OLEKSANDR THE GREAT
is it too early for Itauma? And at the end of, say, 2027, after Itauma has had a few more fights (supposing, as we go to print, that Itauma has defeated Dillian Whyte on August 16 in Riyadh), could that be too late for Usyk? Usyk could just walk away, too, leaving an incredible legacy of being undisputed in two weight divisions. The dismantling of Dubois would be his swan song. Wealth and legacy, health intact. The aforementioned Hearn, who doesn’t promote either man, reviewed the Usyk-Dubois fight in an interview with The Ring and summed up the performance with aplomb and accuracy. Hearn rightly saw the brilliance of Usyk, rather than the failures of Dubois, as the identifier in the narrative of the fight. “Incredible” is what Hearn told Ring Magazine. “I don’t know why we are looking for all these excuses [for Dubois] when Usyk, who is pound-for-pound number one, battered Daniel Dubois. “It doesn’t matter if Daniel went to a yoga retreat rather than had a party at his house. He was getting stopped that night. Usyk is too good and the mindset is too strong for Daniel Dubois. It’s too much for him. Daniel Dubois is a big, strong lump, and if you let him get confidence, he is a real problem. If you take that confidence early, he completely unfolds and breaks apart. “The first two minutes of the fight, [Usyk] knew the power, he knew the danger ... you could see it in his eyes … thinking ‘this is not going to be a horrible night,’ so bang ... he hit him, he hit him with the jab, and in the second round, started to walk him down, taking the center of the ring ... movement, head up and down, peppered him, just completely harassed him and made him spiral out of control. He completely destroyed Dubois mentally, started to beat him up, and then stopped him. “People are saying this and that, that Dubois quit, but at the end of the day, [Usyk] broke him. He didn’t want to continue; because he knew he was going
to get a pasting. He didn’t want to find a way back into the fight – he was done. Usyk has a way of doing that; he breaks your heart. “The issue is, Dubois was ready to get up at six or seven. And when the ref got to 10, he just got up and strolled to his corner and he didn’t even look like he was on unsteady legs. So that was the problem with it.” Hearn added: “In Usyk-Dubois 1, [Dubois] quit. But in the second fight, he got hit by a very big shot, and he got battered, but he definitely decided he did not want to carry on. I don’t blame him. But there is a fighter’s code. If you don’t want to continue, [it means] you quit. That’s what a fighter would say.” The talk that Dubois simply got up at the second count, and clearly demoralized, walked back nonchalantly to his corner, has drawn myriad views. People were also astonished by the pre- fight party (or “gathering,” as trainer Don Charles called it) that happened at Dubois’ home before the fight. It was labeled unprofessional and a disgrace. Whatever the fallout, only the Dubois family can answer that. In the days after the fight, promoter Frank Warren sent me a brief video of George Foreman being knocked down by Muhammad Ali in The Rumble in the Jungle. Again, comparisons can be odious, but Foreman walks back to his corner, exhausted and demoralized, yet no one labeled him a quitter. Nor was he, of course. In summary, Usyk has now laid waste to a generation of top-tier British undisputed heavyweight hopes in Fury, Joshua and Dubois, and in doing so, the unrelenting, uber-talented and utterly thrilling champion sits in a conversation alongside some of the greatest ever – Ali, Lewis, Foreman, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Joe Louis and many others. We will always debate how he would have fared against Ali (same birthday, same physical stature), Lewis and Louis, a prime Tyson and indeed Holyfield. Thinking about those matchups is a reality because Usyk has produced the goods. There
are those who will decry this era, but let’s emphasize that the balance of all the Ukrainian’s attributes, physical and mental, put him in the conversation. The manner in which he has nullified the power and dangers of his British foes and all others has created a tapestry of boxing brilliance. Time, as we know, waits for no aging athlete, and although Usyk and his extraordinary skill set continue to show few signs of decline, there will be younger fighters emerging and coming to hunt him down. Itauma is being fast-tracked through the levels. Perhaps that fight will be signed by the power, money and influence of the Saudis. Who knows? With the right purse, it might happen. Brilliant and dangerous and fast as the young tyro Itauma is, I would still favor the Ukrainian to “old man” the Briton. There is nothing to dislike about Usyk, and he carries world champion status with presence and an aura. Watching the fresh-faced 25-year- old winning Olympic gold in the heavyweight division at the London Olympic Games in 2012, few, if anyone, could have predicted just how great “The Cat” would go on to be. At “38 years young,” as Usyk proclaims himself to be, he also carries a level of responsibility, culturally and politically, that few other sportsmen either attain or even aspire to, given his constant affirmation for the support of his compatriots fighting against the Russian invasion of his country. He oozes class. He takes part in fundraising for the restoration and rebuilding of his ravaged country. And although instinctively it feels like the perfect time for him to walk away, there is the sense that he is not yet done. Let’s treasure Oleksandr Usyk as long as the sport brings him back for more. We are witnessing someone very special. Very special indeed. He might just be unbeatable. Gareth A Davies is the boxing correspondent for The London Daily Telegraph and TalkSPORT .
Usyk achieved double undisputed status at heavyweight inside five rounds.
through his skills again in the second meeting. Interestingly, many believed, including Lennox Lewis, that Fury should have rushed Usyk in the second fight, but perhaps it was just not there for the “Gypsy King” to exploit. Usyk became better the second time around. It is a mark of his greatness. So where does Usyk sit in the pantheon of legends? It befits Usyk, in my view, to be placed in the top 10 heavyweights of all time. How long will he wish to continue? Should he go on, he’ll be 39 years old in January 2026. Perhaps only Father Time will stop him. In other words, perhaps only Usyk can invite defeat for Usyk. Or perhaps his next move will be a defense against Joseph Parker – experienced, in form, and more effective than ever. The former titleholder from New Zealand deserves his chance. Or will the test be the formidable body- puncher Agit Kabayel? The WBO’s leading contender, Parker, is first in the queue, followed by Kabayel. Who of the two provides the sterner test? It is hard to say. As we went
to press with this article, news surfaced that Riyadh Season would not sponsor the Usyk-Parker fight. That may not matter. Usyk has become a known and respected sports star in the U.K., and by my estimation over half of the Wembley Stadium crowd of 90,000 was there cheering for the Ukrainian. Moreover, with over 200,000 Ukrainians residing in the U.K., it would not be beyond reason to stage the fight in London, with Parker also well-known to British sports fans there. There is also the possibility of taking “road warrior” Usyk to New Zealand. Given the success of stadium fights in the U.K., we might suggest the visit Down Under less likely. But does Usyk really need to fight Parker or Kabayel? Victories over either fighter, arguably, do not increase his legacy, though it would see him cleaning out a division that has had a very mobile top 10 in the past two years. There is also the prospect of a third dance with Tyson Fury – still, for me, clearly the second best heavyweight of this era. Mention of that fight at
Wembley Stadium on the night of Usyk- Dubois brought one of the loudest cheers of the night, rather than derision. The argument is whether Fury merits the opportunity and whether it would be for belts. In truth, it’s likely the belts would be fragmented if that were to happen. It would be one last chance for Fury to right what he sees as a wrong. But could Fury reverse the outcome of the first two fights? Fury certainly wants a trilogy, being 2-0 down. It is still a commercial behemoth. There is even the suggestion from the powerbrokers that it could be Moses Itauma, the 20-year-old seen as the coming force in the heavyweight division, next for Usyk. That possibility was confirmed by a post on X by none other than Alalshikh. The fight with Itauma represents Usyk bridging the next generation. But
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