At 38, just eight fights into the heavyweight chapter of his 12-year pro career, Oleksandr Usyk is finally starting to receive his flowers.
Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs), the 6-foot-3 southpaw from Ukraine, once again traveled to enemy territory last Saturday when he scored a second straight stoppage of Daniel Dubois in front of 96,000 people at Wembley Stadium in Dubois' home city of London. The victory allowed Usyk to become undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time (after he was stripped of his IBF title last year for skipping a mandatory challenger in favor of an immediate rematch with Tyson Fury).
Already a 2012 Olympic gold medalist and the first four-belt, undisputed champion in cruiserweight history, Usyk's one-sided dismantling of a recently rejuvenated Dubois seemed to be the true turning point in the court of public opinion over whether Usyk is approaching status as one of the top 10 heavyweights in boxing history.
Instead of looking to box against the devastating power and renewed intensity that Dubois brought to the table, just one fight removed from his fifth-round knockout of former champion Anthony Joshua, Usyk chose to go after him. The performance showcased just how ahead of the game that Usyk continues to be from any other heavyweight when it comes to strategy, ring IQ, footwork and perfect punch placement.
When Usyk first moved up to heavyweight in 2019 after becoming the last champion standing in the World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight tournament, the expectation was that Usyk was too small for this super heavyweight era. Critics felt he was skilled enough to potentially win a single world title in the right matchup but that his lack of one-punch power would become a detriment.
All Usyk has done since then is defy the odds on his way to scoring two wins apiece over Dubois, Fury and Joshua. And what makes his insane run even more crazy is that he's seemingly getting better and more efficient with each breakthrough win.
It's hard enough for any heavyweight to garner consideration among the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world at any given time, in any given era. But to be the almost universal choice for the top spot during a time in which contemporary legends like Naoya Inoue, Dmitry Bivol, Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez are around only makes it more special.
For as long as boxing has an active Usyk left, fans can know they are watching an all-time great athlete and competitor, not to mention someone who is respected just as much for his commitment to his God, country and family as he does for his tireless work ethic in the gym.