PROMOTER Frank Warren reckons three of the top five heavyweights on the planet are British – but NONE of them are Anthony Joshua.
The Top Rank chief doesn’t believe Joshua is among the world’s best in his division following his back-to-back defeats at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk.
Frank has Usyk as No2 in his top five list behind “no-brainer” No1 and WBC champ Tyson Fury, who he, coincidentally, promotes.
The 70-year-old also represents Joe Joyce and Daniel Dubois – with both men in Warren’s top handful of heavyweights too.
“I actually invited Deontay and Shelly out here this week. They can’t come but we’ll be working with them and try and come up with some ideas.
Elsewhere Fury’s old foe Deontay Wilder, who brutally knocked out Robert Helenius last month, makes the cut above AJ.
Warren told BT Sport Boxing: “The number one for me is a no-brainer, that’s Tyson [Fury]. I think he’s head and shoulders [above the rest].
“I think the next one is probably [Oleksandr] Usyk and then I would say [Deontay Wilder].
“Then I would say Joe Joyce and I would also put in Daniel Dubois.”
Dubois comes in above Joshua despite failing to take a major scalp in his career as of yet.
The 25-year-old was beaten by Joyce in 2020.
But Warren insisted AJ was not worthy of a place on his list of the world’s top five heavyweights.
When quizzed on his reasons for the snub, Warren pointed out: “He’s not in the top five of any governing body at the moment, based upon losing two of his last three fights.”
Joshua has in fact lost three of his last five fights, with his other defeat being the shock loss to Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019.
But the Watford warrior does have impressive victories over Dillian Whyte, Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin on his CV.
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