Oleksandr Usyk only sneaks into the top 20 heavyweights ever, according to a three-weight world champion.
On July 19, the pound-for-pound number one produced a sensational display, destroying Daniel Dubois inside just five rounds.
Having achieved so much already, Robert Garcia would love to see Usyk retire.
However, another former boxer believes the southpaw still has a long way to go to cement his status as the greatest of all time.
WOW: Oleksandr Usyk’s toughest challenges aren’t Joseph Parker or Agit Kabayel
Oleksandr Usyk isn’t as good as 19 other heavyweight icons, says Duke McKenzie
Despite the world singing Oleksandr Usyk’s praises, Duke McKenzie isn’t as impressed as everyone else.
In an interview with talkSPORT, the Englishman claimed: “He deserves to be in the all-time top 20 [best] heavyweights in the world, but we don’t know where he sits in that top 20.”
Stunned by the comment, Ade Oladipo responded: “20?! There are 19 heavyweights better than Usyk?”
McKenzie answered in the affirmative, saying: “In my opinion, [yes],” before adding: “Because if we’re looking back into the 70s and the 80s and 90s, you look back at those kind of fighters, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Muhammad Ali – then you have Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, Evander Holyfield, there’s a lot of guys that would’ve given Usyk a lot of trouble.”
He then named David Tua and Ray Mercer as fighters who would’ve given the two-weight undisputed champion a run for his money.
Oladipo fired back: “Usyk, equally, would’ve given them fits. His southpaw stance and movement, and those heavyweights back in the day, as much as we like to look at them, they weren’t big.
McKenzie replied: “They were combination punchers. They were huge. They were proper athletes.”
Oleksandr Usyk has to fight an icon, says Joe Rogan
Regardless, it looks like Usyk will fight on, with the 38-year-old thinking about who he’ll share the ring with next.
While many believe Joseph Parker deserves a shot, Rogan would rather the Ukrainian head in a different direction.
The podcaster believes only one man can give the talented athlete problems.
Interestingly, Rogan named the man Usyk should fight next.