Joey’s Corner: The top 10 British heavyweights in boxing today

After ‘Romford Bull’ Johnny Fisher returned with a tougher-than-expected win on Saturday, I’ll be casting my eye over the British heavyweight division. It has been a year of glorious highs and brutal lows for the domestic big boys. With the end of 2025 in sight, the time has come to rank the nation’s blue riband boxers.

It should be noted, Tyson Fury does not appear on this ranking. This is due to the retirement he entered after losing his rematch to Oleksandr Usyk a year ago. While ‘The Gypsy King’ has flip-flopped on how retired he really is, until he fights he will not be eligible for this ranking. Read on for the Brit top 10 according to Joey’s Corner.

10) Lawrence Okolie

The former WBO cruiserweight and WBC bridgerweight champion started his heavyweight campaign proper 12 months ago. A first-round knockout of lowly Hussein Muhammed told us little about ‘The Sauce’. But a unanimous decision over durable tough-nut Kevin Lerena in July suggested Okolie is a decent heavyweight.

9) David Adeleye

‘Big D’ has done a fine job of rebuilding from a seventh-round TKO loss to Fabio Wardley back in 2023. Adeleye KO’ed Solomon Dacres to lift the British title in his following outing, putting the domestic division on notice.

Adeleye’s next two fights showed the pendulous nature of boxing reputation. A controversial stoppage of Jeamie TKV, when he hit his opponent after the ref had physically moved the challenger’s hand after calling break, was bad for business. But a brave and spirited effort in losing over 12 rounds to world class Filip Hrgovic put ‘D’ back on track. 

8) Dave Allen

The people’s champion, if this list were sorted by popularity then ‘The Doncaster De La Hoya’ would be top of the table. Allen entered 2025 fresh from the momentum of moral victory, having lost a controversial decision to Johnny Fisher in Saudi Arabia.

The rematch saw Allen clean out ‘The Romford Bull’ in a brutal five-round demolition job. The admirably-game Allen demanded a world-level foe in his next fight and Matchroom obliged. Dave lost a unanimous decision to Russian giant Arslanbek Makhmudov in Sheffield, but won yet more hearts with his courage. If the whispers are to be believed, the British belt beckons in 2026.

7) Frazer Clarke

We join ‘Big Fraze’ at a dark time for the Olympic bronze medalist. Clarke lost via split decision last Saturday to Jeamie TKV in a brutal British title war. It was the third time Frazer has come up short for the Lord Lonsdale belt, losing twice to Fabio Wardley across 2023 and 2024.

At 34, many will be quick to write off ‘The Eraser’. But Clarke is a supreme talent, as knockout wins over Dave Allen and Ebenezer Tetteh, as well as points nods over Mariusz Wach and Bogdan Dinu demonstrate. With that said, Clarke’s 2026 will be pivotal in determining his legacy.

6) Jeamie TKV

Jeamie got justice last weekend, lifting the British heavyweight championship at the second attempt. After the Adeleye controversy, TKV will have been relieved to eke out a hard-fought and deserved win over Clarke. 

A gifted amateur with a relentless pro style, TKV has not always been the easiest to match. But now he has the Lord Lonsdale strap around his waist, there will be a few on this list and beyond that fancy a crack at the Tottenham man.

5) Derek Chisora

I called for ‘Del Boy’ to retire in December 2021, after he endured a hellacious beating over 12 rounds in his rematch with Joseph Parker. So anyway, Chisora is 4-1 since then and that defeat was for Tyson Fury’s WBC and The Ring heavyweight championships. This is why I’m a writer and not a careers advisor.

Chisora’s one outing of 2025 was impressive, as he won a decision as the underdog against contender Otto Wallin. The Manchester bout was billed as his last in the UK, but it was nearly not even his last in the Co-op Arena. 

Chisora was scheduled to fight there in December, before the card collapsed without an opponent. The suggestion is he will face old rival Dillian Whyte in a trilogy fight in the very near future.

4) Moses Itauma

The best ‘next Mike Tyson’ since the last one, do not let that over-egged moniker fool you. Itauma is 13-0 with 11 knockouts at the age of 20. Nobody has taken him past the second round since a pair of six-round decisions in 2023. 

Mariusz Wach, Dempsey McKean and Mike Balogun all fell in double-quick time in recent fights. The boxing fraternity expected Dillian Whyte to give Itauma more trouble. He summarily did not, succumbing in one savage round.

Tougher tests await for the young prospect. January opponent Jermaine Franklin has never been stopped, having taken Whyte and Anthony Joshua the distance. Last time out, the American out-scored unbeaten two-time Olympic medalist Ivan Dychko. If Itauma takes Franklin out early, it will be a serious statement of intent. 

3) Anthony Joshua

Sure to be a divisive pick, AJ’s detractors will point to his lack of activity since losing an IBF title challenge to Daniel Dubois last year. But this ranking is based on current quality rather than all-time achievement. If it was the latter, that Dubois loss would be more than trumped by Joshua’s two reigns as unified champion.

Before the loss to ‘Dynamite’, Joshua was on a hell of a run. Four wins included punishing knockouts of Wallin and ex-UFC champ Francis Ngannou. If the latter felt like a circus, just wait until Joshua does battle with YouTube irritant Jake Paul later this month…

2) Daniel Dubois

The criminally-underrated ‘Triple D’ has held heavyweight gold more recently than era-definers Joshua and Fury. But Dubois’ IBF heavyweight belt went back to Oleksandr Usyk last time out, as the Brit was stopped in the fifth round of an undisputed unification at Wembley.

Losing to the best heavyweight, and perhaps best fighter, of a generation holds no shame. Dubois has beaten Hrgovic, AJ and Jarrell Miller in recent years. Those fights answered questions surrounding his stamina and heart. Next year, Dubois’ resilience will be tested once again as the rebuild begins.

1) Fabio Wardley

Who else? The WBO heavyweight champion of the world tops the ranking due to his status and his excellent current form.

Wardley was denied a title-winning night, but his dramatic upset knockout over Joseph Parker to lift the WBO interim belt was one of the finest victories from a Brit all year. A come-from-behind KO of Justis Huni at Portman Road saw the Suffolk slugger lift the WBA interim strap in a banner year.

Wardley has gone from white collar to British champion to world kingpin. Usyk would have been a heavy favourite if he’d fulfilled his mandatory. But the Ukrainian is not daft. Perhaps he swerved Fabio Wardley for more than commercial reasons…

Best of the Rest

Johnny Fisher is a popular knockout king, but his laboured win over Ivan Balaz showed scars from the Allen defeat.

World title challenger Richard Riakporhe has swapped cruiserweight for heavyweight. But we need to see more than knockout wins over cannon fodder Kevin Nicolas Espindola and Tommy Welch.

Hughie Fury carries the weight of his cousin Tyson’s lofty reputation. Seven wins on the spin in fair-to-middling company could propel the 31-year-old to big domestic fights.

Three years ago, Joe Joyce might have topped this list. He was 15-0 then, having just handed Joseph Parker a dramatic loss. But the former WBO interim kingpin ran into Zhilei Zhang. The Olympic silver medalist has 1-4 since Parker, with Chisora and Hrgovic picking over the bones.

Solomon Dacres has long looked like a future British heavyweight champion. But at 32, that future is shrinking. ‘The Real Deal’ rebounded from his KO loss to Adeleye last year with a 10-round decision win over unbeaten Vladyslav Sirenko in July.

Dillian Whyte looked like he had reached the end of the road when Itauma crushed him in one round. 'The Body Snatcher' is touted for Chisora's final fight, but the former WBC title challenger might be best off hanging up the gloves.

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