Where Does Oleksandr Usyk Rank Among The Greats After Win Over Tyson Fury?
It’s been a few days since the historic ‘Ring of Fire’ event in Saudi Arabia, where Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury in a classic to become the undisputed heavyweight world champion.
Unsurprisingly following a moment of such magnitude, the dust has barely settled. Since Usyk had his arm raised in victory having been awarded a split-decision, the boxing news cycle continues to be dominated by events in Riyadh.
Will they have the rematch? Could Fury retire? Where does Anthony Joshua fit into the picture? Should Usyk have had the stoppage in the ninth round? Will the IBF strip Usyk of the title if he doesn’t defend it next?
Somewhat lost amongst all the post-fight drama and speculation is the astounding achievement of Usyk. Not long ago he was fighting on the frontline to defend Ukraine from Russian invasions, now he stands on top of the boxing world.
Fury insisted that victory would have made him the greatest heavyweight of all time. A dubious claim but applying that logic, does the Gypsy King now view Usyk as the heavyweight GOAT?
Debates comparing great fighters past and present, spanning more than 100 years of boxing, is a fun but ultimately futile exercise. That said, it’s only natural to make those comparisons, particularly after boxing has just crowned it’s first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years.
So, where should Usyk rank among the best in history? When measuring boxing GOATS, several factors need to be considered: titles, record, and impact.
Is Usyk’s Record Good Enough?
Short answer: absolutely, yes. Usyk has enjoyed glittering success throughout his career, starting in the amateurs where he became a World, European, and Olympic champion.
As a pro, he has claimed all the gold by beating champions in their own backyards; Usyk dominated Krzysztof Glowacki to win the WBO cruiserweight world title in Poland, and defended it with wins in the United States against American Michael Hunter and German Marco Huck in Germany.
He became the unified cruiserweight world champion by beating Latvian Mairis Briedis in Latvia to add the WBC belt to his collection and became undisputed with a victory over Russian Murat Gassiev in Russia.
Usyk even went to the UK to obliterate Tony Bellew in his one and only title defense. Never before has boxing seen a fighter march his way to undisputed by fighting so many champions in their own countries.
The Ukrainian continued that trend upon moving up to heavyweight, totally outclassing Joshua in London to become the unified champion.
Two successful defenses – a rematch with Joshua and a stoppage of Daniel Dubois – followed before Saturday night’s remarkable victory over the lineal and WBC champion Fury.
Usyk is only the second fighter in history after the great Evander Holyfield to be undisputed champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight. He is also only the third male fighter, after Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue, to be undisputed in two divisions during the four-belt era.
So, yes, Usyk’s record is definitely good enough to be ranked among the greats.
Does His List Of Opponents Stack Up?
Boxing has seen so many undeserving world champions who have managed to carefully navigate their way through weak divisions.
Charles Martin, for example, became a heavyweight world champion by taking advantage of an easy route to a belt. As soon as he came up against a good fighter, he was flattened in two rounds by Joshua.
That is certainly not the case for Usyk. The Ukrainian has beaten five champion- or top-level fighters with unbeaten records, often in their own countries in front of their own fans.
Arguably the greatest cruiserweight of all time, Usyk overcame massive size and power differences when he moved up to heavyweight and is now the first undisputed champion since 1999.
To achieve history, he beat the two best other heavyweights of his generation, and in style. He boxed the head off Joshua in their first bout and while the rematch went to a split decision, Usyk never looked in danger of losing.
Then, of course, came one of the most iconic nights in recent boxing memory and Usyk duly delivered against Fury.
He has delivered on nights that will go down in history – another sign of an all-time great.
Usyk’s Impact In Ukraine And Beyond
A sure sign of a boxing superstar is the way their fights transcend the sport; it’s not only fight fans who tune in to watch, but the entire world. In more recent times, when boxing moved increasingly away from the mainstream, few fighters have achieved such status.
Floyd Mayweather did, of course, so too Manny Pacquaio (crime rates even dropped in his native Philippines when he was fighting). Canelo Alvarez has achieved such status from the current active fighters.
As for Usyk, he is a national hero in Ukraine – and precisely the sort of hero his country needs during this terrible time of war and destruction. His victory was met with a congratulatory message from the Ukrainian president and his standing within his own country is only going to increase after this achievement.
His global appeal is also going to skyrocket. Humble, affable, and good-humoured, Usyk has captured the hearts and minds of fans across the globe, and climbed to the peak of boxing without any trash talk or negative headlines.
Where he ranks among the greats in terms of a “top-10” will always be a topic of conversation, but if anyone places him near the top, there is plenty of evidence to make the case.
