Tyson Fury remains listed as WBC heavyweight champion, while Anthony Joshua has been left out of the WBC rankings ahead of his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury currently holds the WBC crown which he successfully defended in his mandatory clash with Dillian Whyte back in April. He informed the organisation yesterday that he has retired, which has since been confirmed by the organisation's president Mauricio Sulaiman.
It was expected that Fury would wait to see if Joshua can beat rival Oleksandr Usyk at the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia next Saturday which would set up an undisputed clash. And this remains the case with Fury remaining ranked as the WBC champion after the organisation refreshed their official heavyweight rankings today.
Meanwhile his long-term rival Joshua has been left out of the rankings all together after being declared 'Not Available', in line with the WBC's rules as he is fighting for the WBO, IBF and WBA straps. The organisation gave an explanation for his exclusion on their website, which read: "This shall be limited to other organisation’s champions (inc. Interim) not listed above.
Any opponents of those champions in a scheduled defence, and also those who cannot fight due to medical, legal, or personal issues (and those who do not wish to fight for the WBC). Joshua and Usyk were both declared not available as a result of their title fight, which sees the Ukrainian also miss out in the classifications.
Deontay Wilder remains ranked as the leading contender for Fury's heavyweight crown despite his inactivity, which could suggest he is closing in on a return to action shortly. Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker are ranked No.2 and No.3 within the organisation, as they are set to do battle for supremacy in a pay-per-view card next month.
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Fury remaining champion in the latest rankings could be the biggest hint yet that his latest retirement call could in fact wait until he discovers the outcome of Joshua's rematch with Usyk next weekend. It remains unclear if Fury will vacate his belt but according to the rankings he is yet to do so, which will encourage fans who are desperate to see Joshua take on Fury.
The current champion's father John previously suggested he would encourage his son to face Joshua irrespective of his plans to retire. “If Joshua gets the win, then it’s all to play for isn’t it,” Fury Sr told talkSPORT when assessing the chances of his son fighting for the undisputed heavyweight titles.
“Even I’d want [Tyson] to do that, I’d pressure him to do that. And Usyk, why not? He can beat them both at a canter so why not? But don’t be surprised if AJ pulls it off. I’ve got a sneaky feeling again that AJ’s going to do it and he has this remarkable way of bouncing back doesn’t he.”
