LONDON — With his magnificent Round 5 demolition of Daniel Dubois on Saturday, Oleksandr Usyk provided more convincing evidence why he should be considered the best heavyweight since Lennox Lewis.
The left hook that left Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs) in a crumpled heap in front of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium was a thing of beauty, which fittingly sealed Usyk’s second reign as undisputed world heavyweight champion. Usyk also dropped Dubois to the canvas earlier in Round 5 with a right hand in an utterly imperious performance from the Ukrainian.
As long as Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) does not lose a potential trilogy fight with Tyson Fury in April 2026, or another title defence later this year probably against former WBO titleholder Joseph Parker, the undisputed heavyweight king will go down in history as the best heavyweight for the past two decades. Not only that, Usyk can also be considered the best cruiserweight for three decades since the likes of Dwight Muhammad Qawi and Evander Holyfield ruled in the mid-1980s.
Usyk was the first undisputed cruiserweight champion and reigned the division from 2016 to 2018, before stepping up to heavyweight. He has now made five heavyweight title defences against top level opponents — former champions and current champions.
Usyk’s achievements at heavyweight have surpassed what he managed at cruiserweight, and he has beaten the best of his era (Fury, Dubois and Anthony Joshua) — twice — to put any arguments beyond doubt as to who is the best. Dubois argued he scored a legitimate body punch in their first encounter two years ago, but it was (rightly) ruled a low blow. Usyk overwhelmed the big-punching, spirited Briton the rest of the fight for a ninth-round TKO, and in the rematch produced an even more emphatic conclusion.
Parker (36-3, 24 KOs), 33, will beat his friend Fury to Usyk it seems, as WBO mandatory challenger.
“The WBO say he has to fight Joseph Parker next, so that will be the fight,” Queensberry Promotions promoter Frank Warren said.
It is hard to envisage how a resurgent Parker, who is in the best form of his life, will threaten Usyk’s legacy.
Parker won the WBO belt with a points decision over Andy Ruiz in 2016, then lost it in a third defence and title unification fight versus Anthony Joshua in March 2018. Impressive wins over Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole in the last two years have resurrected Parker’s career, but Usyk’s ring IQ, movement and sublime skills are on a different level to Parker and the others.
Fury and Joshua, both two-time world champions, had good wins over Wladimir Klitschko, and Fury also stopped the dangerous puncher Wilder twice in world title fights.
But Usyk’s unblemished record, with a total 13 world title fight victories as well as a 2012 Olympic gold medal, stacks up better. Usyk’s fellow countrymen Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, with their superior reach and height could well have made things difficult for Usyk.
Wladimir’s jab-and-grab strategy was impregnable at times during his nine-and-a-half year reign, and it may have frustrated Usyk to the point of defeat. Vitali and Wladimir ruled the heavyweight division between them, holding all the belts at one time, from 2004 when Vitali became champion following his loss on cuts to Lewis in 2003, to when Fury boxed the ears off Wladimir in 2015.
Wladimir made a staggering 18 title defences in a second reign as unified world champion (2006-2015), with his best wins over David Haye, Alexander Povetkin and Jean Marc Mormeck. Vitali (45-2, 41 KOs) made two defences of the WBO belt, before 10 defences over two reigns as WBC champion, which were interrupted by injury, with destructive wins over Samuel Peter, Danny Williams and Herbie Hide.
– Usyk knocks out Dubois to become undisputed heavyweight champion
– In camp with Oleksandr Usyk: Behind the scenes with a heavyweight champion
– Fight results: Usyk stops Dubois, regains undisputed championship
The Klitschko brothers’ numbers are greater than those so far compiled by Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs), who has made five heavyweight title defences and six cruiserweight title defences. But Usyk has better names on his record, and is a three-time undisputed world champion.
Usyk became the first recognised undisputed world heavyweight champion since Lewis (41-2, 32 KOs), who beat such fighters as all-time greats Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Klitschko over three reigns as champion, with 17 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw in world heavyweight title fights.
Like Vitali, Wladimir and Lewis, Usyk launched his professional career off the back of an Olympic gold medal triumph and as he closes in on the end of his career, whether it is later this year against Parker or next year against Fury, his legacy looks the strongest of any heavyweight since Lewis.