10 - Mike Perez (21-2-1)

The Cuban born Irishman suffered a big defeat last Friday in Moscow, being knocked out in the first round by Alexander Povetkin. Perez is at a bit of a crossroads in his career with just one win in his last four fights and he needs to turn it around quickly or his career will fade away to that of a journey man.

9 - Anthony Joshua (12-0)

The big Brit has 12 wins and 12 knockouts to his name since turning pro in late 2013. Joshua won gold in the super-heavyweight division at the London Olympics in 2012 and he looks to have a big future in the business. He is yet to be really tested as a pro and it is hard to say how far he can go until he faces a live opponent. Next up is American, Kevin Johnson who has never been stopped in 36 contests and although Joshua should win it is likely to be the toughest bout of his career to date.

8 - Vyacheslav Glazkov (20-0-1)

Glazkov is undefeated in 21 fights but he was rather fortunate to beat Steve Cunningham in Montreal in March. Glazkov got the nod from the judges although many observers felt the veteran Cunningham had got the better of the Ukrainian. Regardless, Glazkov will have to do better when he steps into the ring again if he is to move up the rankings and earn title shots in the future.

7 - Bryant Jennings (19-1)

The man from Philadelphia took on Wladimir Klitschko in New York last month and although he ended up losing in points he gave the world champion one of his toughest nights in recent memory. If Jennings can build on that experience there is no reason why he can't be a future champion in years to come.

6 - Bermane Stiverne (24-2-1)

The veteran American became a world champion in May last year when he knocked out Chris Arreola to pick up the vacant WBC World heavyweight title but he lost it in his first defence against fellow American, Deontay Wilder. At 36 it is difficult to see a route back to the top for Stiverne but he will be a difficult opponent for any of the young pretenders. 

5 - Kubrat Pulev (20-1)

Pulev, like so many others in the heavyweight division, stormed his way to a world title shot only to fall short when he came up against Wladimir Klitschko. Pulev was stopped in the fifth round by Dr Steelhammer and hasn't fought since that defeat in November 2014.

4 - Tyson Fury (24-0)

The Manchester fighter talks a good game and looks likely to be the next man to get into the ring with Klitschko but does he really have what it takes to cause problems for the champion? Fury is convinced he does and the fight will be massive in England or Germany so we should find out in the next few months if he can back his words up in the ring.

3 - Deontay Wilder (33-0)

Wilder holds the one world title that isn't held by Klitschko after beating Bermane Stiverne to win the WBC World heavyweight title in January. He will make his first defence in June against Eric Molina in his home state of Alabama. Wilder has won 32 of his 33 fights by knockout and he will be expected to stop Molina.

2 - Alexander Povetkin (29-1)

Povetkin lost to Klitschko in 2013 but has bounced back with three knockout wins over Manuel Charr, Carlos Takam and an explosive first round knockout win over Mike Perez in Moscow on Friday night. He is now the number one contender for Wilder's WBC title and if that fight gets the go ahead it could be one of the most exciting heavyweight bouts in recent years.

1 - Wladimir Klitschko (64-3)

The undisputed number one is Dr Steelhammer himself, Wladimir Klitschko. He is unbeaten in 11 years since being knocked out by Lamon Brewster in 2004. Klitschko has won 22 fights in a row since then including avenging that defeat to Brewster. 18 of those wins have been title defences and he is just seven behind Joe Louis' record of 25 consecutive title defences.

Many thanks to Stuart Plant, Kal Sajad, Sean Carter, Carlos Sucre Jr, Bassil Thayabeh, Mosope Ominiyi and Brian Blaine Posada who joined me on the panel to complete VAVEL's first heavyweight rankings.