1. Tyson Fury (pictured): His 2019 campaign was a disappointment (wins over Otto Wallin and Tom Schwarz) but he deserved the win over Deontay Wilder in late 2018 and hasn’t lost since. By the way, Boxingtalk does not recognize his lineal championship claim.
2. Deontay Wilder: The WBC champion didn’t look great in knocking out Luis Ortiz, but as Wilder himself said, he only has to be perfect for three seconds to knock anyone out. Scheduled for rematch vs. Fury in February.
3. Anthony Joshua: The WBA super champion and WBO/ IBF/ IBO champion deserves a lot of credit for winning an immediate rematch vs. his June conqueror Andy Ruiz, but in light of the two fights vs. Ruiz, its hard to imagine Joshua defeating Wilder.
4. Dillian Whyte: He was cleared of PED charges and had wins over Mariusz Wach and previously undefeated Oscar Rivas in 2019. Only loss is to Joshua.
5. Luis Ortiz: With few of the other contenders fighting each other, the old man of the division nabs the last spot in the top five. Had a quality win over Christian Hammer before losing to Wilder.
6. Kubrat Pulev: Marking his time as the IBF mandatory contender. Did just enough in 2019 (wins over Rydell Booker and Bogdan Dinu) to remain relevant.
7. Oleksandr Usyk: Much respect to the former world cruiserweight champion, but a win over semi-retired Chazz Witherspoon shouldn't mean much in the rankings. Gets a top ten spot based on a 2017 cruiserweight win over Michael Hunter, who has done well as a heavyweight (see below).
8. Andy Ruiz: The disappointment in his training effort for the Joshua rematch cannot be overstated. I have a feeling we wont see Ruiz back in the ring until his money starts running low.
9. Alexander Povetkin: Perennial contender drops a few notches due to the draw with Hunter. Only two career losses were to champions Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko
10. Michael Hunter: Forced his way into the top ten with wins over Sergey Kuzmin and Fabio Maldonado and a draw vs. Povetkin. His willingness to fight the best puts him ahead of the current crop of prospects.
11. Adam Kownacki: Still undefeated, but lost a bit of momentum in 2019. Last year’s campaign consisted of wins over Gerald Washington and name-from-the-past (but surprisingly spry) Chris Arreola.
12. Joseph Parker: Only fought once in 2019, a win over tough but limited Alex Leapai. The former WBO title holder is beginning to lose his contender status.
13. Daniel Dubois: Just 22 years of age, Dubois looks to be the best of the up-and-comers. Had five wins in 2019 all against decent competition.
14. Filip Hrgovic: Croatian big man had three wins in 2019 but needs to step up his competition.
15. Agit Kabayel: He remains unknown to American boxing fans, but he is the undefeated European champion and holds a narrow win over Dereck Chisora.
16. Dereck Chisora: A bit of a wild card with nine losses on his record but had three decent wins on the British circuit in 2019.
17. Gerald Washington: The pickings are getting slim for the remaining top twenty spots, but Washington earned his entry by rebounding from the Kownacki loss with a win over Robert Helenius.
18. Oscar Rivas: Former Colombian Olympian started 2019 with a dramatic come-from-behind win vs. Bryant Jennings but then lost to Whyte in July and hasn’t fought since.
19. Joe Joyce: The strong-but-slow Brit had three big names on his 2019 record: Jennings, Bermane Stiverne and Alexander Ustinov. However, all three were on the back nine of their careers.
20. Christian Hammer: Really tough to find the last member of the top twenty. Hammer’s last fight of 2018 was a win over previously undated Michael Wallisch, but then Hammer lost to Ortiz. Hammer got a stay-busy win over Saul Farah in late December, but he's really just a place holder until Tony Yoka gets even a decent win in 2020.
Others: Jarrell Miller (ineligible/ PED issues), Tony Yoka, Efe Ajagba, Charles Martin, Otto Wallin, Carlos Takam, Tom Schwarz, Frank Sanchez, Stephan Shaw, Bakhodor Jalolov, Zhilei Zhang.
Biggest disappointment: Ruiz of course, and the wasted 2019 of Ivan Dychko, who gave Anthony Joshua all he could handle in the 2012 Olympics but has fought absolutely nobody in the past few years.
