Pound-for-pound king Oleksandr Usyk has been a force to be reckoned with for years.
Although the Ukrainian truly broke into the mainstream when Usyk beat Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua, he has been nothing short of impressive since his debut in 2013.
A unified world champion in two weight divisions, Usyk has held a belt almost every year since 2016. Beating undefeated Polish fighter Krzysztof Glowacki in his home nation, Usyk became a world champion for the first time.
In his first title defense, Usyk had an incredibly dominant performance in just his 11th professional fight.
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Thabiso Mchunu in his first world title defense
After winning his first world title in September 2016, Usyk would return in December of the same year to defend his WBO World Cruiserweight title.
Challenging him for the title would be Thabiso Mchunu, a 17-2 fighter from South Africa. ‘The Rock’ was coming off of a second-round TKO win over Boniface Kabore as he challenged the Ukrainian in the biggest test of his career.
In control of the fight from the start, Usyk was seemingly on track to defend his world title. Then, in the sixth round, this became even more likely. A left hook from the champion would catch the South African, sending him to the canvas.
Although Mchunu recovered from the knockdown, Usyk would put his opponent down for second and third times in round nine. The third time Mchunu hit the canvas, he would not be given a chance to recover, as the fight was waved off.
Oleksandr Usyk made his first heavyweight title defense against Anthony Joshua
After Usyk delivered a brutal knockout to Tony Bellew to retain his undisputed cruiserweight title, he made the move to heavyweight. His third fight in the division would see him dethrone Joshua, winning the WBA, IBF, and WBO World Heavyweight titles in September 2021.
For his first title defense in the division, he would rematch the British superstar. However, it would not be redemption for the fan-favorite.
The bout would end in a split decision, with Usyk winning on two of the judges’ scorecards. This would be the Ukrainian’s 20th professional win in a row.
Joshua would have a bizarre post-fight interview after his loss to Usyk. However, he would bounce back from the defeat with a four-fight win streak.