David Haye rises to #1 in WBO ranks, Parker title shot looms

[Ruthless-RKO]

Former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye has been placed at number one in the latest World Boxing Organisation ratings as a shot at new champion Joseph Parker draws near.

Haye was ordered to face the winner by the WBO prior to Parker fighting and defeating Andy Ruiz for the vacant belt left behind by ex-unified king Tyson Fury.

As the Briton prepares for a UK grudge match with Tony Bellew on March 4 in London, Haye can then look forward to a mandatory chance against Parker in the summer.

An upset victory for Bellew would put Haye's rating in jeopardy though and force the WBO to potentially allow number two Hughie Fury to take his place.

A request from Parker's team to defend his belt in the meantime should be looked up favorably by President Paco Valcarcel, unless promoters Duco want to thrash out a deal with Fury.

Here's the new WBO Top 15 at heavyweight:

CHAMPION - JOSEPH PARKER NZ

1 David Haye UK
2 Hughie Fury (Int-Cont) UK
3 Wladimir Klitschko UKR
4 Jarrell Miller (NABO) USA
5 Andy Ruiz USA
6 David Price UK
7 Tom Schwarz (WBO Youth) GER
8 Edmund Gerber KAZ
9 Kubrat Pulev BA
10 Andrey Fedosov USA
11 Izuagbe Ugonoh NIG
12 Christian Hammer (WBO Europe) GER
13 Michael Wallisch GER
14 Andrzej Wawrzyk POL
15 Andriy Rudenko UKR

http://www.worldboxingnews.net/2016/12/ ... shot-looms

[Ruthless-RKO]

If he's allowed a voluntary, I don't see him fighting Hughie. I expect him to pick..

7 Tom Schwarz (WBO Youth) GER
8 Edmund Gerber KAZ
10 Andrey Fedosov USA
11 Izuagbe Ugonoh NIG
12 Christian Hammer (WBO Europe) GER
13 Michael Wallisch GER
14 Andrzej Wawrzyk POL
15 Andriy Rudenko UKR

[Rob3_142]

If he's allowed a voluntary, I don't see him fighting Hughie. I expect him to pick..

7 Tom Schwarz (WBO Youth) GER
8 Edmund Gerber KAZ
10 Andrey Fedosov USA
11 Izuagbe Ugonoh NIG
12 Christian Hammer (WBO Europe) GER
13 Michael Wallisch GER
14 Andrzej Wawrzyk POL
15 Andriy Rudenko UKR

Why wouldn't he fight Hughie?

[Ruthless-RKO]

If he's allowed a voluntary, I don't see him fighting Hughie. I expect him to pick..

7 Tom Schwarz (WBO Youth) GER
8 Edmund Gerber KAZ
10 Andrey Fedosov USA
11 Izuagbe Ugonoh NIG
12 Christian Hammer (WBO Europe) GER
13 Michael Wallisch GER
14 Andrzej Wawrzyk POL
15 Andriy Rudenko UKR

Why wouldn't he fight Hughie?

You would think Hughie isn't experienced enough, and hasnt fought since April I think.. I just don't see the fight.

Hughie, just wants to become the youngest world champion, but im sure he cant beat Tyson's record now. He should focus and fight some contenders and Euopean level fighters. Don't know why he's being fast tracked

[asdfjkl]

Wlad rank 3, Haye rank 1? Looks like a bunch of idiots made this list.

[Ian1973]

What a ridiculous list. Price higher than Pulev lol lol lol.

Haye above Klitschko and Hughie above him also.

Did someone in an asylum compile these rankings?

[Ruthless-RKO]

What a ridiculous list. Price higher than Pulev lol lol lol.

Haye above Klitschko and Hughie above him also.

Did someone in an asylum compile these rankings?

Usually u get a higher rating if you hold the International, Inter-continental or European titles within the org, but the WBO don't seem to care..

If anything, Hughie should be first, Miller is okay were he is.. Hammer should be top 8 at least.

Thing with Pulev, he is more highly regarded with other orgs.

