Who is the best heavyweight boxer? Top 10 heavyweights including Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

Boxing’s marque division is full of talented fighters who are competing for the status of becoming a world champion.

Heavyweight boxing is fiercely contested and there has not been an undisputed champion in the weight category for over 20 years. This has led to great debate over who the best current boxer is.

With that in mind we countdown the top 10 active heavyweight boxers to decide who is the greatest of the modern era.

Who is the best heavyweight boxer?

10. Joseph Parker - 31 wins, 3 losses

Joseph Parker is the first heavyweight boxer from New Zealand or the Pacific Islands to ever win a major world championship.

Parker turned professional in 2012 and secured the WBO title with a majority decision victory over Andy Ruiz Jr and he defended the belt against Razvan Cojanu and Hughie Fury.

Parker has recorded an impressive 21 knockouts in his 34 career fights and he has suffered just three career defeats which came to Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte and Joe Joyce.

The New Zealander is a highly talented fighter and he still has aspirations of challenging for a world title again in the future.

9. Filip Hrgovic - 15 wins

Croatian boxer Filip Hrgovic is a rising star in the heavyweight division and he has a perfect record of 15 victories.

The 6ft 6 boxer lifted a gold medal as an amateur in the European Championships and bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics.

Hrgovic turned professional in 2017 and his most notable victories have come against Rydell Booker, Eric Molina and Zhilei Zhang.

8. Dillian Whyte - 29 wins, 3 losses

Dillian Whyte made his professional boxing debut in 2011 and he has been an ever present in the top 10 heavyweight rankings since 2016.

The Jamaican born boxer, nicknamed the Body Snatcher is known for his trademark left hook and punch power and he has recorded a series of victories over opponents such as Derek Chisora, Robert Helenius and Joseph Parker.

Whyte has been beaten three times in his career with Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Alexander Povetkin all recording knockout victories against him.

7. Joe Joyce - 15 wins, 1 loss

Joe Joyce is a former Olympic and Commonwealth Games medalist who made his professional boxing debut in 2017.

Since turning professional Joyce has earned plaudits for his incredible punching power and he has recorded knockouts against a number of big names such as Daniel Dubois, Carlos Takam and Joseph Parker.

Joyce was tipped to challenge for a world title this year and there was great talk of a heavyweight showdown with either Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk.

However, these hopes were dented in April 2023 when he suffered a first career defeat to Zhilei Zhang.

6. Zhilei Zhang - 25 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss

Zhilei Zhang has aspirations of becoming China’s first ever heavyweight world champion and he boosted his hopes with a convincing victory against the previously unbeaten Joe Joyce.

The olympic medalist was underlooked by many bookmakers in the build up to the fight against Joyce but he dominated the encounter to force a stoppage within the first six rounds.

The 6ft6 heavyweight is blessed with immense knockout power and he has recorded 20 career knockouts from 27 fights.

5. Andy Ruiz Jr - 35 wins, 2 losses

Andy Ruiz Jr rose to stardom by becoming Mexico’s first ever heavyweight world champion in June 2019.

Ruiz was a last minute replacement for Jarrell Miller ahead of the bout with Anthony Joshua and he took the fight on with just a month’s notice.

The Mexican entered the ring as a huge underdog and he stunned audiences around the world by sending Joshua to the canvas on four occasions to force a technical knockout.

Ruiz Jr ultimately lost the rematch with Joshua by unanimous decision in a lacklustre performance but he has rebuilt his reputation with victories over Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz.

The former world champion is still 33-years old and it is likely that he will be involved in a world title fight again at some point in his career.

4. Anthony Joshua - 25 wins, 3 losses

Anthony Joshua was once viewed as the dominant heavyweight in the modern era and a few years ago he may have found himself at the top of this list.

Joshua rose to prominence after the 2012 Olympic Games when he won gold for Team GB in front of a home crowd.

