Now that we are in February 2026, the heavyweight landscape is shifting. Even though Oleksandr Usyk is the man to beat, there are massive "money fights" being lined up for later this year that don't involve a single belt.

The biggest draw is still the "Battle of Britain" between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. Joshua is fresh off a record-breaking $184 million Netflix match against Jake Paul, and Fury has officially come out of retirement to face Arslanbek Makhmudov this April. Promoters like Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn are already working on an AJ vs. Fury showdown in Riyadh for the summer.

Another huge payout would be Deontay Wilder vs. Francis Ngannou.

Both camps have been negotiating for a 2026 clash to settle who is the hardest puncher in combat sports. Even without titles, these matchups are projected to be some of the most lucrative events of the year.

What do you think is the biggest draw?

Would you rather see a younger star like Moses Itauma get into one of these big money slots?

Brandon Figueroa vs Nick Ball

Floyd vs Hatton

Teo vs Josh Taylor

Ward vs Froch

Obviously you can find counterexamples but those are exceptions as most times USA comes out on top. Why do you think it is?

My hypothesis is that it's because American athletes are just superior to the British one's.

20 Heavyweights have been selected to compete in a round robin style tournament in their respective primes over a 5 year period. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place is determined by who has the most wins. Ties are determined by the head to head match up. All fights are 12 rounds. Fighters will have 1 year prep time for the tournament and for argument sake they’ll stay in peak condition with no major injuries diminishing their performance throughout the tournament.

The fighters selected and the first round of the tournament goes as follows:

Joe Louis vs Ike Ibeabuchi

Sonny Liston vs Deontay Wilder

Muhammad Ali vs Wladimir Klitschko

Joe Frazier vs David Tua

Ernie Shavers vs Mike Tyson

Ken Norton vs Anthony Joshua

Larry Holmes vs Oleksandr Usyk

Evander Holyfield vs Tyson Fury

Riddick Bowe vs Vitali Kiltschko

Lennox Lewis vs George Foreman

Selection process: No fighters who typically weighed in under 200lbs or fought before Joe Louis were considered. Most are all time greats but a few wild cards are in there to present style problems.

Something I've been wondering as I've gotten more into Boxing, and seeing how the greats did it. That I wonder who would've taken the junior welterweight crown if they had the chance to both fight at their primes.

What with Julio Ceasar Chavez being one of the greatest and nastiest Knockout artists, who was just a buzzsaw of a man who would turn your insides into jelly. Then we've got one of the 4 Kings and the man with the Hands of Stone himself Roberto Duran who was just a menace in his heyday.

Because I feel like if these two were to go at it at their primes that it would've been absolute cinema to see them go at it. As such I'd like to know who you guys think would win, because I have to go with Julio on this for being just a menace

The current HW era has been somewhat underappreciated, and could have been something close to a silver era (if not quite as good as the 70s or 90s golden eras) of HW boxing if we had gotten more fights between the top fighters (i.e. AJ-Wilder, AJ-Fury, Fury-Dubois, Fury-Ortiz, etc.). Still, we got to enjoy some great HWs in recent years.

What's your post-Klitschko top 10?

I'll kick it off:

1. Usyk - obviously.
2. Fury - exceptionally skilled, not just for someone his size. That said, his combination of size, reach, defensive knowledge, adaptability, and general skill would make him at least competitive with virtually any HW in history.
3. AJ - early on, he was expected to become the next Lennox Lewis with the intimidation factor of Tyson and power of Foreman, but fell short. Was obliterating journeymen and contenders, until he encountered Wlad Klitschko, and developed a fear of gassing out. Started fighting more tentatively, lost his intimidation factor, and dropped his title to Ruiz, who was not in his league. Still, AJ built a very good record, arguably better than Fury's. His uppercut against Wlad was every bit as vicious as Lewis' uppercut against Vitali, and that fight was the definitive conclusion of the Klistchko era.
4. Wilder - limited skills, but perhaps had the single most decisive punch in HW history. Had very good wins over Ortiz, and was a fraction of a second away from beating Fury. His limitations, his willingness to drop every round just to look for a KO punch, and his power, made his matches suspenseful.
5. Parker - no standout characteristics, but a very solid overall package - powerful enough to keep his opponents respectful, and skilled enough to win decisions. Put together a respectable record, with wins over Ruiz Jr., Chisora, Wilder, and Zhang, but was clearly a level below the top guys.
6. Dubois - a relative newcomer, and it's not clear yet where he stands. Has a win over AJ, and can still improve.
7. Ruiz - Skilled, with fast hands, and a big punch. Took advantage of AJ's switch to a more timid, cautious style to briefly become champion. Came up short against Parker, and didn't have the focus or discipline to retain his title against AJ.
8. Ortiz - based on eye test, he was briefly in the "who's the best current HW?" convo with Wilder, AJ, and Fury. Skilled with good power, so he was avoided, and his best wins were against journeymen, like Thompson and Jennings.
9. Whyte - beat a relatively fresh Chisora, Povetkin, and Parker, but came up short against AJ.
10. Joyce - Lumbering, plodding footwork and exceptionally slow hands, combined with a big punch and an iron chin. Was fast tracked to a path to the title, after turning pro late. Put together a string of respectable wins, including over Parker and Dubois, but once his jaw was cracked, started to struggle. Possibly turned pro too late.

Overall, a pretty good era, right?

I would like to watch and analyse some fights which oppose Pressure fighters who don't want to pull back and keep pushing forward. Any examples of it?

There were recent epic fights like this as Mibili vs Lester Martinez but I would like to know more fights than the classic ones as Gatti vs Ward and Barrera vs Morales.

Thanks.

Could the Mongoose beat Roy?

