Tag: Joshua Usyk

Pound-for-pound: Tyson Fury moves up a notch after epic KO

Heavyweight titleholder Tyson Fury turned in a special performance in his third fight with Deontay Wilder on Saturday in Las Vegas, stopping the former champ in the 11th round of a classic battle. Was it enough to lift Fury (No. 8 going into last …

Heavyweight titleholder Tyson Fury turned in a special performance in his third fight with Deontay Wilder on Saturday in Las Vegas, stopping the former champ in the 11th round of a classic battle.

Was it enough to lift Fury (No. 8 going into last Saturday) higher on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list?

Well, the process of making a decision on that was tricky. You have to imagine how Fury might fare against those ahead of him on the list if they were the same size.

Could Fury, with his impressive skill set and grit, defeat Nos. 1-7 Terence Crawford, Canelo Alvarez, Naoya Inoue, Oleksandr Usyk, Errol Spence Jr., Teofimo Lopez and Vasiliy Lomachenko if weight weren’t a factor?

We have our doubts.

At the same time, Fury has had great success at the highest level of the sport, including back-to-back knockouts of arguably the second best heavyweight in the world. He’s proving what he’s made of in the ring, for which he deserves credit.

Thus, we decided to move Fury up one notch on the list — from No. 8 to No. 7, meaning he trades places with Lomachenko (No. 7 previously).

Lomachenko is coming off a ninth-round knockout of Masayoshi Nakatani in June but gave a shaky performance eight months earlier against Lopez, who defeated the Ukrainian star by a unanimous decision.

Here’s how the new list looks:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – Scheduled to defend his WBO welterweight title against Shawn Porter on Nov. 20 Las Vegas.
  2. Canelo Alvarez – Scheduled to fight Caleb Plant to unify all four major 168-pound titles on Nov. 6 in Las Vegas.
  3. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  4. Oleksandr Usyk – Expected to fight Anthony Joshua a second time but no deal is in place.
  5. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  6. Teofimo Lopez – Tentatively scheduled to defend his undisputed lightweight championship against George Kambosos next month but no date has been locked in.
  7. Tyson Fury – No fight scheduled.
  8. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Expected to fight Richard Commey on Dec. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City but the deal hasn’t be finalized.
  9. Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBA and WBA junior bantamweight titles in what would be a third fight against Roman Gonzalez in November.
  10. Gennadiy Golovkin – In talks to fight Ryota Murata in a middleweight title-unification fight on Dec. 28 in Japan.
  11. Mikey Garcia – Scheduled to fight Sandor Martin on Oct. 16 in Fresno, Calif.
  12. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  13. Josh Taylor – Scheduled to defend his undisputed junior welterweight championship against mandatory challenger Jack Catterall on Dec. 18 in Glasgow, Scotland.
  14. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his light heavyweight titles against Marcus Browne on Dec. 17 in Montreal.
  15. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Rolando Romero in a lightweight bout on Dec. 5 in Los Angeles.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Mairis Briedis (scheduled to fight Artur Mann on Oct. 16 in Riga, Latvia), Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled), Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (Sor Rungvisai is expected to meet Carlos Cuadras as part of a junior bantamweight tournament but nothing is official), Yordenis Ugas (no fight scheduled) and Oscar Valdez (no fight scheduled).

[lawrence-related id=24729,24722,24699,24702,24656]

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Pound-for-pound: Tyson Fury moves up a notch after epic KO

Heavyweight titleholder Tyson Fury turned in a special performance in his third fight with Deontay Wilder on Saturday in Las Vegas, stopping the former champ in the 11th round of a classic battle. Was it enough to lift Fury (No. 8 going into last …

Heavyweight titleholder Tyson Fury turned in a special performance in his third fight with Deontay Wilder on Saturday in Las Vegas, stopping the former champ in the 11th round of a classic battle.

Was it enough to lift Fury (No. 8 going into last Saturday) higher on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list?

Well, the process of making a decision on that was tricky. You have to imagine how Fury might fare against those ahead of him on the list if they were the same size.

Could Fury, with his impressive skill set and grit, defeat Nos. 1-7 Terence Crawford, Canelo Alvarez, Naoya Inoue, Oleksandr Usyk, Errol Spence Jr., Teofimo Lopez and Vasiliy Lomachenko if weight weren’t a factor?