[Ruthless-RKO]

David Price named as possible opponent for WBO champion Joseph Parker

Parker's promoters, Duco Events, have confirmed that Price is one of the preferred fighters on their shortlist, because they are keen to showcase the unbeaten 24-year-old in Britain.

http://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12 ... eph-parker

[Enlightened-One]

You would think Hughie isn't experienced enough, and hasnt fought since April I think.. I just don't see the fight.

Hughie, just wants to become the youngest world champion, but im sure he cant beat Tyson's record now. He should focus and fight some contenders and Euopean level fighters. Don't know why he's being fast tracked

There’s a video on YouTube of Hughie filmed a couple of days ago saying that his team are looking for him to face either Deontay Wilder or Joseph Parker for his next bout.

It looks as though the ‘Bronze Bomber’ is going to be allowed a couple more voluntary defences of his WBC title, which means both of those fights are feasible for the younger Fury.

Fury was originally scheduled to face Andy Ruiz Jr. a few months ago and it was the Mexican-American that pulled out of that bout… and as we all should realise by now, Joseph Parker really isn’t a superior opponent for the Manchester-born youngster than who he was originally scheduled to fight.

[Enlightened-One]

Didn’t the WBO originally claim that the winner of the Parker-Ruiz Jr. fight would have to face David Haye within 120 days of their title fight, which means the deadline is the 9th April, 2017?

However, the WBO’s official rules and regulations states the following:

• "When a boxer obtains the World Championship title... in a fight for a vacant title, he shall defend the title against the Mandatory Challenger within a term which shall not exceed one hundred eighty (180) days counting from the date he acquired the title."

Therefore, the WBO could extend the deadline to as late as the 8th June, 2017, which is 96 days (or almost 14 weeks) after Haye’s fight against Bellew.

This means that Joseph Parker cannot face Hughie Fury, David Price or Jarrell Miller without gaining permission from the WBO to make a voluntary defence, as the timescales are still feasible for the Haye bout.

That being said, I’d be surprised if the WBO prevented Parker from making a voluntary defence of his title in the meantime, because otherwise he’d have to face six months of inactivity.

[asdfjkl]

I really really can't figure out how someone can possibly put Daffy Duck on rank one of a heavyweight boxing ranking. What has he done? Won against the worm? And that dummery guy?

[Enlightened-One]

I really really can't figure out how someone can possibly put Daffy Duck on rank one of a heavyweight boxing ranking. What has he done? Won against the worm? And that dummery guy?

David Haye is more accomplished than the vast majority of the people ranked below him in the WBO rankings, he brings them a larger sanctioning fee and he is likely better than nearly all the names that are behind him in the queue.

That being said, I do accept that Haye’s recent accomplishments don’t warrant such a lofty position in the WBO’s rankings, but we’ve all seen worst travesties, such as the WBA elevating a dead guy in their rankings two weeks after he had passed and there was no reason (such as form or calibre of recent victories) to do so.

To be fair, questionable rankings isn’t a problem specifically concerned with the WBO’s evaluation of David Haye, but this affects all organisations and all weight divisions.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Unless wlad beats Joshua, haye won't look at this fight.

[Rob3_142]

Why wouldn't he fight Hughie?

You would think Hughie isn't experienced enough, and hasnt fought since April I think.. I just don't see the fight.

Hughie, just wants to become the youngest world champion, but im sure he cant beat Tyson's record now. He should focus and fight some contenders and Euopean level fighters. Don't know why he's being fast tracked

Completely agree!

But him and his team clearly have other ideas. They're just setting themselves up for an early defeat.

[punchoutsb]

Yikes what a terrible list.

There are some compelling fights for Parker on there though.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Joseph Parker’s First Defense Options - Hughie Fury, Jarrell Miller

Co-promoter Bob Arum told BS.com that Hughie Fury and Jarrell Miller are among the opponents being considered for Joseph Parker’s first heavyweight title defense sometime late in March.

