Oleksandr Usyk is one of the few unbeaten fighters active today.
The generational talent has completed not one but two divisions. Down at cruiserweight is where he first imposed himself, cleaning out the division to become the undisputed champion back in 2018, just six years after also taking home a gold medal from the London 2012 Olympics.
He then moved up to the banner division, where he took on Chazz Witherspoon and Derek Chisora before challenging Anthony Joshua for three of the four major belts. He won that fight on points, defended the belts the same way in the rematch and then knocked out Daniel Dubois in August 2023.
Next came an epic fight with Tyson Fury in May 2024 to add the fourth belt to his collection, before a rematch in December last year saw him once again outpoint ‘The Gypsy King.’
Speaking recently to DailyMail Sport for a round of winner stays on, Usyk was asked to predict who would win a fantasy fight between his old foe ‘AJ’ and the legendary Mike Tyson, and he went with the Brit.
Though ‘AJ’ would step through the ring with a significant height and reach advantage, whether or not he could control the explosive aggression of ‘Iron’ Mike would be the main debate from the fantasy fight. The veteran would also bring an intimidation factor that Joshua – and most current heavyweights – have not come up against in this era. While that’s a test that will never happen, the Brit is now faced with a very real comeback.
He rebuilt well after his loss to Usyk with a points win, then three KOs over Francis Ngannou, Otto Wallin and Robert Helenius before being stopped by Dubois in September last year.
He is currently recovering from an elbow injury, but will likely return later this summer, while Usyk is back in action on July 19 when he takes on Dubois for a second time and looks to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion.