We have our doubts.

At the same time, Fury has had great success at the highest level of the sport, including back-to-back knockouts of arguably the second best heavyweight in the world. He’s proving what he’s made of in the ring, for which he deserves credit.

Thus, we decided to move Fury up one notch on the list — from No. 8 to No. 7, meaning he trades places with Lomachenko (No. 7 previously).

Lomachenko is coming off a ninth-round knockout of Masayoshi Nakatani in June but gave a shaky performance eight months earlier against Lopez, who defeated the Ukrainian star by a unanimous decision.

Here’s how the new list looks:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – Scheduled to defend his WBO welterweight title against Shawn Porter on Nov. 20 Las Vegas.
  2. Canelo Alvarez – Scheduled to fight Caleb Plant to unify all four major 168-pound titles on Nov. 6 in Las Vegas.
  3. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  4. Oleksandr Usyk – Expected to fight Anthony Joshua a second time but no deal is in place.
  5. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  6. Teofimo Lopez – Tentatively scheduled to defend his undisputed lightweight championship against George Kambosos next month but no date has been locked in.
  7. Tyson Fury – No fight scheduled.
  8. Vasiliy Lomachenko – Expected to fight Richard Commey on Dec. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City but the deal hasn’t be finalized.
  9. Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBA and WBA junior bantamweight titles in what would be a third fight against Roman Gonzalez in November.
  10. Gennadiy Golovkin – In talks to fight Ryota Murata in a middleweight title-unification fight on Dec. 28 in Japan.
  11. Mikey Garcia – Scheduled to fight Sandor Martin on Oct. 16 in Fresno, Calif.
  12. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  13. Josh Taylor – Scheduled to defend his undisputed junior welterweight championship against mandatory challenger Jack Catterall on Dec. 18 in Glasgow, Scotland.
  14. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to defend his light heavyweight titles against Marcus Browne on Dec. 17 in Montreal.
  15. Gervonta Davis – Scheduled to face Rolando Romero in a lightweight bout on Dec. 5 in Los Angeles.

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Mairis Briedis (scheduled to fight Artur Mann on Oct. 16 in Riga, Latvia), Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled), Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (Sor Rungvisai is expected to meet Carlos Cuadras as part of a junior bantamweight tournament but nothing is official), Yordenis Ugas (no fight scheduled) and Oscar Valdez (no fight scheduled).

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Pound-for-pound: Did Oleksandr Usyk do enough to climb higher on the list?

Pound-for-pound: Did Oleksandr Usyk do enough to climb higher on Boxing Junkie’s list?

Oleksandr Usyk turned in arguably the best performance of 2021 so far.

The gifted cruiserweight-turned-heavyweight outboxed Anthony Joshua to win a clear decision and take Joshua’s three titles Saturday in London, changing the look of the sport’s glamor division in the process.

The 34-year-old Ukrainian also became only the third former cruiserweight champion to become a heavyweight titleholder, following Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield and David Haye.

And Usyk, No. 5 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list going into the bout, bolstered the common notion that the 2012 Olympic champion is one of the best fighters in the world regardless of weight.

Not a bad night’s work, huh?

But was his performance good enough to move him higher on the list? Indeed, it was. Usyk trades places with No. 4 Errol Spence Jr., which means he now trails only No. 1 Terence Crawford, No. 2 Canelo Alvarez and No. 3 Naoya Inoue.

What were our reasons for the change?

One was that Usyk not only turned in a special performance, he did it at an unnatural weight. He’s not a small man – he’s 6-foot-3 and weighed 221¼ pounds – but he was at a distinct size disadvantage against the 6-6, 240-pound Joshua. Still, he won in convincing fashion.

And remember: Joshua was considered by many to be the best heavyweight in the world going into the fight. One could argue that Usyk faced a tougher opponent than either Holyfield or Haye did to win their titles, Holyfield for the first time. They beat an ill-prepared Buster Douglas and limited Nikolai Valuev, respectively.

Plus, while Spence outpointed Danny Garcia in his first fight after a horrible car accident in October 2019, his performance wasn’t as impressive as Usyk’s was on Saturday.

And it’s not clear after one fight whether Spence has fully recovered from the accident or regained his previous form.

