Once upon a time, the world heavyweight champ was the most famous man on Earth. But other than hardcore fight fans, nobody can even pick Oleksandr Usyk out of a lineup. And he’s held the belt for nearly four years. But the spotlight could soon shine on the 38-year-old Ukrainian, who remained undefeated and retained his undisputed heavyweight title Saturday night in London with a beautifully brutal defeat of English challenger Daniel Dubois.  Usyk to this point has been seen as a fighter’s fighter, far more a technician than a bully. The boxing public prefers that artistry be left to little guys. Whoever wears the heavyweight belt has one job: to knock mofos out. Usyk moved from cruiserweight to heavyweight in 2019, and before this weekend had only knocked out one mofo since moving up. That came in August 2023 in Poland, when he stopped Dubois in a controversial bout tainted by a crucial referee’s decision in Usyk’s favor.

View Entire Post