Understated Usyk seeks recognition among boxing legends

The Ukrainian ended debate about this generation's top heavyweight when he saw off the previously unbeatable Tyson Fury for a second time in Riyadh on Saturday night

By AFP

Published: Sun 22 Dec 2024, 4:33 PM

Last updated: Sun 22 Dec 2024, 4:34 PM

Oleksandr Usyk has vanquished all before him but there are signs of frustration that the quietly determined Ukrainian does not get the recognition he deserves.

Usyk, 37, ended debate about this generation's top heavyweight when, deep into the night in Riyadh on Saturday, he saw off the previously unbeatable Tyson Fury for a second time.

Asked which of boxing's heavyweight greats he could not have beaten, Usyk gave an understated but telling answer.

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"Oleksandr Usyk," he told reporters, before bowing karate-style and leaving.

There is no doubt that Usyk has earned his right to be mentioned alongside Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and the other legends on the list of undisputed heavyweights.

The 2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medallist, now 23-0 as a professional having been undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, has put together one of the all-time great careers.

According to Ring Magazine, the intelligent, gap-toothed fighter from Simferopol, Crimea, has "completed boxing".

Perhaps it's his shaky command of English, perhaps it's his unfashionable origins, but Usyk's camp feels he still flies under the radar.

"What else does Oleksandr need to prove? He's the best," asked his manager, Egis Klimas.

"Does he need to prove anything else?"

Usyk, who shares a birthday with Ali, compiled an imperious amateur career, including the European and world titles along with Olympic gold.

His professional debut came at a mature 26 but within 15 fights he had become the first man to unify all four cruiserweight belts.

He then repeated the trick after six bouts at heavyweight, beating Fury in May to end a 25-year wait for a unified champion in the top division.

Way past midnight on Saturday, he was too fast, fit and accurate for the 6ft 9ins, 127.4kg Fury, winning the rematch by unanimous decision.

The fight was "easier than the first one", said Usyk, who is running out of opponents and has teased a return to cruiserweight.

Usyk has beaten Anthony Joshua twice, and before facing Fury he knocked out Daniel Dubois, who challenged him to a rematch immediately after Saturday's fight.

The heady accomplishments are a long way from Usyk's start in boxing aged 15 when, already an accomplished street fighter, he realised it was cheaper than football.

"I decided to go into a boxing gym soon because you don't need too expensive equipment for being a boxer," Usyk told Ring Magazine a decade ago.

"On the other hand, I previously knew that I definitely can fight because of many winning street fights which I was involved in during my boyhood."

Usyk, nicknamed "The Cat" for his lightning reflexes, has employed unusual preparations including four-minute breath-holds, juggling and his party-piece: balancing six coins on the back of his hands, flicking them in the air and catching them.

The heir to an elite line of Ukrainian fighters, including the Klitschko brothers and Vasyl Lomachenko, is now happily making it pay in Saudi Arabia.

Perhaps not surprisingly, after a reported $190 million purse for Saturday's fight, the father of four says he's not done yet, despite his advancing years.

"Regarding the future, I do have will and power to go further," he said.