The talented welterweight titleholder could regain his position or climb even higher with one or two impressive victories in the deep division. However, as things stand now, it’s fair to say that Usyk is the better fighter pound for pound.

Why didn’t Usyk climb even higher?

One reason is that a fighter generally must defeat an opponent currently on the pound-for-list to make that kind of leap. Joshua wasn’t ranked. And we feel Crawford, Alvarez and Inoue also are superb boxers who punch harder than Usyk for weights.

Here’s how the new list looks:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – Scheduled to defend his WBO welterweight title against Shawn Porter on Nov. 20 Las Vegas.
  2. Canelo Alvarez – Scheduled to fight Caleb Plant to unify all four major 168-pound titles on Nov. 6 in Las Vegas.
  3. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  4. Oleksandr Usyk – Expected to fight Anthony Joshua a second time but no deal is in place.
  5. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  6. Teofimo Lopez – Tentatively scheduled to defend his undisputed lightweight championship against George Kambosos on Oct. 16 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
  7. Vasiliy Lomachenko – In talks to fight Richard Commey on Dec. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
  8. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to defend his WBC heavyweight title against Deontay Wilder on Oct. 9 in Las Vegas.
  9. Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBA and WBA junior bantamweight titles in what would be a third fight against Roman Gonzalez in November.
  10. Gennadiy Golovkin – In talks to fight Ryota Murata in a middleweight title-unification fight on Dec. 28 in Tokyo.
  11. Mikey Garcia – Scheduled to fight Sandor Martin on Oct. 16 in Fresno, Calif.
  12. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  13. Josh Taylor – Tentatively scheduled to defend his undisputed junior welterweight championship against mandatory challenger Jack Catterall on Dec. 18 in Glasgow, Scotland.
  14. Artur Beterbiev – The light heavyweight titleholder has been ordered to defend against Marcus Browne but no deal has been reached.
  15. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Mairis Briedis (scheduled to fight Artur Mann on Oct. 16 in Riga, Latvia), Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled), Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (Sor Rungvisai is expected to meet Carlos Cuadras as part of a junior bantamweight tournament but nothing is official), Yordenis Ugas (no fight scheduled) and Oscar Valdez (no fight scheduled).

Pound-for-pound: Did Oleksandr Usyk do enough to climb higher on the list?

Pound-for-pound: Did Oleksandr Usyk do enough to climb higher on Boxing Junkie’s list?

Oleksandr Usyk turned in arguably the best performance of 2021 so far.

The gifted cruiserweight-turned-heavyweight outboxed Anthony Joshua to win a clear decision and take Joshua’s three titles Saturday in London, changing the look of the sport’s glamor division in the process.

The 34-year-old Ukrainian also became only the third former cruiserweight champion to become a heavyweight titleholder, following Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield and David Haye.

And Usyk, No. 5 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list going into the bout, bolstered the common notion that the 2012 Olympic champion is one of the best fighters in the world regardless of weight.

Not a bad night’s work, huh?

But was his performance good enough to move him higher on the list? Indeed, it was. Usyk trades places with No. 4 Errol Spence Jr., which means he now trails only No. 1 Terence Crawford, No. 2 Canelo Alvarez and No. 3 Naoya Inoue.

What were our reasons for the change?

One was that Usyk not only turned in a special performance, he did it at an unnatural weight. He’s not a small man – he’s 6-foot-3 and weighed 221¼ pounds – but he was at a distinct size disadvantage against the 6-6, 240-pound Joshua. Still, he won in convincing fashion.

And remember: Joshua was considered by many to be the best heavyweight in the world going into the fight. One could argue that Usyk faced a tougher opponent than either Holyfield or Haye did to win their titles, Holyfield for the first time. They beat an ill-prepared Buster Douglas and limited Nikolai Valuev, respectively.

Plus, while Spence outpointed Danny Garcia in his first fight after a horrible car accident in October 2019, his performance wasn’t as impressive as Usyk’s was on Saturday.

And it’s not clear after one fight whether Spence has fully recovered from the accident or regained his previous form.

The talented welterweight titleholder could regain his position or climb even higher with one or two impressive victories in the deep division. However, as things stand now, it’s fair to say that Usyk is the better fighter pound for pound.

Why didn’t Usyk climb even higher?

