By: Sean Crose
“Those days are gone forever,” Steel Dan once stated, “a long time ago.” And so, we believe that the heavyweight division of boxing is no longer “the division of the big boys.” Now it is a “super league,” made up of men who can pass to NBA players instead of traditional fighters. We are told that the heavyweights of yesteryear simply cannot compete with the giant heavyweights of today. And then there’s Oleksandr Usyk, who became the first undisputed heavyweight world champion in 25 years this past weekend. Usyk who stands at the traditional 6’3 edged out the 6’9 Tyson Fury in an absolute 12 round fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
However, Fury wasn’t the only super heavyweight Usyk defeated on his way to becoming undisputed. During the previous three years, he defeated the 6’6 Anthony Joshua not once but twice. In other words, Usyk has earned his chance to become the undisputed king of the heavyweight division. Indeed, before becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion, the undefeated Ukrainian was already the undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world – in the division below heavyweight altogether. However, how did Usyk become the fighter he is – a legitimate all-time great?
The truth is that Usyk possesses skills like no other. He applies pressure while remaining slippery, moving back and fourth while shooting with enough force to knock a giant like Fury to the mat. He is also extremely focused. Just by looking at Usyk’s face as the referee gave his instructions on Saturday, one could see how far he had fallen as a person. Even as Fury glared, Usyk continued to squint at the towering Briton, like a man on a mission. That combination of skill and tenacity has proven to deliver incredible success for Usyk in 22 of 22 fights to date.
Ultimately, however, it wasn’t just his skill and focus that got Usyk to where he now stands at the pinnacle of the sport. Simply put, determination is what led Usyk to conquer the world. It may soon be forgotten but there were many moments on Saturday when Usyk looked like Fury’s punching bag. Sure enough, around the middle of the fight, Fury looked like he was headed for victory. He also showed that he can impact Usyk with his shots.
Yet Usyk kept grinding, kept moving forward, even as it began to appear that the outcome of the fight had become a foregone conclusion. And then it happened. Usyk’s fists and aggression took their toll. By the ninth minute, Fury was on the mat. After the 12th Fury match, he suffered his first defeat. Usyk won that night, as well as the heavyweight division, and he did so largely through inner strength. All welcome the King.
