUS) – 8-0 (4)
15. Ivan Dychko (KAZ) – 13-0 (12)

Meanwhile, Joshua could be the latest boxing superstar to engage in a ‘crossover’ fight after promoter Eddie Hearn revealed the shortlist of potential opponents for his next fight in March.

Joshua had signed contracts for a two-fight deal with Deontay Wilder next – their first bout was scheduled for March 9. But that dream died when Wilder lost a conclusive decision to Joseph Parker – also on that ‘Day of Reckoning’ card.

Now instead AJ will go another path, with a pretty exclusive list of potential foes as he tries to position himself for a shot at the winner of that Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk unification battle.

Hearn revealed that they include former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou – who took Tyson Fury right to the wire in their Saudi showdown in October. The other possibilities are top IBF contender Filip Hrgovic and giant Chinese star Zhilei Zhang.

Hearn told IFL TV: “They don’t involve Wilder for March, we aim to fight the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk winner. There is the Hrgovic fight out there for the heavyweight title.

“There is the Francis Ngannou fight which would be colossal. There is the Zhang fight possibly as well with Queensberry.

“The things that AJ wants to do is be in massive fights, win the world heavyweight title, and fight Tyson Fury, or get another crack at Usyk. That’s what Ben [new trainer Davison] wants – another crack at Usyk. For me, I’d love the Fury fight.”

Hearn re-iterated that, contrary to popular opinion, the chances of AJ and Hrgovic meeting in March for a vacant IBF title are by no means in banker territory.

He said: “A lot has to happen by March to make that possible with Hrgovic. Fury and Usyk fight in the middle of February. Are they going to be able to keep the belt? Do they have to let it go? There’s a lot of discussions.

 

“If that’s in play for March, that’s a possibility. Maybe that’s a fight that, when everything plays out, could be one for the summer.

“As I said, our conversations right now are about mapping out AJ’s next four or five fights … his 2024 and potentially the rest of his career.”