Overthrow the king: why Usyk needs to defeat Fury to be called the strongest heavyweight of our time

The second leg with Anthony Joshua was one of the brightest in Oleksandr Usyk's career.

The Ukrainian once again demonstrated that he is one of the greatest boxers in history and won an important victory, but it was not easy for him.

At the end of the fight, the reigning WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO world champion almost found himself on the floor for the first time, but gathered himself and still tipped the scales in his favor.

And now it is extremely curious in which direction the athlete will decide to move and what goals he will set for himself in the future.

According to Usyk himself, he still intends to become the second absolute heavyweight boxing world champion in the 21st century.

Even before the rematch with Joshua, he declared his desire to face off against Tyson Fury, and at the end of it he again called on the latter to postpone his retirement from the sport and return to the ring.

And while the Ukrainian's ambition can be admired, his prospects in this battle have become much more nebulous than it might have seemed before.

Of course, Usyk's performance in Jeddah is worthy of respect.

He again outboxed Joshua and made it clear that in terms of movement and work at a distance, he has practically no equal in the heavyweight division.

But at the same time, he showed his vulnerability.

It is difficult to say what was the reason for this - age, self-confidence or psychological problems, but in the last fight Alexander was no longer so elusive and unmistakable.

In the course of all 12 rounds, he missed the hardest blows to the body and counterattacks, and in the ninth he almost collapsed on the canvas.

And this is in a duel with an opponent who slightly increased his activity, but did not dare to “leave everything in the ring”, which Anthony himself admitted at a press conference.

And it makes you think about how difficult a possible duel with Fury could be for Usyk.

The Briton is practically not inferior to him either in speed or in boxing skills, but in terms of power he is completely superior.

Unlike Joshua, he is unlikely to let the Ukrainian circle around him and score points, but will provoke a real fight - what was expected from Anthony.

Suffice it to recall how aggressively and fearlessly he worked in the last two battles with Deontay Wilder - a man not only of outstanding size, but also with one of the worst right straights in the division.

Against its background, Alexander's unaccented blows seem to be something absolutely harmless.

Moreover, one gets the impression that Usyk was lucky in many respects with his opponent in the title fight.

Recent performances give reason to believe that it is Joshua who is the weakest of the trio with Fury and Wilder, although in terms of media noticeably surpasses both.

But it's hard to imagine how the same Deontay would have continued to stay at an uncomfortable distance for himself and miss blows until the final third of the fight.

Yes, in terms of movement, he does not surpass Anthony, but he has never been distinguished by lack of will.

The American selflessly fought Tyson and continued to move forward, even while in a state of groggy.

Thus, for Usyk everything came together perfectly.

Instead of the unstoppable Fury or the combative Wilder, he got an opponent who, lately, has practically lost faith in both his knockout power and jaw strength.

And it was noticeable in both fights, during which Joshua never managed to “press the gas pedal” and really rush at the opponent.

Even in that very ninth round, he acted with caution and did not try to finish off Alexander at all costs, thereby literally giving him belts.

Usyk's fight with Fury is sure to be one of the biggest heavyweight fights in the 21st century and could easily be on par with Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier or Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield.

The promoters will certainly do everything possible to bring them together in the ring.

Therefore, the probability of organizing a fight is extremely high, and both will benefit greatly even if they fail.

The only question is, is it really necessary for the Ukrainian himself?

Already now he is one of the greatest boxers in history, who managed to achieve phenomenal results not only at a professional but also an amateur level.

By and large, he has nothing to prove - he already did the impossible when he rose to an unusual category for himself and twice crushed a natural heavyweight, significantly superior to himself in height.

Let the manager Alexander Krasyuk believe that his client lacks the title of absolute champion in the division over 91 kilograms to get into the Hall of Fame.

Now the words of the representative of the athlete seem more like an attempt to arrange a money fight with Fury than a desire to voice the real state of affairs.

And it can be understood.

When Usyk fights, Krasyuk also earns, and if Alexander leaves the sport, the cash flow will stop.

That's just the status of the Ukrainian is not in doubt now, and his potential meeting with the British carries huge risks.

For example, it would be much safer to return to the first heavyweight, in which Usyk made a name for himself.

Since his departure, not a single worthy replacement has appeared there, therefore, regaining the titles will not be the most difficult thing.

But performances in this category do not portend high fees, and also hardly correspond to the ambitions of the boxer himself.

At a recent press conference, Alexander called the thirst for competition the main driving force for any athlete, and there it will be difficult for him to find motivation.

Surely no one will condemn the Ukrainian, if he decides to hang his gloves on a nail.

Already in January, he will celebrate his 36th birthday, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for boxers of his type to remain competitive over the years.

No matter how good Usyk is, over time, athletes begin to lose speed and endurance, and for him these characteristics are key.

In doing so, his legacy will not suffer in any way.

Although the failed fight with Fury will remain in the top of the most intriguing.

Another thing is if Usyk is not interested in a potential entry into the Hall of Fame, but in the fight for the title of the strongest heavyweight in the world at this particular moment and the possibility of being considered Ali's competitor in the future.

And here you can’t do without a duel with Fury.

Although many boxing publications have already managed to name Alexander not only the best in his category, but also put him in the top three in the pound-for-pound rating, in the absence of a victory over Tyson, all this seems premature.

Although the Ukrainian coped with the star Joshua, the Briton cleared almost the entire division and has victories over such stars as Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora, who was in his prime.

It is the battle between Usyk and Fury that will finally answer the question of whether the Ukrainian is one of the most fantastic fighters in history or if he was a little lucky that at the time of his transition to heavyweights, the Briton was busy with a trilogy with Wilder.