Divisional rankings: Heavyweight

ByDAN RAFAEL
October 25, 2016, 11:11 AM

— -- Check out my rankings within each division by clicking on the links below. If there is a lineal champion in a weight class, he is ranked No. 1.

Who is the best fighter regardless of weight class? See ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings.

For a list of the current champions in all weight classes, click here.

Note: Results through Oct. 24. In an effort to provide the most up-to-date rankings, ESPN.com's division-by-division boxing rankings will be updated every Tuesday.

More divisional rankings

Heavyweight - Cruiserweight - Light heavyweight - Super middleweight

Middleweight - Junior middleweight - Welterweight - Junior welterweight

Lightweight - Junior lightweight - Featherweight - Junior featherweight

Bantamweight - Junior bantamweight - Flyweight - Junior flyweight/Strawweight

HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (UNLIMITED)

1. Tyson Fury (25-0)

2. Wladimir Klitschko (64-4)

During his 9?-year title reign -- second-longest in heavyweight history -- Klitschko successfully defended the title 18 times, third-most in division history. He had an 11?-year undefeated run and won 22 fights in a row. But then he defended against England's Tyson Fury in November 2015 and showed virtually nothing, perhaps growing old before our eyes. But a loss is a loss and Klitschko's historic reign came to an ignominious end. He hoped to start another one in by winning an immediate rematch he had the contractual right to have but Fury first postponed the July date and then the Oct. 29 date was canceled when Fury pulled out one day after taking a urine test that was positive for cocaine. Then Klitschko sought to fight for one of the belts the troubled Fury vacated, ideally against titleholder Anthony Joshua (17-0), but a time crunch getting the bout set up for December and a minor calf injury will keep Klitschko out until March or April.
Next: TBA

3. Deontay Wilder (37-0)

Wilder has scored knockouts in all four of his title defenses, albeit against less-than-impressive challengers Eric Molina, Johann Duhaupas, Artur Szpilka and Chris Arreola. But there is no denying Wilder's punching power and physical gifts. In his most recent defense, Wilder faced Arreola on July 16 because a mandatory defense against Alexander Povetkin, scheduled for May 21 in Russia, was canceled a week beforehand because Povetkin failed a drug test. Although Wilder pummeled Arreola and stopped him in the eighth round, he broke his right hand and tore his right biceps, injuries that will likely sideline him for the remainder of 2016.
Next: TBA

4. Alexander Povetkin (30-1)

Russia's Povetkin, a former secondary titleholder, was due to challenge titleholder Deontay Wilder in a mandatory bout on May 21 in Moscow. However, a week before the highly anticipated fight, Povetkin tested positive for the banned drug meldonium, and the fight was called off. Despite the positive test, Povetkin will not be punished by the WBC and, in fact, was rewarded with a fight against former titleholder Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1) for the vacant interim belt while Wilder recovers from injuries. Povetkin's camp won the purse bid for $3.165 million.
Next: TBA vs. Stiverne

5. Luis Ortiz (25-0)

A 6-foot-4, 240-pound southpaw with raw power, Ortiz, a Cuban defector with tons of amateur experience, won an interim belt and was being moved very well by Golden Boy but the relationship fell apart, resulting in Ortiz's team buying out the promotional agreement for $1.1 million. Ortiz signed with Matchroom Boxing in England, and rather than defend his interim title in a mandatory against Alexander Ustinov (33-1) for which there had already been a purse bid, he will instead return to face Malik Scott (38-2-1) on HBO in what should be an easy fight in Monte Carlo.
Next: Nov. 12 vs. Scott

6. Anthony Joshua (17-0)

In 2012, Joshua won the Olympic super heavyweight gold medal for Great Britain and has steamrolled his first 17 opponents, including a two-knockdown, second-round knockout victory against paper titleholder Charles Martin on April 9 to win a belt. On July 25, Joshua made his first defense and needed a few more rounds but still looked fantastic in taking apart Dominic Breazeale in the seventh round of a one-sided thrashing. Joshua still needs experience against better opponents, but he has a chance to become one of boxing's biggest stars of this era. He is penciled in to defend his title before the end of the year and might face countryman David Price (21-3) rather than former champion Wladimir Klitschko (64-4), which could come in March or April instead.
Next: Dec. 10 vs. TBA

7. Joseph Parker (21-0)

On May 21 in his native New Zealand, Parker won a unanimous decision against battle-tested contender Carlos Takam in a title eliminator to earn a shot at world titlist Anthony Joshua. With the title opportunity still a bit off, Parker stayed busy with two more knockout wins, a fourth-round stoppage of Solomon Haumono on July 21 and third-round destruction of Alexander Dimitrenko on Oct. 1. But rather than go in the Joshua direction, Parker instead will get a shot at one of the belts vacated by Tyson Fury when he faces Andy Ruiz Jr. (29-0) in New Zealand.
Next: Dec. 10 vs. Ruiz

8. Kubrat Pulev (23-1)

Bulgaria's Pulev got a mandatory title shot against Wladimir Klitschko in November 2014 and got hammered. Klitschko rocked him with left hooks, dropping him four times with that weapon in a brutal fifth-round knockout. Pulev has won his three fights since, including a split decision against Dereck Chisora on May 7 in a title eliminator that also netted him the vacant European title. He is a possible opponent to challenge world titleholder Anthony Joshua (17-0) on Nov. 26.
Next: TBA

9. Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1)

Stiverne won a vacant title by sixth-round knockout of Chris Arreola in May 2014 and then promptly lost it in his first defense by one-sided decision to Deontay Wilder in January 2015. Stiverne has fought once since, a competitive 10-round decision win (in which he got knocked down in the first round) against journeyman Derric Rossy in November. He will next take on Alexander Povetkin (30-1) for a vacant interim title while Wilder recovers from injuries.
Next: TBA vs. Povetkin

10. Bryant Jennings (19-2)

Although Philadelphia's Jennings lost a lopsided decision to then-champion Klitschko in April 2015, he had a couple of good moments in the bout and exceeded expectations by lasting the distance against an all-time great champion. Jennings returned on Dec. 19 to challenge Ortiz for his interim title in an HBO main event. It was a terrific action fight, but Jennings could not handle Ortiz's power. Ortiz repeatedly hurt Jennings until finally knocking him down and stopping him in the seventh round.
Next: TBA