Fight Week Heavyweight Top 10 Rankings — September 2026
Updated: September 2026
The heavyweight division has a new world champion—and the Fight Week Heavyweight Top 10 has undergone its biggest shakeup since we launched the rankings.
Filip Hrgovic entered his August 29 showdown with Moses Itauma as a sizable underdog and spent much of the fight being outboxed. But the Croatian survived a second-round knockdown, weathered Itauma’s early attack and turned the fight around when the young British heavyweight began to fade.
Hrgovic stopped Itauma in the ninth round to capture the vacant IBF heavyweight championship and move directly into the upper tier of the division.
Meanwhile, Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley are preparing to do it all over again, Agit Kabayel remains unbeaten, and Oleksandr Usyk continues to sit above everyone despite no longer holding the four sanctioning-body championships.
Fight Week’s rankings consider recent results, quality of opposition, championship accomplishments, activity and where each fighter stands in the heavyweight division right now.
Here is the Fight Week Heavyweight Top 10 for September 2026.
1. Oleksandr Usyk — 25-0, 16 KOs
Previous Rank: 1 — No Change
The belts may have scattered across the division, but the heavyweight throne still belongs to Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk remains unbeaten after stopping kickboxing great Rico Verhoeven in the 11th round on May 23. It was considerably more difficult than many expected, but Usyk once again found a way to finish a fight that appeared to be slipping away from him.
Usyk subsequently relinquished his WBC, WBA and IBF championships, allowing the next generation of heavyweights to compete for those belts. He remains The Ring heavyweight champion and, more importantly for Fight Week, the man every other heavyweight must surpass.
His résumé still separates him from the field: two victories over Tyson Fury, two over Anthony Joshua and two over Daniel Dubois.
Until somebody beats Usyk, No. 1 isn’t really up for debate.
2. Daniel Dubois — 23-3, 22 KOs
Previous Rank: 2 — No Change
Daniel Dubois remains Fight Week’s No. 2 heavyweight.
Dubois’ brutal May victory over Fabio Wardley looks even more impressive with time. He survived two early knockdowns before systematically breaking Wardley down and stopping him in the 11th round to capture the WBO heavyweight championship.
Now he has to prove he can do it again.
Dubois vs. Wardley II is officially scheduled for October 17 at London’s O2 Arena, with the WBO heavyweight championship on the line.
The winner will have an extremely strong case to pursue a unification bout in 2027.
For now, Dubois remains the heavyweight closest to Usyk in the Fight Week rankings.
3. Agit Kabayel — 27-0, 19 KOs
Previous Rank: 3 — No Change
Agit Kabayel remains undefeated, dangerous and perhaps still underappreciated.
Kabayel’s heavyweight résumé includes stoppage victories over Arslanbek Makhmudov, Frank Sanchez, Zhilei Zhang and Damian Knyba.
After Usyk relinquished his sanctioning-body championships in June, Kabayel was elevated from interim champion to full WBC heavyweight champion.
Unlike several highly marketed heavyweights, Kabayel has consistently taken difficult fights and won them.
A showdown between Kabayel and one of the other champions—Hrgovic, Dubois or Murat Gassiev—would immediately become one of the biggest fights the heavyweight division can make.
4. Filip Hrgovic — 21-1, 16 KOs
Previous Rank: 7 — ↑ 3
Nobody gained more this month than Filip Hrgovic.
Moses Itauma appeared faster, sharper and more explosive through the early rounds of their August 29 title fight. Itauma even dropped Hrgovic in the second.
Hrgovic simply refused to go away.
As Itauma’s pace slowed, Hrgovic kept coming. The Croatian veteran eventually overwhelmed the exhausted 21-year-old and scored a dramatic ninth-round TKO to capture the vacant IBF heavyweight championship.
It was precisely the type of victory Hrgovic’s career needed.
His only professional defeat remains an eighth-round stoppage against Daniel Dubois in 2024.
Hrgovic now wants unification fights, although Frank Sanchez is his mandatory challenger after accepting step-aside money that allowed the Itauma fight to happen.
From No. 7 to No. 4—the biggest move in the Fight Week rankings this month.
5. Tyson Fury — 36-2-1, 25 KOs
Previous Rank: 4 — ↓ 1
Tyson Fury drops one position, but it isn’t because he suddenly became a lesser fighter.
Hrgovic simply earned the move above him.
Fury returned from his latest retirement this year and has now logged two comeback victories, including a seventh-round stoppage of veteran Mariusz Wach on July 24.
Fury’s only two professional defeats came against Usyk.
At his best, the former heavyweight champion still has the size, movement, ring IQ and experience to beat nearly anyone in the division.
The next major question is whether the long-awaited Anthony Joshua showdown finally becomes reality.
6. Fabio Wardley — 20-1-1, 19 KOs
Previous Rank: 5 — ↓ 1
Fabio Wardley remains inside the Fight Week Top 10 despite suffering his first professional defeat against Dubois.
And there is a good reason.
Wardley dropped Dubois twice during their first fight and pushed the eventual champion through an extremely difficult night before Dubois’ sustained pressure finally caught up with him.
Rather than rebuild against softer opposition, Wardley immediately activated his rematch clause.
On October 17, he gets another shot at Dubois and the WBO heavyweight championship at the O2 Arena.
A Wardley victory could completely rearrange the top five.
7. Frank Sanchez — 26-1, 19 KOs
Previous Rank: 10 — ↑ 3
Frank Sanchez may be the quietest major threat in the heavyweight division.
The Cuban reminded everyone of his ability on May 23 when he demolished previously undefeated Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. in just two rounds.
The victory came in an IBF final eliminator and put Sanchez directly back into the world-title picture.
