At this moment in time, Oleksandr Usyk is the king of the heavyweight division, and quite possibly the king of boxing. At 38 years old, Usyk only seems to be getting better, showcased by a stunning 5th round knockout of a much younger and dangerous Daniel Dubois in front of a raucous Wembley Stadium crowd. The Ukrainian is unstoppable.
Whether Usyk continues to fight or not, his legacy has already been cemented. His latest victory, which came after defeating Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua twice, as well, has boxing fans wondering just how high up in their all-time lists Usyk should be slotted in. Fans haven’t gone as far as to call him the Greatest of All-Time yet. It’s impossible to find consensus for the boxing GOAT, with so many different fighting styles and weight classes in the sport. For many, Muhammad Ali will never be topped. For others, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the best they’ve ever seen.
Is Oleksandr Usyk on Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s level?
Chris McKenna of the Daily Star is one of those “Money Mayweather” diehards. The website’s boxing correspondent has had his conventional wisdom challenged by Usyk following the Dubois fight, though. McKenna spoke about how close Usyk is getting to Mayweather, who he still considers the “greatest of the last 25 years”.
Mayweather Jr. was and remains the greatest boxer to have graced the ring since Sugar Ray Leonard in my humble opinion. The American’s body of work, unbeaten record and star quality makes him the best since Leonard. Oleksandr Usyk is now in the group just behind Mayweather. That’s how highly I believe the Ukrainian should be rated… Mayweather remains the best fighter I’ve been fortunate enough to watch live. Usyk is not far behind though.
McKenna mentions other greats who have graced the boxing ring during this time period, since the turn of the millennium: Lennox Lewis, Roy Jones Jr., Oscar De La Hoya. In his eyes, none of them were on Mayweather’s level, at least since 2000.
While Usyk hasn’t quite reached Mayweather’s level, there is still time for him to shift the narrative. If he continues slaying giants, and doing so with ease well into his early 40s, there may no longer be a debate.
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