Oleksandr Usyk has won it all in boxing but where does he stand among the pantheon of greats? Teddy Atlas discusses the Ukrainian’s legacy
Oleksandr Usyk has won it all in boxing but where does he stand among the pantheon of greats? Teddy Atlas discusses the Ukrainian’s legacy Oleksandr Usyk has won it all in boxing but where does he stand among the pantheon of greats? Teddy Atlas discusses the Ukrainian’s legacy
The difficult thing about judging greatness is measuring it.
The debates will always rage. Eras, competition, nostalgia. Just some of the things which come into it. There’s more. Certainly in boxing, anyways. Oleksandr Usyk is building a resume fitting to be included in those discussions, though.
A world, European winner and Olympic winner as an amateur, an undisputed cruiserweight champion and the same at heavyweight, the sport’s glamour division. If he can beat Tyson Fury for a second time – and that’s still a big if – then it will further solidify his place in the chat to be listed among the greats. For Teddy Atlas, the boxing trainer and legendary analyst, there is one thing which cannot be debated around Usyk and that is – he is a winner.
“Usyk, how does he translate?” said the American. “Where does he translate? Where does he end up overall in the sport? He’s one of the great winners of our time, of any time. “Forget about cruiser this, era this, size this, weight this, time this. He knew how to win, he won. He won as an Olympian, he won at cruiserweight, he won at heavyweight, he beat Anthony Joshua, who was also an Olympic gold medal winner, he beats him twice to make sure it wasn’t an accident.
“He deserves his due. His due from the beginning is that he is one of the great winners. You can argue about the competition but you can only have the competition of your era. Unless you invent some kind of time machine, that is all you can do. “You can only have that but you can project how good it is. There is something that is consistent with whatever era you put him in – he found a way to win. He knew how to win.
“People will make an argument about competition. For his era, if you open your eyes, Usyk beat everyone who is a heavyweight champion now. He beat Dubois, he beat Fury, he beat Joshua twice. What more for his time? What more do you want a man to do? For me, for Teddy Atlas, he gets a high mark.” Usyk’s standing is also considerable outside of the ring, where he is renowned for his charity work around the war in Ukraine and his support for those on the front line.
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Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to lock horns again on December 21 with the Brit attempting to avenge his defeat by the Ukrainian in May. Victory for Fury could also set up a huge domestic showdown with bitter rival Anthony Joshua next year
Yet even with just his achievements inside the ring he stands out. At 6ft 3in, he may be a small heavyweight in this era of giants but in the past he would not have been dwarfed by many. Usyk has never shirked a challenge. Every belt he won at cruiserweight was won on the road. The same at heavyweight. The Lion’s Den? Meet the real king of the jungle. Usyk is different, bold. This weekend is another moment which will enhance his legacy. It is maybe in the future when the heavyweights of this era will be more revered in history. But as Atlas states, it is all about where you sit on the debate.
What cannot be denied is that if Usyk beats Fury for a second time this weekend then there is no debate about his place as this generation’s best. “Great is great,” said Atlas. “A winner is recognisable in any era. I recognise him as great, as a winner, a special guy.”
Mirror – Sport
