Deontay Wilder drops out of Ring Magazine heavyweight rankings as Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua lead the way

04/06/2024 16:09

Deontay Wilder has dropped out of the Ring Magazine heavyweight rankings following his KO loss to Zhilei Zhang on Saturday night.

The former WBC champion came into his fight on the unprecedented Queensberry-Matchroom 5 vs 5 card ranked No. 9 in the world.

However, his timid and gun-shy performance didn’t befit that of a top-10 heavyweight.

In his previous outing against Joseph Parker in December, Wilder seemed hesitant to let his hands go as he was battered from pillar to post en route to a unanimous decision defeat.

The same issues presented themselves against Zhang with Wilder spending the majority of the contest with his back against the ropes before he eventually succumbed to a knockout loss in round five.

It marked his fourth defeat in five fights and therefore Ring Magazine had no choice but to remove him from their top 10 ratings.

In his place, Nigerian puncher Efe Ajagba entered the fold at No.10 after successfully rebuilding his career with five straight victories following defeat to Frank Sanchez in 2021.

Undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk tops the list as Ring Magazine title holder, with the man he beat for all the belts, Tyson Fury, slotting in just behind.

Anthony Joshua, Parker, Zhang and Agit Kabayel complete the top five while Daniel Dubois, fresh off a career-best win over Filip Hrgovic, has shot up four places from No.10 to No.6.

Jared Anderson and Joe Joyce are unchanged at No.7 and No.8 but Hrgovic has seen a steep decline from No.6 to No.9 after losing his undefeated record.

The only other change of note is that Zhang and Kabayel have switched places at No.4 and No.5.

Following his win over Wilder, Zhang is expected to move on to bigger and better things.

His promoter, Frank Warren, recently informed talkSPORT that ‘Big Bang’s’ next fight will be a homecoming clash in China.

“He’s up there, we’re looking at making a big fight for him in China,” Warren told talkSPORT Breakfast on Monday.

“We’re talking at the moment. We’re about to start negotiations with the people that approached us and that will be a great homecoming for him.”

While Zhang’s career is on an upward trajectory, Wilder’s next steps hang in the balance.

‘The Bronze Bomber’ admitted before his last outing that defeat could mark the end of his career.

But his manager, Shelly Finkel, stated on Sunday that he is still deliberating over the decision.

Speaking to talkSPORT’s Jim White, Finkel said: “He is fine, he is sleeping now. He was very emotional last night obviously.

“We didn’t expect it to go the way it did. I have nothing but praise for the way Zhang fought, he was the better man.

“It is Deontay’s decision whether this is his last fight or not. I love the guy, I’ve been with him for 15 years and I don’t want him to get hurt.

“It is totally his decision, I will let him know how I feel but it is his decision and I support him whatever he does.”