The former unified champion is ranked #2 by the WBC and #4 by the WBO, a position that usually indicates a fighter is approaching a meaningful title opportunity.
In the last seven years, Otto Wallin is probably Joshua’s most “legitimate” boxing victory. Wallin is a tough, durable southpaw, and AJ took him apart. But even then, Wallin’s stock was largely based on a fight with Tyson Fury from four years earlier.
Kubrat Pulev was 39 and retired for years when Joshua fought him in 2020. Robert Helenius was a week’s notice replacement who had just been wiped out by Wilder.
In between these wins, he lost twice to Usyk and was brutally knocked out in five rounds by Daniel Dubois in late 2024.
Usually, when a fighter is stopped by a contemporary like Dubois, they have to fight their way back by beating other top-10 contenders (think Zhilei Zhang or Joseph Parker). It feels like the WBC and WBO rank the brand, not the boxer.
Keeping AJ at #2 makes a potential Tyson Fury fight “official” for a title or a final eliminator. In a division where the top guys often fight once every 18 months, Joshua’s willingness to get in the ring, even against questionable opposition, keeps the sanctioning bodies happy.
Ultimately, his resume since 2019 looks like a very successful rebuilding project that forgot to actually finish the building. He’s back in the title conversation because of who he is, not who he’s been beating lately.
If you strip away the “superstar” buffer and the commercial bias of the sanctioning bodies, Joshua’s real position in the heavyweight division looks very different.
Based on his recent form, specifically the KO loss to Daniel Dubois and the nature of his wins over non-contenders, he belongs significantly lower than #2 or #4. In a merit-based system, Joshua should probably be ranked between #7 and #10.
