Oleksandr Usyk Owned the Boxing Ring in 2024

There was some thought when Usyk came up to the heavyweight division that the size difference may be too much. Usyk is 6-foot-3 and usually comes in around 220 pounds. He is by no means a small man, especially compared to the average person, but it’s tough to be competitive in a division with fighters like Fury, who is 6-9 and over 260 pounds.

But after a few fights, boxing news sites had Usyk lined up for big things. That moment came during his first fight with Fury this year. Usyk’s fight with Fury would be for the undisputed heavyweight champion. No one had unified all heavyweight titles since Lennox Lewis did it during the late 1990s.

While the judges ruled that their first meeting was a split decision, few rational people would have believed Fury won the fight. Usyk scored the only knockdown during the ninth round and generally was the more accurate fighter.

Usyk Isn’t Ducking Anyone

The criticism that usually haunts most boxers is that they will hand-pick the right opponent at the right time. But Usyk hasn’t been like that since he went up to heavyweight. When Usyk got his opportunity to fight for the championship in September 2021, he beat Anthony Joshua by unanimous decision.

That result was a major surprise. Many people had hoped Joshua would win and defend the championship against fellow Brit Fury. According to a boxing update today, Fury and Joshua still haven’t found a way to get in the ring together.

But Usyk fought both of them. Twice. Usyk granted both fighters a rematch and beat them a second time. There are a lot of boxers who get caught up flirting with retirement once they have as many title defenses as Usyk.

While Usyk knows he is running out of time to participate in big-time prizefights, he will have several opportunities in the immediate future. Usyk needs some of the up-and-coming heavyweights to turn themselves into marketable opponents.

With Saudi Arabia putting up big money to make these fights happen, there should be no short list of ambitious fighters lining up to take on some of these opportunities.

No Half Measures for Usyk

When it came to building a legacy, the rankings reflect that Usyk wanted to build his reputation quickly. Usyk has a knockout win over Daniel Dubois, who is currently ranked third. Dubois recently stunned the boxing community by taking out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round.

Many people thought a trilogy fight with Joshua may have been possible for Usyk despite the Ukrainian winning the first two fights. But Dubois crashed the plans and may make sense as the next challenger. Dubois is set to fight Joseph Parker soon.

Parker is going through a renaissance in his career. He has wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang over the past few years.

Rematch With Fury Wasn’t Close

After the first fight with Fury, which was a split decision, Usyk honored the rematch clause he signed with the British star. Usyk wanted to take the opportunity to establish who the best heavyweight in the world was.

The second fight wasn’t as close as the first one. While Fury planned to come in heavier and wear down Usyk, things didn’t work out that way. Despite outweighing Usyk by more than 40 pounds, Fury could not lean on his power punches.

Instead, Fury spent most of his time trying to catch up to the more agile fighter. Fury complained after the fight that he won by three rounds. No one else agreed.

Usyk won comfortably on all three judges’ scorecards.

What Should be Next for Usyk?

Usyk hasn’t been in the fight game all that long for a professional fighter. He was a decorated amateur who chose not to turn pro until later. What that means is that Usyk’s professional record is lean.

Who knows how much longer Usyk will want to keep fighting top heavyweights? Usyk doesn’t have much to prove right now. The 37-year-old fighter obviously feels the pull of being at home as his country has been stuck in a years-long war with Russia.

But setting aside his personal life, Usyk doesn’t have another fighter who seems like a threat to take his championship. There is always a chance that someone will develop momentum, but they can’t afford to wait long.

Usyk is 23-0 and a willing challenger to any participant who deserves to be there. But he won’t be around forever. We can all appreciate how Usyk put the stamp on his legacy in 2024.