On Saturday, unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk scored a second triumph over Tyson Fury by claiming a 12-round unanimous decision at the Kindom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All three judges scored the fight 116-112.
MORE: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 fight updates, results, highlights
In their first encounter, in May, the lightning-quick Ukrainian scored a knockdown against “The Gypsy King” in round nine and prevailed by a 12-round split decision to win the undisputed championship.
Given all that he’s accomplished in his career, it’s incredible to think that the unbeaten Usyk has only climbed the ring steps 23 times as a professional.
A double undisputed champion (cruiserweight and heavyweight) and the finest pound-for-pound fighter in the world today, he is a lock for the Hall of Fame and, for many, an all-time great.
This second victory over Fury has rubberstamped the 37-year-old lefty as the finest heavyweight of his generation.
Alongside his wins over Fury, Usyk has twice defeated Anthony Joshua, and he also holds a ninth-round stoppage win over the reigning IBF heavyweight champ Daniel Dubois. As things stand, there is simply no denying his supremacy.
Even as he approaches the twilight of his career, Usyk shows no signs of slowing down and there are still big fights out there for him.
The Sporting News plots potential courses for the unified heavyweight champion in 2025.
Will Oleksandr Usyk fight Daniel Dubois in a rematch?
Following Usyk’s second win over Fury, Daniel Dubois crashed the Ukrainian’s post-fight interview and called for a rematch. The pair have a history.
On August 26, 2023, Usyk scored a ninth-round TKO over Dubois in Poland to retain his IBF, WBA and WBO titles. But as impressive as this result was, one major moment of controversy loomed large in the aftermath.
In Round 5, Dubois released a brutal right-hand shot to the body that dropped Usyk to his knees. The referee instantly ruled a low blow and gave the champion almost four minutes of recovery time. While Usyk regained control of the fight, it was this incident that garnered all the headlines.
Opinions among boxing insiders were divided with some claiming that the Englishman’s punch was legitimate and others agreeing with veteran referee Luis Pabon’s decision.
Not only is the rematch an easy sell because of what happened in the first fight, but Dubois’ stock has risen dramatically since that time.
The Englishman was upgraded to full IBF champion following a win over Filip Hrgovic and he’s coming off a sensational fifth-round knockout over Anthony Joshua.
“I’d love to see Daniel lace them up against Usyk again because I believe that he should have won that fight and I still believe it wasn’t a low blow,” said promoter Frank Warren via The Standard.
Before that rematch can become a reality, Dubois has to get through Joseph Parker on February 22 in Riyadh. That is far from an easy assignment.
MORE: SN’s Top 12 best heavyweight boxers
Will Oleksandr Usyk return to cruiserweight?
Shortly after defeating Fury the first time, Usyk stunned fans and boxing experts when he announced that he was motivated to return to the cruiserweight division.
“I think maybe after the rematch, I am going to go down in weight to cruiserweight. I want more [fights at] cruiserweight,” Usyk told the ‘3 Knockdown Rule’ via the BBC.
“Maybe I can be undisputed for a second time in the cruiserweight division, it’s my plan. When I start to prepare for my training camp [as a heavyweight], I have to eat all the time. For me it’s hard, I don’t like it.”
Between September 2016 and July 2018, Usyk won every legitimate cruiserweight world title belt to emerge as the first undisputed champion in that division since Evander Holyfield in the 1980s. Furthermore, Usyk beat all the titleholders (Krzysztof Glowacki, Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev) on enemy territory.
No cruiserweight champion has ever moved up to heavyweight, won world titles, then returned to cruiserweight to regain belts in that division.