England’s Fury (20-0, 10 KOs), a cousin of former WBO heavyweight champ Tyson Fury, is ranked No. 2 among the WBO’s heavyweight contenders and owns the WBO Intercontinental title. Brooklyn’s Miller (18-0-1, 16 KOs) is ranked No. 4 by the WBO and has the NABO championship.

“Miller is a possibility,” said Arum, whose company, Top Rank Inc., became Parker’s co-promoter just before he fought Ruiz. “Hughie Fury is a possibility. We’ll take our time and figure it out.”

“I think Parker is gonna fight at the end of March and I think the plan is to have him fight in the United States,” Arum said. “Vegas or L.A. or New York. We’ll see. Wherever it makes the most sense.”

Arum also believes a Parker-Ruiz rematch is a fight that should take place at some point. Parker out-pointed Ruiz, of Imperial, California, by scores of 115-113, 115-113 and 114-114 in a mostly tactical encounter. “The truth is, I scored it even,” Arum said. “It was an exciting fight when you were there [at ringside]. I thought it was pretty exciting. You know, for a heavyweight fight, very exciting. So yeah, I think eventually we’ll do a rematch.”

[Grailer]

Ruiz vs Parker again would be an easy win for Parker due to Ruiz being 1 dimentional.

[asdfjkl]

I really really can't figure out how someone can possibly put Daffy Duck on rank one of a heavyweight boxing ranking. What has he done? Won against the worm? And that dummery guy?

David Haye is more accomplished than the vast majority of the people ranked below him in the WBO rankings, he brings them a larger sanctioning fee and he is likely better than nearly all the names that are behind him in the queue.

That being said, I do accept that Haye’s recent accomplishments don’t warrant such a lofty position in the WBO’s rankings, but we’ve all seen worst travesties, such as the WBA elevating a dead guy in their rankings two weeks after he had passed and there was no reason (such as form or calibre of recent victories) to do so.

To be fair, questionable rankings isn’t a problem specifically concerned with the WBO’s evaluation of David Haye, but this affects all organisations and all weight divisions.

Out of the list, I expect the follow boxers to win against Daffy:

1 David Haye UK
2 Hughie Fury (Int-Cont) UK
3 Wladimir Klitschko UKR
4 Jarrell Miller (NABO) USA
5 Andy Ruiz USA
6 David Price UK
7 Tom Schwarz (WBO Youth) GER
8 Edmund Gerber KAZ
9 Kubrat Pulev BA
10 Andrey Fedosov USA
11 Izuagbe Ugonoh NIG
12 Christian Hammer (WBO Europe) GER
13 Michael Wallisch GER
14 Andrzej Wawrzyk POL
15 Andriy Rudenko UKR

Fedosov and Schwarz have a fair chance as well.

Next to that, where's Whyte? Where's Takam? Where's Granat? Even Briggs? Or Jun Long Zhang, who at least deserves a spot right now.

[Enlightened-One]

I really really can't figure out how someone can possibly put Daffy Duck on rank one of a heavyweight boxing ranking. What has he done? Won against the worm? And that dummery guy?

David Haye is more accomplished than the vast majority of the people ranked below him in the WBO rankings, he brings them a larger sanctioning fee and he is likely better than nearly all the names that are behind him in the queue.

That being said, I do accept that Haye’s recent accomplishments don’t warrant such a lofty position in the WBO’s rankings, but we’ve all seen worst travesties, such as the WBA elevating a dead guy in their rankings two weeks after he had passed and there was no reason (such as form or calibre of recent victories) to do so.

To be fair, questionable rankings isn’t a problem specifically concerned with the WBO’s evaluation of David Haye, but this affects all organisations and all weight divisions.

Out of the list, I expect the follow boxers to win against Daffy:

1 David Haye UK
2 Hughie Fury (Int-Cont) UK
3 Wladimir Klitschko UKR
4 Jarrell Miller (NABO) USA
5 Andy Ruiz USA
6 David Price UK
7 Tom Schwarz (WBO Youth) GER
8 Edmund Gerber KAZ
9 Kubrat Pulev BA
10 Andrey Fedosov USA
11 Izuagbe Ugonoh NIG
12 Christian Hammer (WBO Europe) GER
13 Michael Wallisch GER
14 Andrzej Wawrzyk POL
15 Andriy Rudenko UKR

Fedosov and Schwarz have a fair chance as well.

