Heavyweight boxing is going through a bit of a comeback nowadays. For a few years there didn’t look to be many big names to look out for but at present, there are at least three guys at the top who could all claim to be the best and a few guys coming up behind them who could have good futures. Here is how I rank the top ten and also make a prediction regarding a fighter who could join that company soon.

10) Adam Kownacki (18-0, 14 KO)

The big Pole remains perfect to date and although he is yet to really step up to the top level, he does have a few decent wins on his record. Last July, he defeated Artur Szpilka in a battle between two Polish heavyweights thanks to a TKO in the fourth round. Last time out he beat the former world champion, Charles Martin, in a close decision that all three judges gave to him 96-94.

9) Dominic Breazeale (19-1, 17 KO)

The 33-year-old lost to Anthony Joshua in 2016 but since that defeat, he has had two wins by stoppage. Izuagbe Ugonah was stopped in the fifth round while Eric Molina was defeated in the eighth round. Breazeale hasn’t fought for almost a year but he has been linked with various opponents including Dillian Whyte and the winner of the Deontay Wilder – Tyson Fury fight so we should see him back in the ring soon.

8) Joseph Parker (24-2, 18 KO)

The former WBO champion has had a tough 2018. The year began with a unification fight against Joshua and the New Zealander disappointed despite being the first man to take Joshua the distance. He followed that up with another poor display against Dillian Whyte where he did next to nothing for large parts of the fight before almost stopping Whyte late on. Parker will now return to his home country for a fight in December against an as yet unannounced opponent as he looks to get his career back on track.

7) Jarrell Miller (22-0-1, 19 KO)

Miller remains undefeated through 23 fights with the one blemish on his record being a draw early in his career against Joey Dawejko. Miller is 30 years old now and will be looking to take steps up to world level soon. He has already passed a few tests with wins over Gerald Washington, Mariusz Wach, Johann Duhaupas and Tomasz Adamek which should mean his next steps will be working towards eliminators for world title shots.

6) Luis Ortiz (29-1, 25 KO)

King Kong gave Deontay Wilder arguably the toughest fight of his career before being stopped in the tenth round. He has since returned to beat Razvan Cojanu in July and looks set for a possible meeting with Dillian Whyte in the coming months. There’s not a huge amount between the two and the winner of that will be high on the list of future world title opponents.

5) Dillian Whyte (24-1, 17 KO)

Many fighters struggle to come back after their first career defeat but Whyte has gone from strength to strength since losing to old rival Anthony Joshua in 2015. David Allen and Dereck Chisora were defeated in big domestic bouts and in his last two fights he has beat Lucas Browne and Joseph Parker. A fight with Ortiz looks likely and while it looks tight Whyte has been flawless since that loss to Joshua and might just start as favourite.

4) Alexander Povetkin (34-2, 24 KO)

The Russian has lost twice in his career. Wladimir Klitschko beat him in 2013 and Joshua became the first man to stop him last month. At 39 years old he may decide to call it a career but should he continue he would be exactly the sort of fighter that any young pretender would want to fight. A win over Povetkin would put you into world title contention and at 39 surely he’s long past his best.

3) Tyson Fury (27-0, 19 KO)

Fury is still undefeated and in many peoples eyes, he remains the number one heavyweight due to his claim to the lineal title. By beating Wladimir Klitschko he became the lineal champion but because he didn’t fight for two and a half years due to personal issues, he was stripped of all his titles. He is now making a comeback and will fight Deontay Wilder in December. For now, Wilder has the edge as Fury has looked rusty in his comeback fights but if he can turn the clock back, then he could beat the American.

2) Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KO)

The Alabama native has held the WBC title since 2015 when he outpointed Bermane Stiverne to win the belt. He has since defended the title seven times, including a rematch with Stiverne whom he knocked out in the first round this time. That knockout over Stiverne means he has knocked out every opponent he has ever faced. He will take on Fury in December in what looks like his toughest fight to date and if he can beat him then the chances are it will be a meeting with Joshua in 2019 for all the belts.

1) Anthony Joshua (22-0, 21 KO)

Fury, Wilder and Joshua can all have a legitimate claim to be the number one heavyweight on the planet but Joshua has shown himself to be the true number one by beating Klitschko, Parker and Povetkin. Wins over Breazeale and Whyte, who are also in the top ten, show that he isn’t afraid to take on anyone. He has a date booked for Wembley Stadium next year and the world wants to see him fight the winner of Wilder v Fury. If that can be arranged then it’s the perfect chance for the Londoner to prove he is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

One to watch

Tony Yoka (5-0, 4 KO)

Olympic champions seem to go on to do okay in the professional ranks these days and 2016 gold medalist in the super-heavyweight category is one of the latest to climb up the rankings. He has also won the Summer Youth Olympics (beating Joseph Parker in the final) and the World Championships in addition to the Olympics. As a professional, his best win came against Dave Allen via a tenth round stoppage in June and at 26 years old he still has quite a few good years ahead of him.