His only professional loss came against Kabayel in 2024.
Sanchez is now positioned as the mandatory challenger for newly crowned IBF champion Filip Hrgovic. Hrgovic would prefer unification fights, but unless another step-aside arrangement is reached, Sanchez appears to be next in line.
His combination of speed, movement and counterpunching makes him a difficult matchup for nearly every heavyweight above him.
8. Anthony Joshua — 30-4, 27 KOs
Previous Rank: 8 — No Change
Anthony Joshua stays at No. 8.
His July fight with Kristian Prenga was supposed to be a straightforward tune-up.
It wasn’t.
Joshua was dropped twice during a disastrous opening round before recovering dramatically and knocking Prenga out in the second.
The comeback showed Joshua’s power and resilience, but the first round also reminded everyone why questions remain about where the former two-time unified heavyweight champion stands against today’s elite.
Joshua remains dangerous enough to change these rankings with one major victory.
And if he finally fights Fury, that result will have enormous consequences for both men.
9. Murat Gassiev — 34-2, 27 KOs
Previous Rank: 9 — No Change
Murat Gassiev holds one of the four major heavyweight championships but still needs a signature heavyweight victory.
The former unified cruiserweight champion is now the WBA heavyweight champion and successfully defended that title July 11 by stopping Peter Kadiru in the sixth round.
Gassiev has expressed interest in unification fights with Kabayel and Dubois.
That’s exactly what he needs.
A win over one of the division’s top champions would send Gassiev significantly higher in the Fight Week rankings.
Until then, he remains No. 9.
10. Moses Itauma — 14-1, 12 KOs
Previous Rank: 6 — ↓ 4
The hype train hit its first major obstacle.
But it hasn’t been derailed.
Moses Itauma looked sensational for much of his fight against Hrgovic. His speed, combinations and accuracy gave the veteran tremendous problems, and Itauma scored a flash knockdown in Round 2.
Then came the lesson.
Itauma exhausted himself, Hrgovic refused to break, and the fight turned dramatically in the ninth round. Itauma was eventually stopped at 2:27 and suffered the first defeat of his professional career.
At only 21 years old, Itauma has plenty of time.
His promoter Frank Warren has urged patience rather than rushing immediately into another championship fight, despite Itauma asking for a rematch.
The talent remains obvious.
But Fight Week rankings are based on what fighters have accomplished—not what we expect them to accomplish.
For now, Itauma falls from No. 6 to No. 10.
Fight Week Heavyweight Top 10 — September 2026
| Rank | Fighter | Previous | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oleksandr Usyk | 1 | — |
| 2 | Daniel Dubois | 2 | — |
| 3 | Agit Kabayel | 3 | — |
| 4 | Filip Hrgovic | 7 | ↑ 3 |
| 5 | Tyson Fury | 4 | ↓ 1 |
| 6 | Fabio Wardley | 5 | ↓ 1 |
| 7 | Frank Sanchez | 10 | ↑ 3 |
| 8 | Anthony Joshua | 8 | — |
| 9 | Murat Gassiev | 9 | — |
| 10 | Moses Itauma | 6 | ↓ 4 |
📈 Biggest Mover: Filip Hrgovic
There can only be one choice.
Hrgovic went from respected contender to IBF heavyweight champion by surviving Itauma’s best work and scoring a dramatic ninth-round stoppage.
He rises three positions from No. 7 to No. 4.
Frank Sanchez also climbs three spots, but winning a world championship gives Hrgovic the edge for Biggest Mover.
📉 Biggest Faller: Moses Itauma
Itauma falls from No. 6 to No. 10 after the first defeat of his career.
That isn’t a declaration that the 21-year-old has been exposed or that his ceiling has changed.
It means Fight Week’s rankings have consequences.
Lose a championship fight and the fighters producing major victories move ahead of you.
Now we find out how Itauma responds.
🆕 New Entry: None
All 10 fighters from August remain inside the rankings.
The order has changed dramatically, but nobody has broken into—or fallen completely out of—the Fight Week Top 10 this month.
That could change quickly.
👀 On the Bubble
Efe Ajagba
Ajagba is probably the closest fighter to cracking the Fight Week Top 10. The Ring currently has him at No. 7 among its heavyweight contenders, which makes his omission from our list one readers can legitimately debate.
Justis Huni
Huni remains one of the more technically interesting younger heavyweights and is within striking distance of our rankings.
Zhilei Zhang
The dangerous Chinese southpaw has suffered setbacks, but his power and victories over legitimate heavyweight opposition make him impossible to completely dismiss.
Martin Bakole
Bakole has demonstrated that he can be extremely dangerous when active and in shape. One significant win could put him straight back into the Top 10 conversation.
🔥 Fight Week Fight to Watch
Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley II — October 17
The heavyweight rankings may not remain intact for long.
Dubois and Wardley return to London’s O2 Arena on October 17 for an immediate rematch with Dubois’ WBO heavyweight championship at stake.
Their first fight was one of the most violent heavyweight battles of the year.
Wardley dropped Dubois twice.
Dubois survived.
Then Dubois broke Wardley down and stopped him in the 11th.
If Dubois wins again, his position as Fight Week’s No. 2 heavyweight becomes even stronger.
If Wardley gets revenge, the entire top half of these rankings could change.
Fight Week Debate
Did Filip Hrgovic’s win over Moses Itauma earn him the No. 4 spot—or should Tyson Fury, Fabio Wardley or another heavyweight still rank ahead of the new IBF champion?
And one bigger question remains:
Who is the biggest threat to Oleksandr Usyk right now—Daniel Dubois, Agit Kabayel, Filip Hrgovic or someone else?