One reason is that a fighter generally must defeat an opponent currently on the pound-for-list to make that kind of leap. Joshua wasn’t ranked. And we feel Crawford, Alvarez and Inoue also are superb boxers who punch harder than Usyk for weights.

Here’s how the new list looks:

BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Terence Crawford – Scheduled to defend his WBO welterweight title against Shawn Porter on Nov. 20 Las Vegas.
  2. Canelo Alvarez – Scheduled to fight Caleb Plant to unify all four major 168-pound titles on Nov. 6 in Las Vegas.
  3. Naoya Inoue – No fight scheduled.
  4. Oleksandr Usyk – Expected to fight Anthony Joshua a second time but no deal is in place.
  5. Errol Spence Jr. – No fight scheduled.
  6. Teofimo Lopez – Tentatively scheduled to defend his undisputed lightweight championship against George Kambosos on Oct. 16 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
  7. Vasiliy Lomachenko – In talks to fight Richard Commey on Dec. 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
  8. Tyson Fury – Scheduled to defend his WBC heavyweight title against Deontay Wilder on Oct. 9 in Las Vegas.
  9. Juan Francisco Estrada – In talks to defend his WBA and WBA junior bantamweight titles in what would be a third fight against Roman Gonzalez in November.
  10. Gennadiy Golovkin – In talks to fight Ryota Murata in a middleweight title-unification fight on Dec. 28 in Tokyo.
  11. Mikey Garcia – Scheduled to fight Sandor Martin on Oct. 16 in Fresno, Calif.
  12. Jermell Charlo – No fight scheduled.
  13. Josh Taylor – Tentatively scheduled to defend his undisputed junior welterweight championship against mandatory challenger Jack Catterall on Dec. 18 in Glasgow, Scotland.
  14. Artur Beterbiev – The light heavyweight titleholder has been ordered to defend against Marcus Browne but no deal has been reached.
  15. Gervonta Davis – No fight scheduled

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Mairis Briedis (scheduled to fight Artur Mann on Oct. 16 in Riga, Latvia), Jermall Charlo (no fight scheduled), Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (Sor Rungvisai is expected to meet Carlos Cuadras as part of a junior bantamweight tournament but nothing is official), Yordenis Ugas (no fight scheduled) and Oscar Valdez (no fight scheduled).

Anthony Joshua weighs in 18¾ pounds heavier than Oleksandr Usyk

Anthony Joshua on Friday weighed in 18¾ pounds heavier than Oleksandr Usyk.

Rumors that Oleksandr Usyk put on considerable weight and Anthony Josh lost some proved to be exaggerations.

Usyk, the former cruiserweight champion, weighed in at 221¼ pounds a day ahead of his title challenge Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. That’s exactly four more than he weighed when he outpointed Derek Chisora last October.

Joshua, who holds three of the four major titles, came in at 240 pounds. That’s three quarters of a pound less than he weighed for his knockout of Kubrat Pulev in December.

Thus, the 6-foot-6 Joshua outweighed the 6-3 Usyk by a 18¾ pounds.

For Usyk, the extra poundage does represent a steady, albeit slow climb in weight since he moved up from the 200-pound division. He has weighed in at 215, 217¼ and now 221¼ for his three heavyweight fights, which has given him some needed heft in the land of the behemoths.

The Ukrainian is trying to become only the third former cruiserweight titleholder to become a heavyweight champion, after Evander Holyfield and David Haye.

Holyfield, who fought at cruiserweight when the limit was 190, weighed 208 pounds for his first heavyweight title fight, a third-round knockout of 246-pound Buster Douglas in 1990 that gave him the undisputed championship.

Haye, a 200-pound cruiserweight, weighed 217 when he defeated 316-pound Nikolai Valuev by a majority decision to win the WBA heavyweight belt in 2009.

This isn’t Joshua’s biggest weight advantage. Most recently, the IBF, WBA and WBO titleholder outweighed Alexander Povetkin by 23¼ pounds in September 2018.

Usyk (18-0, 13 KOs) was outweighed by Chazz Witherspoon and Chisora by 27 and 38¼ pounds, respectively, in his first two fights as a heavyweight. He is closest in size to Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs).

