1 Usyk UD 12 Anthony Joshua
While a dominant and special cruiserweight, the jury was out on Usyk as a heavyweight until the night in 2021 when he entered the ring at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and proceeded to school Anthony Joshua for 12 rounds, winning comfortably on the cards.
2 Joshua TKO 11 Wladimir Klitschko
Famous for both the scale of the event and the dramatic nature of the finish, Joshua didn’t get the best version of Klitschko in 2017, but he nevertheless made quite the statement against him, rising from a knockdown in round six to finish the Ukrainian in the 11th.
3 Usyk UD 12 Murat Gassiev
In the final of the World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight tournament, Usyk controlled the heavy-handed Gassiev for every one of the 12 rounds they shared, never once giving him a chance to unload.
4 Usyk MD 12 Mairis Briedis
In what was one of the very best fights of 2018, Usyk stood toe-to-toe with fellow unbeaten cruiserweight Briedis for 36 minutes, neither man giving an inch. In the end, it was Usyk’s greater variety that won him the decision.
5 Joshua UD 12 Andy Ruiz
Five months after his undefeated record was shattered by Ruiz in New York, Joshua got back in with the American in Saudi Arabia, carefully outpointing him over 12 rounds to end 2019 on a high.
6 Joshua TKO 7 Alexander Povetkin
Povetkin, though past his best, had lost just once in 35 fights when he met Joshua in 2018 and started the fight well. He was ultimately stopped, however, when Joshua turned the screw in the seventh round.
7 Usyk TKO 8 Tony Bellew
Ahead of moving to heavyweight, Usyk stuck around for one last dance at cruiserweight in 2017, knocking out Bellew, also a belt-holder at cruiserweight, with a savage eighth-round attack.
8 Joshua UD 12 Joseph Parker
A dull but comfortable night in 2018, this decision win over Parker was a meeting of unbeaten belt-holders, with Joshua coming away with the spoils in Cardiff.
9 Usyk W UD 12 Krzysztof Glowacki
Never afraid to enter an opponent’s back yard, Usyk travelled to Poland in 2016 to dethrone WBO belt-holder Glowacki in what was only Usyk’s 10th professional fight.
10 Joshua TKO 7 Dillian Whyte
A score settled early in their respective careers, this 2015 slugfest began with Whyte rocking Joshua to his boots in the second round, only for Joshua to soon recover and eventually stop Whyte in the seventh with a vicious uppercut.
