There is only one move for Tyson Fury now – and one for Oleksandr Usyk
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Usyk defeated Fury again on Saturday, retaining the unified heavyweight titles. So, what now?. Years were spent debating who would emerge as this generation’s greatest heavyweight. Tyson Fury? Anthony Joshua? Deontay Wilder? All of that, just for a cruiserweight to enter their territory, cock a leg, and relieve himself.
![[Usyk (right) settled his rivalry with Fury, beating him on points again on Saturday]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/22/00/newFile-1.jpg)
Oleksandr Usyk waltzed up to heavyweight and took the division’s undisputed titles – to end a 24-year wait for such a champion – by outthinking, outmanoeuvring and outboxing Fury and Joshua twice each. With his first victory over Joshua, in 2021, Usyk took the Briton’s unified titles; with his second, in 2022, he retained them. This year, he secured two more decision wins over a Briton: Fury, this time, taking the “Gypsy King”’s WBC belt to become undisputed in May, before giving up the IBF title but retaining the remaining gold in Saturday’s rematch.
![[Fury was unbeaten until he ran into Usyk this year]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/22/15/SEI233988724.jpg)
In between those bouts, there was a stoppage win over Daniel Dubois, who now holds the IBF strap, and before them, there were victories against Derek Chisora and Chazz Witherspoon. Time and again since 2019, the Ukrainian has shared the ring with much bigger men. On Saturday, Fury outweighed him by 55lb.
![[Joshua (left) was dropped three times by Daniel Dubois en route to a fifth-round loss]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/12/06/9d55ba5158bc9c0c581301786e7c92e8Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzMyNzI2MDg1-2.77543793.jpg)
Yet, in a manner, Usyk has bullied these heavyweights, and in doing so he has established himself as the greatest heavyweight of this generation. Not so much a god among men, as a ruler among gods. Add to this his prior achievements: undisputed status at cruiserweight, an Olympic gold medal, an unbeaten record. His legacy is a rare one: a perfect one. So, there is one clear move for the Ukrainian.
