Saturday was an epic day for boxing, with Manny Pacquiao capping off the day with an impressive performance at 46 years old in his return to boxing. But before it all kicked off, Oleksandr Usyk cemented his legacy, yet again. The 38-year-old Ukrainian dispatched Daniel Dubois, beating him by stoppage for the second time in two years. Usyk has now beaten Dubois, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua two times each.
It’s no longer hyperbole to say Usyk is on the same level as the true legends of the sport. If he was on a boxing fan’s Mount Rushmore, it shouldn’t be scoffed at any longer. Yet, on his big day, a moment with Jake Paul ruined it for many boxing purists. Paul entered the ring after the Usyk-Dubois fight and faced off with the heavyweight, later challenging him to an MMA match.
Jake Paul’s face-off with Oleksandr Usyk considered a farce
Boxing fans were rightfully livid after the face-off. Pointing to how “broken” not only boxing but sports in general are, purists couldn’t believe Usyk had to do that after completely cementing his legacy as an all-time great boxer.
To be fair to Paul, he never mentioned doing an actual boxing fight against Usyk. He knows he would get absolutely destroyed. He probably will in the MMA match he proposed to the Ukrainian, but he will certainly have more of a chance there than in a boxing ring.
Usyk wasn’t forced to do the face-off, which means he may be open to the idea. There’s no doubt that an MMA match between Paul and Usyk will bring in loads of money for both participants. Usyk has done well for himself given the big fights he’s taken part in recently, but Paul can deliver something none of those could.
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