Who are the best contenders in HW division right now?

[IronFrost]

You can remove Povetkin and Ortiz. Both are old washed up cheaters who will probably wont get any shot for the title anymore.

Also we can remove Pulev because Joshua is going to KO him soon.


So we have 3 champions : Joshua , Wilder and Joseph Parker.


Against who they should defend their belts?

It's a bit crysis for HW boxing right now.

[Mexi-Box]

Without mentioning Povetkin and Pulev, it's a bit bleak. I don't think Povetkin is as old as Luis Ortiz. Luis Ortiz looks pretty bad. Povetkin didn't look that bad.

Knowacki, Whyte, Takam, Miller, and Ruiz Jr. are probably the best contenders currently.

Still, you have some good prospects coming up like Sergey Kuzmin, Agit Kabayal (if he can get past Chisora), Joyce, Dychko, Yoka, and Hrgovic.

[Ilya Muromets]

Povetkin is clearly the #1 top contender, but the western boxing mobsters are trying to totally blackball him. Now Mafia doctor Margaret Goodman CLAIMS to have found drugs on Ortiz. It's about time international boxing told Las Vegas et al to f off.

[Enlightened-One]

Andy Ruiz Jr., Hughie Fury, Jarrell Miller & Adam Kownacki

[Mexi-Box]

Andy Ruiz Jr., Hughie Fury, Jarrell Miller & Adam Kownacki

Hughie Fury is straight awful. I'm so glad he lost.

[Enlightened-One]

Andy Ruiz Jr., Hughie Fury, Jarrell Miller & Adam Kownacki

Hughie Fury is straight awful. I'm so glad he lost.

He's only turned 23 years of age two weeks ago and was incredibly competitive against Joseph Parker.

In two years time, you'll probably revise your opinion, based on his inevitable improvement.

[Lackeos]

Povetkin, Pulev, and Ortiz.

[Enlightened-One]

Povetkin, Pulev, and Ortiz.

The op wanted us to exclude these three in the very first post in this thread. So you need to list more names.

[Lackeos]

Povetkin, Pulev, and Ortiz.

The op wanted us to exclude these three in the very first post in this thread. So you need to list more names.

Povetkin, Pulev, and Ortiz are the best, without a doubt. I don't acknowledge the OP's attempt to discredit them (although Pulev probably will lose soon, and Ortiz truly can't pass a drug test to save his life). After them, there's...

Miller vs Wach winner - Miller steamrolled Washington. Wach beat Teper. Whoever wins this fight, if it is won decisively, I have every intention of rating said fighter deep in the top 10.
Christian Hammer - very well-proven contender who beat David Price, Erkan Teper, and countless journeymen. Criminally underrated, and very well-tested.
Dillian Whyte - beating Chisora and being competitive with Joshua is pretty respectable.
Stiverne vs Breazeale winner - Stiverne's accomplishments are starting too look mediocre in hindsight, and Breazeale has done very little. But the winner of this battle deserves some recognition for sure. I hope it doesn't get scrapped, which it will.

Everyone else in the division is totally undeserving of a title shot until they get another decent win. Let's get Andy Ruiz Jr. vs Charles Martin, Adam Kownacki vs Carlos Takam, Alexander Ustinov vs Bryant Jennings, Dereck Chisora vs Johann Duhaupas. Lucas Browne is less likely to pass a drug test than Povetkin, so I really don't acknowledge him at all.

[gilgamesh]

Deontay Wilder, Joseph Parker, Kubrat Pulev, Jarrell Miller, Carlos Takam, Andy Ruiz

...pretty pathetic field.

I list Wilder and Parker because they're not Champions in my book, they're contenders with a belt. Joshua is the man to beat in the division, and frankly if you don't include Wilder and Parker on the list of contenders it gets even weaker.

Dillian Whyte, and Dominic Breazeale I guess would be the next best guys I haven't listed yet...yeesh.

[KiwiRider]

It's all a bit depressing is what it is.
If you eliminate Ortiz and Povitkin it's even worse.
Pulev, I think has some life left in him even after he fights AJ. Heck, I think he could beat everyone from boxrec #5-#15 if suitably motivated. So don't write him off if AJ beats him, that's nothing to be ashamed of, I still rate Whyte with a good chance against all but AJ and Wilder.
As for Andy Ruiez Jr, he hasn't fought since the close loss to Parker. Who knows what he is up to? Still young.
Miller- wait and see how he goes with Wach. Ideal test.
Kownacki- a bit small against the top guys, but a good engine and fast-ish hands is encouraging, he needs to fight more as do all of the top 15 guys.
Parker, I think he loses his belt against any of the top ten on a bad day. Lost his KO factor and has been eaking out close decisions which may not go his way in the near future.
Breazeale I like, no idea why- perhaps it was the heart he showed last time out. No idea how he goes in the future
It's all a bit sad. AJ's momentum will probably still by this time next year.

[gilgamesh]

I don't look for anything notable to ever come out of Andy Ruiz. He's too fat and undisciplined. Having some decent ability only takes you so far, if you're not gonna put the work in.

Maybe some of the young Prospects out there like Daniel Dubois or others can emerge as meaningful contenders, but the guys we got right now suck.