[lawrence-related id=24049,24043,24037,23997,23853,22006]

Anthony Joshua weighs in 18¾ pounds heavier than Oleksandr Usyk

Anthony Joshua on Friday weighed in 18¾ pounds heavier than Oleksandr Usyk.

Rumors that Oleksandr Usyk put on considerable weight and Anthony Josh lost some proved to be exaggerations.

Usyk, the former cruiserweight champion, weighed in at 221¼ pounds a day ahead of his title challenge Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. That’s exactly four more than he weighed when he outpointed Derek Chisora last October.

Joshua, who holds three of the four major titles, came in at 240 pounds. That’s three quarters of a pound less than he weighed for his knockout of Kubrat Pulev in December.

Thus, the 6-foot-6 Joshua outweighed the 6-3 Usyk by a 18¾ pounds.

For Usyk, the extra poundage does represent a steady, albeit slow climb in weight since he moved up from the 200-pound division. He has weighed in at 215, 217¼ and now 221¼ for his three heavyweight fights, which has given him some needed heft in the land of the behemoths.

The Ukrainian is trying to become only the third former cruiserweight titleholder to become a heavyweight champion, after Evander Holyfield and David Haye.

Holyfield, who fought at cruiserweight when the limit was 190, weighed 208 pounds for his first heavyweight title fight, a third-round knockout of 246-pound Buster Douglas in 1990 that gave him the undisputed championship.

Haye, a 200-pound cruiserweight, weighed 217 when he defeated 316-pound Nikolai Valuev by a majority decision to win the WBA heavyweight belt in 2009.

This isn’t Joshua’s biggest weight advantage. Most recently, the IBF, WBA and WBO titleholder outweighed Alexander Povetkin by 23¼ pounds in September 2018.

Usyk (18-0, 13 KOs) was outweighed by Chazz Witherspoon and Chisora by 27 and 38¼ pounds, respectively, in his first two fights as a heavyweight. He is closest in size to Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs).

[lawrence-related id=24049,24043,24037,23997,23853,22006]

Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk: date, time, how to watch, background

Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk: date, time, how to watch, background.

HEAVYWEIGHT TITLEHOLDER ANTHONY JOSHUA RETURNS TO THE RING AGAINST FORMER CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMP OLEKSANDR USYK ON SATURDAY IN LONDON.

***

ANTHONY JOSHUA (24-1, 22 KOs) VS. OLEKSANDR USYK (18-0, 13 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, Sept. 25
  • Time: 10 a.m. (main event approximately 2 p.m.)
  • Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Heavyweight
  • Weights: Joshua 240 pounds, Usyk 221.25
  • At stake: Joshua’s IBF, WBA and WBO titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Joshua 2½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Lawrence Okolie vs. Dilan Prasovic, cruiserweights (for Okolie’s WBO title); Callum Smith vs. Lenin Castillo, light heavyweights
  • Prediction: Joshua UD 12
  • Background: Joshua was expected to meet British rival and fellow titleholder Tyson Fury in his next fight, which arguably would be the biggest possible event in boxing. Instead, after Fury was forced to fight Deontay Wilder a third time, Joshua will defend against mandatory challenger Usyk. Joshua is two fights removed from the biggest nightmare of his career, a stunning seventh-round knockout loss against Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019 that cost him his belts and raised questions about his toughness. He responded by outpointing an ill-prepared Ruiz six months to regain his titles and right his ship. He then blew out Kubrat Pulev in nine rounds this past December, his most-recent fight. Usyk is trying to follow in the footsteps of Evander Holyfield and David Haye, cruiserweight titleholders who went on to become heavyweight champion. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine has fought twice as a heavyweight, stopping Chazz Witherspoon in seven rounds in October 2019 and defeating Derek Chisora by a decision in a competitive fight a year later. He has the ability to compete with Joshua but a size disadvantage might be an issue, although his handlers insist he has grown into the division. Joshua is 6-foot-6, 240-plus pounds; Usyk is 6-3 and last fought at 217¼. The winner on Saturday could face the winner of the Oct. 9 Fury-Wilder fight.

[lawrence-related id=24043,24037,23997,23853,22006,23867]

Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk: date, time, how to watch, background

Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk: date, time, how to watch, background.

HEAVYWEIGHT TITLEHOLDER ANTHONY JOSHUA RETURNS TO THE RING AGAINST FORMER CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMP OLEKSANDR USYK ON SATURDAY IN LONDON.

