Is Oleksandr Usyk The GOAT After Destroying Daniel Dubois?
The GOAT being Usyk, the unified heavyweight champion. But is it a legitimate consideration? Can we christen Usyk as the new heavyweight GOAT? And if not, where does Usyk rank historically at this moment in his career?
Oleksandr Usyk celebrates his KO victory of Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in London. (Photo by ... More Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images)
First question first: Is Usyk the GOAT of the heavies? The short answer: No. The long answer: No, no, no, no — NO!
Only a deranged fan-child who doesn't realize boxing existed before 1999 would believe Usyk to be greater than Muhammad Ali. Usyk has beaten two guaranteed heavyweight Hall of Famers in Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, and, yes, he beat both twice. Ali scored 11 wins over seven different Hall of Famers. And three of Ali's victims — Archie Moore, Joe Frazier and George Foreman — are boxing immortals.
Here's an intriguing factoid: Usyk's record (24-0-0, 15 KOs) is nearly identical to Ali's (24-0-0, 19 KOs) at the same point in their respective careers. But then Ali went on a stunning 24-1-0 run during the heavyweight division's Golden Era, with the only loss coming in a split-decision loss to an absolute destroyer, Ken Norton, whom Ali beat twice.
Beyond their records, other similarities between Ali and Usyk include their brilliant footwork and masterful defense — it's those skills that defined Ali then and define Usyk now. And just like Ali, Usyk owns a fighter's greatest intangible — an Einstein-level boxing IQ. But none of this means Usyk is the GOAT, and the humble champ wouldn't even say he is:
Then, what about the No. 2 GOAT? Not quite for Usyk. That spot belongs to Joe Louis, who had 25 consecutive title defenses, a record for all weight classes, and Louis squashed eight Hall of Famers.
Then how does Usyk compare to the next group of heavies on the all-time list? That group includes Fury, George Foreman, Rocky Marciano, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Wladimir Klitschko and Larry Holmes.
Most of those fighters had one exploitable flaw: Foreman (too plodding); Tyson (too emotional); Marciano (too small); Klitschko (chin). A prime Lewis got torched by second-tier contenders (Hasim Rahman and Oliver McCall) while Larry Holmes' jab, as dynamite as it was, would struggle to hit the elusive Usyk. And what about Usyk's flaw? That would be his limited KO power. But since his destruction of Dubois, Usyk clearly has sneakier power than we presumed.
Usyk's résumé includes a total of 13 world title fight victories (some at cruiserweight), including two wins apiece over Fury, Joshua and Dubois. He became the first heavyweight to unify the heavyweight crown since Lewis became the unified champ back in 1999, and he also won Olympic gold in 2012. With all that, Usky's greatness is indisputable. As boxing scribe Nick Parkinson said: 'Usyk's achievements at heavyweight have surpassed what he managed at cruiserweight, and he has beaten the best of his era.'
So the case could be made: Usyk is the No. 3 heavyweight in the history of the sport. Or maybe a better way to look at it: He's the best heavyweight of the past 20 years. And he isn't finished. The 38-year-old Ukrainian may fight Fury for a third time or mandatory challenger Joseph Parker. And if he wins, the GOAT chatter will only get louder.
But no mater how we rank them, it doesn't matter to Usyk. 'I'm not best of the best,' he replied after he beat Dubois on Saturday. "I'm just Olek… Ukrainian guy.'
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