The Ring magazine names Tyson Fury as surprise No 1 heavyweight in updated rankings

The Ring magazine has announced its updated heavyweight rankings after Saturday’s megacard in Riyadh, with a surprising pick at No 1.

Several heavyweights were in action on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2, with Joseph Parker knocking out Martin Bakole in round two, and Agit Kabayel stopping Zhilei Zhang to the body in round six.

Parker triumphed despite the chaos around him last week, with the New Zealander initially due to box Daniel Dubois, until the Briton withdrew due to illness.

That withdrawal, 48 hours before fight night, led Bakole to step in. And while Parker was victorious, he was denied the chance to win the IBF heavyweight title, which Dubois holds.

It is as yet unclear whether Parker will face Dubois next, or unified champion Oleksandr Usyk. Meanwhile, Kabayel’s impressive win – after he climbed off the canvas – kept the German unbeaten, potentially setting him up for his own world-title fight this year.

In any case, all four heavyweights who fought at Saturday’s event – and Dubois – occupy spots in The Ring‘s updated heavyweight list. And if Parker were not a teammate of Tyson Fury, he might feel aggrieved to be ranked below the Briton.

With Usyk standing alone above the top 10, Fury has been selected as No 1, despite his apparent retirement in January. That retirement followed back-to-back losses in 2024, both at the hands of Usyk. In the Briton’s defence, those defeats were the first of his professional career, and few in boxing believe his retirement.

Yet his form pales next to that of No 3-ranked Parker, with the Kiwi extending his win streak to six by stopping Bakole. Parker’s quickfire dismissal of Bakole followed victories over Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder, and his coach Andy Lee – who also trains Fury – said of Parker on Saturday: “He’s the best heavyweight in the world. To me, he’s the best heavyweight in the world. Give him the chance to prove it, he’s the best heavyweight in the world.”

Sitting between Fury and Parker in The Ring’s rankings is Dubois, who is enjoying a similar career resurgence to Parker. Last time out, the 27-year-old knocked out Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium, dropping the former world champ four times en route to victory.

Prior to that result, Dubois stopped Filip Hrgovic and Jarrell Miller, as “Dynamite” bounced back from a controversial loss to Oleksandr Usyk. In their title fight in 2023, Dubois was stopped after dropping the unbeaten Ukrainian with a low blow, though many observers believed it was a legal body shot.

Kabayel has risen the rankings to occupy fourth spot, ahead of Joshua and sixth-ranked Zhang, his beaten foe from Saturday. Bakole is then seeded seventh, ahead of Hrgovic, while Fabio Wardley and 10th-placed Efe Ajagba round out the list.

The Ring’s heavyweight top 10, as of 27 February:

‘Champion’: Oleksandr Usyk

1. Tyson Fury2. Daniel Dubois3. Joseph Parker4. Agit Kabayel5. Anthony Joshua6. Zhilei Zhang7. Martin Bakole8. Filip Hrgovic9. Fabio Wardley10. Efe Ajagba