Usyk stakes claim as best man in boxing after making Fury eat his words | Boxing

ONEs Oleksandr Usyk walked toward us just after three in the morning, resplendent in his purple tracksuit, carrying Eeyore under his arm, his promoter let out a soft cry: “Here he comes, the best man in boxing …”

Alex Krassyuk is not a traditional boxing promoter as he is a much more understated man than most of his contemporaries in this troubled old business. But his pride was understandable in the immediate aftermath of Usyk’s decisive second straight defeat by Tyson Fury.

Outgunned by more than 50 pounds, and with Fury promising to take him into the darkest “damage closet” where he would do “some serious damage,” Usyk had once again used an irresistible combination of grit and glare to seal a comprehensive and thrilling victory as he retained his three world heavyweight titles in the early hours of Sunday morning in Riyadh.

Fury had dismissed and ridiculed him for years – as a “gap-toothed middleweight”, “midget”, “pum”, “dosser” and “sausage” – but Usyk is the undefeated and the former undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world. . He is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 226 pounds for his rematch with Fury. So he’s a pretty mighty “midget” and a real banger of a “sausage”.

Usyk still fights a division above his natural home – where cruiserweights are only allowed to weigh a maximum of 200 pounds. So the imperious manner in which he stood up to Fury before out-thinking and out-fighting him once again provides compelling evidence for anyone trying to build a case that Usyk should be considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. But when he spoke with humility and wit, it was even easier to enjoy his simple human qualities as an ordinary man, as a son, a husband and a father.

Boxing is full of unsavory and highly suspect people. But it also produces extraordinary men like Usyk. While Fury refused to offer any praise to Usyk, the world champion remained the epitome of grace. “He’s my best friend,” he said of Fury with a wry smile. “Yeah! Look, I really respect this guy because I think he’s a very tough opponent. Tyson Fury makes me strong. Tyson is a great opponent. He’s a big man, a tough boxer. He is a good man. With Tyson, there is a lot of talk, but I have so much respect for him. Twenty four rounds? Listen, now it is already historic.”

Usyk has shared 24 rounds each with Fury and Anthony Joshua, as well as nine rounds with Daniel Dubois. He was asked which of the three British fighters who have held versions of the world championship had proved the most accomplished and difficult opponent. Usyk looked down at his nails as if they had just been groomed instead of hidden in sweat-streaked boxing gloves, then replied. “It’s Tyson Fury,” he said with such certainty that he didn’t even need to add the sound of “of course.”

Fury argued that Usyk had received the unanimous decision – 116-112 on all three scorecards – as a Christmas present from the judges. Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, had suggested it was “emergency” that Fury had not been awarded many more rounds by the officials.

“Uncle Frank?” Usyk said cheerfully. “I think he’s blind. If Tyson says it’s a Christmas present, then OK. Thank you, God. Not Tyson. Thank you, God. Thank you, my trainer, Yurii (Tkachenko). Thank you, my team. Listen here, Frank is a crazy man in my opinion. But it’s okay, I win.”

He dedicated his victory to “my mother and all Ukrainian mothers” as he again highlighted his bond with his country as the war against Russia continues with draining consequences.

Usyk transcends boxing in Ukraine, so he quickly upstaged the press conference when he opened a case containing a shiny sword that he revealed had once belonged to Ivan Mazepa, a 17th-century Cossack warrior and leader. “This is the original saber of the legendary Hetman (Field Marshal) who fought for Ukraine’s freedom from Russian invaders over 300 years ago,” Krassyuk said.

In particular, it had been flown from a museum in the Ukraine so that Usyk could hold it aloft in the ring after his victory over Fury. This was more than a gesture of solidarity with Ukraine’s steadfast soldiers on the front lines. The project was organized by the Oleksandr Usyk Charitable Foundation and ‘Ukraine WOW’, a public organization that promotes Ukrainian culture and men like Mazepa who “fought for the country’s sovereignty and freedom from imperialist domination”.

Inevitably and prosaically, Usyk was then asked for his message to Dubois. He beat Dubois 16 months ago in Poland, but this summer the British heavyweight had claimed one of the four world heavyweight belts Usyk had won in May. After beating Fury then, Usyk became the first undisputed world heavyweight champion of this century. It was scandalous that weeks later the IBF decided to strip him of their bauble because he was under contract to face Fury again instead of fighting their mandatory challenger.

Dubois was installed as the IBF champion and he has since knocked out Joshua. But Usyk just shrugged. “I don’t have a message for Dubois.”

Instead, he told us about the inspiration he had received earlier that afternoon from his sons. “It helped me because today my guys are winning competitions and getting judo belts. Mykhailo is getting (the) orange belt, Kyrylo is getting (the) green belt. And Kyrylo was talking to me today. He said, ‘Hey dad, you’re the next to win.’ I said, ‘OK’.

He also proclaimed his love for his eldest daughter, Yelizaveta, who had given him her toy Eeyore as a way to bring him luck. He stressed that returning to his wife, Yekaterina, and their four children meant far more to him than discussing what he might do next in boxing. “Hear my next step, I want to rest. Today my wife sent me a video message. My little daughter Marisa says: “Da-dee … Da-dee.” She is 10 and a half months. I have only had time to to watch my little daughter for only two months, maybe a month and a half (since he’s been locked up in successive training camps for Fury).Now I want to go home, rest, stay away from my phone and close (the doors to ) my house. I will sit like this…”

Usyk grinned, leaned back in his chair, stretched out his legs and spread his arms wide. “I want to sit back and look at the sky. Mmmmm. I also want to look at a tree and see how it grows. Yes! I want to rest, not think about boxing, Dubois, Tyson Fury, bleagghhh. I just want to rest and play with my children.”

Fury, meanwhile, will soon be plotting a return to boxing with the likelihood of hysterical hype about him fighting Joshua next year. But for many of us, it will be hard to care much about the domestic scrap when Usyk has beaten them both so clearly, and when his cultural and political importance to Ukraine, amid a relentless war, continues to deepen.

He remains grounded in ordinary human concerns for his people and his family, but just before slipping away into Riyadh’s early morning darkness, Usyk allowed himself a brief flash of bravado. Asked if he could think of a heavyweight in history who would have been good enough to beat him, Usyk thought twice before coming up with a familiar name.

“Yes,” he said with a deadpan expression, “this is Oleksandr Usyk.”

Then, as if to remind us that he had not forgotten his manners, the greatest man in boxing stood up and bowed with deep and respectful gratitude.