IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois must be riding high after accomplishing the unthinkable earlier this month in London—defeating former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. More impressive than the victory itself was the manner in which he dismantled Joshua, showcasing the true caliber of fighter ‘DDD’ has become. But the good news doesn’t end there for the heavyweight star.

With his 5th-round knockout victory over ‘AJ,’ Dubois has now been promoted to the No. 2 spot in the esteemed Ring Magazine heavyweight rankings. Before the fight, Dubois was on the 6th spot on the same list, but now he has replaced Joshua, who was previously the No. 2 heavyweight. Meanwhile, fans seem to be elated with the recent update. 

What happened to Anthony Joshua? 

Earlier today, talkSport editor Michael Benson shared the update with his followers on X, writing, “Daniel Dubois has now rocketed up the Ring Magazine heavyweight rankings.” He also shared the newly updated list of heavyweights, featuring Oleksandr Usyk as the champion and Tyson Fury in the first spot.

Dubois took the second spot, followed by Joseph Parker, Zhilei Zhang, and Agit Kabayel in the third, fourth, and fifth spots. Up next, Martin Bakole, off his win over Jared Anderson, took up the sixth spot. Meanwhile, Joshua was demoted to the seventh spot and was followed by Filip Hrgovic in the eighth, who also lost to Daniel Dubois recently.

In the last two spots, Efe Ajagba and Justis Huni barely made it on the rankings. Interestingly, Dubois now also has the option to face others in the same rankings, like Bakole, Zhang, and even Usyk for a rematch, which could give fans another undisputed match. Regardless, after discovering the updated rankings, fans quickly started taking apart all the names on the list. 

Fan rallies to put Daniel Dubois higher on the list

The rankings have always been a point of contention among fans, as they fail to cater to the personal preferences of every fan in the world. Regardless, this user argued Joshua shouldn’t even be included in the list while claiming rising star Moses Itauma should replace him. “Joshua shouldn’t be on the list and Moses itauma should be where Joshua is. Joshua has always been a fraud, he never would’ve lasted 8 rounds with Fury at any point in his career,” the user boldly commented. However, it’s worth mentioning that Itauma hasn’t fought anyone of note yet, and neither has he any titles.

Meanwhile, this user seemed satisfied with the updated rankings. The user wrote, “Solid rankings. Might switch a couple names, but overall not too much to debate here.” Yet, arguably, Hrgovic performed way better than Joshua against Dubois. 

Another user came up with who Dubois should fight next. The user commented, “Of course! Man has one of the belts. Parker is next for him.” Notably, Dubois has expressed interest in facing Usyk, instead, to avenge his loss. 

Someone else felt Dubois deserved an even better spot on the rankings. “Dubois should be #2 ahead of washed Fury, who is a fossil at 36,” the user remarked. Fans will find out whether Fury is washed or not in his upcoming rematch with Usyk on December 21st. 

One user felt Joshua’s demotion in the rankings wasn’t significant enough. “At this point Joshua should be below Hrgović. I mean just compare their preformances against Dubois,” the user wrote. However, Joshua has faced more notable names compared to Hrgovic.

That said, it appears while fans are on board with Dubois’ new spot in the rankings, they aren’t so pleased with others in it. Nonetheless, what’s your take on the new Ring Magazine rankings?