Oleksandr Usyk has had a glittering career from amateur to professional.
The Ukrainian, now 35 years old, has won medals, titles and worldwide recognition, which he is now considered by all to be a great of the pound.
Ahead of this Saturday’s clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua, John A.MacDonald looks back at the current heavyweight champion’s five best career wins to date.
Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, September 25, 2021
Before Usyk’s bout with Anthony Joshua, you’d be forgiven for believing the Ukrainian was Tom Cruise weighing 221lbs, which is the extent of speculation that Usyk is “too small for the heavyweight.”
Of course, Southpaw making such claims seems completely absurd to completely pocket a man over 3 inches tall and 19lbs heavier, to victory in the battle of the London 2012 Olympic gold medalistswon the IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight titles in the process.
Joshua’s performance received much criticism shortly thereafter, but AJ produced the most technically proficient display of his career – unfortunately, he knocked out a grandmaster in a chess match.
Clear, Joshua is simply not trying to knock his opponent down. Thankfully, it was a simple mistake to correct in the rematch: if only the 18 other men Usyk fought had thought of it!
Oleksandr Usyk v Mairis Briedis, Riga Arena, January 27, 2018
Usyk added the WBC cruiser title to his WBO version with a tough majority decisive victory over Briedis.
The Latvian has not yet tasted defeat, has the home field advantage, is not overwhelmed by his illustrious opponent and is confident to equalize. Briedis has come closer than anyone before or since beating the 2012 London Olympic gold medalist.
The battle is one of the best of the year when both men show off a violent scene. On that night, Briedis was great, but Usyk was a little better.
Briedis further established herself as the dominating post-Usyk cruiser class by winning the second World Boxing Super Series competition held at 200 lbs. Briedis was the number one consensus in the weight class until he suffered a shock defeat to Jai Opetai in July 2022.
Oleksandr Usyk v Murat Gassiev, Olimpiyskiy, July 21, 2018
Four years after Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, Usyk entered enemy territory to face the undefeated Murat Gassiev, in the final of the World Super Boxing Championship.
Gassiev reached that stage of the competition in brutal fashion, disdain Krzysztof Wlodarczyk and Yuniel Dorticos with relative ease. By the time the first bell rang, the bookies had struggled to split. Many believe that the iron chin, heavy hands and pressure of the Russians will be Usyk’s kryptonite.
Despite a hostile mob and a 200lbs exterminator trying to knock him unconscious, Southpaw remained unfazed.
The word “masterclass” is used too liberally, but there is no other way to describe Usyk’s performance when he leaves opponents confused and amazed.
His screen is so comprehensive that there was no way the referees could deny Ukraine’s victory. The victory made Usyk the fourth undisputed champion in the four-belt era.
Oleksandr Usyk v Tony Bellew, Manchester Arena, November 10, 2018
Four months after establishing himself as the world’s best penis week by winning the World Boxing Super Series championship and unifying all four alphabet titles, Usyk defended his belt against Tony Bellew.
The ‘Bomber’ was once undefeated in 10 bouts, which saw him beat Ilunga Makabu to claim the 200lbs WBC belt before switching to heavyweight to upset David Haye, twice.
Bellew used her ‘Honorary Champion’ title to engineer the match against the Ukrainian in search of one final moment of glory. That dream will soon turn into a nightmare.
The English player was soon successful, but had to work hard in every half. Bellew won the battle, but lost the war.
Away boxers apply constant educational pressure; use legs and stands. Usyk’s tactics worked in the round of 16 when a left cross sent Bellew into goal, ending the career of the Bomber.
Oleksandr Usyk v Krzysztof Glowacki, Ergo Arena, September 17, 2016
In his nine games before this one, Usyk hadn’t misplaced a foot; Stops each opponent within a set distance.
However, Glowacki has shown a significant advance in the class and there are questions surrounding the former elite amateur player: can Usyk maintain his work pace through 12 innings? How will he deal with the pressure and power of the Pole?
WBO cruiser class champion Glowacki entered the match after winning over Steve Cunningham and Marco Huck. Yes, both former champions have fallen, but the wins are impressive nonetheless.
Despite the profound experience, Usyk passed the test with flying colors announced the arrival of a new force at 200lbs.
