Golden age of British heavyweights was spoiled when Usyk beat Joshua, Dubois and Fury – now he wants to complete the job
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THIS was supposed to be the golden age for British heavyweight boxing. At least until Oleksandr Usyk came along. The idea of Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua was not just the biggest potential British fight of all time — but this country’s most eagerly-anticipated sporting event.
![[Oleksandr Usyk is hoping to make it two wins from two against Tyson Fury]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/oleksandr-usyk-face-off-ahead-958562246.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Britain had never before boasted two world-class heavyweights simultaneously at the peak of their powers. Nor several other decent contenders regularly in the top ten of the global rankings. After years of dodging and ducking, years of the kind of political wrangling only this sport can bring, the Saudi takeover of elite boxing ought to have been the conduit for Fury and Joshua to finally get it on.
![[He beat the Gypsy King earlier this year]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/fights-britains-tyson-fury-heavyweight-902688190.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Huge sacks of Saudi money may be morally dubious — but the flipside is that it can make any match worth making. Yet now Fury-AJ may never happen. And if it does, it would be staged a decade too late, just like when Floyd Mayweather finally met Manny Pacquiao in a drab welterweight encounter back in 2015.
![[He is the current undisputed heavyweight world champion]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-oleksandr-usyk-celebrates-belts-902688116_292092.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Usyk is the man primarily responsible. And here in the Saudi capital tomorrow, the Ukrainian with the flawless 22-0 pro record fully expects to complete his one-man rout of British heavyweight boxing’s golden generation. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS.
It is Usyk’s sixth consecutive fight against British opposition and seventh in his last eight. First there was Tony Bellew, in Usyk’s single defence of his undisputed cruiserweight title, followed by Derek Chisora, Joshua (twice), Daniel Dubois and then Fury to become the first undisputed world heavyweight champion of the 21st century.
