Instead, Fury was immediately placed above Lawrence Okolie, Moses Itauma, Anthony Joshua, Filip Hrgovic, Richard Torrez Jr., Frank Sanchez, and Bakhodir Jalolov.
That is what makes the ranking stand out.
If another heavyweight had:
- lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk,
- retired again,
- returned against an unranked opponent,
- and looked physically diminished compared to his peak years,
he likely would not jump straight to the top of the rankings afterward.
The WBC appears to be reacting to Tyson Fury the attraction 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 United Kingdom, and a central figure in Saudi-backed heavyweight plans. 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 resembles the fighter who dismantled Wladimir Klitschko or outclassed Deontay Wilder years ago. Prime Fury depended heavily on movement, reflexes, awkward angles, feints, and psychological control. The older version now relies more on clinching, leaning, and slapping shots to slow fights down.
Against younger heavyweights who throw in volume and are not intimidated by his size or gamesmanship, that could become dangerous quickly.
Moses Itauma, Jalolov, Hrgovic, and Torrez Jr. all represent difficult stylistic fights because they would likely force Fury to work at a pace he may no longer be comfortable maintaining. Earlier opponents often froze against Fury mentally before the opening bell. Younger heavyweights may not give him that same respect.
The ranking also creates an awkward situation for contenders who have been steadily building 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 viewed as a top-level heavyweight threat.
Fury does not appear headed toward a WBC title fight anyway. The bigger money still sits 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 justifies it.
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