Oleksandr Usyk proved he was too good for the Cruiserweight division with his incredible victory over a former champion in 2018.
The Ukrainian fighter is a legend at both Cruiserweight and Heavyweight, having won massive title fights in both divisions.
Oleksandr Usyk is preparing to battle Daniel Dubois for the second time, after Usyk knocked Dubois out in the ninth round of their previous encounter.
The undisputed heavyweight champion has previous, as he ended his career as a Cruiserweight by seeing out the end of a former world champion’s time in the ring with a massive knockout.
Oleksandr Usyk knocked out Tony Bellew with a five-punch combination in 2018
It took eight rounds before a brutal combination floored Tony Bellew in his final fight in boxing.
The English fighter was coming into the bout off the biggest wins of his career, defeating David Haye in back-to-back fights during their heated rivalry.
He was stripped of his WBC Cruiserweight title after moving up to Heavyweight to face Haye, but came back down to Cruiserweight for a title fight against the undefeated, undisputed champion Usyk on November 10, 2018.
Bellew was the clear underdog, and it showed throughout the bout. Usyk dominated him for the first seven rounds, his technical superiority and incredible speed proving too much for the proud Liverpudlian.
While Bellew managed to land some powerful hits, he was no match for Usyk, who continuously stung him with a number of impressive combinations to stay on top of the fight.
This all came to a head in the eighth round. The gutsy Bellew was on his last legs, and Usyk knew it. He continued to jab the chin of Bellew, who gave a last-gasp haymaker out of desperation before the inevitable.
After a few big hits in the corner, he landed a beautiful five-punch combination to send Bellew crashing to the ground, almost knocking him through the ropes as the referee called for the bell.
Usyk cemented himself as an all-time great Cruiserweight champion while the bout was Bellew’s final fight in professional boxing, despite it being one of Usyk’s toughest bouts.
Tony Bellew announced his retirement following the knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk
The fight with Usyk was Bellew’s last as he ended his career after recovering from the beating in Manchester.
Just days after he lost to Usyk, Bellew took to social media to officially announce his retirement.
Bellew wrote: “It is time for me to finally leave the ring, the bell has rung for the final time, and I want to thank you all for the support you have given me over the years.
“It is not the end of my story, though, so keep an eye on bomberbellew.co.uk.”
In the attached video, Bellew admitted he would consider coming back to boxing if Eddie Hearn offered him a $100 million fight, although his wife wouldn’t be too pleased about it.