***

ANTHONY JOSHUA (24-1, 22 KOs) VS. OLEKSANDR USYK (18-0, 13 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, Sept. 25
  • Time: 10 a.m. (main event approximately 2 p.m.)
  • Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
  • TV/Stream: DAZN
  • Division: Heavyweight
  • Weights: Joshua 240 pounds, Usyk 221.25
  • At stake: Joshua’s IBF, WBA and WBO titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Joshua 2½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Also on the card: Lawrence Okolie vs. Dilan Prasovic, cruiserweights (for Okolie’s WBO title); Callum Smith vs. Lenin Castillo, light heavyweights
  • Prediction: Joshua UD 12
  • Background: Joshua was expected to meet British rival and fellow titleholder Tyson Fury in his next fight, which arguably would be the biggest possible event in boxing. Instead, after Fury was forced to fight Deontay Wilder a third time, Joshua will defend against mandatory challenger Usyk. Joshua is two fights removed from the biggest nightmare of his career, a stunning seventh-round knockout loss against Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019 that cost him his belts and raised questions about his toughness. He responded by outpointing an ill-prepared Ruiz six months to regain his titles and right his ship. He then blew out Kubrat Pulev in nine rounds this past December, his most-recent fight. Usyk is trying to follow in the footsteps of Evander Holyfield and David Haye, cruiserweight titleholders who went on to become heavyweight champion. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine has fought twice as a heavyweight, stopping Chazz Witherspoon in seven rounds in October 2019 and defeating Derek Chisora by a decision in a competitive fight a year later. He has the ability to compete with Joshua but a size disadvantage might be an issue, although his handlers insist he has grown into the division. Joshua is 6-foot-6, 240-plus pounds; Usyk is 6-3 and last fought at 217¼. The winner on Saturday could face the winner of the Oct. 9 Fury-Wilder fight.

[lawrence-related id=24043,24037,23997,23853,22006,23867]

How Oleksandr Usyk conquered British boxing: Will Anthony Joshua be next?

How Oleksandr Usyk conquered British boxing: Will Anthony Joshua be next?

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on DAZN.com.

***

Oleksandr Usyk gets a chance to make history on Saturday when he challenges Anthony Joshua for the IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

A win over Joshua will make Usyk (18-0, 13 KOs) the first Ukrainian boxer to win the cruiserweight and heavyweight belts and hand “AJ” his first professional loss in his home country of England.

While most fighters have a problem going into enemy territory, none of that fazes the former undisputed cruiserweight champion.

Two of Usyk’s last three fights have been held in the United Kingdom against countrymen Tony Bellew and Derek Chisora. Usyk battered and knocked out Bellew in the eighth round and won via unanimous decision over Chisora in his last time out in October.

Becoming a two-division world champion would certainly make Usyk the conqueror of the best heavyweights England has to offer.

DAZN News takes a look at Usyk victories over these highly-regarded British boxers.

***

OLEKSANDER USYK VS. JOE JOYCE — JANUARY 2013

Usyk was coming off capturing the gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Meanwhile, Joyce competed as a super heavyweight and won the 2012 ABA Championships and 2012 GB Amateur Boxing Championships.

They ended up meeting in January 2013 in a World Series of Boxing event in London. The World Series of Boxing was an annual semi-professional event using a hybrid of amateur and professional rules. Usyk represented the Ukraine Otamans while Joyce was on the British Lionhearts.

Usyk went on to cruise to a lopsided unanimous decision win, with all three judges scoring the five-round affair 50-45.

***

OLEKSANDER USYK VS. TONY BELLEW — NOVEMBER 2018

Usyk and Bellew were at different stages of their respective careers.

Usyk had come off three stellar victories over Marco Huck, Mairis Briedis, and Murat Gassiev to win the World Boxing Super Series and becoming the undisputed cruiserweight champion. Those wins signified Usyk as one of boxing’s top pound-for-pound fighters.

On the other hand, Bellew was on the way out. The former WBC cruiserweight titlist wanted a crack at Usyk for all the marbles. Going into the fight, Bellew made it clear that win, lose or draw, it would be his last fight.

In front of a soldout Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, Bellew had a solid start. But by the end of the fourth round, Usyk’s precision footwork and power was starting to prove to be too much for Bellew.

