The former unified champion has been placed at #2 by the WBC and #4 by the WBO, a position that usually signals a fighter closing in on a meaningful title opportunity.
In the last seven years, Otto Wallin is probably Joshua’s most “legitimate” boxing win. Wallin is a tough, durable southpaw, and AJ dismantled him. But even then, Wallin’s stock was largely based on a fight with Tyson Fury from four years prior.
Kubrat Pulev was 39 and had been stationary for years when Joshua fought him in 2020. Robert Helenius was a week’s notice replacement who had just been erased by Wilder.
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 claw their way back up by beating other top-10 contenders (think Zhilei Zhang or Joseph Parker). It feels like the WBC and WBO are ranking 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 because of who he’s beaten lately.
If you strip away the “superstar” buffer and the commercial bias of the sanctioning bodies, Joshua’s actual standing in the heavyweight division looks much 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 likely be ranked between #7 and #10.
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