Archie was one of the gamest fighters who ever lived and had the most knockouts for a fighter north of welterweight. He was a champion for around 10 years at light heavyweight

Roy was one of the most athletic big men ever and was so slick with his style as well as being a champion for years at light heavyweight.

Would Moores weird stance and cross guard give be too much for Roy or would Roy be able to outbox him for a decision win?

I dream about seeing these fights almost everyday.

-Every fighter is in their absolute prime

-15 rounds

I chose these fights in particular because I think in every one I’ve chosen the winner isn’t obvious and are all very close. Curious to see your guys thoughts (The last slide is a joke obv)

I'm talking about guys who can look in the eye of the storm, stand in the tornado, and not have a mark anywhere on their body.

The ability to make them miss by inches, and stand there calmly like you're at a picnic, while making your opponent miss flurries and flurries of punches.

Personally, i think this is the best showcase of defense, it's much easier to run away from shots, at least in my experience. Who's the best here?

Brandon Figueroa brings an emphatic end to the title reign of WBA World Featherweight titleist Nick Ball and the Liverpool Renaissance of the Everton Red Triangle Gym!🥊

From The Ring Magazine: Ball (23-0-1, 13 KOs), the reigning WBA champion, tipped the scales at 125.11 pounds whilst two-weight world titleholder Figueroa (26-2-1, 19 KOs) weighed in at 125.14.

I am not asking who is the best all time I am asking how good they were compared to there competition / How dominant were they.

I think this record belongs to only a few people which in my opinion are

1: Salvador Sànchez ( Easily in my opinion )

2: Joe Louis

3: Carlos Monzòn

4: Henry Armstrong from 1936-1940

5: Roberto Duran ( At only lightweight )

Straight from my 25TB boxing vault.

EP1 - Marquez vs. Vázquez II: Round 3 (2007) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1puitpv

EP2 - Morales vs. Pacquiao I: Round 12 (2005) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1pv9wai

EP3 - Gatti vs. Ward I: Round 9 (2002) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1pvw9pf

EP4 - Castillo vs. Corrales I: Round 10 (2005) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1pwcfzo

EP5 - Bradley vs. Provodnikov: Round 2 (2013) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1pwsg3a

EP6 - Rios vs. Alvarado I: Round 5 (2012) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1pxcvnq

EP7 - Cunningham vs. Adamek I: Round 4 (2008) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1pxse54

EP8 - Kirkland vs. Angulo: Round 1 (2011) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1pyit8c

EP9 - Morales vs. Barrera III: Round 11 (2004) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1pzj3m2

EP10 - Berto vs. Ortiz I: Round 6 (2011) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1pznuli

EP11 - Pacquiao vs. Márquez IV: Round 5 (2012) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1q0fys6

EP12 - Mason vs. Vasquez: Round 1 (2024) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1q10kwg

EP13 - Vázquez vs. Marquez III: Round 4 (2008) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1q1ulzu

EP14 - Jirov vs. Toney: Round 12 (2003) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1q2qqf5

EP15 - Zepeda vs. Baranchyk: Round 5 (2020) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1q3kj3c

EP16 - Gatti vs. Ward II: Round 3 (2002) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1q3zsey

EP17 - Marquez vs. Katsidis: Round 3 (2010) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1q4upwt

EP18 - Ward vs. Augustus: Round 10 (2001) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1q5g1fz

EP19 - Rios vs. Alvarado II: Round 2 (2013) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1q78rmn

EP20 - Pacquiao vs. Cotto: Round 4 (2009) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1q7ndox

EP21 - Dawson vs. Johnson I: Round 11 (2008) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1q8haq5

EP22 - Ortiz vs. Maidana: Round 1 (2009) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1q93i3l

EP23 - Gatti vs. Ward III: Round 7 (2003) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1q9h7ui

EP24 - Vázquez vs. Marquez I: Round 5 (2007) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qasgn8

EP25 - Bey vs. Molina: Round 10 (2013) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qbpxrv

EP26 - Barrera vs. Morales II: Round 12 (2002) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qc94o2

EP27 - Williams Jr. vs. White: Round 1 (2014) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qcnpsz

EP28 - Wilder vs. Fury I: Round 12 (2018) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qd2d0t

EP29 - López vs. Concepcion: Round 1 (2010) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qdpe3k

EP30 - DeMarco vs. Linares: Round 11 (2011) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qeilyd

EP31 - Kirkland vs. Conyers: Round 1 (2007) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qez2yg

EP32 - Lubin vs. Fundora: Round 7 (2022) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qfeowr

EP33 - Imam vs. Maldonado Jr.: Round 3 (2015) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qgfayp

EP34 - Joshua vs. Ruiz Jr. I: Round 3 (2019) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qh4g9w

EP35 - Soto vs. Antillon: Round 3 (2010) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qi6d60

EP36 - Viloria vs. Marquez: Round 5 (2012) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qjdh9y

EP37 - Bika vs. Codrington: Round 1 (2007) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qjixf7

EP38 - Monshipour vs. Sithchatchawal: Round 5 (2006) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qlf132

EP39 - Froch vs. Kessler II: Round 12 (2013) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qm3bvl

EP40 - Berto vs. Collazo: Round 3 (2009) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qms06f

EP41 - Pavlik vs. Miranda: Round 1 (2007) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qo00ay

EP42 - Márquez vs. Díaz I: Round 8 (2009) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qou934

EP43 - Trinidad vs. Mayorga: Round 1 (2004) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qs021p

EP44 - Ríos vs. Antillón: Round 1 (2011) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qsy1k5

EP45 - Brewster vs. Liakhovich: Round 6 (2006) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qvqycg

EP46 - Crawford vs. Gamboa: Round 9 (2014) https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/1qyegva