Instead, Fury was immediately ranked above Lawrence Okolie, Moses Itauma, Anthony Joshua, Filip Hrgovic, Richard Torrez Jr., Frank Sanchez and Bakhodir Jalolov.
This is what makes the rankings stand out.
If another had heavy weight:
- lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk,
- retired again,
- bounced back against an unranked opponent,
- and looks physically diminished compared to his peak years,
he probably won’t jump straight to the top of the rankings after that.
The WBC seems to be responding to Tyson Fury’s appeal as much as Tyson Fury, the active heavyweight contender.
Fury still carries enormous weight commercially. He remains one of boxing’s biggest names, one of the strongest ticket sellers in the UK, and a central figure in Saudi-backed heavyweight schemes. A long-awaited fight against Anthony Joshua still hangs over the division financially, even after years of delays.
That commercial gravity changes how Fury is treated. The problem is that the current version of Fury no longer looks like the fighter who demolished Wladimir Klitschko or knocked out Deontay Wilder years ago. Prime Fury relied heavily on movement, reflexes, awkward angles, feelings and psychological control. The older version now relies more on punches, leans and slaps to slow down combat.
Against younger heavyweights who throw volume and aren’t intimidated by his size or playmaking, this can quickly become dangerous.
Moses Itauma, Jalolov, Hrgovic and Torrez Jr. all represent difficult stylistic fights because they will likely force Fury to work at a pace he may no longer be comfortable maintaining. Previous opponents often mentally froze against Fury before the opening bell. Younger heavyweights may not give him the same respect.
The rankings also create an uncomfortable situation for contenders who have continually built up their positions through activity and results. Fury bypassed much of that process with one comeback win over Makhmudov, who had already been stopped by Agit Kabayel and was no longer considered a top-level heavyweight threat.
Either way, Fury doesn’t look headed for a WBC title fight. The bigger money is still in a showdown with Joshua. But the WBC’s decision made one thing clear: Fury’s business value still bends the heavyweight division around him, even if his recent form no longer warrants it.