It was all she wrote in the eighth round when Usyk dropped Bellew with a hard left hand. Bellew made it back to his feet, but the referee knew he was in no condition to continue, and Usyk remained the four-belt cruiserweight champion in what would be his final bout in the weight class. And Bellew was a man of his word and announced his retirement immediately after the fight.

***

OLEKSANDER USYK VS. DEREK CHISORA  — OCTOBER 2020

Usyk returned to England for the first time since the Bellew fight. In between, he went to the United States and made his heavyweight debut in October 2019, where he stopped late replacement, Chazz Witherspoon.

Chisora, a fan favorite, was riding a three-fight winning streak heading into another marquee bout.

Chisora had a good start in which he was able to use weight and power advantage. But in the latter half of the fight, Usyk was able to figure Chisora out. He used his world-class footwork and boxing IQ to tire Chisora and win via unanimous decision to solidify his standing as the mandatory challenger for Joshua.

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How Oleksandr Usyk conquered British boxing: Will Anthony Joshua be next?

How Oleksandr Usyk conquered British boxing: Will Anthony Joshua be next?

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on DAZN.com.

***

Oleksandr Usyk gets a chance to make history on Saturday when he challenges Anthony Joshua for the IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

A win over Joshua will make Usyk (18-0, 13 KOs) the first Ukrainian boxer to win the cruiserweight and heavyweight belts and hand “AJ” his first professional loss in his home country of England.

While most fighters have a problem going into enemy territory, none of that fazes the former undisputed cruiserweight champion.

Two of Usyk’s last three fights have been held in the United Kingdom against countrymen Tony Bellew and Derek Chisora. Usyk battered and knocked out Bellew in the eighth round and won via unanimous decision over Chisora in his last time out in October.

Becoming a two-division world champion would certainly make Usyk the conqueror of the best heavyweights England has to offer.

DAZN News takes a look at Usyk victories over these highly-regarded British boxers.

***

OLEKSANDER USYK VS. JOE JOYCE — JANUARY 2013

Usyk was coming off capturing the gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Meanwhile, Joyce competed as a super heavyweight and won the 2012 ABA Championships and 2012 GB Amateur Boxing Championships.

They ended up meeting in January 2013 in a World Series of Boxing event in London. The World Series of Boxing was an annual semi-professional event using a hybrid of amateur and professional rules. Usyk represented the Ukraine Otamans while Joyce was on the British Lionhearts.

Usyk went on to cruise to a lopsided unanimous decision win, with all three judges scoring the five-round affair 50-45.

***

OLEKSANDER USYK VS. TONY BELLEW — NOVEMBER 2018

Usyk and Bellew were at different stages of their respective careers.

Usyk had come off three stellar victories over Marco Huck, Mairis Briedis, and Murat Gassiev to win the World Boxing Super Series and becoming the undisputed cruiserweight champion. Those wins signified Usyk as one of boxing’s top pound-for-pound fighters.

On the other hand, Bellew was on the way out. The former WBC cruiserweight titlist wanted a crack at Usyk for all the marbles. Going into the fight, Bellew made it clear that win, lose or draw, it would be his last fight.

In front of a soldout Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, Bellew had a solid start. But by the end of the fourth round, Usyk’s precision footwork and power was starting to prove to be too much for Bellew.

It was all she wrote in the eighth round when Usyk dropped Bellew with a hard left hand. Bellew made it back to his feet, but the referee knew he was in no condition to continue, and Usyk remained the four-belt cruiserweight champion in what would be his final bout in the weight class. And Bellew was a man of his word and announced his retirement immediately after the fight.

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OLEKSANDER USYK VS. DEREK CHISORA  — OCTOBER 2020

Usyk returned to England for the first time since the Bellew fight. In between, he went to the United States and made his heavyweight debut in October 2019, where he stopped late replacement, Chazz Witherspoon.

Chisora, a fan favorite, was riding a three-fight winning streak heading into another marquee bout.

Chisora had a good start in which he was able to use weight and power advantage. But in the latter half of the fight, Usyk was able to figure Chisora out. He used his world-class footwork and boxing IQ to tire Chisora and win via unanimous decision to solidify his standing as the mandatory challenger for Joshua.

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