It’s a golden era for British heavyweights with Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte all engaging in world title fights, plus a cast of rising stars looking to catch up fast.
When Lennox Lewis fought Frank Bruno in 1993, it was the first time two Brits had fought for a version of the world heavyweight crown. But if the 1990s looked like a strong decade for the UK’s big men, the last 10 years have been undisputedly better.
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Britain has had two genuine world champions, three Olympic super-heavyweight medallists and up to four boxers in any independent ranking of the world’s top 10 heavies. But how do the best 10 British heavyweights stack up right now?
10. David Adeleye
Muscular, 6ft 4in Londoner looks the part and has an imposing 12-0 (11 KOs) record to match. However Adeleye’s one distance fight should arguably have been a surprise defeat as he struggled against wily journeyman Kamil Sokołowski in 2021.
Whether that was an off-night or a sign of how raw Adeleye was, he’s bounced back with five straight KO wins. The 26-year-old ‘Big D’ has natural power and the Frank Warren machine behind him. More seasoning is required but the potential is there.
9. Frazer Clarke
Likeable ‘Big Fraz’ may not have turned pro with the same hype that accompanied previous Olympians AJ or even Joe Joyce. But the Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist is 6ft 5in, has vast amateur experience and at 31 is likely to be fast-tracked from here.
A must-see clash with the no.8 on this list looked to be on the cards but instead Clarke had to settle for beating Mariusz Wach at a sweltering York Hall in June. Nobody looks good against Wach, but Clarke (now 7-0, 5 KOs) banked 10 important rounds for the first time.
8. Fabio Wardley
Unlike his domestic rival Clarke, Wardley had no medal-filled amateur career having only taken up boxing at age 20. But the 28-year-old Ipswich hitter has made dramatic strides as a pro, winning all 16 of his bouts (15 by KO) in crowd-pleasing style.
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Biggest win by far came in a three-round thriller against Nathan Gorman. Many expected the slicker Gorman to win but Wardley reversed expectations to score a KO win and claim the British heavyweight title. May not be done upsetting the odds yet.
7. Hughie Fury
He’ll never be the best boxer in his family and frustrating health issues have kept him out of the ring since October 2021. However Tyson’s cousin is still an awkward, 6ft 6in heavyweight who’s never been stopped while building a solid 26-3 (15 KOs) record.
Those three defeats, all close and against top opposition, speak to an inability to get over the line so far. But Hughie is still only 28, a youngster in heavyweight terms, and if he gets a long-awaited fight with Michael Hunter he’ll get another crack at stepping up to world level.
6. Derek Chisora
Some might prefer it if the brave old warhorse Chisora was not ranked here at all, with many fight fans believing that the 39-year-old cult hero should consider calling it a day after 46 action-packed and draining fights.
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But if ‘Del Boy’ will fight on, it’s worth recalling that he gave Oleksandr Usyk a tough 12 rounds in 2020 and beat Kubrat Pulev in 2022. The unnecessary third Tyson Fury fight was painfully one-sided but Chisora still lasted until round 10. As tough as they come.
5. Daniel Dubois
Dubois has rebounded well since his sole loss to Joe Joyce in 2020, winning four bouts by KO and earning the (sigh) WBA ‘regular’ title by battering Trevor Bryan on a bizarre Don King card last year.
Yet a three-round war vs Kevin Lerena on the Fury-Chisora III undercard summed up Dubois. He was knocked down three times but got up to stop his foe. Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs) has power and looks terrific when his punches flow, but question marks over his durability remain.
4. Dillian Whyte
‘The Bodysnatcher’ was outclassed by Tyson Fury in his one attempt at a world title, being finished off by a brutal uppercut at Wembley. But despite that, and an early career defeat by amateur rival Joshua in a fun shootout, Whyte is still a world top-10 heavyweight.
Has fine wins over Joseph Parker, Oscar Rivas and Alexander Povetkin in their rematch. At 35, however, the clock is ticking on Whyte’s career and his next big opportunity – possibly a tasty rematch with AJ – could be his last, unless Whyte can find a way to win.
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3. Joe Joyce
The heavyweight division’s danger man until he was stopped with a badly damaged eye against Zhilei Zhang in an upset in April. But if Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs) hadn’t suffered that nasty injury, would he have battled back to victory as he so often has in the past?
Joyce’s slow speed and leaky defence have always counted against him. But the Olympic silver medallist still owns stoppage wins over Dubois, Parker and tough Carlos Takam. If the 37-year-old can beat Zhang in a rematch, ‘Big Juggernaut’ is right back on track.
2. Anthony Joshua
Two ways of looking at the last few years of AJ’s career: he’s won only one of his past three fights and hasn’t scored a KO since 2020. Or: his only unavenged defeats have come against a modern great – Usyk – over 12 tough rounds, and Joshua fought better in the rematch.
April’s dominant distance win against Jermaine Franklin was a slog, however, and the worry is AJ has lost confidence in the power-punching style that made him a star. Yet this was the 33-year-old’s fight with new trainer Derrick James.
Joshua remains a two-time world champion who would start a big favourite against any heavyweight not named Fury, Usyk or Deontay Wilder. This is the last big run of his career: can AJ regain his confidence and earn a shot at becoming a three-time champ?
1. Tyson Fury
For all the frustration around Fury with his retirements and un-retirements, his love-hate relationship with boxing, he is clearly Britain’s best boxer and perhaps one of the greatest heavyweights ever.
Standing around 6ft 9in (on tiptoes maybe), able to switch-hit, box slickly or hit with power, while boasting remarkable powers of recovery, Fury is a nightmarish prospect. His in-ring IQ is sky-high and he owns a surprisingly good singing voice.
The 34-year-old, unbeaten in 33 fights and with wins against Wilder and Wladimir Klitschko, has already established his legacy. The question now is whether he has the appetite to add it with a unification bout with Usyk and maybe that all-British showdown with AJ at last.