Next to that, where's Whyte? Where's Takam? Where's Granat? Even Briggs? Or Jun Long Zhang, who at least deserves a spot right now.

I disagree with many of the names you've highlighted on the WBO's rankings.

[Lackeos]

I'd be pretty happy to see Haye - Parker. There doesn't appear to be a ton of gap between them -- they both seem to be about #6-8. I haven't been seeing a lot of more evenly-matched fights between top 10 heavyweights recently, so you'd have a hard time convincing me that this wouldn't be one of the best heavyweight match-ups of recent time.

[Lennox]

1 David Haye UK.... RANKED 20 highest ranked opponent beaten in last 3 years was ranked 40
2 Hughie Fury (Int-Cont) UK RANKED 37 only ever beaten 4 top 100 opponents highest ranked was 73
3 Wladimir Klitschko UKR RANKED 1 Legend, lost last time out.
4 Jarrell Miller (NABO) USA RANKED 26, has beaten 2 top 100 opponents highest was ranked 48
5 Andy Ruiz USA RANKED 33, has beaten 5 top 100 opponents highest ranked was 24, looked good in his losing effort to Parker
6 David Price UK RANKED 42. has beaten 7 top 100 opponents only 1 was in the top 50 (ranked 21) lost three times all by KO
7 Tom Schwarz (WBO Youth) GER RANKED 95 never faced a top 100 opponent
8 Edmund Gerber KAZ RANKED 35 has beaten 3 top 100 opponents highest ranked 37, few losses Chisora. Sprott
9 Kubrat Pulev BUL RANKED 7 good resume only lost once to Wlad, has beaten 7 top 50 fighters (highest ranked 5)
10 Andrey Fedosov RUS RANKED 36 has beaten 4 top 100 opponents highest ranked 47 lost a couple
11 Izuagbe Ugonoh NIG RANKED 78 never faced anyone in the top 100
12 Christian Hammer (WBO Europe) GER RANKED 10 faced 6 top 100 fighters most recently beat Teper (ranked 15) lost a few
13 Michael Wallisch GER RANKED 43 beat 2 top 100 fighters highest ranked 77
14 Andrzej Wawrzyk POL RANKED 19 has beaten 3 top 100 fighters highest ranked 32
15 Andriy Rudenko UKR RANKED 31 only beat 1 fighter in the top 100 he was ranked 59

This gives you some idea of the real quality of the ratings. Figures quoted are the rankings of the independent http://www.premierboxingorganisation.co ... weight-200 (last updated Dec 1st). Most divisions are the same and WBA rankings are usually much worse than the WBO.

[punchoutsb]

I'd be pretty happy to see Haye - Parker. There doesn't appear to be a ton of gap between them -- they both seem to be about #6-8. I haven't been seeing a lot of more evenly-matched fights between top 10 heavyweights recently, so you'd have a hard time convincing me that this wouldn't be one of the best heavyweight match-ups of recent time.

x2

[lillywhite14]

These rankings prove one thing, it's all about profile and backing when it comes to rankings. David Price at 6 is the worst. I can only assume that his best win over fringe world top 50 Sam Sexton, 4 and 1/2 years ago has held up pretty well!

[Killer Blow]

Haye's ranking is irrelevant as he has no interest in fighting for the title. And please NO to David 'the most deluded pound for pound' Price.

[funso banjo baby]

all the rankings are silly, I wouldn't get upset about it.

the bottom line is Joseph Parker is exciting and there are some ok fights out there.

if he is going to be given the Wilder cotton wool treatment then id probably defend against the bottom Rudenko who is durable but limited. Wawrk is owned by Haymon. Wallisch, Hammer, Gerber, and shwartz would all be fairly low risk. Hammer is capable of causing a few problems. Price would always be a big risk. great fight, that one.

as for haye....I don't think he will want the fight at all.

fury is tainted