Usyk And 'ivan' - The Untouchable Duo Who Can't Be Beaten?

Oleksandr Usyk introduced Daniel Dubois and nan world to his friend 'Ivan' astatine Wembley connected Saturday.

The Ukrainian southpaw landed a flush near hook to seal a fifth-round knockout triumph and go undisputed heavyweight champion for a 2nd time.

Usyk arrived for his post-fight news convention an hr aft extending his undefeated grounds to 24, and aft a swift night's activity was happy to entertain nan packed room.

"My near hook is called Ivan," Usyk said.

"Ivan is simply a Ukrainian name. Ivan is simply a large feline who lives successful a colony and useful for his family. It's a difficult punch, Ivan.

"The first clip 2018 [I named it] was successful nan USA arsenic a cruiserweight."

Dubois had already climbed disconnected nan canvas moments earlier pursuing a correct hook to nan temple, but it was nan series that followed pinch Usyk's favoured near that proved decisive.

It was different vintage capacity from a maestro of nan craft.

A 90,000-strong crowd had been forced to contend pinch dense rainfall astatine Wembley Stadium earlier successful nan night, but it was worthy persevering to watch nan spectacle unfold.

Usyk excelled successful each areas - escaping Dubois' attacks pinch slick footwork, returning pinch crisp shots connected nan antagonistic and displaying axenic heavyweight power.

The triumph has propelled Usyk into a very elite class - he joins Muhammad Ali arsenic nan only men to reign undisputed successful nan heavyweight section connected 2 occasions.

If it wasn't already clear past it surely is now. Usyk is nan standout heavyweight of his generation.

Usyk has not conscionable cleaned retired his biggest rivals - Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dubois - but he has gone each nan measurement information nan artifact and defeated each of them twice.

He dethroned Joshua successful conscionable his 3rd conflict arsenic a heavyweight to go a unified champion and it has been an upward trajectory ever since.

The easy way is not 1 Usyk likes to explore.

After becoming nan first undisputed heavyweight champion of nan four-belt era by beating Fury successful 2024, Usyk had nan action to take sides that position by accepting a mandatory defence of his IBF strap against Dubois.

However, he elected to vacate that title successful bid to prosecute a rematch pinch Fury and grounds a 2nd successive victory, earlier circling backmost to reclaim nan IBF title from Dubois astatine Wembley.

"What he achieved today, it was designated by him a small spot much than a twelvemonth ago," Egis Klimas, Usyk's manager, said.

"His determination was to vacate nan title and fto Dubois hit someone, and past to conflict for a 3rd clip for undisputed. That was his scheme a twelvemonth ago. He is not conscionable a bully boxer but he is bully mentally."

Usyk is caput and shoulders supra immoderate progressive heavyweight, pinch Fury offering his top test, while Joshua and Dubois are respective rungs down nan ladder.

Many predicting a triumph for Dubois connected Saturday did truthful connected nan ground that Usyk, 11 years nan elder of nan Briton, must beryllium fresh to decline.

That evidently isn't nan case.

But wherever does this triumph - his 15th knockout - time off him successful nan all-time heavyweight rankings?

Usyk has 8 heavyweight fights nether his loop and six of those person been for world titles.

There's an statement that nan existent era lacks awesome extent successful nan heavyweight section erstwhile comparing it to nan erstwhile century.

Through nan 1960's, 1970's and 1980's nan likes of Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman dazzled nan masses.

Going backmost further, Joe Louis made 25 successful defences betwixt 1937 and 1948.

A spot successful nan apical 3 mightiness beryllium thing to see erstwhile we person a completed assemblage of activity to measure erstwhile Usyk, who could still person a mates of fights left, yet decides to bent up nan gloves.

But arsenic an Olympic golden medallist, an undisputed cruiserweight champion and two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, a top-five all-time spot feels correct already.

"I deliberation he's [Oleksandr Usyk] a legend," erstwhile world champion Carl Frampton said connected Dazn.

"He tin compete successful immoderate era. He's beaten everyone and 3 of nan apical guys twice."

The database of superior contenders for Usyk is short.

Queensberry's Frank Warren has seen 2 of his unchangeable - Fury and Dubois - already spell down against Usyk, but he has a 3rd campaigner waiting successful nan wings.

Joseph Parker is nan interim WBO champion and kept a adjacent oculus connected Usyk done conflict week and connected conflict night.

The New Zealander is connected a six-fight triumph streak and has antecedently held a world title.

At nan different extremity of nan standard is agleam young Briton Moses Itauma.

The 20-year-old is unbeaten successful 12 fights arsenic a master and has been hailed arsenic nan early of nan division.

Itauma has only gone beyond 2 rounds successful 2 of his bouts, has 10 knockouts connected his CV and has been hailed arsenic nan early of nan division.

But it feels premature to propose he is fresh for nan top of this era.

No 1 is yet to formulate a blueprint to moreover get adjacent to defeating Usyk.

Finding a existent heavyweight that tin lucifer his all-round crippled has proved intolerable and it shows nary signs of changing.