Joshua entered the world of professional boxing with a great deal of expectation and he lived up to the hype with a series of showreel knockouts against the likes of Kevin Johnson, Gary Cornish and Dillian Whyte.

AJ became world champion just three years into his professional career with a victory over Charles Martin in 2016 and he continued to showcase his knockout power with impressive victories over the likes of Dominic Brezeale and longtime champion Wladimir Klitschko.

The Watford born boxer dominated the heavyweight division for three years but he fell to his first ever defeat in shocking circumstances against a much unfancied Andy Ruiz Jr.

Joshua regained the title by adapting his style to win the rematch against Ruiz but he later suffered back to back defeats against Ukrainian fighter Oleksandr Usyk.

Joshua is currently on a mission to regain the world title and he began his rise back to the top with a victory against Jermaine Franklin, but it remains to be seen if he can re-discover the form of his earlier years.

3. Deontay Wilder - 43 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses

If this list was simply based on punch power then former world champion Deontay Wilder would undoubtedly finish in top spot.

The Bronze Bomber made his professional debut in 2008 and breezed through all of his first 32 opponents within the first four rounds. He gained the WBC world title in 2015 with a victory over Bermane Stiverne and he continued to dominate the division with knockout victories over Eric Molina, Chris Arreola and Gerald Washington.

For much of Wilder’s career there was great talk of an undisputed bout with Anthony Joshua but the fight ultimately never came to fruition and the Bronze Bomber instead took on a fight with the returning Tyson Fury.

Wilder was the favourite to overpower Fury after his inactivity but he ultimately struggled to deal with The Gypsy King and he drew one and lost twice in an epic trilogy.

Despite his defeat Wilder remains one of the most feared fighters in the heavyweight game and he boasts an incredible knockout to win percentage of 97.67% with 20 of his knockouts coming in the opening round.

2. Oleksandr Usyk - 20 wins

Oleksandr Usyk has followed in the footsteps of Evander Holyfield and David Haye by becoming a world champion at both the cruiserweight and the heavyweight division.

Usyk rose to fame as an amateur and won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in 2012 before starting his professional career as a cruiserweight fighter.

The Ukrainian thrived at professional level and became the undisputed champion of the cruiserweight division - conquering all opponents in sight including Michael Hunter, Marco Huck, Murat Gassiev and Tony Bellew.

Usyk made the step up to the heavyweight division in 2019 and many experts once questioned whether the Ukrainian would be able to perform at the same level against bigger and more powerful opponents.

Usyk has continued to thrive at heavyweight level and his speed, stamina and footwork have proved a problem for all of his opponents in recent years.

Usyk established himself as a two weight champion against Anthony Joshua in 2021 and he successfully defended the belts in a rematch a year later.

The former gold medalist remains unbeaten with a perfect record of 20 victories in the ring and he is unlucky to miss out on top spot in this list.

1. Tyson Fury - 33 wins, 1 draw

Tyson Fury tops the list as the best heavyweight boxer on the planet and he currently has an undefeated record of 33 victories and one draw.

The Gypsy King began his career in 2009 and rose through the heavyweight ranks by beating Steve Cunningham, Christian Hammer and Derek Chisora to set up a world title fight with Wladimir Klitshko in 2015.

Fury surprised audiences around the world by dethroning Klitchsko in a comfortable unanimous decision victory.

Fury returned to boxing in 2018 after a three year hiatus and he has established himself as one of the greats of the sport during his second stint.

He regained the heavyweight crown by defeating the reigning world champion Deontay Wilder on two occasions during an epic trilogy before defending the belts against Chisora and Whyte.

Fury is viewed as one of the most talented heavyweight boxers of his generation. He has the versatility to box orthodox and southpaw, he is unnaturally quick on his feet for a 6ft 9 heavyweight and he is blessed with tremendous punch power.

The Gypsy King has excelled to new heights under the guidance of Sugar Hill Steward and it is hard to see any heavyweight beating him at this moment in time.