Oleksandr Usyk is an All-Time Great and His Second Win Over Tyson Fury Solidifies It
Don't fret, boxing fans.
That scratching, rubbing sound you heard Saturday evening wasn't indicative of some imminent calamity. Instead, it was simply the pencils and erasers of the revisionist history crowd, scrambling to suggest they'd known about Oleksandr Usyk all along.
You know, back when he was only an ambitious cruiserweight, who, having cleaned out that unheralded division on the way to undisputed status, announced an intention to climb the ladder to chase the cash and prizes only available to those calling themselves heavyweights.
It was folly, many suggested.
Because Usyk, though a sturdy 6'3" and likely capable of carrying at least a bit more than just 200 pounds, possessed neither the ungodly strength nor gargantuan size needed to survive in the land of giants ruled by the likes of Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury – the smallest of whom measured three inches and 20 pounds past the Ukrainian on his biggest day.
It all seems a little silly now. Nevertheless, in the next-day aftermath of Usyk's second defeat of Fury in seven months – which followed the second of two clinical undressings of Joshua two years earlier – those who were late to the still-unbeaten Ukrainian's party are trying to invent ways to make themselves seem post-date prescient.
Here's a little help for those needing it.
Now that he's toppled Fury twice, Usyk is not just the best fighter in the heavyweight division. He's also the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. And, for those perpetually seeking a historical context, he's got a strong case for an upper-tier place in long-term discussions, too.
Don't believe it? Think about what we've seen.
Joshua had won 24 of 25 fights and reigned twice around a brief interruption by Andy Ruiz.
But in 24 rounds against Usyk, whom he dwarfed in every pre-fight measurable, only the most partisan observer would suggest he won more than eight.
It was only slightly different with Fury, who'd arrived at 34-0-1 and fresh off two frightening KOs of Wilder, but found himself on the canvas in Round 9 of the first fight in May and clearly gassed and frustrated by Saturday's midpoint, saving just enough energy to whine about the decision.
And don't even get us started on Daniel Dubois, who childishly interrupted Usyk's post-fight interview Saturday with a rant about revenge for a 2023 fight in Poland in which he'd lost seven of eight rounds on two scorecards before giving up less than a minute into the ninth.
If they're the best the division has to offer these days, it's a moot point.
And it doesn't change much when the comparisons go longer term.
Of the 28 men who've made a claim to one significant heavyweight belt or another since 2000, Usyk has already beaten those three a combined five times. And once some other flotsam and jetsam is cleared off – namely the Lamon Brewsters, Sultan Ibragimovs and Bermane Stivernes (and others) of the bunch – only a handful from the last quarter-century even merit mention.
Two of them, both Hall of Famers, were seated together at ringside in Saudi Arabia.
Retired since 2003, Lennox Lewis was the last undisputed champ before May's upheaval, and there's no doubt he'd give Usyk problems while utilizing the same front-foot, offensive strategy that Fury used from time to time but had neither the stamina nor wherewithal to continue.
But it wouldn't have been easy.
Wladimir Klitschko, with whom Emanuel Steward worked after Lewis's exit, was tall and sturdy and offensively gifted, too, but was stiffer than Lewis and may have succumbed to Usyk's speed and dexterity in much the way that Fury, who dethroned Klitschko in 2015, eventually did.
And don't even get us started on Mike Tyson, banished from the upper heavyweight stratosphere by Lewis in 2002, whom Usyk would have bamboozled like Buster Douglas and Evander Holyfield already had.
Regardless of your current verdict on Usyk, he's not through providing evidence.
He could get the purloined IBF belt back with a Dubois rematch, though the far more interesting options would be returning to cruiserweight to entertain a challenge from menacing IBF champ Jai Opetaia or putting himself in the path of teenage phenom Moses Itauma, who's aiming to eclipse Tyson as the youngest champion in heavyweight history.
Pretty good for a guy written off as a novelty not too long ago, eh?
But don't worry, we'll still let you pretend you saw it coming.
